Cruise / Wedding: RAW + JPG?

[kelkin]

I'm new to DSLR photography and picked up a Nikon D7200 kit from Costco which came with a 18-55mm and 55-300mm lens, I just ordered a 35mm f/1.8G as well based on various posts I've read which indicate it would be better to use a prime for the various portrait shots I want to take. I purchased a 256GB high speed SD card so I can take video of our ceremony and plan on using a tripod for selfie shots since the ships photographer won't go off the ship with the wedding photography packages they offer. In the end I plan on taking the best of the ships pictures, my pictures, and make a few wedding albums for our family and blow up a few shots as gifts for the family.

I want the most flexibility as possible, I want to be able to provide pics to the family during the cruise and view them easily but also want the ability to play with the raw files later should I feel like there's a benefit. Is there any reason not to do raw plus jpg that a noob like me isn't aware of? I'm thinking of buying a few lesser expensive SD cards to accommodate that since I'm thinking speed won't be as important for the photos as the video.... am I thinking wrong here? Any tips?
Thanks!

 

[tirediron]

There is no reason whatsoever NOT to shoot RAW+JPG unless storage becomes an issue.

 

[kelkin]

There is no reason whatsoever NOT to shoot RAW+JPG unless storage becomes an issue.

Thanks,
I figured as much but wanted to ask the experts. So I spent the bucks on a Sandisk Extreme Pro 256GB for the video like I mentioned, I want to make sure I have enough SD cards to hold me each day until I can get back to the room and back them up. Is there any reason why I shouldn't use a PNY Elite performance SD card for RAW + JPG shooting? It looks like it costs and performs about 40% less than the Sandisk Extreme Pro, but since I don't intend on taking many burst photos if at all, I'm wondering if then slower PNY speed will suffice?


-Keith


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Designer]

I'm thinking of buying a few lesser expensive SD cards to accommodate that since I'm thinking speed won't be as important for the photos as the video....

Would you have time to run some tests at home before the event? Get one of each, and run some time tests. My hunch is that you probably will not notice any difference, but then the other side of me says "don't scrimp on SD cards for such an important event". If you really feel the pinch for the higher priced cards, put them on your wedding gift registry and maybe somebody will get you some higher-priced cards. Or just bite the bullet and put them on your credit card if the more costly ones do indeed write/read faster.

Also, even though you plan to upload the images to your computer, DO NOT delete them from the card until you have at least two copies located in two different locations. So in short; don't upload them while on your trip. If a card gets near the full mark, swap cards and keep going. BTW: IIRC the D7200 has two card slots, so you should be writing to both cards at once. Swap out both cards when they start to fill up.

Yes, the NEF files will take up more disk space, but if you're not saving large, fine, NEF, and JPG, you're wasting your time taking photos. Also; the JPGs will come in handy for sharing while on the trip, but the downside is that those files will still be in someone's possession long after the event, and if there are some that you would like to suppress (i.e.; bad shots, etc.) good luck in getting them wiped out.

 

[goooner]

I had a look at this site before getting my cards. I got 2 Samsung pro's 32GB. It makes no sense getting a card that is faster than the card writing module in your camera.The actual prices are quite a bit cheaper than quoted on the website.
Nikon D7200 SD Card Comparison Fastest Write Speed Tests for D7200 Digital Camera - Camera Memory Speed Comparison & Performance tests for SD and CF cards

 

[kelkin]

Thanks for the info! I actually saw that article prior to posting, which is what led me to think about some slightly less expensive cards too. Good point though, I should just do some tests at home with some older slower SD cards I already have in my possession.
Thanks again

 

[Tim Tucker]

Am I reading this correctly, that it's you who's getting married? Trying to photograph your own wedding might be a considerable distraction.

 

[kelkin]

Am I reading this correctly, that it's you who's getting married? Trying to photograph your own wedding might be a considerable distraction.

I should probably give a little more detail, yes I'm the one getting married and we did pay for the top photo package available on the cruise ship. The problem is the cruise line does not perform videography, and they won't take pictures off the ship since we're getting married at sea, not at a port; otherwise they would have subcontracted a local photographer at a port of our choosing.

Because of this, I want to fill in the blanks and set up my camera on a tripod and capture the ceremony, as well as some self portraits around various ports. During the actual ceremony I just want to hit record and walk away; the ship's photographer will handle all of those photos.
-Keith


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Designer]

You could ask one of your guests to restart the camera when it shut off, but remember the issue is that of overheating, to the second attempt might not go for the entire 30 minutes.