summer_mclean Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Hi. I was asked to take pictures for my friends wedding this August. It is and outside wedding and it's on the lake. I belibe the ceremony will be facing North. Not a 100% on that though. Anyway, my frinds are very very low income and will not have a photographer at all if I don't step in and do it. Problem is that I don't have a camera capable of shooting wedding photos. I have a Casio Exilm. It's great for family photos and easy stuff but not a wedding. I have a good eye and often am told I should get into photography so I think I can do well if I have a better camera. Like I said, I could use my camera now and these folks probably wouldn't care. I just want to do well for them and also wanting a better camera to practice with anyway. In another forum someone said to get a Nikkon D40. Then someone else said that the kit lense wouldn't zoom well. Please help me. I need this camera ASAP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellis_vener_photography Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Nikon D40 or Canon Rebel XTi (or whatever the latest model is). The Nikon kit lens is fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronald_moravec1 Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Nikons D40/60 are fine cameras with a price way low to their capabilities. They a far better than point & shoots at the same price. To do significantly better, you will need to spend $2500 or more. I use a D200 with a D40 back up. The 40 lacks features, but the image quality is right up there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stwrtertbsratbs5 Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Excellent advice so far. But I would also add flash to the list. I'm not a big fan of Nikon's CLS flash system because it's expensive and proprietary. You can do just as well with a Vivitar flash in manual or auto mode if you practice. Lots of ideas on flash here: http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html You can do some amazing flash photography on a small budget. Just practice first, pay attention to your histogram so you don't overexpose the highlights, and Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_de_ley Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Hi Summer, when you make your choice, keep in mind that after you get a DSLR with a kit lens you'll probably realise that you want additional lenses. If it is genuinely likely price-wise or subject-wise that you might at some point want to buy image stabilized lenses, then Canon or Nikon are your two main options. If not, then I would recommend buying a sensor stabilizing body from Sony, Pentax, Samsung or Olympus so you'll gain speed even with unstabilized lenses. And among the sensor stabilized bodies, if it is genuinely likely that you might at some point opt to add manual focus lenses to your set then I would advise against the Olympus range because of their small viewfinder. I only got my first entry-level DSLR last January, and filtering through the above logic (no on stabilized lenses, yes on manual focus) I bought a Sony A100 which I'm really pleased with. Sony replaced that model in the meantime with the A200, if you like to minimize expenses you can still find plenty of new or like-new A100s for under $500. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egoldstein Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 If purchasing a setup is cost prohibitive, another alternative is renting equipment. Most major cities have shops that will rent equipment. This would allow you to get some of the best equipment for single use without having to buy it. Of course once you try the best equipment it will be everything you can do to keep yourself from buying it (hence the reason for many shops to offer rentals). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael R Freeman Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 >"... someone else said that the kit lense wouldn't zoom well." Which Casio Exilm do you have? The Nikon D40 kit lens (18~55mm) will get the job done for an outdoor wedding, but it may not have as much "zoom" as your current Casio. That's easily compensated for - just get a little closer. The other option is to replace the kit zoom with the Nikon 18~135mm lens, but that's going to cost you considerably more ($300, plus you would need to trade in or sell the 18~55mm). The entry level Canon models come with the same type of lens, 18~55mm, so they would have almost the same "zoom". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summer_mclean Posted July 10, 2008 Author Share Posted July 10, 2008 The Casio I have is 5.0 MP 3x Optical Zoom. I was at another friends wedding a few weeks back and was trying to take pictures for my own enjoyment. I couldn't even see them in my zoom. It was was too far away. I was also looking at the Sony 350. Thanks for all the advice so far. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael R Freeman Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 >"The Casio I have is 5.0 MP 3x Optical Zoom." If the lens on your Casio has "5.8mm - 17.4mm" engraved on the front, then you have a zoom "equivalent" to a 35~105mm lens on a 35mm film camera. Both the 18~55mm Nikon and Canon kit lenses will give you slightly less "zoom" then you now have (27~82mm equivalent for the Nikon, 29~88mm equivalent for the Canon) The Sony A350 with the 18-70mm kit lens (27~105mm equivalent) will give you the same "zoom" that you now have with the Casio. Any of the entry level bodies from Nikon, Canon, Pentax or Sony will do a very good job. All four manufacturers offer plenty of lens options for the average consumer. In the end, it comes down to which model feels best in *your* hands. If you can try them out somewhere, that is your best option. Otherwise you will probably never get a consensus here (or anywhere else) on which one is "best" for you. But one thing will be a constant - if you want more "zoom" than you currently have, you will need to purchase a different lens than what is provided with the "DSLR kits", or else buy the kits that come with two lenses (a "normal" and "telephoto" zoom). Or use your feet. :-). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihaddad Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 How about a Fuji FinePix S100FS? It is features full and would give you more than you are asking for.. It is not a true DSLR but the closest to it with more features than most DSLR within a budget.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shuo_zhao Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 It seems that all entry level DSLRs are good enough for the job. If you have no plan to build a SLR system in the future, you can just go ahead and pick which ever camera you like; otherwise you should consider your needs and the offerings of all DSLR systems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_hanlon3 Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Hello Summer, What Ellis said, plus get a spare battery and don't forget to take your Casio along as a backup. And good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert lee Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 "I just want to do well for them and also wanting a better camera to practice with anyway." You might consider renting for the day. A weekend rental of a DSLR, professional level zoom lens, and strobe should be a couple of hundred. Consider it a wedding gift maybe. Ask the rental clerk how to put everything in full auto mode. It will be no harder to use than your Casio, and will be much faster in operation. This means a better chance of actually getting good photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfarmer Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 The Canon Rebels are great choices, but I would also recommend the new Olympus E420 if size portability are factors. The E520 is nice too and adds IS to the equation, but it's significantly larger & heavier than the E520 (more on par with the Rebel XSi). ALF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manuel barrera houston, Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Forgot to mention your budget, people think big:) when there is no budget limitation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdlavigne Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 I'd suggest either a Canon XT/XTI or Nikon D40.....D80 if you can swing it. D40's aren't very expensive from what I've seen and D80's are getting cheap used. I think B&H had Xt's for around $430 if I remember correctly. It all depends on your budget. Keep the kit lens and practice with it religously using aperture priority and learn using exposure compensation and all the other little ins and outs. Then when the wedding comes around rent a better lens that will give you the reach and speed you need and practice with that the day before hand so you are prepared. A flash would also be a good idea to get and practice with. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summer_mclean Posted January 27, 2009 Author Share Posted January 27, 2009 <p>never did get the camera. they ended up having a family friend get them a photographer. thank God. Now, again looking for the perect camera. Thinking of getting the XSi. Walmart has it now for $699 with the kit lense. Wish me luck!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_ Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 <p>Summer, you'll like the XSi - I've had mine now for 7 months and have snapped a ton of pix.</p> www.citysnaps.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_tuthill Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 <p>Walmart isn't necessarily cheap. B&H has it for $657 with free shipping.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summer_mclean Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>Circut City has it for $647 tempting. But now I'm second guessing it due to answers on another thread! Thanks for your ideas!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phule Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>Get the XSi. you will be perfectly happy.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summer_mclean Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>thanks BOB. I'm getting the XSi! You made me! lol. just kidding but I appreciate your answer and honesty!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_tuthill Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>I still think an 18-55 is too short for soccer photography. Summer McLean did not mention soccer in this thread, but did in another, "camera for my birthday."</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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