Pro studio equipment???

I was at the local mall today and was watching a photog at a pro studio taking pictures of a young boy through the front window. Now what really got me to looking hard at this phtogwas the way he treated his camera, after every shot he would just kinda set it on the floor and kick it around with his foot. What was reallt interesting was the camera its self XSI with a kit lens on and a pocket wizard to trigger the flash, I kind of expected a 5D at least. Do you guys think an XSI and a kit lens good enough for portraits?

Practically any dslr is good for portraits. It's mostly all about the lighting. It's not really about the gear. Flashes give plenty of light and you are using decently high shutter speed. The lenses somewhat matter for bokeh and sharpness though.

Yes for me, too. With film, people used to pay extra for a soft focus lens, or used other methods to soften an image! "She" doesn't want to see needle sharp wrinkles, does she?
For me, as long as the eyes are sharp, the rest of the image can fall off a bit.

What is more important is the focal length used. Have you noticed how the face can become distorted if you get close with a wide angle lens? The opposite happens when you shoot with a telephoto. You gain "flattening". That's why head shots on 35mm film are normally shot somewhere between 80mm & 105mm. So the right focal length can help with a big nose in a straight on shot.

L.Morey wrote in post #6127906
Do you guys think an XSI and a kit lens good enough for portraits?

Absolutely.

It's the light and posing that makes a good portrait... as well as communication and emotion.

was this actually a pro studio or one of those "drive-thru" studios where the person pushing the shutter is not a photographer....rather a whipping boy there to pressure parents into buying prints they dont need? I dont think a "pro" would be kicking around his equipment.

I get superb portraits from my Xti....everyone here is right.....it's about lighting, posing, and capturing the emotion of the person you are photographing.

Given ideal conditions such as the way you can control nearly everything in a studio environment the camera does not matter as much. The reason you spend the big bucks on better equipment is for on location shooting where the environments are not ideal. Like a dark theater and shooting performers, or in the field shooting bald eagles with a steady drizzle, etc. That's when the better equipment pays off most.

Most of the photographers working for casino shows and attractions use a kit lens too; it's very common.

Thanks for all the answers