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Cyprio

Cyprio

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Right here's my current dilemma…My brother is getting married in the summer and I have offered to do the wedding snaps, along with a good friend of mine. The wedding with be in Cyprus so we are looking at lots of sunlight during the day, a darker church in the late afternoon and a very dark dinner hall in the evening.

I currently shoot with a D80 and have the following lenses:

Nikon 50mm 1.8
Sigma 18-50mm 2.8
Sigma 50-150mm 2.8
Sigma 10-20mm

I have been saving up and probably have around £1500 to play with currently but could potentially go up to £2000 if I really squeezed things. The question I put to you guys is do I spend it all on some more top notch glass and use the D80 with a flash in the evening (saving some cash) or do I flog everything and invest in a D90/300/700 and stick to one top notch zoom the whole day?

In terms of general camera usage wedding aside I would say I am a learning amateur, getting out about 2/3 times a month – hence think the D700 might be slightly overkill…

Any ideas/suggestions welcome – especially from people out there who regularly shoot weddings.

Thanks
 
Get a D300 & use the glass that you have ...:woot:
 
One thing to bear in mind is that if you did go for a D700 your Sigma 10-20mm and 50-150mm lenses wouldn't be full-frame compatible. They would work in 'DX' mode however this would be at a max resolution of 5mp.

With regards to lenses you could do worse than hire some 'exotic' lenses for the big day...50mm f/1.4 / 85mm f/1.4 / 24-70mm f/2.8 / 70-200mm f/2.8 could be worth consideration.

:)
 
You kit looks like it would do the job to me

but......

what about a second body in case the unthinkable happens to your D80.

And......

that would enable you to have two different focal lengths at the same time without having to change lenses.
 
sdb123 said:
One thing to bear in mind is that if you did go for a D700 your Sigma 10-20mm and 50-150mm lenses wouldn't be full-frame compatible. They would work in 'DX' mode however this would be at a max resolution of 5mp.

With regards to lenses you could do worse than hire some 'exotic' lenses for the big day...50mm f/1.4 / 85mm f/1.4 / 24-70mm f/2.8 / 70-200mm f/2.8 could be worth consideration.

:)
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Yeah, fully aware of this. If i went with the very expensive option i would sell everything and get a D700 and 24-70 (or 28-70).

Hiring would be tough as im in Cyprus for 2 weeks and you cant get them over there so would have to be from over here...

How usable is say 1600 ISO on the D300? I like the idea of sticking with DX for the timebeing and getting better glass that will last...

Badger: yeah, i will have my mate around as well with a 40D... but i like the idea of a prime on one and a short zoom on the other.
 
I have a D90 as well (slightly better high ISO performance than a D300) and ISO1600 can be used but would need quite a bit of post-processing to make the shots look the part IMHO.
 
sdb123 said:
I have a D90 as well (slightly better high ISO performance than a D300) and ISO1600 can be used but would need quite a bit of post-processing to make the shots look the part IMHO.
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So looking at 800 realistically? I have never used a flash and so am a tad worried about getting one but i guess it would solve the ISO problem.

Any other advantages/disadvantages to using a flash...?
 
I would rather use faster glass (f/1.4) than flash personally. Why not look into hire prices for the 50mm and 85mm from lensesforhire. :)
 
Why not use some of the money to go on a course that teaches you proper use of flash in these circumstances.....then get a good flash gun if you've not already got one. Might be more cost effective in the long run.
 
I have hired an 85 1.4 before and love it so might even invest in one.

Any recommendations for courses in/around London?
 
I've got to say that I'm uncomfortable with the general idea here. There seems to be an assumption that a lot of expensive kit will ensure a top set of wedding photos, but it will not. A skilled wedding photographer could do a very good job with just a D80, 18-50mm f/2.8 and a decent flash.

And it is a very skilled job, one that has far more to it than photographic competence. It's a major people management operation for a start.

I know you're very well intentioned but if you want a really good job doing for your brother, get a professional in. You can back them up with your own fire power, and if you concetrate on candids while the pro does the formal stuff, and also cover those parts of the day where the professional maybe can't attend like the evening reception, you will be doing a grand service.

If you want to go it alone, first thing you should do is get a back-up camera and a good flash, then bone up on wedding photography big time. And good luck to you!
 
Hi

A good post from HobbyUk. I covered my first wedding at aged 14 and since then covered just over 3000 of the beauties :lol:

For many years the prefered weapon was a hassleblad with a standard lens, which in slr 35mm terms is a 50mm.

These days it is a canon eos 5d with a 24-70mm. I do get a bit extravagant occassionally and if stick on a 100mm but only because I love the lens to bits :):)

Learn about how to cover a wedding, not how much equipment you need. After the event all the people will want to do is look at the photographs NOT you big shiny bit of glass or camera with lots of knobs on...............


stew
 
I have been saving up and probably have around £1500 to play with currently but could potentially go up to £2000 if I really squeezed things.
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Please do not take this as a criticism, or in any way as a sleight on your ability as a photographer, but have you considered using this money towards hiring a pro? As HoppyUK rightly points out in his post above you could then provide an excellent backup service without the pressure inherant in having to get "the" shots. :thumbs:

Whatever you decide I wish you and your brother all the best on the big day. Enjoy :D
 
you mayl need a decent flash aswell for the darker evening event, something else to consider.

the two things i would look into in your position would be a flash, and possible the D90, use that and the D80 as a backup.
 
Hiring a pro in Cyprus? Might be a bit costly.
As long as your bro is fine with it and knows you are no pro then i dont think you have a problem.

