Buy more glass or another body?

[daniel_sone]

Hi,

 

<p>I have a Canon EOS 30D, and use it for all my digital photography. It has

proven to be an excellent workhorse.<br>

 

I'll be starting to do weddings soon and was wondering if I should

expand/upgrade my lens collection or invest in an additional body (EOS 40D).<br>

 

I currently lack any "pro" lenses, like Canon's "L" series.</p>

 

<p>Here is my current lens kit:</p>

 

<p>Canon EF-S 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 kit lens (came with the camera)<br>

Canon EF 28-135mm 3.5-5.6 IS USM lens<br>

Tamron Di-II 55-200mm 3.5-5.6 lens</p>

 

<p>These are fairly cheap lenses, but have produced great results.

Unfortunately, none of them can hold onto f/3.5 throughout the zoom range. And

indoors, especially in churches, f/5.6 is way too slow.

The "IS" helps with camera shake, but not with subject blur.

Additionally, only the 28-135 has the USM, which is why I almost always use it

on assignment.</p>

 

I'm looking to buy the following lenses:

 

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 IS USM

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 USM

 

So, should I get the second body or actually get better lenses?

Due to current budget constraints, it will either be one or the other.

 

Let me know.

[ronald_moravec1]

You need a spare body and a standard prime 35mm or 24/70 2.8 zoom.

 

Most all weddings are done with flash and not the little wink light on the camera.

 

You must have duplicates of all equipment on work site right down to sync cords.

[stephen_kinosh]

I agree. 2 bodies are MANDATORY. I would not think of doing a wedding with 1 body. I would buy the lens you need and rent a body until oyu can afford to purchase one.

 

Good luck

[russ_konrad]

As Ronald mentioned - a second (backup) body is essential for wedding photography.

 

As for lenses - everything in your bag should be f/2.8 or faster.

 

You really can't do weddings unless you have both - a second body AND faster lenses.

[conraderb]

people who offer their services as a photographer and are hired as THE photographer MUST have a 2nd body. if you don't, there is a special ring of hell reserved for you :-)

 

first, borrow/rent a rebel xt body for every gig you need if you have $$ problems (and if you ask me, if you have $$ problems so early on in the game, that means that you quit your day job too early or you are taking assignments too early. I never shot a paid gig with just one body, digital OR film...)

 

 

econd, forget the 24-70 on a crop body unless you want to spend another $600 or so getting your wide angles back.

 

sell ALL your lenses. all of them.

 

buy the 17-55 IS 2.8 and then look again at your situation. after that, the 70-200 would be a good choice. if you don't have the $$, fine, get the f4 non IS version and a tripod, or the 85mm 1.8. fantastic portrait lens and not expensive.

 

invest heavily in your equipment until you have what you need.

 

send conrad a box of chocolate for saving you money and time :-)

 

and again, if you are saying "I want this and this, but I can't afford both" and you are talking about the basic tools for the job, you probably should save up a bit more $$ and wait to book gigs AFTER you have those lenses...

[markonestudios]

For your final prints, I daresay, your client won't really care or have a clue what body you shoot with! However, they <i>will</i> care how well the pictures capture their day - framing, composition, lighting (whether they know about photography or not)and this, intrinsically, is more intimately linked with what glass you have on (whichever) camera body you're shooting with, including film. I would definitely and unreservedly invest in lenses FIRST. You can hire/borrow a backup dSLR or buy (!) a decent film SLR as your backup. They're pretty cheap to come by nowadays.

<p>I don't refute the importance of a second body. However, I personally started doing weddings with only my trusty Rebel G (EOS 500N) film SLR and the 28-105 USM lens (due to budgetary constraints ;)) I thank God the combo never failed me, even in the rain! I now shoot dSLR for most weddings and the film body is now my backup until I can afford a full-frame dSLR (read 5D, baby! ;))

<p>In summary, buy the glass (and a decent tripod) :) You can hire a backup body until you can afford a second body. Both lenses you're looking at are excellent performers. As I've said elsewhere in the annals of PN, a lens is the longer term and more important investment. Your 30D is still a fine camera...

[jimstrutz]

You must have backups for everything. You might be lucky, like Mark was, but you might not be, and then what will you say to the bride? "Sorry" won't cut it. Shooting weddings without backup gear is not nice.

 

A film camera with appropriate lenses can work in a pinch, but is a poor system if you are shooting digital for your primary body. I did this for a couple weddings though. Just be sure you know how to shoot weddings on film and have plenty of professional film with you. Renting a backup body is a good plan if this is available to you, but buying a used 350D/Rebel XT (or newer) might be a better plan.

 

I also agree the 17-55 f/2.8 IS is the best wedding lens made for a 20D/30D/40D. Some prefer the 24-70 range, but it lacks a wide end when used on the 30D. It's a personal choice.

 

You don't mention flash, but unless all your weddings and receptions are outdoor during the day time you will need at least two. But there are ways to do flash on the cheap. A couple Sunpack 383s or Vivitar 285s can work well with a little time invested in learning how to use them. Flash units and their cables are the most unreliable things at a weddings though, so you might consider packing three of them.

