Camera for Wedding Photography

[haunting_your_thoughts]

Hello, I am currently the owner of a Digital rebel XT and in the

future intend to upgrade to a 20D. I brought the XT so that I can

develop my skills as a photographer since I am new to the field.

 

<br>At the same time, I regret that I brought the XT instead of the

20D since I keep seeing that most wedding pro's use the 20D.

 

<br>Can I use the DRXT as a wedding photography camera? or is it

completely unfeasable for me to use it?

 

<br>Next on the agenda... I am out lens hunting to upgrade my kit

lens of 18-55 mm. What lens would be recomended as a really good all-

rounder wedding lens. My budget can extend to $1500 and I would like

something that's of awesome quality. At the same time I dont want to

be too confined in the wide-angle department. I can buy more than one

lens if I have to.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Jake The Snake

[jmichaelc]

Any camera will work - the question is - can you work the camera? In starting out, i do not see anything wrong with the XT. Do a search and see the results of some experienced users that use the rebel - one fine photographer here at p.net that comes to mind is Pavel Krukov, which can be found here:

 

http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=479641

 

some of his first photos posted were with the 300D - as you can see, he can work the equipment.

 

As far as lenses are concerned. I would suggest the Tamron 28-75 2.8 ($350) and the Sigma 70-200 2.8 ($800-900). You do not have to have the expensive L lenses to have the L optics (as you can see from Pavel's photos - he uses the 70-200 a lot. To go wide, the sigma 15-30 3.5 ($550) is a darn good performer. I've got all three of these lenses and if they are not sharp - it's my fault 100% of the time. That's my .02 - good luck.

[bwcombs]

You touched on the heart of the issue when you said, "develop

your skills as a photographer".

 

It still comes down to having the creative and technical skills to

capture a successful photograph. Having good tools is just one

of the pieces to the puzzle. Don't get hung up on what the other

guy's using.

 

Several years ago, we were getting ready for a family reunion

portrait, and the photographer that was hired showed up with a

mishmash of bodies and lenses, lights and such. There were

old film cameras, a new prosumer digital SLR, etc. A lot of us

were finding it amusing to watch this person work, with what

seemed to us as outdated and amateur gear.

 

A week or so later when the proofs arrived, we were quickly

humbled by the quality and creativeness of his handiwork. The

shots were outstanding. This was a very talented photographer

who had mastered the gear he had, and knew how to use most,

if not all, of the technical aspects of the craft to produce a fine

image.

 

My mantra now is to learn as much as I can by shooting as much

as I can, and reading and learning as much as I can from those

who know more than me.

 

Good optics are a part of that as well. Invest in the glass, and

you'll be happy in the long run. Especially when you do upgrade

to a newer body in the system.

[byronlawrence]

yea your camera will work. it is more a question of can you work it.

 

for lenses, on the long end I intend to get (and I think it would apply partially to you also) the sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 ex hsm lens (similar to canons 70-200 f2.8 L for 1200) for around 700 and then for the short end you still have 800 out of your 1500 for a good short range lens (i am not as familiar with these).

 

anyway that is my two dollars worth

[rick_helmke]

For the money I think the 28-135 IS is a super lens and there are plenty available used. I've been shooting one for a couple of years now including several weddings and use it for about 90% of most jobs. It's not L but it's damn good. IS has helped in several low light situations which you find often in weddings. Then, since you should have enough extra funds, get the 17-whatever L zoom. The XT will do just fine for now. The only thing it won't do is plug directly into studio lights since it doesn't have a PC terminal. You can get around that for about $12.

Now that you have good equipment that won't limit you or get in your way, get to work and learn the craft. A poor camera can impede you but a good one doesn't guarantee anything. Like someone else said, a photographer that knows what he is doing will produce good/great/incredible work nearly every time.

 

Rick H.

[jimstrutz]

Personally, I think the little kit lens is fine as long as you can shoot with it at f/8 or smaller. That's not a good thing for weddings though. I also think for a good standard wedding zoom lens you need something that starts wider than 28mm (or even 24mm) when used with a 1.6x crop camera like the DRebel XT. Canon's 17-40 f/4L is a good choice, but it's still only f/4. It does have a ring type USM focus motor with FTM, so it's fast to use, and the quality is great.

 

What I bought was Sigma's 18-50mm f/2.8, and still think it was the better choice for weddings. It's as sharp as the 17-40 Canon, and works very good. You can get it for about $400 if you shop around.

 

There are times when I switch to a wider lens, and other times I switch to a longer lens, but the 18-50 covers just about all of it for me. A near perfect trio for weddings (for me) would be a Tokina 12-24 f/4, Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 and a Canon 70-200 f/4L. You should be able to get all those for about $1600. All are very good optically. Just a thought.

[larrydressler]

Get a Pentax 6X7 if you want to really WOW them. Sorry not within the Budget range so get a Kiev 60 with an internal flocking kit. A 45mm a 80mm and a 150mm lens. A Flash Mount and a rigid Tripod. Also check Wedding Photography. and get a lawyer.

[john falkenstine]

A light meter....