Upgrading my kit for 1st wedding

Rudesing

Rudesing

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Ruth
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Hi

If you saw my other post, I'm assisting my first wedding in August (thanks to BoyFallDown :clap:).

My current kit is:

Canon 30D
Speedlite 420EX
24-105 L F4
EF 75-300 4-5.6 II
EF 50mm 1.8 II

I've got a bit of cash to spend, so what would be the best thing to upgrade for the wedding?

Can't decide really between a lens, new flash or 50D. I'm guessing most would say a lens, but which one?

Thanks in advance :)
 
camera - go for a second user 5D or new if you have the cash

stew
 
Camera for me, only because (I'm assuming) you only have the one body, as it doesn't matter how many flashes or L glass you have if your only camera packs up on a wedding day.

Edit, Just noticed you are assisting not doing it all, maybe a second body isn't as important.
 
What budget are you looking at then? This figure will limit what it is you can get you see.

Personally I would look at getting some faster glass with reach. If you are looking to go down the wedding route then in the church shots are going to need to be long so you can get out of the way and flash is a no no so you need f/2.8 to compensate.
If your budget will stretch then you could go for a 5D. Sell your 30D for around £250 and put the cash towards the 5D.

Your lucky getting the chance to second anyway, its a rarity that does come by often on here matey!
 
rgrebby said:
is a 5D better than a 50D then?
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Essentially two different bits of kit really so not fair to compare them but will give it a go.....

The 5D is full frame so you get the advantage of being able to capture more within the frame than the 50D.
5D has an older DIGIC II processor whereas the 50D has the DIGIC 4 so will records the images faster to a memory card but for the purposes of weddings you wont really be doing burst shots so shouldnt be an issue.

The 5D will take EF lenses whereas the 50D will take the EF-S lenses so you could use a 10-22 for example.

The 50D has a wider ISO range than the 5D, the 50D is 12800 whereas the 5D is 3200 so for low light the 50D gives you more options but the question is when you go above 3200 would this bring in too much noise for wedding shots?

The 50D has a higher pixel count at 15.5M as opposed to the 13.3M of the 5D. In my opinion though this would not make the world of difference to the images captured unless doing super large prints.

The main factor is the cost really and according the MSSP on the Canon website it is £500. Second hand will make the world of difference but I still think the 5D will be higher than the 50D.

Personally then I would choose the 5D as this is still the wedding togs weapon of choice, mainly due to full frame, but this is just my opinion, lets hope some others throw some ideas into the hat too.

Hope this helps :)
 
Looking at your kit you have a few strengths and weaknesses there.

The 24-104mm is an f4 so not fab in low light. However for outdoor group shots it's perfect. B&G can also be happily shot on that. F4 is not going to cut it indoors with no flash though, you do have the 50mm f1.8 which is not bad for scene setting and recording interiors. You can also shoot head shots indoors with it.

The weakness in your lenses is the 75-300mm At f4-5.6 you will struggle to get anything indoors with a decent shutter speed. That's one to look at. 70-200mm f2.8 is popular for a reason. :)

Then there is the body. The 5D MKII is terrific for weddings (not got one myself yet!) because it gives high ISO performance AND full frame. If the budget is more limited than that then I would be tempted to get a 5D MkI. I still use mine and coupled to some decent lenses it is still a very capable performer.
 
Thanks so much to each & every one for your thoughts! Also pretty pleased I've now started two wedding threads without offending anyone too much.

It has given me a lot to think about. I hadn't really considered full frame as I think I'll still be mainly focusing on portraits rather than weddings. Hmmmmmm...

AliB / PaulMack - definitely will be looking at a f2.8, cheers.

Off to raid the piggy bank & count up my pennies...

Will go off & look in my piggy bank.
 
Rudesing said:
Also pretty pleased I've now started two wedding threads without offending anyone too much.
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Yeah your doing well....fingers crossed it stays that way as wedding threads have a tendency to get quite nasty on here which is a real shame.

Good luck mate and I hope you enjoy it.
Being a second brings very little pressure on you and you can to a certain etc watch and learn without the fear of letting down a happy couple on their special day so I really do hope you get something out of it!

I am hoping to pimp myself out to a tog as a second in a month or so time when I am back on my feet again just so I can get some experience. Mixed in with a portrait and wedding course with Anabel Williams as I think shooting people (so to speak) is going to be my thing, not big on landscape or wildlife etc. so do let us know how it went, if you enjoyed it and if you feel like you got something out of it?