[mike_earussi1]

I both agree and disagree with everyone else in that good high aperture lenses are essential. But, at least where I live, the cost of renting a good body runs about $100/day whereas renting a good f2.8 L lens runs around $15. So even though good "pro" lenses are more important to the final image quality that a "pro" body, they are a lot cheaper to rent on an as needed basis. You might want to check the rental prices in your area first before deciding where to spend your money.

[jonj]

Daniel,

 

Only weddings I did with one body were for free! When I became a paid wedding photographer two bodies are a must. One for back-up and two you will switch lenses like crazy with one body. I rent any additional lenses from a local guy.

[jc5066]

You HAVE TO HAVE a back-up of everything, period! You don't have to have two of the same thing, but a back-up for when a piece fails.

 

You NEED a couple of things. A second body, AND some fast "pro" glass.

[35mmdelux]

What Ronald said.

 

the client has placed alot of trust in you and that means you need the right gear and, minimally, double-redundancy to ensure the job gets done properly. Pros don't show up with one camera and a wink lite, this is ridiculous.

[daniel_sone]

<p>My 30D hasn't let me down, even in some of the harshest conditions. I did a 9-day shoot in Nicaragua where it was 95 degrees and 70 humidity ... every ... day. I've also photographed in the dead of winter in Washington D.C.<br>

Never had a problem with my lenses nor my camera. They may be cheap and crappy, but they're fairly rugged.</p>

<p>For flashes I have a 580EX as my main and a 430EX as a back-up, and a Whaletail.</p>

 

<p>My lenses are, dare I say, sheer crap for professional portraiture and weddings. Which is why I'm seeking the upgrade.</p>

 

<p>Thanks for all the advice, but I still need more help narrowing down my decision because I'm still on the fence.</p>

 

<p>What is your opinion on the newer Canon 70-200 f/4 IS USM as an alternative to the 2.8? Should I bother with it? I've read reviews, and they're for the most part positive.<br>

Can I get away with it in a church?<br>

What about portraits?</p>

 

<p>Oh, as a back-up I have a Nikon FTn with some primes and tons for Fuji Pro 400H and Kodak TMAX 400.</p>

[frolickingbits]

I have the 70-200 f2.8, and I love it....the bokeh when it is wide open is gorgeous, and I'm

not sure if you would get that with the f4. The price difference is less than $100 between

the two. For my style of shooting, I would much rather have the extra stop, and use my

external IS system that works on all my lenses, and cost $50-a monopod.

 

As far as a normal lens for your 30D, I would say the 17-55 f2.8 would be your best

choice, and I would get that before I got the 70-200. At the end of a typical day, my 5D

with a 24-70 on it has at least 3-4 times as many photos as my 30D with the 70-200.

 

Absolutely get lenses first. You have a film backup, so you're covered if your 30D goes

south, but you have no coverage if you end up in a dim church with no flash allowed. I

would also budget in $75 and get the 50mm f1.8 as a portrait/backup lens.

[nate_kinnee]

My 30D hasn't let me down, even in some of the harshest conditions. I did a 9-day shoot in Nicaragua where it was 95 degrees and 70 humidity ... every ... day. I've also photographed in the dead of winter in Washington D.C.

 

---

 

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding, but the above sounds like a defense for not having a second camera. The 30D is solid, no doubt. But like all devices, and end to its life will come. Can you afford to have that happen while you're being paid to photograph a wedding? Backup everything, including your camera. I'm not even a pro, but I've already learned that.

[nate_kinnee]

Sorry, I missed the last line of that post where you mentioned your backup film body. That's good to hear.

 

I also second the recommendation for the Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS. It's the best one-lens solution (not that you shouldn't have others).

[ujwal]

Well...i suggest buy a good condition 20D and buy better glass after selling all you have.

 

20D is almost the same as your 30D. Same sensor...same image quality.Only the LCD is smaller. You wont feel the difference unless you miss the bigger lcd.

 

You also need at least one good Flash. (I think flash is mandatory).

 

Get a Tamron 17-55 f/2.8 lens if you are low on budget... its optically very very good, has a good reach and get a Canon 70-200 f4 L IS on other body (if you can) or just keep the 28-135mm on that one.

 

hey...that way...for the price of a 40D, you can get a good reliable 20D, and a good lens and a flash too. and you have a reliable and capable kit!

[daniel_sone]

<p>It was kind of a defense :-) I know I have the camera body, but my lenses are sub-par and won't deliver the results I want in certain situations ... especially shallow DOF.<br>

All my lenses' lowest stop is f5.6 when zoom all the way in. The DOF narrows quite a bit, but the f5.6 KILLS me. Blurring out the background in Photoshop is too much of a pain.</p>

<p>I believe I can borrow a good friend's digital Rebel (its the XT, I believe). If I can do that, I'll focus on the glass</p>