So here is my dilemma. Advice gratefully recieved.

DaveRed

DaveRed

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Dave (Who'da thunk it!)
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Over the last 12-18 months ive started to get quite serious about my photography. Its never going to be a job for me, and nor would i want it to be.

I guess my current kit is what a lot of you guys would consider 'budget' gear:
2 x EOS 500D (one is actually the wifes)
Canon 17-85 IS
Sigma 18-125 OS
Canon 50 1.8
Canon 70-200 f4L
Nissin Di622
Oh and a Sigma 75-300 that I bought on a whim, and I hate it. eBay for that one pretty soon...

So here is my problem. I had considered upgrading my body (the camera body..not MY body...thats WAY past redemption!), but then I discovered L series glass. It therefore became my intention to sell on all o my current lenses, and replace them with some better glass. I was quite content with my newfound direction, until....I got asked yesterday to shoot a relatives wedding. Oh gawd.

Now its my favourite Aunt, so i've no intention of saying no. To be honest, I'm actually quite chuffed that i've been asked...but that leaves me with a dilemma.

I love my 500D. No...seriously. Stop chuckling at the back!
However, said wedding is highly likely to be somewhere as dark as satans armpit, and the more I get used to the 500 the more I realise that it just cant cope with that kind of situation.

I think ive already realised that a body AND lens upgrade is the only way to go for this. If im going to do it, then I want to do it right. I love people pictures at the end of the day.

I keep looking at the 5D, which is probably the perfect tool for the job. In real terms though, aside from this wedding i cant really see that I have any real NEED to go full frame, so am I in false economy territory by buying one? Time and again I keep looking at the 7D...and for the motor sport and trains that I often shoot, im guessing the 8fps would be far more use to me than the reduced noise of full frame.

In truth...i think ive already made my mind up (7D, 24-105L, 50mm 1.4?). I guess I just need one of you good folks to tell me im going about it the right way before I go cap in hand to the wife ;)

Humour me :cool: (or tell me to get a grip....I can take it!)
 
Hi Dave

There are LOTS of threads around here indicating people's preffered gear for shooting weddings.

My only thought is that you now have 2x1.6 crop bodies so why not get something different ?

This will give you different effective focal lengths with your existing or future lenses.

Loads of people will reccomend the 5D for weddings.

Personally, I reckon the 1D3 (which you can get used for the price of a 7D) is the best all-round camera available today. OK, the MkIV is probably better but that is SERIOUS money.

Good luck with your choices.

Look forward to following this one !

Gary
 
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Invest in decent glass!
 
The 7D has great auto focus, speed and ISO performance.

If it was me I'd buy the 7D and sell all of them lenses and buy the 70-200 2.8 (as you shoot motorsport and trains!) and hire something wider for the wedding day. It's one wedding...don't buy shed loads of kit for one family job. It's different of course if you intend to shoot more in the future.
 
gary43 said:
My only thought is that you now have 2x1.6 crop bodies so why not get something different ?

Personally, I reckon the 1D3
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Thanks Gary. I would offload at least one of the 500d's after I upgrade, and as you say the variety afforded by having one of each is certainly tempting. I hadnt considered the 1D3 either. :thinking:

AndyWest said:
Invest in decent glass!
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That bit goes without saying Andy. That was going to happen anyway!
 
I'm a nikon bloke, but...

Having read several threads on here you will need two cameras for a wedding... just in case and for speed... Your fave lens on your current 500, and if you can go full... why not? You could always rent one for the day (or a few days before - to get used to it) if you feel like you wont be using it...
And if you do decide to use it, you can always sell the older one and lenses to fund the new one...

Next up you might want to consider the low light. Full frame seem to have better iso and low light capabilities. Coupled with a hired decent lens for the day... might be worth checking into.

In fact might be worth hiring asap and trying out. At least you can say you like/don't like etc... then cap in hand might be easier with the other half too :)
 
I've never shot a wedding and I don't intend to so what I'm about to say may well be totally irrelevant...

I'd forget about a new body for image quality reasons unless you prefer the controls and handling of the 7D over your current camera. I don't think that you need a lightening fast camera with lots of focus options for a wedding shoot.

I'd ditch the Canon 17-85mm and Sigma 18-125mm for a quality 17-50mm f2.8 and I'd forget about the 24-70mm L as the focal length doesn't look as APS-C friendly as a 17-50mm to me. 24mm isn't particularly wide on APS-C and 17mm might be much more useful if there's a chance of group shots in confined spaces, in fact I think I'm right in saying that some APS-C wedding shooters keep a 10-20mm handy for this purpose?

