Need Recomendation... wedding photo gear

[stephen low]

hilo they.

Currently im interesting to get a lens for wedding indoor and outdoor shooting, so which lens is suitable for those wedding portrait shooting ?

[Falcone]

Hi, just wondering what gear u have now?

[stephen low]

Hi, just wondering what gear u have now?

K10D + 18-55mm

[Falcone]

My experience....get a flash first.:D:D:D

[ShaolinTiger]

If you want a really good setup for wedding photography..

I'd go for something like 2x Canon 5D bodies with one 70-200mm f/2.8L IS and one with 16-25mm f/2.8 MKII and 580EX II :drunk:

[JackJack]

K10D + 18-55mm
that lens will do fine, u just need a flash

[stephen low]

i read some review on 16-45mm is nice shooting on landscape. is also good for portrait also?

[The Dark]

A flash is a must. Invest in some flash modifier as well, GF lightsphere or Sto-Fen Omnibounce will do. If you have extra dough, get a Pentax 55-200. It will help in outdoor shoots.

[Hamidi]

50mm/1.4 for budget or 85mm/1.4 if u have xtra money....

[stephen low]

50mm/1.4 for budget or 85mm/1.4 if u have xtra money....

hi hamidi, im abit blur here pls advices.... what is the different between 50mm f1.4 and 50mm1.8D. both of them also are autofocus?

[jayhan]

Stephen - the differences is in their maximum aperture.
I dont know much about K10D's sensor crop factor, but I certainly wouldnt impose myself on using prime glasses such as 50mm or 85mm for wedding (sorry hamidi). Reason being simple - flexibility. This is the one thing which zooms have the extra sharpened edge over prime lenses.

For canon, 2x 5D with one fitted with a 70-200mm f2.8L IS, and the other with a 24-70mmL f2.8 and also a 580EX. This would be the cream of the crop setup in my opinion. But if using 30D's, I'd say swap the 24-70mm with the EF-S 17-55mm IS USM, and one would be pretty much set.

If K10D is on a FOVCF of either 1.5x or 1.6x and you are tight on budget... My advice is to go for a flash gun, and lens wise would be the SIGMA 70-200mm f2.8 and also the SIGMA/TAMRON 17-50mm f2.8

Good luck!

[jetfynn]

Go buy a decent flash. Go make some money. then upgrade.

[jayhan]

Wedding Guru Jetfynn has spoken... and spoken well too! :D

[tcmnc]

Go buy a decent flash. Go make some money. then upgrade.

Yes, agreed, be practical. If you ever thought of earning back the money you spent for your gear, you can decide after you take the first job.:D

[andythology]

If you want a really good setup for wedding photography..

I'd go for something like 2x Canon 5D bodies with one 70-200mm f/2.8L IS and one with 16-25mm f/2.8 MKII and 580EX II :drunk:

very well, Desmond selling 1dMkIIN RM10500.:partyon:

[Hamidi]

I dont know much about K10D's sensor crop factor, but I certainly wouldnt impose myself on using prime glasses such as 50mm or 85mm for wedding (sorry hamidi). Reason being simple - flexibility.

No problem bro Jayhan... Different people different style eh? Kekekkeke...

I agree than prime lens isn't flexible as the zoom lens, but for me I normally will make the bride & groom (normally in malay wedding) available exclusively for me in about 15-30minutes for photoshoot... I'll use the advantage of 1.4 or 1.8 to create nice bokeh + color. Other than that, for normal event during the wedding (like akad nikah or menepung tawar or family/friends' group photo) I'll prefer my wide angle zoom...

p/s: If only I have 2 bodies, one with Nikkor 12-24, another with 50/1.4 or 85/1.4... in my dream ler, kekekeke!

[asmady]

from my exp ... 10-22mm, 24-70mm & 70-200mm mounted on 3 bodies. all range covered & u wont miss any special moment changing lenses.

[stephen low]

thanks asmady for ur input

[jmaguireokm]

If you want a really good setup for wedding photography..

I'd go for something like 2x Canon 5D bodies with one 70-200mm f/2.8L IS and one with 16-25mm f/2.8 MKII and 580EX II :drunk:

wow ...... i smell a very heavy poison
all this gears add up together = 30K plus plus ohh
need how long to recover back the $$$$ spend ahhh ??? :0:0

for a wedding events, most important thing is lightning coz most of the time will be indoor, an external flashgun is a must :D

when i start taking the first job, i just use my kit lens and extrenal flashgun only and results not that bad also kekekekekekeke

[ShaolinTiger]

wow ...... i smell a very heavy poison
all this gears add up together = 30K plus plus ohh
need how long to recover back the $$$$ spend ahhh ??? :0:0


No poison la...I'm a Nikon user :P

[Chrischong]

I'm not that familiar with Pentax gear, but I assume you can get a 50mm prime lens for fairly cheap (less than RM800 maybe?).

From my own experience, 50mm primes are an affordable way to get razor sharp portraits (waist up or shoulders and up) with shallow depth of field (provided you have it set to an aperture of F1.8 to F2.8).

Another plus point of having such a bright aperture is that it lets you shoot indoors with natural lighting at higher shutter speeds and it will also extend the range of your flash (which is important if you're planning to bounce your flash off the ceiling).

I also highly recommend getting an external flash unit, a reflector and an flash diffuser such as the Lumiquest Promax 80-20 (click here (http://www.lumiquest.com/lq872.htm)for more info).

I've used the Lumiquest 80-20 for a couple of wedding shoots and I'm really happy with the results - because you get both a diffused fill-in flash directly from the flashgun and a bounced flash off the ceiling, the results are better than either firing a flash directly at your subject or bouncing off a ceiling alone.

