Wedding Tog (best for my budget)

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princeclan

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Matt
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Hi,

In your opinion what would you say is the prerequisite for a wedding tog camera wise?

Matt
 
One that you fully understand how it works,how to get the best from it and its limitations.

Then get another one.........:)...Seriously,get a backup.
 
In the dim old days of film photography the medium format camera was the preserve of the professional wedding photographer and many mamiya's, bronicas and hasselblads earned their keep this way. I actually saw one still being used at a recent wedding and I have some negs to scan for a friend from 15 years ago and they were shot on a mamiya RB67. That was for a very good reason, the quality that medium format gave over 35mm.

I actually don't think that requirement for quality has diminished in the digital age. Yes you CAN shoot a wedding on a 400D and if your clients only ever want 7x5's or a digital slide show then you will be OK. But if your clients want a large acrylic for their dining room wall and you only have a 5mb file to play with you are a tad stuffed.

The other thing to bear in mind is photoshop. SOME clients want their photos retouched to make them look as good as possible and others actually like some of the really artistic things you can do with photoshop. Have a look for a famous wedding tog called Yervant and look for the image he shot in an underground car park. It's a cross between wedding photography, fashion photography and commercial photography. I found that even the difference between my original 20D and the 5D astounding when it came to doing some of the real detailed work I sometimes do with the image blown right up on screen.

ISO capability is another thing that the modern camera must have. I shot 55 pics of the kids playing on the dancefloor last night. Kids move quickly, there's not a lot of light there so I'm shooting at ISO 1600 and even then I have to wait until they are facing the lights from the DJ before I can shoot them. I got both their son and daughter playing and it was a specific request from the couple to have lots of photos of their two lovely children. I could not have got those shots at less than ISO 1600 and I'd have loved to have had ISO 3200, I'd have had more keepers.

So to sum up, it has to be rugged enough to withstand the use it gets, shutter life needs to be in excess of 100,000 to last three years. It has to have the minimum ISO 1600, it has to have enough resolution to be able to produce files big enough for the manufacturers of canvases, acrylics and albums (One of my album manufacturers recommends a minimum of 24 MB TIFFs for optimal quality in their larger albums)

But even more important is what you put in front of it.

And even more important than that is fully understanding what you are doing with it and why. Not fouling anything up is the order of the day.
 
Well i currently have a Samsung GX20 . Thats a 14.6mp camera so resolution aint gonna be a problem. Do you think that would be a good wedding camera? (can go to 1600iso easy enough.

Matt
 
Don`t know the camera at all,sorry.

But you will need fast glass to go with it.
 
Hi,

Welll its going to be along time from now anyway as im just a beginner. I just dont want to keepspending in a system that isnt going to be ideal for wedding photography.

I narrowed it down to good af, good iso performance, rugged body

Matt
 
princeclan said:
lol, good reply
Click to expand...

:D

I was gonna say... For a GOOD wedding photographer an old instamatic with flash cube could suffice if that’s all their was.

But for the eluded a three grand dslr with super duper portrait mode @ f1.4 isn’t going to help one bit.
:D

But then I thought better of it, as your first reply like. :nuts:
 
Any of the current crop of DSLRs have the megapixels to do the job and in most cases 1600 ISO should be adequate but there are a lot of very dimly lit churches out there so even higher ISO could be crucial but lenses are even more important in my opinion. No good being able to produce a decent image at 1600 ISO if the lens is f4 wide ope in a dimly lit church.

And definitely need back up kit in case anything breaks down including lenses. I have a 24-70 f2.8 and a 70-200 f2.8 but I have fast primes (28mm f2.8, 50mm f1.4 and 105mm f2.8) as well so there are plenty of back up options as well so I'm covered for any eventuality.
 
With all this talk of resolution, bare in mind that the Fuji S5 which is specifically designed for wedding and portrait photographers is effectively only 6mp.

I don't know the GX20 either but from what I've read about it I'm sure it'll be fine if you know how to use it inside out. You'll also need a good flashgun and as fracster mentioned, some fast lenses.
 
Not with these lenses.

"Samsung also announces the launch of two new lenses. These lenses have been designed to enable real freedom in the creative process and include: 18-55mm II F3.5~F5.6 and 18-250mm F3.5~F6.3. The lenses are also compatible with Samsung’s popular GX-10 DSLR." For wedding photography you could use both of these lenses outdoors quite happily but both have a minimum aperture of f3.5 so the minute you go indoors you would have to be using flash. That severely limits your photography. You really need f2.8 and below both for low light and for subject separation.

And from their own press release: "The Samsung GX-20 is aimed firmly at the discerning enthusiast photographer "

Enthusiast is different playpark to professional. Enthusiast photographers are expected to take a lot less photos over the course of a year than a professional. The cameras are just not built to take that kind of use/abuse.

Go and get a book on wedding photography by Mark Cleghorn and read it from cover to cover. It will explain everything you need to know.
 
Cheers AliB,

if i was taking a shot inside a church f2.8 would have such a narrow depth of field anyway wouldnt it?

What would happen if i wanted alot in focus?

Also, would you say im better off with a canon 30d/40d then?

Matt
 
Yes the faster lenses have less depth of field which is where really good focusing comes in. That's whay it's so damn difficult and not as easy as it looks.

You are faced with very poorly lit conditions a lot of the time. I've even heard of one bride who wanted to get married by candlelight!!

You need to be able to keep the shutter speeds up and to do that you need to up the ISO and open the apertures right up and it's getting the balance right that makes it technically demanding. The outdoor shots are easy compared to these dimly lit caverns.