Cheers
 
Oh and one other thing.....

With you being the second at the wedding then there is no real need for you to spend loads on kit at the moment because the chances are that the main tog will cover most of it. I would do the gig and see how you get on before you commit to buying the gear as you never know, you may find out you just dont think that its for you (doing weddings that is).

And if you do any shots indoors with your other lenses then you will see first hand what the difference will be with using your f/4 lenses as opposed to the main togs f/2.8 (I assume this is what he will use anyway). You can compare the shots afterwards and this should make your mind up for you about what lenses you need then ;)
 
Invest as you go along, and yes you are doing well with the wedding threads because you are asking the right questions so carry on asking. :)
 
I agree the weak link is the 75-300. Something longer than the 24-105 will be needed, especially as a 2nd shooter because there will be opportunities for candids while the main 'tog is doing the groups. A 70-200 of some description is probably best but the Canon f2.8 isn't cheap. I got rid of a sigma 70-200 f2.8 and replaced it with a Canon 70-200 f4 which I much prefer. However my 1d mkIII's better low light performance than my old 20d probably helps and so your 30d may need an f2.8 lens
 
AliB said:
and yes you are doing well with the wedding threads because you are asking the right questions so carry on asking. :)
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Damn I was just going to ask you as well is it better to shoot with the lens cap on or off? haha ;)
 
Paulmack said:
Oh and one other thing.....

With you being the second at the wedding then there is no real need for you to spend loads on kit at the moment because the chances are that the main tog will cover most of it. I would do the gig and see how you get on before you commit to buying the gear as you never know, you may find out you just dont think that its for you (doing weddings that is).

And if you do any shots indoors with your other lenses then you will see first hand what the difference will be with using your f/4 lenses as opposed to the main togs f/2.8 (I assume this is what he will use anyway). You can compare the shots afterwards and this should make your mind up for you about what lenses you need then ;)
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To follow on from this...

Maybe you should use http://www.lensesforhire.co.uk/ and get some nice L glass - then if you fall in love with any of it, you can buy that - remember, lenses are investments!

Cameras, of course, aren't because they loose their value very quickly. Having said that I would still use your money to upgrade to a 5d/5d mark ii, as I don't think you will find the 30d good enough in most ways.

Have fun with the wedding! :thumbs:
 
While acknowledging what PaulG said, and other than another body, I would go for a 70-200 f2.8.

This is a very useful all round lens and could weel come in handy at a wedding especially for those long shots in the church that the 24-105 just won't quite make.
 
Only been an unofficial at weddings, how much chance with the OP have to change lenses?

The 50/1.8 would do if he drastically needs low light?
Otherwise, consider hiring at the moment rather than buying (lenses for hire, suited me in the past)
 
Plenty of time to change lenses. Can stick the 50mm in a pocket! :)

The 50mm is good in low light but is a little limited being fixed. Saying that I take 4 primes when I shoot a wedding.

Changing lenses is something I do betweens setups. I'll have the 70-200mm on one camera during the ceremony and a 35mm f2 on the other. That way I can shoot double. I take the wide ones between the shots that I'm shooting longer with the 70-200mm.

Then I'll change for group shots, 17-40 and 24-105mm's for that. Back to 70-200 for candids..........change probably about 3 or 4 times during the day depending on the bit of the day I'm shooting. Keeps me fit! :)

And if you keep the lens cap on for at least one shot you can call it "black"
 
Thanks everyone for your thoughts (and sorry for the late response).

The 70-200 looks perfect, but the £££ is a bit off putting, that's everything I've earnt in 6 months from photography. I'm a guest at a Christening the day after so I guess I'd at least use it twice. May hire one first as suggested...
 
Rudesing said:
Thanks everyone for your thoughts (and sorry for the late response).

The 70-200 looks perfect, but the £££ is a bit off putting, that's everything I've earnt in 6 months from photography. I'm a guest at a Christening the day after so I guess I'd at least use it twice. May hire one first as suggested...
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Hi Ruth,

Its ideal for weddings, but it is expensive. I think hiring one might be a good idea for the end of August - a 7 day hire would give you time to get used to it, and let you use it on the Saturday and the Sunday as well, which can't be bad. One of my friends finds the weight of it to much for her to carry for a whole wedding, which may or may not be something to think about.

Hugh
 
if weight is the problem and you are staying crop camera, the sigma 50-150 is f2.8 and not heavy, but doesnt work on full frame cameras
 
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