Essential Wedding Equipment

[o._wagner]

I am mainly a portrait photographer but will now be getting into weddings. I

have assisted several pros this wedding season but have now booked some of my

own weddings for 2007. I am slowly adding to my equipment for wedding

photography and wanted some opinions on your *essential* wedding set-up.

Here's what I have so far and what is on my list. Also, feel free to comment

on anything I may be missing or items that have been helpful to you.

 

Canon 20D,

24-70L f/2.8,

70-200L f/2.8,

Tamron 18-200,

50mm f/1.8

 

On my list:

Canon 30D,

550ex or 580ex,

2 Alien Bees umbrella lights

 

I also have miscellaneous things like extra batteries, lots of memory, belt

pack, reflector, etc.

[jonathan_walker]

Glad to see the 50 1.8 in there. I'd certainly consider more fast primes for during the service when you can't use flash.

 

I'd reconsider the Alien Bees, if only for the hassle factor. I have had great results with on camera flash and bracket mounting.

[jonathan_walker]

Oh yeah, and those Granola bars are helpful.

[cjogo]

20D ^ 17~40mm ^ Quantum T5 --thats pretty much all I bring to a wedding-for digital ..sometimes I will use the 580EX --if the power is not required of the Quantum.

EOS3 28-70mm for film >> thats all I use 99% (rarely pull out the 70~200, just the large Church ceremony)

[timcorridan]

a few diffusers or flash bracket or both. three flashes are nice.( one in the car) even if its the cheapest one. two-shoe cord 2's. they like to break. youve probably got these things already of course. 17-40 mm mabee, or equivelent

[conraderb]

O. - throw away your tamron 18-200 unless you want a slow focusing lens that only delivers good image quality .

 

if you are shooting wedidngs like the most of us, I recommend the 10-22mm for around $700 or so. weddings have some tight spaces.

 

I would also recommend the 85mm 1.8 over the 70-200 for most times - I find it less obtrusive, faster to focus, yields more stunning portraits wide open and is a lot lighter to carry. my 70-200 comes out only for ceremonies nowadays.

[conraderb]

whoops - I shoudl have said "good image quality at F8."

[o._wagner]

Yeah, my Tamron I only use on the 18 end, if ever. I have tried to sell it, but for the chump change that people offer me for it, I'd just as rather keep it as a back-up. It was my first lens!

[conraderb]

O. - if we are talking essentials, then the 70-200 is not essential.

 

a flash is - I recommend the 580ex.

 

also - you need a second boyd. what happens if yours gets wet and stops working for three hours? do you grab a hair dryer? no. you need a second body. of course, I recommend not getting the 30D and getting a second 20D instead of a lower end backup body. why?

 

1) you can shoot with BOTH at the same time. result is greater variety and quicker transition from one lens to another. I often keep my 10-22 on one body and my 85mm on the other. this allows tight shots and wide shots with a one second change.

 

2) instead of spending a $500 on a digital rebel XT, you spend $700 on a used 20D and instead of the rebel depreciating, you get to actually USE the 20D.

 

3) when you pickup your second 20D body, it is just like your first. no learning curve, so if your primary 20D actually conks out, you can transition very smoothly.

 

4) it looks pretty darn cool. clients love it.

[o._wagner]

Conrad-

 

I will be getting an additional 30D and shooting with both. I never said I was getting a Rebel XT? I'm not sure where you got that from.

 

I'm surprised you don't consider the 70-200 essential. I use mine quite a bit, especially during ceremony. I've been in situations where I wasn't allowed up past a certain pew in a church and if it wasn't for my long lens, all of their ceremony shots would have featured the bride and groom as specks up at the altar.

 

Yes, I do agree a flash is necessary, I will be getting either the 550 or 580ex.

 

I am also curious to hear everyone else's essential wedding gear.

[karenco]

Before anything else, you must have backup equipment. That means at least 1 additional camera, lens, and flash, plus extra batteries for everything.

 

Other than that, what's "essential" is more a matter of personal taste. What camera you use, what lenses you use, all of that jazz ... none of it is "essential" across the board.

 

What I use and wouldn't go to a wedding w/out are:

20D camera (+ backup camera)

50mm 1.4 (+50mm 1.8 backup)

20mm 2.8

100mm 2.8 macro

580ex flash (+ backup)

 

There are additional lenses and items I carry, but they are not my "essential" items. They are additional items that allow me more creativity.

[BrianS1664879711]

... and a pair of comfortable shoes!

[jenseay]

I think the 70-200 IS an essential lens... I use it at every wedding in a church, where I have to stay in the back. I put it on a tripod and get great images from there. I also use it during outdoor weddings, to capture hands as the bride and groom are putting rings on each other's fingers. It's great for capturing facial expressions during vows.

 

I got my 24-70 lens this spring, and don't know what I ever did without it!

 

I can shoot a whole wedding with my 5D, 24-70, 70-200, and 580EX flash.

 

Jen

[quanvu]

Personally, beside a 30D - I would bring an extra 20D or 30D for "just in case" (leave it in my car's trunk), and my lens: 17-40mm, 85mm f1.8 and 70-200mm 2.8, along with (2) 550ex/580ex, a tripod and at least (2) 2GB of CF. I also have my "Creative Zen W", which is a 30GB MP3 player plus a slot for me to download my pictures while I am shooting with another CF card. Nothing is terrible to me than accidentally lost or damage my CF card with pictures on it!

[matt_needham]

Backup equipment is essential. I've had a bodies, flashes, and a lens crap out on me during the wedding. Short of dropping a lens, it never occurred to me that a lens could wear out from normal use, but it has happened to me. The "D-ring" went on a zoom, and the lens was stuck at f/22.

 

A good meter, particularly a flash meter can be very handy.

[jeff_harting1]

Looks like a mostly canon group here but the principal is the same. My typical set is as follows.

 

1-D70 body

1-D200 body

2 D2H bodies

Each body is equiped with a stroboframe cameraflip bracket. The brackets for the D2Hs' and D200 with it's vertical grip have been modified to accomidate the camera height.

 

3 SB800 flash units & 1 SB600 and 2 SB28 flash units for backup even though they they don't have i-ttl or remote capibility. I also have an assortment of light modifiers such as Gary Fong's lightspheres. Each of these have their purpose although I dont claim they are good for all circumstances.

 

Lenses

Tamron 28-105mm 2.8- this is my main all purpose lens.

Nikon 80-200mm 2.8 -While this lens may not be essential I would hate to be without it.

Nikon 18-70 3.5 DX this is a great lens for tight spots, also I use it quite a bit at receptions.

Nikon 50mm 1.4 I consider this lens essential the extra 2 stops are very helpful during ceremonies were I can't use flash. In fact i am considering an 85mm 1.4 although the 1.8 would also be good for considerably less money.

Nikon 18-35mm 3.5

24-85mm 2.8

Other lenses depending on conditions

 

Sekonic flash meter

Minolta color temp meter

medium duty tri-pod

Step ladder unless you are 7 feet tall

Tamrac rolling camera case, Large! and large shoulder bag.

I recently bought 8 small collapsible step stools for about $10 each. I keep them in a duffel bag in my vehicle in case I need them, these are great for large wedding party shots.

I always take lots of CF cards I typicaly come home with my weddings on 12-15 cards and usually photograph each group with 2 cameras, yes I am very cautious. Better a live coward than a dead hero!

I sounds like you have a good start on your wedding business, but I would never consider leaving for a wedding with less than 3 cameras and 3 flash units. I you have 2 cameras and 1 fails then how many spares do you have?

 

Good Luck!