Help me decide which camera please ?

John Young

John Young

Messages
4,330
Name
John
Edit My Images
Yes
I have been using cameras since I was 15 (now 40) but I recently decided to do wedding photos. I have done two before (one official and one not)

But I am undecided on what gear I need. I will be starting on a budget so cannot afford full frame cameras but I was thinking of getting

Nikon D5000 with 18-55 & 55 - 200 lenses. I was thinking having the second lens would let me cover all I need

Nikon D90 but just with the kit lens (all I can afford)

One of the Canon cameras ?? :shrug:

I know I need to use flash at some point but I am thinking if I can get a camera that is good in low light (with little noise) I can take most photos without flash (don't like the look of flash photos)

Also which flashes are good and can old flashes be used ? I do have an old flash which has a low shutter voltage would that work ??
 
i think the phrase "popcorn anyone" is marching its way towards this conversation with haste.. :lol:

Seriously good luck with this thread, but there have been a 1001 threads on here lately of the "I have a canon 1000d can i do weddings" to "Well if i can use it in low light and have a f1.4 lens, i'll be OK." :shrug:

There's a lot more to shooting a wedding than owning a DSLR - otherwise every Tom Dick and Harry with £350 in loose change down the back of the sofa would be setting themselves up as Bridepicsrus.com...

If you're charging £50 for the wedding I am sure one of those without flash will do a reasonable job for the price..........

Have not personally shot a wedding but am thinking you are going to need somewhere in the region of 18-150mm on a 1.5 crop sensor to get the group , portraits and candids... That though is just my guess and I am sure there will be a wedding pro along soon to confirm / correct........
 
Yeah I know what I am letting myself into, when I did the other two weddings I used an old camera and the results were fine. Its as much to do with being good with people, organising people, planning, and being creative as it is with expensive cameras.

When people saw my photos they starting asking me to do more weddings. I said no at first then I thought... OK

Yeah the day is VERY important but the photos will not be put on the side of buildings. Most people only want an album of one sort or another
 
yeah sorry if my first reply came across as a bit of an arse!!!! (one of my special abilities!!!)

Never done a wedding, but from what I gather here, it's about as much about the photographer and his/her personality / ability to interact / control / organise people as it is with the equipment..............

therefore someone on here like [insert accomplished wedding pro here] would take better wedding pics with my K20d than i would with their £5k Canon / Nikons (and it's not just about understanding the cameras) due to their professionalism, and experience.......

However, I would suggest that as a basic serious start up wedding tog kit you will need something that can deal with low light well (churches are much darker than they appear) and i would suggest an ETTL flash as a minimum.........

however, what do I know having never done it myself.......
 
Please stop to think about what you are contemplating. There is a high chance that members of the congregation with have more able kit than you, although good kit does not a good photographer make this is not the right impression to be giving. Let alone the levels of skill and creativity that are required to be a wedding tog.

As a minimum all your lenses need to be f2.8 and you will need flash as well, not to mention a good years worth of training with a pro. And then there's professional insurance, liability insurance, a backup for if you are ill, the PP required, people want more than a photobook you can't just go online with Grafi, what happens when a lens breaks?

This is not a decision to be taken lightly, there is a lot at stake and people aren't afraid to sue if they don't get what they thought they were.
 
Thanks for the comments, I appreciate it.

Yeah I have thought LONG and hard and I know I need insurance. I have seen many wedding photos from so called 'pros' and some are shocking. I am no expert but I do have a lot of experience in photography. Like I said I have been taking enthusiast photos (not family snaps) since I was 15 (now 40) I have done a wedding myself and I helped at another (were the bride said she preferred my photos to the official photographer) so I do have some idea what I am getting into.

Anyway its OK I think I have narrowed my choices down now so thanks for the help
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top