Should I Buy a 2nd Camera?

G2EWS

G2EWS

Suspended / Banned
Messages
872
Name
Chris
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi All,

As mentioned in my introduction, I have the three weddings of my children to cover this year. I am not a professional and only a spirited amateur.

I currently have a Fuji S3 with Sigma 18-200 which is on all the time. A Nikon 50mm which has never been used and Nikon 70 - 300 which never gets used because of the Sigma. I also own the Sigma EG - 500 DG super flash. Back up with a Sony HDV 1080i camcorder for those moving moments!
Also an Elinchrom Studio Flash kit with back drop and framework for those family snaps to be kept and remembered forever.

The first wedding is in Cyprus and I suddenly realised that if my camera had a problem it would be curtains as my Daughter would probably lynch me for certain.

Whilst at Focus last week I had a good look at the Fuji S5 which as a loyal Fuji fan was the correct thing to do. However the fear of failure was not with me then. Hence I had not carried out research on possible second cameras.

Having done that now I see the D300 as being the best in it's class albeit at a slightly higher price than the S5. There are many benefits but for me would be the speed, not just and hardly for the weddings but for any future photography.

This seems to be the best deal:

http://www.currys.co.uk/product.php?sku=103884&camp_id=OfferoftheDay

You then add the code AWOFF100 and get an additional £100 off making the total delivered price £999.99.

So the big question is, would you buy a second camera to make sure all went well? Or do you think I am being a little paranoid and perhaps should spend my money on a much wanted Sigma 50 - 500 lens?

Yours in desperation of making the wrong decision:lol:

Regards

Chris
 
Rather than get lynched.........a second camera:D
 
You can't be too paranoid about equipment for weddings it's a contradiction in terms.

As a minimum you really need two camera bodies compatible with your lenses, and two flashguns, together with lots of spare batteries for both

Things which have gone wrong for me at weddings in the past.

The aperture on my most used lens stuck solid at f11.

One camera just stopped firing the flash. Turned out to be burned out flash contacts on the shutter. An easy repair as it turned out - but not at the time!

A flashgun just went kaput halfway through a wedding. Thankfully I had another.

I tried a bit too hard for that last shot on a roll and wound the film out of the canister!

Belt and braces all the time! ;)
 
G2EWS said:
.... as my Daughter would probably lynch me for certain ....
Click to expand...

err.... as the father of the bride, don't you have more important things to think about?

Really.
 
Yes why are you taking shots at your daughters wedding? Sure take your camera but don't you want to be in some too?

If you must do it, not only is a second camera a MUST, so too is a flash and backup. The zopoms you have are not particularly fast. I hope you get plenty of light.
 
Hi Guys,

Did not want to get into the reasons why but a brief overview would be that we both remarried. My two Boys live near me, Daughter lives near Mum. Very sadly for me my Daughter is getting her Mum to walk her down the aisle! Or beach not sure which at this stage!

My Daughter thought it would be better if I took the photos. She may be right!

Sounds more awful than it really is! But suffice to say we are doing the right thing!

So you see I must get it right or else!

Just not sure if I should for the D300 which will be good for the future or the S5 which is a great improvement on my S3. I am sure you all know the bodies are virtually the same and both take the same lenses.

I guess if I go for the S5 the remaining money could go on another flash and maybe a slightly bigger bag?

What lens would you recommend then? Bearing in mind I am only an enthusiastic amateur?

Regards

Chris
 
I went to cyprus for a wedding 2 years ago and my advice would be to get a second camera but also a second flash - the reason is that the sun is very harsh and you need a flash to soften the shadows
 
Definately a 2nd Camera (personally I'd choose the D300, as you have the S3 for the dynamic range), a Second Flash (SB-800 via Kerso would be my choice £199 Delivered IIRC) and a second mid range zoom (e.g. 18-70 or perhaps a S/H 35-70mm f2.8) plus as many batteries for the flash and camera as you can carry.

It would be a very brave (or stupid) person to attempt a wedding without atleast 1 backup of everything.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Compact Flash cards occasionally die so think about spreading the risk over a number of cards e.g. 4x2GB rather and 1x8GB.

All the best
 
If you really do just want the camera for the weddings then I'd go for the S5. If you're going to be doing more general photography too then definitely go for the D300. You could even consider a D200 to save yourself some money. Whilst a fair way off the D300 it's still an excellent camera that can be had for a good price.

As others have said your lenses aren't the fastest. You could consider something like the tamron 17-50 f2.8 - an excellent lens that comes in at about £250. I would say that is more important than a second flash.

Also get your 50mm out of the bag - it is really superb lens, has real punch and is the sharpest lens that I own. It's also loads of fun to use.

The compact flash card advice is very sage, although if you go for the S5 I'd get 4GB cards because of the high file size of the RAW files. Cheapest place for sandisk extreme III is play.com.
 
I have heard folks rave about the Fujis for natural skin tones.

This info could be dated so check it out for yourself or hopefully someone with fresh info could help us out.

Must echo those above who say back-ups of everything.

One of my first weddings I had a flash that died on me the FIRST SHOT OF THE DAY!!:bang::nono:

I did not have a back-up but made a plan frantically and got one first thing the Monday.

Yes it is a case of braces and belts but rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

:thumbs:
 
OK, I have looked and thought and studied and come up with the following:

Nikon D300
SB800
Sigma 17 - 70 F2.8 DC Macro

The Sigma has an amazing write up and the following forum some superb photos:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=186589

So I think I will got to Bristol Cameras and offer them my business if I get:

D300 at £999.99
SB800 at £199.99
Sigma 17 - 70 DC Macro @ £215

Then if it all goes wrong I will run away in my RV and classic mini:

DSCF1819.jpg


DSCF0151-1.jpg


Regards

Chris
 
jhob said:
If you really do just want the camera for the weddings then I'd go for the S5. If you're going to be doing more general photography too then definitely go for the D300. You could even consider a D200 to save yourself some money. Whilst a fair way off the D300 it's still an excellent camera that can be had for a good price.

