Nikon 18-70mm enough for wedding shots?

[Artosoft]

equipment is OK

but set iso to 400 to help conserve flash battery and recycling time

bring extra batteries and CF cards
buy new socks and easyon/easyoff shoes

good luck!

Care to share what for?

Regards,
Arto.

 

[cosycatus]

a d70 on ISO 400 might be a bit dangerous unless u are shooting raw or is very competent at exposure. Leveling up will introduce noise.

Forget the 50mm. Why? It has a focal length of 75mm equi. YOu need an shutter of 1/80 to prevent shake. It's not very useful in most case because in low light, even with f1.8, it's hard to get 1/80.

The 18-70 is quite good. One very prolific AD photo i know uses this lens for years liao. Sb600 is more than enuff if u know how to use. Sb800 comes in when u need to fill an entire ballroom or stuff.

I suggest u try to rent a f2.8 from someone. When ur experience is lacking, it's better to have good equipment to allow u more leeway.

 

[CreaXion]

Care to share what for?

Regards,
Arto.

New socks and easy on shoes are good for going in and out of the house. Not smelly also mah

 

[CreaXion]

a d70 on ISO 400 might be a bit dangerous unless u are shooting raw or is very competent at exposure. Leveling up will introduce noise.

Forget the 50mm. Why? It has a focal length of 75mm equi. YOu need an shutter of 1/80 to prevent shake. It's not very useful in most case because in low light, even with f1.8, it's hard to get 1/80.

The 18-70 is quite good. One very prolific AD photo i know uses this lens for years liao. Sb600 is more than enuff if u know how to use. Sb800 comes in when u need to fill an entire ballroom or stuff.

I suggest u try to rent a f2.8 from someone. When ur experience is lacking, it's better to have good equipment to allow u more leeway.

ISO 400 is perfectly okay. Just dun let it go above 640.

 

[ahsosl1e8]

many thanks for the advices. Guess i'll stick to the kit lens for convenience sake

 

[snowspeeder]

Extra body, flash, batteries, lens & CF cards is recommended. You never know which one will fail in the finest hour.

 

[ellery]

a d70 on ISO 400 might be a bit dangerous unless u are shooting raw or is very competent at exposure. Leveling up will introduce noise.

Forget the 50mm. Why? It has a focal length of 75mm equi. YOu need an shutter of 1/80 to prevent shake. It's not very useful in most case because in low light, even with f1.8, it's hard to get 1/80.
Wink wink I wonder why you are saying that at iso 400 on a d70 there is are problems that need you to shoot raw and to try to correct for underexposure. Both issues are not camera fault issues.The point on the 50mm for low light work while being beign so called technically correct it is operational wrong. If you know what you are doing - you can shot with a 50/1.8 in very low light at 1.8 or 2 at even 1 or 2 sec's. The point is you need to know what you are doing. There is nothing scared to say that you must shot 1/focal length to avoid bad camera holding - in the bad old days of film, there were people who are probably 70 to 80 years old new that could shot hand held up at speeds that the theory would say it sure to die - yet the pictures are clear sharp and well shake free - fluke hardly knowing the limitation and working around them is part of the learning process. Any ways not to forget there are iso setting above 400 - the camera can shoot up to 1600. But for our thread started - better to KISS - use a flash all the way, go avaible only if you can get 1/60 shutter speed and f stop of 5.6/4 - its not going to be artistic but you will unless you screw up on timing and composition - to get the shot in. Worse case go P mode or A mode - the camera is less likely to get it wrong than a greenie under pressure.

 

[ortega]

Care to share what for?

Regards,
Arto.

isn't it obvious?

when you go into the home, you need to remove your shoes
when you leave the home you need to put on your shoes

and the couple won't wait for you if you have boot laces to tie
so easy-on easy-off in 5 seconds

new socks - when you remove your shoes, you don't want people to see holes in your comfy old sock - yucky!

 

[Artosoft]

isn't it obvious?

when you go into the home, you need to remove your shoes
when you leave the home you need to put on your shoes

and the couple won't wait for you if you have boot laces to tie
so easy-on easy-off in 5 seconds

new socks - when you remove your shoes, you don't want people to see holes in your comfy old sock - yucky!

Thanks :sweatsm: .