For beginners, this is a relatively cheap way to get professional-looking lighting. Just make sure you use it in an room with a low ceiling.

Bear in mind, there are plenty of other types of flash diffusers in the market and some photographers prefer these alternatives.

The Lumiquest 80-20 can be bought from several photo shops, but the only one I'm 100% sure that carries it right now is Eng Tong Systems in SS2, Petaling Jaya (click here (http://www.engtong.com/)for details). Give them a call during office hours.


Plus, they also stock a whole bunch of cool accessories. Very diverse selection.

[Gojira]

External flash is a must. You need it for poorly-lit places and for fill-in flash when there is backlighting.

Lenses...I prefer constant f/2.8 zooms. I think Pentax has a 16-45 f/4 and 16-54 f/2.8-3.5 that should be quite decent.

Don't forget extra batts and memory....nothing worse than running out of juice and cards during a shoot.

[hyperhex]

from my exp ... 10-22mm, 24-70mm & 70-200mm mounted on 3 bodies. all range covered & u wont miss any special moment changing lenses.

I agree :). Just that having 3 bodies, will really make you, can't walk! I say keep your 10-22mm close by, belt or something. 2 body is quite difficult to walk already.

You'll need spare equipment. Get 2 pairs of flash guns. Get enough batteries and CF cards - dirt cheap on cards nowadays.

[stephen low]

thanks all guys giving me an advices and idea for me to learn over here... currently i hav found 1 lens that is Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 LD Aspherical (IF).

NOT THE DX Di type of lens, how do u think on this lens. what is the different btw "DX Di" and without "DX Di".

[Hamidi]

I think DX is for DSLR.

I'd prefer with a wider angle (eg: 18-200), give u more advantage when in tight area, don't really prefer the higher focal length (300mm) coz of the f6.3. Please check the Tamron 17-50/2.8... maybe u'll like it.

[stephen low]

I think DX is for DSLR.

I'd prefer with a wider angle (eg: 18-200), give u more advantage when in tight area, don't really prefer the higher focal length (300mm) coz of the f6.3. Please check the Tamron 17-50/2.8... maybe u'll like it.

hi hamidi thanks the info.

another question here is: wat is different btw Tamron 17-50/2.8 compare Sigma 17-70/2.8. which is more advantege?

[Alan]

Stephen,

I think you got your specs wrong. The Tamron 17-50 is a constant 2.8 zoom while the Sigma 17-70 has variable aperture, 2.8-4.5.

The specs speak for themselves. One has the benefit of a constant zoom with the other has a longer zoom range.

My vote goes to the Tamron. You may learn to work around with a shorter zoom (take a couple of steps forward lah) but you will be tied to a variable aperture with the Sigma. I am still waiting for someone to come up with a 17-70 f2.8 constant zoom....

[JasonW]

As many sifu's spoken "Flash"...... and too me you need not worry about gear but understanding how to shoot a wedding first then wat gear to buy is automatically known

[stephen low]

thanks so many sifu giving idea and sharing information. It really help.

[Louis Pang]

Hi Stephen,

It is hard to give u sound advice when I know little about your photography experience & shooting preference.

I always believe in buying the best that you can afford. When we have the best equipment and our shots still suck, we can't blame the equipment...gotta blame the photog then :) But we'll need to balance that against ROI (return of investment). If you spend RM10k on equipment how soon can you recoup your cost?

Buying second hand is a good option bcos you let the first owner bear the depreciation. You can get a used 70-200 for RM4.5k for example. Should you sell it to upgrade say a year later, you can fetch similar price. Get stuff from Desmond in Pudu Raya...he has a great reputation to be a honest trader.

Shooting with 2 bodies are great: one with a wide angle and another with a tele lens. If you can't afford 2 bodies, borrow one if you can. It is not absolutely necessary.

For weddings, you need a wide angle lens & tele lens (85mm and above). Some prefer fixed focal, others zoom. I use both. IMHO, 50mm 1.4 is the best value for a wedding photo. It is great of indoor shots when you are inside a condo or apartment when 70-200 will be too long. About 40-50% of my shots are done with 50mm :) I also have a 70-200VR & 17-35, 12-24.

Don't let equipment cloud your thinking. It is the man behind the camera, not the gear that create an image. Too many people are preoccupied with gear and lens when their work can be dramatically improved if only they spend as much time honing their skills as they talking/researching/posting about gear. Work with what you have and push your vision.

[stephen low]

hi louis, many thanks sharing your idea over here.

actually i start shooting photo since age 13 when in secondary school, cos is my hobby to taken all gal pic la.... :D (point n shoot camera forget the brand cos is my dad 1)

when age 18 i'm major advertising & photography in college time, so getting a 2nd nikon FE (model before FM i think so) when is shoot for all project during that time.

so after graduate im be working partime at foto shop as indoor sales for 2-3 month, quick interested do learn develop negative film....:partyon:

after 10 years now, i wish to getting 1st Dslr for my friend wedding, also that is my hobby too.

so from now is hard for me to learn abt Dslr compare my previous Film equipment. everything is new to me from now... lens, flash, body, memory, photo developing in 8x10inc or large and etc...

and here is for me to learn from you all sifu out there......:cheers:

[ShaolinTiger]

No sifu here la, just a bunch of people who like to take pictures :)

[Louis Pang]

Stephen: I believe your experience in film will be beneficial to your transition to digital. The rules of photography & light does not changed just because we are using DSLR. Made my transition 6 years ago and never looked back since. You will enjoy it though there are new things to learn in digital photography. Once you worked it out, you will enjoy it even more.

Shaolin: Agree with u. There is no need to accord titles in this forum. Just a hunger to learn will suffice.