Recommended equipment for portrait and wedding photography
- Thread starter Randius
- Start date
- Status
If possible, I will like to do it without switching camp unless there is a compelling reason
well if like that then i'd say keep ur d80, throw the 18-200 (or don't bring it out to weddings), get a afs17-55dx (or if u wanna get a d3 next time, get the afs17-35), keep your sb800, top up with primes (u already have the 50) and use them when u can to see if it suits you. two bodies is a good idea, but some pple end up being spiderman (in a negative way!) when they carry two bodies, u have to figure that one out too.
if u want longer reach, some would suggest 70-200, i find it too large and heavy and cumbersome, so i used the 85/1.4.
all said, i've switched from nikon to canon. compelling reason? at present it's the noise advantage in canon (until d3 is available) and fast focussing sharp primes (which i feel canon is superior in). remember, i shoot 95% primes, so whichever camp got better/faster focussing/faster apeture primes u'll probably find me there.
well if like that then i'd say keep ur d80, throw the 18-200 (or don't bring it out to weddings), get a afs17-55dx (or if u wanna get a d3 next time, get the afs17-35), keep your sb800, top up with primes (u already have the 50) and use them when u can to see if it suits you. two bodies is a good idea, but some pple end up being spiderman (in a negative way!) when they carry two bodies, u have to figure that one out too.
if u want longer reach, some would suggest 70-200, i find it too large and heavy and cumbersome, so i used the 85/1.4.
all said, i've switched from nikon to canon. compelling reason? at present it's the noise advantage in canon (until d3 is available) and fast focussing sharp primes (which i feel canon is superior in). remember, i shoot 95% primes, so whichever camp got better/faster focussing/faster apeture primes u'll probably find me there.
I suppose you've shot weddings with all primes before? What is the experience like? What do you do when moving space is limited?
i'm not sure what u're asking.. space limited meaning need wide angle lens? then change lens
do take note that i do not take posed group shots anymore.
What I meant was are there situations where you are still required to move back after changing to a wider lens and realised that there is no more space to move?
I have seen beautiful portraits and wedding shots taken by prime lenses and that makes me wonder why should I carry several behemoths (24-70, 70-200) to take equally beautiful shots?
I know that perspective is affected by the distance between camera and the subject and "foot zoom" actually changes perspective all the time. But primes are so compact and light that they are a joy to play with and shallow DOF can be obtained quite easily because primes are generally faster. Zooms allow composition after the perspective has been decided and the top zooms are also capable of shallow DOF and nice bokeh but the thought of shelling out 2K+ for any one of the trinity lenses and the weight kinda put me off.
Ultimately, it is personal preference that decides the equipment used but how do I find out preferences? Most of us seem to favour the convenience offered by zoom lenses and some of the wedding photography books I've read also feature the photographers with almost all zoom lenses in their arsenals.
jOhO, may I ask why do you still use mostly primes for weddings? What convinced you to stay with primes?
Another questions will be is a camera with high fps necessary for wedding photography? Especially during reception and ceremony.
I have seen beautiful portraits and wedding shots taken by prime lenses and that makes me wonder why should I carry several behemoths (24-70, 70-200) to take equally beautiful shots?
I know that perspective is affected by the distance between camera and the subject and "foot zoom" actually changes perspective all the time. But primes are so compact and light that they are a joy to play with and shallow DOF can be obtained quite easily because primes are generally faster. Zooms allow composition after the perspective has been decided and the top zooms are also capable of shallow DOF and nice bokeh but the thought of shelling out 2K+ for any one of the trinity lenses and the weight kinda put me off.
Ultimately, it is personal preference that decides the equipment used but how do I find out preferences? Most of us seem to favour the convenience offered by zoom lenses and some of the wedding photography books I've read also feature the photographers with almost all zoom lenses in their arsenals.
jOhO, may I ask why do you still use mostly primes for weddings? What convinced you to stay with primes?
Another questions will be is a camera with high fps necessary for wedding photography? Especially during reception and ceremony.
Yes, it is indeed personal preference that decides the equipment. not just for weddings. The only way to find out your preferences is to go shoot something with your equipment.
Go try out the zoom lenses, 24-70, 70-200 etc, too heavy? find out which focal length you used most and replace it with primes...
Have fun shooting!
My opinion, what equipment you use ultimately depends on what you want to create. The equipments are not the master, but the photographer. One should very critically examine and consider what he/she wants to create, and then consider what tools are needed to actualize the idea.
- Status