You have a 50mm f1.8 so I'm not sure that a 50mm f1.4 is called for unless you really want one and in that case I'd go for the Siggy 50mm f1.4.

You already have a flash so that's covered.
 
Glad to chip in.

OOI, wedding venues can be criplingly dark and some officials may permit photography but no flash.

I do not have the 7D but it has the same sensor as the 60D I do have and I would be a bit reluctant to use that at iso 1600, whereas, I'm perfectly happy with my 1D3 up there.

I do not want to be flamed but it may be that the 1D3 will give you better high iso possibilities for use in church/reception and elsewhere.

I do not know the last time that anyone lost images off SD/CF cards but the dual card backup on the 1D3 gives me enormous peace of mind as well.

I notice you suggested getting the 24-105L. I know it has IS but f4 can be a bit slow. Last wedding I did I shot indoors with the 35 f1.4 pretty much wide open and still got some motion blur (not in all shots thankfully). FYI, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the 24-70L for this job and I might suggest that this, along with the 70-200 suggested above, are HIGHLY popular amongst wedding shooters.

Regards.

Gary
 
woof woof said:
I've never shot a wedding and I don't intend to so what I'm about to say may well be totally irrelevant...

I'd forget about a new body for image quality reasons
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Weddings isnt something i'd do out of choice either...but you know, its family etc etc.

As for image quality, its precisely that thats made me consider a body change in the first place. Much as I like the 500D, its performance at anything over 1600iso leaves a bit to be desired. Thats my big concern.

What I think ill end up doing is ditching the vast maority of what I already have :shrug:
 
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I don't know how many high ISO shots you'll be taking or what the IQ increase will be if you go for a new body, I'd look very closely to make sure that there's an increase in IQ before changing cameras.

If you're using flash high ISO performance dosn't matter.
 
You'll get no flaming from me Gary..the 1D3 is actually a very valid suggestion in my eyes, as is buying used (which is something else I hadnt considered....duh!).

The 24-70 2.8 is also probably a very good suggestion. I think im probably infatuated with the 24-105 since I blagged the use of one last year.

At the end of the day, I know that ill never be a wedding photographer as long as I have a hole in my ass, so whatever I do is going to be a trade off between producing something decent on the day, and having kit that will serve my needs afterwards.
 
My take on it.

If it's a regular portrait/wedding/product shoot thing then a 5D (or 5D mk2) would be a great addition. If its a one off thing and you want to upgrade bodies for other reasons then I'd get the 7D because you shoot sports.

However, the third option is to buy a 5D just for the wedding and sell it afterwards. They've just about hit rock bottom in price so you'd lose next to nothing on it.

Lens wise, I've got the 50mm 1.4 but you're 1.8 will be fine. I really rate the 24-105, but if using it on a crop body you might find something wider like the 10-22 useful as well.

Got any friends you can borrow from?

The power of the dark side (L glass) is strong...
 
Hi Dave

As a top tip if you get a 1D3 used (1100-1400GBP); 24-70 (750 GBP) and 70-200 IS (1000GBP) all used minus the sale of some of your existing gear you will have a fantastic line-up of equipment that will not only work for the wedding but you will enjoy for years to come.

This last point is what it is all about.

I realise this is a lot of cash but at the above prices you will most likely lose next to nothing (maybe on the body when a mark V comes along ?) if you decide to resell in due course. The above lenses at those prices might even go UP in value BTW.

The downside, if you are anything like me, is persuading the wife this is a good "investment". But that is true of any gear that you do decide to get. Good luck !

Gary
 
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Thanks for the replies so far everyone. Definitely some food for thought there I reckon.
Its given me more than a few options I hadnt considered :)
 
Ooops !

Should have specified 70-200 f2.8 IS L in the post above.

Apologies for any confusion.
 
I have done a couple of weddings on crop bodies, and here's my take on it:

Upgrade one body to a 7D, you need to add a 17-55 f2.8 & a 70-200 f2.8 IS to your lens line up. Add a Canon 430 or 580 flash with a suitable diffuser, and you may want to consider hiring an ultra wide angle for the group shots.

Run the shorter lens on the 7D and the longer on the 500. Get some practice in using flash before hand. You can ditch some of your other lenses, and your new lens line up will suit your photography interests in the future.

