Not the first time youve heard this...

[dewey]

dewey, I hope you are not talking about me.

Nope - not directed at you - do a search you're not the first to ask this question - it's a rather frequent question.

Mortallis we ARE talking about weddings not general photography - we're not trying to start a film war.

It's just rather funny to me how many people think they can buy a camera, take a class and be a wedding photographer.

 

[mortallis288]

well, this whole thread is about wedding photography yes, but he also said that he would not change from film to digital until later on in the thread. granted i know nothing about wedding photography but it is still the fact that he said you WILL be behind the times. mabye someone is out there still doing film who knows.

 

[rabidzoomer]

It's just rather funny to me how many people think they can buy a camera, take a class and be a wedding photographer.

This has been a recent thought actually...i dont think im just going to pick up a camera and be a photographer....its because i think it would be a nice free lance job on the side and i would enjoy it...so get that outta here please.... :er:

 

[dewey]

LMAO - I love the whip. I wasn't addressing you specifically so relax.

Like you said - it's a fairly recent thought... spend some more time researching the idea and then go put your time and money into learning the craft if you decide to pursue it. :thumbup:

 

[zioneffect564]

Can some people tell me about the Digital Canon eos cameras? Which to get which not to??

I think i would go for either the rebel xti, 5d, 30d, or one of the 1d's.

well that about covers the whole canon line...um as you've stated before you don't want to go too expensive so that eliminates the 1d's, 5d, and possibly the 30d. since you are starting out the xti is a good camera its it going to run you about $800-$1000 the 30d would be the next up camera from that and its going to be in the $1300 range. the 5d is a professional camera and you'll pay a little over $2k for it and then the 1ds is going to be extremely expensive. if i were you i'd get the xti or 30d and then a couple years upgrade to a higher level body.

 

[danalec99]

mabye someone is out there still doing film who knows.

Jose Villa. He shoots with medium format and 35mm. Here is the link to couple of his articles in Wed Shooter.

 

[thebeginning]

ok i'm going to try to help out where i can here...i'll try to help you with the film side of things first then go into digital stuff too. you're obviously having some second thoughts about shooting film (which i personally found kind of funny because you were so anti-digital on your first post ) which is totally fine.

ok, whoever said you have to take 2000+ photos per wedding is crazy...that's never ever been the case. that CAN happen but it's not a number you should base yourself off of. first, that's based off of recent photogs shooting digital...most film shooters back in the day shot about 15-30 rolls of film (or less, perhaps more) per wedding...which is in the hundreds, not thousands. IMO shooting film would help you to focus more on what you were shooting so you would come out with better composition in your photos and you wouldn't fall into the 'spray and pray' category.

Do you find anything lacking with your Rebel G? You can attach the same lenses to that camera that you can to a $500 Canon EOS 1n.

When we are talking about film, the camera is basically a light tight box to hold the film. It's the lenses that make or break the image. As mentioned, if you want zoom lenses, get the ones with a maximum aperture of F2.8. And/or look at prime (non-zoom) lenses with wide max apertures like F1.8 or F1.4.

You may want flash units, check out the Canon 430EX, 550EX or 580EX.

You will need backup equipment as well.

Big Mike gave some good advice here. I honestly think that the rebel G might not be up to shooting weddings...you 'need' fast autofocus, accurate autofocus, and some good on-camera controls. if you're sticking with film i'd strongly recommend getting a 1 series like a 1n or 1v if you can afford it. check used places like keh.com. i got my 1n plus a battery grip/fps booster for $275 there and it was in great condition...

but i think Mike may have led you a liiiittle astray. he said that film cameras are basically light-tight boxes that hold film and that lenses will make or break the images. first off, you're the one making the images and perhaps breaking them, although a camera messup could 'break' the image. second, when you're shooting for a client professionally, you need to be using gear that is reliable and can help you get the job done. for instance, unless you are INCREDIBLY good at quick metering and manual focus, it would be unwise to shoot with a manual focus camera...so the camera can definitely matter alot, especially since having a shot in focus can make a huge difference. it's not the camera that's getting the good shots, it's you. but you don't want your camera to limit you. many people could say "well what about 20 years ago when everybody was shooting manual focus, they still got weddings"! Well that was 20 years ago...not only has wedding photography progressed ALOT, but brides and people in general expect alot more out of their pictures. 20 years ago, out of focus shots weren't a huge deal. nowadays that can make a huge difference.

but yeah dude, like the guys said you're gonna need to invest quite a bit of money in equipment before you start seriously shooting weddings. like said before, backup cameras are practically a must. flashes are practically a must. fast lenses are a must. each one of those things costs money, and some of them cost quite a bit of money (be prepared to spend hundreds or over $1k on your lenses...each. ).

