Full Frame camera for event and wedding photography, a must ?

[goodguy]

Since I started doing weddings and event photography I have been thinking is a full frame camera a must for this type of photography.
I own a full frame and crop sensor camera and use both cameras to shoot weddings.
No doubt you can shoot a whole wedding with a crop sensor camera but I find having the power of full frame camera very helpful and frankly to me it feels like its important.

Yesterday I fell on a priest that told me right when I walked in the church that no flash was allowed, I heard about these uncommon cases that you cant use flash but this was my first time I had to deal with it.
Shot entire time at f2.8 and iso was between 2500 and 3200 and the power of my D750 in low ight in this situation was very important.

Also I find in many cases even when I use flash the files I get from the D750 vs my crop sensor camera are simply cleaner and colour look better and not washed as they will when iso gets higher.

So my collusion is for this type of photography full frame isn't a must but it is highly recommended and just brings more flexibility and power to your photography.
And just as a side note all the event photographers I personally know own one of these 4 cameras D750, D810, 5D or 6D

 

[Solarflare]

Why yes. Large sensors and bright prime lenses (f1.8, f1.4, or even better) are the way to go in order to handle low light.

Apparently the D500 would work pretty well, too, though. ISO 50k in tolerable quality ? Thats not something the D750 is able to do. Even if, ISO by ISO, the D750 is of course superior to the D500 in noise compared to the D500. Up to ISO 12k when the D750 is cut off from native ISO gains.

 

[pixmedic]

pffff....no. Sergei shoots weddings with an Olympus m4/3 camera...with amazeballs results.
http://www.thephoblographer.com/201...rgei-yurin-using-mirrorless-cameras-weddings/

 

[zombiesniper]

Whenever I hear that "You can only shoot that with full frame because of low light!" My question is then why don't you shoot medium format? Same benefits.

Can it be done yes. Anyone that says otherwise is narrow minded or justifying their full frame purchase.

 

[astroNikon]

The Full Frame just allows more flexibility than a crop camera.
It doesn't mean you can't use another camera. APS-C, 4/3rds, cell phone, etc.
but when the lighting gets low I'd rather have the improved flexibility of a Full Frame.

I'd choose my D750 over my D500 any time when the light isn't so good.

 

[Scatterbrained]

Whenever I hear that "You can only shoot that with full frame because of low light!" My question is then why don't you shoot medium format? Same benefits.

Can it be done yes. Anyone that says otherwise is narrow minded or justifying their full frame purchase.

Medium format doesn't offer the same low light performance as full frame 35mm. MF digital was pretty abysmal at low light until the advent of Sonys MF CMOS sensor. MF has it's place, but low light event shooting isn't it.

I've seen people shoot weddings with iPhones, doesn't mean it's the best tool for the job.

 

[zombiesniper]

MF digital was pretty abysmal at low light until the advent of Sonys MF CMOS sensor.

You mean the same sensor that jumped nikon's capabilities as well.

My point being that almost every benefit a full frame over aps-c has full frame still has more of it.

And I'm talking now not then because if we want to go back 35mm was not always the pro choice.

 

[goodguy]

pffff....no. Sergei shoots weddings with an Olympus m4/3 camera...with amazeballs results.
http://www.thephoblographer.com/201...rgei-yurin-using-mirrorless-cameras-weddings/

Of course you can shoot with MFT, for argument sake you can shoot even with 1" sensor with good results but I've tackled situations where flash is not helpful or cant be used like in my last Saturday wedding and there MFT wouldn't shine as well as a FF camera and just for the record I own a MFT camera (Panasonic G7) and its a very nice camera with surprisingly good high ISO performance but my D3300 is about 1/3 to 1/2 stop better and my D750 is about 1.5 to 2 stops better then the G7

 

[goodguy]

Whenever I hear that "You can only shoot that with full frame because of low light!" My question is then why don't you shoot medium format? Same benefits.

Can it be done yes. Anyone that says otherwise is narrow minded or justifying their full frame purchase.

Well I never said that, a quote from my opening post "No doubt you can shoot a whole wedding with a crop sensor camera"

So the question isn't if you can shoot a whole even on APS-C or MFT or as I said even 1" sensor but is the FF a preferred sensor size ?
I personally think that it does, it brings more flexibility for the simple fact that it brings twice the amount of light onto sensor that APS-C does and I believe 4 times the light that MFT does so in good lighting conditions there is no problem with either sensor size but in hard lighting conditions especially if flash is not allowed or not effective enough FF is the better choice camera.............again my opinion only from my own experience and again as I said I own all 3 formats and I use FX and DX and every time I shoot both these cameras in lower light in a wedding the D750 is noticeably better even if the D3300 can produce (with good lenses) VERY good images too.

 

[goodguy]

The Full Frame just allows more flexibility than a crop camera.
It doesn't mean you can't use another camera. APS-C, 4/3rds, cell phone, etc.
but when the lighting gets low I'd rather have the improved flexibility of a Full Frame.

I'd choose my D750 over my D500 any time when the light isn't so good.

Exactly!

 

[greybeard]

We are just talking about a tool for a specific job. Back in the bad old days of film, I used a Mamiya C330 with a potato masher (handle mount flash). During the ceremony I never used the flash as someone may have thought we were under a nuclear attack or something. I just used a tripod. Other guys used a RB67 or HB 500cm but my old twin lens Mamiya with an 80mm f/3.5 got the job done. You just learn to work with the tools you have. Now as for what is available today, I think a pr of D750's with 24-70 and 70-200 f/2.8's and a 50mm f/1.4 would be a killer combination for weddings and events. To be honest, I wouldn't be afraid to shoot the whole thing with my D750 and 24-120 f/4 with only the built in flash for fill. (jmho)