-Get a flash, and a sto-fen diffuser and learn to bounce it.
-Get a Sigma 24-70 f2.8 (make sure its sharp with plenty of testing first). Might be some kicking about here in the for sale section.
-Get a D300 if you can afford it. http://camerapricebuster.co.uk/prod585.html
-Try and get to a couple of weddings either if friends have them or try and get a assistant/second shooter so you know whats going on.

Thats my advice
 
Thanks guys, all very good points. Don't worry about the constructive criticism - I don't get easily offended. :D

I have had a chat with my bro and his fiancée (well wife actually as they have had the civil wedding). I shot some stuff for them there that they were very pleased with. I will now have another chat with them about the whole "Are you really OK with me doing this?!" thing. :) Photographers will be very expensive in Cyprus as there aren't that many of them but again worth looking into – even if just for the ‘pro’ shots.

I know it’s as much about knowing what you are doing on the day as about the equipment – I just don’t quite trust my D80. The tendency to over-expose, poor low light ISO and AF abilities as well.

• I see that Nikon 17-55mm are going for around £600 on the bay – good value?

• Does the AF system/meter/build of the D300 vs D90 justify the price difference?

• Will definitely be looking at flashes and getting more experience with them.
 
Metering is definitely more reliable on the D90 (would be for the D300 too). With regards to the lens, I would honestly look at hiring the 17-55mm or if you want to buy take a look at the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8...fantastic Image Quality for a fraction of the price of the Nikon.

For flashes I would look out for an SB-600/SB-800 - very good and a worthwhile purchase IMHO.

Oh, there may be a mint condition D90 coming up for sale shortly too. ;) :suspect:
 
VR.
Get a VR/OS/IS lens. Will sort out the lack of light :)

If it were me though - D300 body - around £900 I believe and an SB-800.
The sigma 50-150 can sit on the D80 and the Sigma 18-50 on the D300.
 
sdb123 said:
Metering is definitely more reliable on the D90 (would be for the D300 too). With regards to the lens, I would honestly look at hiring the 17-55mm or if you want to buy take a look at the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8...fantastic Image Quality for a fraction of the price of the Nikon.

For flashes I would look out for an SB-600/SB-800 - very good and a worthwhile purchase IMHO.

Oh, there may be a mint condition D90 coming up for sale shortly too. ;) :suspect:
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Let me know about the D90. :) Will also look at the Tamron - do they have quality issues like Sigmas? i.e. best to buy new so you can test out? I'm not 100% pleased with my Sigma...

The Sigma 50-150 is definitely the best lens i own and just always seems to 'work' with the D80 so that's a good option i had been thinking about.

Now need to read about the differences between the SB600 and 800...

Any suggestions for a good VR/IS sharp lens? I'm talking wedding focal lengths here - not the 70-200!

Thanks for the replies all, appreciate it.
 
Whats wrong with the Sigma 18-50 f2.8 that you already have?

I agree with Foodpoison... Get a d300 and put the 18-50 on it (id still get a 24-70) and the 50-150 on the d80

Mike
 
MJ Stebbings said:
Whats wrong with the Sigma 18-50 f2.8 that you already have?

I agree with Foodpoison... Get a d300 and put the 18-50 on it (id still get a 24-70) and the 50-150 on the d80

Mike
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Not quite sharp enough for my liking.

Wouldnt a 24-70 be too long on a cropped body for a wedding?
 
24-70 is an ideal focal length in my opinion except for larger group shots. Its the only lens i use
 
USM?
 
Ahhh, i get you now
 
Your gear, as it is now, would do the job.
Add a flash and it would do the job well.
Add another body and you can do the job without worrying about equipment failure

With regards to glass, do you know for certain that your current lens lineup is holding you back in photography?
The Sigma 18-50mm may not be the sharpest lens in that range but if you were to buy the Tamron then I would bet there would be no difference. Autofocus while ok will be more likely to catch you out on the 'quick' shots. This is the only place the 17-55 may help - no guarantees mind.

My recommendation is not to buy any new lenses specifically for this wedding unless you know that you will use them for ther things. If you do buy any lenses get a 24-70 F2.8

So, D300, Flash, 24-70?
 
Thanks Richard. It's not a matter of what is holding me up but more like what will be of best use/convenience on the day and don't want to miss/mess things up due to equipment (see comments above on D80s metering and AF).

I've been mainly thinking about ease of use on the day i.e. zoom lens on one body and prime on the other? I reckon it's better to invest in glass rather than a body as it 'will keep' esp if i get a FF lens like the 24-70 F2.8. It is hideously expensive though and the 28-70 is around half price second hand. It is worth it?

I can probably borrow a D90 for the day thinking about it. So i might just be looking at:

SB600/SB800
24-70 or 28-70
 
Might also be a good idea to have a read of a couple of books.

This one is quite good - covers all the basics:
Mark Cleghorn


This one is a bit more advanced but has some very good ideas, and is a good read:
Marcus Bell

If you want to look at a few more, it might be worth a visit to your local library.

Good luck, and hopefully you'll get some really good photos.
 
C&C said:
Might also be a good idea to have a read of a couple of books.

This one is quite good - covers all the basics:
Mark Cleghorn


This one is a bit more advanced but has some very good ideas, and is a good read:
Marcus Bell

If you want to look at a few more, it might be worth a visit to your local library.

Good luck, and hopefully you'll get some really good photos.
Click to expand...

Thanks for suggesting these. :)
 
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