I'm not against you starting with weddings or anything, it's just very hard to start off with.

Can some people tell me about the Digital Canon eos cameras? Which to get which not to??

I think i would go for either the rebel xti, 5d, 30d, or one of the 1d's.

like the below poster said, that's basically all that canon offers i'll give more details below...

well that about covers the whole canon line...um as you've stated before you don't want to go too expensive so that eliminates the 1d's, 5d, and possibly the 30d. since you are starting out the xti is a good camera its it going to run you about $800-$1000 the 30d would be the next up camera from that and its going to be in the $1300 range. the 5d is a professional camera and you'll pay a little over $2k for it and then the 1ds is going to be extremely expensive. if i were you i'd get the xti or 30d and then a couple years upgrade to a higher level body.

the best digital camera(s) for weddings out there right now are the 1d2n and the 5d. well actually even better is going to be the 1d3, which is set to arrive later this month or next month...but will be a good $1200 more than the 1d2n. the 1ds2 is very good but is a little outdated at the moment and in my opinion is past it's 'good years'...there's little reason to buy it since its successor is coming out fairly soon. now unfortunately both of the above cameras are pricey. the 1d2n is about $3300 and the 5d is about $2700. and that's close to the best prices out there right now. so those are pricey...and for your first dSLR (heck, and first pro cameras) that's pretty overkill. in my opinion you'd be a little overwhelmed for a while.

the 30d would be a great starter camera, because it's in between the rebels and the pro cameras. it can definitely suffice for weddings (some of the top wedding photographers in the world have used the 20d/30d and have done quite well) and is a good price point. that's your best consideration in my opinion. if you want to save a little money, get the 20d over the XTi or XT.

Jose Villa. He shoots with medium format and 35mm. Here is the link to couple of his articles in Wed Shooter.

thanks Daniel, he's just the guy for this thread. very helpful!




so i hope that gave you some information you can use! sorry if i was harsh or anything, it's late and i'm a little tired

 

[_SnapShot_]

Im going professional soon.....
Dont exit...just hear what i have to say...

dnt try to talk me into it because i wont listen.

If you want to shoot for money and become a professional, you'll first have to learn to listen.

That's the best bit of advise I can give you on starting your journey.

Good luck.

 

[dewey]

ok, whoever said you have to take 2000+ photos per wedding is crazy...that's never ever been the case.

Yeah it's a real mystery who said it. Oh right, it was me! (sorry I had to look at the name next to the comment to remember who said it... it was very difficult)

What I said was:

"Shooting an average of 2000+ shots per wedding would kill me with film and developing costs"

Notice the keyword there? it was ME. it would kill ME.

I never said anyone HAS to shoot that much or base themselves on it. On a large wedding with coverage the night before, the morning of, the ceremony, and the reception it's very easy to break 2,000 shots which would be very expensive for ME.

I love people with selective reading.

 

[thebeginning]

Yeah it's a real mystery who said it. Oh right, it was me! (sorry I had to look at the name next to the comment to remember who said it... it was very difficult)

What I said was:

"Shooting an average of 2000+ shots per wedding would kill me with film and developing costs"

Notice the keyword there? it was ME. it would kill ME.

I never said anyone HAS to shoot that much or base themselves on it. On a large wedding with coverage the night before, the morning of, the ceremony, and the reception it's very easy to break 2,000 shots which would be very expensive for ME.

I love people with selective reading.

whooaaa dude, calm down. i wasn't making an accusation against you at all. it was because of the original poster's reaction to it (see below).

and in all honesty, if you had a problem with what i say there are certainly more mature ways to put it.

well i do like the rebel and it doesn't lack anything so im thinking about getting many lenses for it but it i guess does cross my mind that you would have to shoot around or over 2000 shots

 

[dewey]

It was the way you said it... I'm very calm, it just annoyed me that you called me crazy and I think it was rude. On second thought I'm not sure why it annoyed me... I am a little crazy.

And I have to be mature all day in real life, so this is my only break from maturity ...