Need Help Deciding -Wedding Camera

[AndySPDSLR]

I run a photography business on the side of my 'day job' for a couple of years and we've done ok. We shoot 2-4 weddings per year and a number of portrait sessions. Up to this point, this has been my hardware:

2 - 7D Camera
24-105mm F4
50mm F1.8
17-55mm F2.8

As mentioned, this has done fairly well for us up to this point and for the most part I've been happy with the 7Ds. But my wife and I are ready to move out of portraits and commit to wedding photography. In order to do that, we need to upgrade the gear, so with what we have to invest right now I feel we're in between 2 options:

5D Mark III
7D (backup/secondary)
70-200 F4 (I know 2.8 is better, but we only have F4 money)
50mm F1.8
17-55mm F2.8 (for the 7D only obviously)
100mm macro (if not a day 1 purchase, this will be the first purchase with the next booking)

OR

2 - 5D Mark II
70-200 F4
24-70 F4 (again 2.8 is better, but we only have F4 money and I can use macro feature to substitute for 100mm Macro until we can get it)
50mm 1.8

I'm leaning towards option 1 since the 17-55 essentially does the work of the 24-70, but I'd like the 24-70 on my primary camera is why I struggle with the choice. We are on the low end of cost for our weddings, so keep in mind we're not a $3000 photographer. I've done a good amount of research on it and like I said, I'm leaning towards option 1 but just would like to hear some advice of others before committing.

 

[Braineack]

i would have suggested the 5D for portraits as well

If you want to save, you could go to Nikon. The bonus being you have sensors that blow the 5Dmiii out of the water (compare the 5D to D750). Still have access to the same third-party lenses...

 

[jaomul]

If it was me I'd go with the 5d3 and go with third party standard f2.8 lenses. The tamron spring to mind with the 70-200 G2 classed as great to excellent. The 24-70 tamron has one or two things that make it less than perfect, but should be a better overall option than the canon f4 when you are in a dark church and the priest won't allow you to use flash

 

[astroNikon]

Can you swing adding a used 6D to the 5Dm3 ?

 

[AndySPDSLR]

If it was me I'd go with the 5d3 and go with third party standard f2.8 lenses. The tamron spring to mind with the 70-200 G2 classed as great to excellent. The 24-70 tamron has one or two things that make it less than perfect, but should be a better overall option than the canon f4 when you are in a dark church and the priest won't allow you to use flash

I was ok with the F4 bc of the ISO ability of the mark III...guessing you dont subscribe to that theory though.

 

[AndySPDSLR]

Can you swing adding a used 6D to the 5Dm3 ?

6D doesn't fit EFS lenses though, right? My problem with upgrading there is I would need the 24-70 bc my 17-55 becomes useless without the 7D. Cant swing it right now.

 

[jaomul]

If it was me I'd go with the 5d3 and go with third party standard f2.8 lenses. The tamron spring to mind with the 70-200 G2 classed as great to excellent. The 24-70 tamron has one or two things that make it less than perfect, but should be a better overall option than the canon f4 when you are in a dark church and the priest won't allow you to use flash

I was ok with the F4 bc of the ISO ability of the mark III...guessing you dont subscribe to that theory though.

For day to day stuff f4 on a fullframe is fine I think. Even f2.8 in a dark church can be pushing it and often you'll see wedding photographers with faster primes just in case. I personally wouldn't go into the wedding photography business with f4 lenses

 

[AndySPDSLR]

If it was me I'd go with the 5d3 and go with third party standard f2.8 lenses. The tamron spring to mind with the 70-200 G2 classed as great to excellent. The 24-70 tamron has one or two things that make it less than perfect, but should be a better overall option than the canon f4 when you are in a dark church and the priest won't allow you to use flash

I was ok with the F4 bc of the ISO ability of the mark III...guessing you dont subscribe to that theory though.