Regards,
Arto.

 

[ortega]

also respect the occasion

dress for the occasion
i have seen photogs dressed too casually for the occasion
at least you need to be smart casual
and a little bit more formal for the dinner

if you look like a slob then ppl think you are a slob
if you look smart, then ppl think you are smart

want respect from others?
you need to respect yourself first

 

[Artosoft]

also respect the occasion

dress for the occasion
i have seen photogs dressed too casually for the occasion
at least you need to be smart casual
and a little bit more formal for the dinner

if you look like a slob then ppl think you are a slob
if you look smart, then ppl think you are smart

want respect from others?
you need to respect yourself first

Great info :thumbsup: .

Regards,
Arto.

 

[snowspeeder]

Yes. Dressing proper is very important as you are honoring the couple on their special occasion.

 

[nikon_ray]

I just shot in a friends wedding recently with the same configuration. 18-70mm with SB600.
Set you expectation appropriately and you will be surprise by what the 18-70mm can do.
- ISO was maintain 400 ~ 800,
- Aperture > 5 since below that the 18-70 is expected to be soft. Also because the SB600 will be weaken with bounced flash
- RAW

I think the most important of all is color balance. I set in most cases to Flash, which you may have to do negative compensation during dinner because of warmer surrounding light.

After post processing(at least with EV correction), it should be reasonably good.

Hope it gives you confidence..

 

[knpan]

yes it is good enough with sb 600, i used it in those hotel restaurant ( you know those lighting situations) its good , enough. just increase the flas hout put by ev 1 or more. ahhh depends on distance, to make background bright enough. i shoot everything at iso 800. bright and sharp enough

 

[CYRN]

A collegue of mine requested me to take AD pics for his wedding as the main photog since he's a bit tight on the budget.

Your collegue on tight budget, so should you and not buy equipments just so that you can cover his wedding unless it's something you've wanting to buy and this is a good excuse to get it. . Anyway as many have already mentioned nikon's 18-70 is more than sufficient to cover typical weddings.

 

[wahZe]

I think what you have is just fine. I second everything Ortega said.

You will need to sit down and go thru the day's program with your friend and determine at which particular point you want to take what particular shots (e.g. tea ceremony, march-in, table-shots etc...)

Arrive early and recce area if possible, look thru viewfinder/take test shots to see angle, lighting, etc...

Put P mode and use matrix metering with the flash angled straight-on. Let the i-TTL, matrix, balanced fill flash algorithm on the camera do its work and it should be fine. Since you self-proclaim to be not that experienced, DO NOT fiddle around bounch flash and what not, you DO NOT want to have severely underexposed shots of your friends big day, believe me...

Hope this helps....

 

[ahsosl1e8]

I think what you have is just fine. I second everything Ortega said.

You will need to sit down and go thru the day's program with your friend and determine at which particular point you want to take what particular shots (e.g. tea ceremony, march-in, table-shots etc...)

Arrive early and recce area if possible, look thru viewfinder/take test shots to see angle, lighting, etc...

Thanks for the advice. I've already recce the place, and reckon sb600 is more than enough.

Put P mode and use matrix metering with the flash angled straight-on. Let the i-TTL, matrix, balanced fill flash algorithm on the camera do its work and it should be fine. Since you self-proclaim to be not that experienced, DO NOT fiddle around bounch flash and what not, you DO NOT want to have severely underexposed shots of your friends big day, believe me...

Haha if only i've read this advice during my first event shoots... i've learnt the hard way :bsmilie: Thanks

 

[wahZe]

Good luck! :thumbsup:

 

[lovells19]

eh i've just co-covered my friend's wedding with a 18-70 and 50mm f1.8, no flash used.

Set on ISO 800 Shutter priority 1/50 the camera did the rest, the results were quite acceptable leh

I love the 18-70.. too bad cannot open wider, if only i can afford 18-55

 

[ahsosl1e8]

ISO 800 a bit risky leh... unless i can nail the exposure, else i would rather overexpose a bit.

As for a shutter of 1/50 will it be a hit and miss? I had my cam fixed at 1/60 on a recent event shoot and i got quite a no. of camera shake blurs. Hmm...

Is there anyway to use flash yet create the warm tones of natural light?