As others have said your lenses aren't the fastest. You could consider something like the tamron 17-50 f2.8 - an excellent lens that comes in at about £250. I would say that is more important than a second flash.

Also get your 50mm out of the bag - it is really superb lens, has real punch and is the sharpest lens that I own. It's also loads of fun to use.

The compact flash card advice is very sage, although if you go for the S5 I'd get 4GB cards because of the high file size of the RAW files. Cheapest place for sandisk extreme III is play.com.
Click to expand...

Hi jhob,

I my ignorance I spotted the Sigma 17 - 70 and thought it was similar to the Tamron you mentioned but with a little better zoom.

However I have looked further and see it is F2.8 across the range. This is good isnt it? And makes it better than the Sigma?

Regards

Chris
 
G2EWS said:
Hi jhob,

I my ignorance I spotted the Sigma 17 - 70 and thought it was similar to the Tamron you mentioned but with a little better zoom.

However I have looked further and see it is F2.8 across the range. This is good isnt it? And makes it better than the Sigma?

Regards

Chris
Click to expand...

It's never that simple Chris where lenses are concerned. Yes - the constant aperture is good, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the lens is optically better, or even as good, because of it.

I'm not advocating either lens because I know nothing of them beyond the fact that Sigma and Tamron are well respected independent lens manufacturers.

You really need to to do a bit of research before buying any lens. I'm sure Google will throw up some reviews and test results.
 
The 17-70 is a decent enough lens by all accounts. Personally I prefer constant aperture lenses but it's certainly not essential. As weddings tend to take place indoors and in lower-lit places having a wider aperture (smaller f number) is advantageous so that you can keep a faster shutter speed and so minimise camera shake.

In some situations I think you could find that f4 at the telephoto end could be a bit limiting. That said the D300 has pretty good high ISO performance by all accounts so you could up the ISO to keep the shutter speed up.
 
Hi CT and jhob,

Many thanks for the benefit of your experience. I guess the Tamron would be a better bet so will probably try and sort it tomorrow with an order for the D300.

Regards

Chris
 
For the money I don't think the tamron can be beaten - a great choice. I have been more than happy with mine.

Only thing it would be nice for it to have is AF-S, I believe an AF-S version is scheduled for launch later this year, don't hold your breath though.
 
Okey dokey,

Going to hit a few companies with this shopping list and see what better price they can come up with

Tamron 17-50 F2.8 £249.95 Purely Gadgets

Daylight Filter 67mm £10.00 7 Dayshop

D300 £999.99 Currys with code AWOFF100

Nikon SB800 £199.99 Flash Camera eBay

Gary Fong Lightspere for SB800 £34.99 Flash Camera eBay

Nikon MB-D10 £169.00 Microglobe

TOTAL £1663.92
 
TOTAL £1663.92
Click to expand...

For which I suspect you could hire a photographer and have the day off at your kids weddings..

just a thought. :)
 
Hi dazzajl,

From Calne I see! Hi from Devizes.

Yes but I would not get all three weddings sorted and the best bit, pursue my hobby with probably the best semi pro DSLR on the market!

I love photography and this of course is why the Children have asked me to take photos. More importantly at my Daughters it solves a problem! But best we do not go into that!

You will probably realise by now that if I wanted to hire a photographer the cost would not be a concern. Indeed I have a close friend who is a photographer and will be at one of the weddings as well!

Regards

Chris
 
G2EWS said:
Okey dokey,

Going to hit a few companies with this shopping list and see what better price they can come up with

Tamron 17-50 F2.8 £249.95 Purely Gadgets

Daylight Filter 67mm £10.00 7 Dayshop

D300 £999.99 Currys with code AWOFF100

Nikon SB800 £199.99 Flash Camera eBay

Gary Fong Lightspere for SB800 £34.99 Flash Camera eBay

Nikon MB-D10 £169.00 Microglobe

TOTAL £1663.92
Click to expand...


FLASH CAMERA on Ebay is the ebay site of Ian Kerr (Kerso). You can PM here on TalkPhotography and ask for a price for the lot. He should be able to offer better prices away from ebay. He has many happy customers (inc me!)
 
Hi,

Well I have ordered the D300 and MB-D10 from T4 cameras in Swindon and will pick up tomorrow. Paid a little extra but like the idea of getting it locally.

I have a Nikon 24 - 120 lens being sent to me by a friend to try and will hold off on the flash for the time being.

Batteries, charger and another 2 x 4GB CF cards coming from 7 dayshop.

Oooh excited!

Regards

Chris
 
Hi Folks,

Well picked up the Manfrotto 190XProB and 322RC2 today along with the Nikon SB800.

Seemed to make sense having the SB800 and still allows me to use the Sigma flash as well.

Taken a few trial shots of grandchildren this afternoon, using the flash remotely, once I got my head around how to set it up. But not sure if I am brave enough to let you critical lot see them!

Regards

Chris
 
Couldn't you have borrowed a second camera for the wedding (and spend your money on a much wanted Sigma 50 - 500 lens)?
 
Blimey chaps, don't want to go down this conversational route again!

Trust me taking photos at my Daughter's wedding IS the right thing to do! That was never the question to you fellow photographers!

As to borrowing a camera, don't you try to find excuses to buy more!

I'll find another excuse to get the Sigma lens! Trust me!

Chris
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top