For day to day stuff f4 on a fullframe is fine I think. Even f2.8 in a dark church can be pushing it and often you'll see wedding photographers with faster primes just in case. I personally wouldn't go into the wedding photography business with f4 lenses

Good advice...I wasnt even considering Tamron, but 2.8 is same price as Canon 4 so sounds like a smart thing to do.

 

[goodguy]

i would have suggested the 5D for portraits as well

If you want to save, you could go to Nikon. The bonus being you have sensors that blow the 5Dmiii out of the water (compare the 5D to D750). Still have access to the same third-party lenses...

Yeap, the D750 is a Wedding Beast!!!
Use it in my wedding business

2 guys I shoot with own the Canon 6D, both are happy with this camera, consider it if Nikon is not an option.
One of them has a 6D and a 7D, he is constantly complaining about the 7D image quality and low light performance.
Get 2 6D, get rid of the 7D as anything but back up camera.

 

[Derrel]

I was ok with the F4 bc of the ISO ability of the mark III...guessing you dont subscribe to that theory though.

YES--that makes a LOT of sense...especially with a GREAT sensor camera like the Nikon D750...it has amazing exposure recovery and is essentially, almost ISO invariant, so f/4 in a 70-200 zoom makes total,total sense....f/2.8 70-200 lenses...sort of a holdover from the film and early-digitial era....not lknger necessary like they were with ISO 160 color film for weddings! Today we have CLEAN ISO 1600, and AMAZINGLY good ISO 800, and very,very good ISO 3,200 capabilities. So...f/2.8 is not nearly as needed as it used to be.

Both Canon and Nikon have moved into HIGH-grade, more-compoact, yet still superb opticsa in 16-35, 24-70, 70-200 type lenses where, formerly, "f/2.8" was the criteria. But nowadays? There ISO capability of newer FX cameras is so good that it makes a LOT of sense to go with the f/4 high-grade zoom lenses.

 

[AndySPDSLR]

i would have suggested the 5D for portraits as well

If you want to save, you could go to Nikon. The bonus being you have sensors that blow the 5Dmiii out of the water (compare the 5D to D750). Still have access to the same third-party lenses...

Yeap, the D750 is a Wedding Beast!!!
Use it in my wedding business

2 guys I shoot with own the Canon 6D, both are happy with this camera, consider it if Nikon is not an option.
One of them has a 6D and a 7D, he is constantly complaining about the 7D image quality and low light performance.
Get 2 6D, get rid of the 7D as anything but back up camera.

Nikon isnt an option only bc I dont want to purge everything (batteries, flashes, etc) and move...plus I'm just a Canon guy....but I hear all the pros of D750. You made me do some reading on the 6D last night and it seems like that might be the better choice for me. Its cheaper used and I'm more of a center focus, recompose kind of shooter so sounds like the big AF argument for the 5D3 doesnt necessarily fit with the way I do things.

 

[Braineack]

in either case with a 6D, 5D, or D750 -- your IQ will be leaps and bounds better than your 7D's.

 

[beagle100]

The Canon 1DX2 and 5D4 are absolute wedding beasts ! leaps and bounds better than the old 7D
but lens and lighting are also important for weddings (and other things)

The full frame 6D is nice but if you believe the rumors a 6D2 will be introduced next month
Or stick with your day job and scale back the lucrative wedding photography business

 

[AndySPDSLR]

Just wanted to send a note to thank everyone for their advice. I dumped both 7Ds and went with 2 - 6Ds...the Mark III was just a little out of reach, so I went with the 6D. After listening to the lens advice and extensively researching it, I went ahead and purchased the Tamron 24-70 and 70-200. This past weekend was the first weekend I got to shoot with my new setup and all I can say is damn. The image quality is a huge leap forward and I'm finally getting that sharpness I always complained about not getting before. Going with the Tamron 2.8 vs. the Canon 4 was a great call too...I was really pleased and I don't think I would have put myself on the 6D or the Tamron lenses without posting to this board, so thanks for the help.

 

[Braineack]

yay!