Ideal Wedding Setup

[sabbath999]

Don't forget about an assistant to carry all of that stuff

I never once shot a wedding without one. Trust me, this new stuff is compact compared to carrying around a fully kitted out pair of Hasselblad C500's, a billion or so film backs, the big Metz strobes of the day with their 3 pound battery packs, and a Speedotron Blackline lighting setup, etc. No such a thing as a "Hassy zoom lens" back in the day.

Digital cameras today with their fast zooms, small primes, and tiny speedlights are a cakewalk when it comes to having to tote it around.

 

[JIP]

Not that I am doing weddings, but here's what I would get if I were:

2 Nikon D3's
Nikkor 18mm f/2.8d
Nikor 28mm f/2.8d
Nikkor 50mm f/1.4d
Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 VR Macro
Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
Nikkor 70-200mm F2.8G VR
5 SB800's with 3 lightstands, umbrellas, etc
Pocket Wizards for all remote strobes.

If I were taking wedding pictures, this is the rig I would use as a minimum. This isn't a dream package either, this is actually what I would buy (waiting, of course, until the D3 is released next month).

This hit it pretty close for me but I would switch a D3 for a D300 (don't want to get greedy) and take out the 18, 28 and, the 50 and a couple SB-800's and add in a 12-24 and a 17-55

 

[sabbath999]

I understand where you are coming from JIP, but I have kind of a different take on the D3's. Wedding photography, to me, screams big sharp prints from images shot in low light, and what I have seen (so far that is) from the D3 is absolutely unbelievable high ISO performance. I haven't seen D300 high ISO shots yet, but I am betting with the 12mp resolution on a smaller sensor, there's no way it is going to be nearly as clean as a D3.

So that means D3's over D300's. When I am doing a shoot, I don't want to mess around with cameras that are different. When I shot weddings "back in the day" I would always shoot two of the same exact cameras. Most I shot with C500's after I traded up from a matched pair of RZ67's (which were the absolute bomb in the 80's), which in turn had replaced a rather battered pair of RB67's that I started out with. I want to be able to pick up a camera and handle it flawlessly, knowing exactly where everything is by feel, and I can't do that with different bodies... I am always reaching for a switch or button that is in a different place.

As far as the primes go, I love primes for shots I can take time on... they are simply sharper than the (wonderful) zooms you mentioned. I don't feel the need in my proposed setup to have an 18 wide zoom, since the D3's are full sensor, the 24-70 would be my "ceremony" lens.

The reason I went with five flashes is that it gives me three to put on stands in the church to fully illuminate the wedding party and alter, plus one more each to keep on each camera at all times... very useful for the big wedding party shots.

 

[JIP]

Well I really was just altering your list to fit me because yours was so close to mine it was easier that way. And yes I agree I started with twin Brinica Etrsi's.

 

[S2K1]

Here's my 'ideal' setup, some of which I have, some which I dont:

two bodies, a 1d3 and a 5d (1ds3 is probably overkill).

3 zooms, 3 primes:
canon 16-35 2.8L
canon 24-70 2.8L
canon 70-200 2.8L IS
canon 35mm 1.4L
canon 85mm 1.2 IIL
canon 135mm f2L

2 580ex II speedlights (i'd probably have 2 more for backups too), with battery packs

that's just the straight up camera equipment

Make it two 1d3's, a fisheye, and 1 more 580EX II with light stands for two of them, and you've got my setup.

 

[WDodd]

Very interesting everyone thanks a lot! I was thinking as I was reading everyone's posts that maybe I should've made a bare minimum to do a wedding thread. But that probably wouldn't of been as fun.