Don't forget though that a lot of good wedding photography involves human beings. You need to be comfortable talking to people and on occasion directing them. We did a little bit of direction with the Bride and Groom yesterday because I knew them well enough by then to judge that they would not be uncomfortable with what I was asking them to do. If they had been uncomfortable then the pics would have shown that and been straight in the bin. As it is I'm looking forward to doing some work with them later :)
 
Hi,

Well....... Justbeen talking to the other half and we have agreed that if its something i want to do then when i can save some money out ofmy wages over the next 3 months and put it tomy gx20 sale and buy a decent camera and lenses thats capable of doing weddings well.

My budget will be about £2500

What would you recommend?

Matt
 
princeclan said:
Hi,

Well....... Justbeen talking to the other half and we have agreed that if its something i want to do then when i can save some money out ofmy wages over the next 3 months and put it tomy gx20 sale and buy a decent camera and lenses thats capable of doing weddings well.

My budget will be about £2500

What would you recommend?

Matt
Click to expand...

Why do you need to sell your GX20? I thought it had been established that it was the lenses that were important, could you not save up for them?
 
I could yes. Its just the choice is very llimited in comparison to nikon/canon/sony. Apart from Sigma and Tamron which dont seem to get a good review alot of thetimes.

Is full frame beneficial ?
 
princeclan said:
I could yes. Its just the choice is very llimited in comparison to nikon/canon/sony. Apart from Sigma and Tamron which dont seem to get a good review alot of thetimes.

Is full frame beneficial ?
Click to expand...

Fair enough, although I use Sigma lenses and am very happy with them.
 
AliB said:
Go and get a book on wedding photography by Mark Cleghorn and read it from cover to cover. It will explain everything you need to know.
Click to expand...

x2.
 
fabs said:
Fair enough, although I use Sigma lenses and am very happy with them.
Click to expand...

Wasnt knocking Sigma. My mate shoots aircraft with a sigma lens and his shots are stunning! Just saying that the reviews i readof expensive glass always seem to be biased towards canon or nikon lenses
 
Learn the basics before thinking of doing weddings.
 
princeclan said:
Wasnt knocking Sigma. My mate shoots aircraft with a sigma lens and his shots are stunning! Just saying that the reviews i readof expensive glass always seem to be biased towards canon or nikon lenses
Click to expand...

And I would expect the Canon/Nikon lenses to be better and, if I were a full time pro, then I would go with the camera manufacturer's lenses.
 
Mate, you really, really need to go back to basics and learn WHY you need certain features rather than just relying on asking questions on a forum. Now I really don't mean that to be harsh, I was your age once and I know I've got a heck of a lot more knowledge and experience now. (It's the real benefit of being an old fart)

My advice would be to actually learn by studying the areas you want to move into before you start thinking about any equipment. Use the camera you have for now and test not just it but yourself. See just what you CAN get out of it so it is second nature. Know when you walk into a room what the light level is for shooting in. Guess it and then meter it to see how close you are. it might seem a mad thing to do but understanding light is crucial to good photography no matter what subject.

So make your next investment some good books and take your time.

I had been shooting for 20 years on film before I started to do this seriously and even then I've spent the last three years reading everything I can get my hands on and investing in proper training.

Slow down and get reading. :)
 
any strong brand will do
I would look at nikon or canon as their pro glass is excellent, and the top of the range cameras are staggering, the full frame options would do a nice wedding shoot surely pro-wise

personally my favourite wedding tog from nottingham uses a medium format and one of two lenses....his shots are excellent.

p.s found a cheeky shot I got him of from a few years ago....
his quality is highly consistent and last time I checked, he does the prints and then gives the B&G the negatives...amazing value for money
linky not a flattering shot of the bride but I thought it was hilarious
 
AliB said:
Mate, you really, really need to go back to basics and learn WHY you need certain features rather than just relying on asking questions on a forum. Now I really don't mean that to be harsh, I was your age once and I know I've got a heck of a lot more knowledge and experience now. (It's the real benefit of being an old fart)

My advice would be to actually learn by studying the areas you want to move into before you start thinking about any equipment. Use the camera you have for now and test not just it but yourself. See just what you CAN get out of it so it is second nature. Know when you walk into a room what the light level is for shooting in. Guess it and then meter it to see how close you are. it might seem a mad thing to do but understanding light is crucial to good photography no matter what subject.

So make your next investment some good books and take your time.

I had been shooting for 20 years on film before I started to do this seriously and even then I've spent the last three years reading everything I can get my hands on and investing in proper training.

Slow down and get reading. :)
Click to expand...

I appreciate your advice but i did say it was going to be a while from now. 3yrs approx. Just dont want to be ploughing money in that time into a system im going to struggle with for weddings.
 
princeclan said:
I appreciate your advice but i did say it was going to be a while from now. 3yrs approx. Just dont want to be ploughing money in that time into a system im going to struggle with for weddings.
Click to expand...

Makes good sense.......(y)

Problem is though,Samsung could be the world leaders in 3 years........:)
 
princeclan said:
I appreciate your advice but i did say it was going to be a while from now. 3yrs approx. Just dont want to be ploughing money in that time into a system im going to struggle with for weddings.
Click to expand...

That's why I said don't spend any money at all on kit but invest in knowledge. You can learn quite adeqately with what you have now :)
 
I am already investing in knowledge. (member of here, constantly reading about it, bought 3 books, will be doing a few courses)

Do you think a Canon 50d would be good? As its good in low light , not that expensive and the remaining £1700 i could spend on lenses, flashgun etc

Matt
 
Matt, the major players are bringing out new bodies on a regular basis.The 50D could well be massively out of date by the end of next year. Use what you have until you become better than the camera and then see what is on offer.
 
Well i have a Samsung GX20 with a Tamron Di 18-200mm so that can cover most of my stuff.

Matt
 
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