Hope that helps.
Steve

Sent from my iPad using TP Forums
 
Danny133 said:
ill sell you my 50d for a cracking price lol
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Yeah, but the 7D would be better for his motorsport fetish.

Steve

Sent from my iPad using TP Forums
 
dunno lol doesnt 50D have a 5.5fps shutter or something stupid .. its like a machine gun anyway it scares me so i have it turned off lol
 
Jelster said:
Upgrade one body to a 7D, you need to add a 17-55 f2.8 & a 70-200 f2.8 IS to your lens line up. Add a Canon 430 or 580 flash with a suitable diffuser, and you may want to consider hiring an ultra wide angle for the group shots.

Run the shorter lens on the 7D and the longer on the 500. Get some practice in using flash before hand. You can ditch some of your other lenses, and your new lens line up will suit your photography interests in the future.
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Now that there is pretty much exactly the kind of setup I was aimlessly wandering towards in my head before I posted this thread, even down to hiring an ultra wide. :lol:
 
DaveRed said:
Now that there is pretty much exactly the kind of setup I was aimlessly wandering towards in my head before I posted this thread, even down to hiring an ultra wide. :lol:
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Well the 17-55 is very similar to a 24-70 on full frame, and the 70-200 will cover the head & shoulders type shots. The 50mm quill help if light becomes a problem, and the 7D is pretty good wand handling 1600/3200 ISO.

Now go and spend some money !

Steve

Sent from my iPad using TP Forums
 
I went from 500d to 5dii, and have also used 7d. I've also shot weddings for friends/family, but not professionally. My 2 cents...

Biggest difference with 5dii is high ISO capability. 1600 is now standard for indoors, and 3200 still usable with some NR. Second reason is FF detail goodness - you can crop like crazy, freeing you up to concentrate less on framing/zooming, and more on capturing the moment. Third reason would be the increase in depth of field, but I would say that a different lens makes more difference than 5dii vs 7d.

That said, the fps, AF and crop factor effect leans you towards 7d.

On cropped, some of my fav wedding shots are from 50mm 1.4, but if you're the only tog, then you will also need UWA like 10-24, 11-16 or 10-22.

You will definitely need a flash, where you are allowed at least.
 
tomqh said:
I went from 500d to 5dii, and have also used 7d. I've also shot weddings for friends/family, but not professionally. My 2 cents...

Biggest difference with 5dii is high ISO capability. 1600 is now standard for indoors, and 3200 still usable with some NR. Second reason is FF detail goodness - you can crop like crazy, freeing you up to concentrate less on framing/zooming, and more on capturing the moment. Third reason would be the increase in depth of field, but I would say that a different lens makes more difference than 5dii vs 7d.

That said, the fps, AF and crop factor effect leans you towards 7d.

On cropped, some of my fav wedding shots are from 50mm 1.4, but if you're the only tog, then you will also need UWA like 10-24, 11-16 or 10-22.

You will definitely need a flash, where you are allowed at least.
Click to expand...

The reason I suggested a 7D is the OP's interest in Motorsport, plus as he already has a crop body, they will be able to "share" the lenses. Personally, I feel the ideal set up for his interests would be a 5D & a 7D, but then that's just being greedy :lol:

Steve
 
Hi Dave

Just catching up on this thread. Obviously, you have hads lots of interesting views above. What is your current thinking ?
 
Well....funny you should say that.
I must confess im very tempted with the 1D3 option if finance will permit. However, today i've been offered a VERY nice condition 1D2, for what I would consider to be a bargain price.

Not having delved into the 'big boys' 1Dxx range before, is there that much difference between the two?
 
Its a funny old world. Turns out the lure of full frame was too good to resist, and I picked up a 5D on friday. Even I didnt see that coming :lol:
 
Hope you enjoy the new beast Dave, keep us updated on your lens choices too!

So tempted to upgrade to full frame too!
 
Well its a bit of a twisty story to be honest, but since starting the thread a few things have happened which are going to leave me with big bills. (b****r!).

In short, I'd pretty much decided to go with a 1D3...that I now cant afford, at least not immediately. The 5D1 was a compromise really (mainly in terms of fps), but I must say after spending 2 days tinkering with it im definitely liking it.

As for lens choices im undecided at the moment, but again due to the bills im going to have to compromise again at least in the short term. I do really appreciate everyones thoughts and advice on this thread by the way.
 
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