What Equipment Should I Add?

[jimmy_woods]

Hello all!

 

I have a Canon Rebel XT and a Canon EOS3 body, along with a 50mm1.8, Tokina 28-70 F2.8, 135mm F2.8, and

a 420EX flash. I currently have approximately $500 to spend towards adding another piece to my kit for assisting a

friend at weddings. I'm usure if I should go for a 580EX II flash so that I can use better lighting techniques with my

420ex as a slave, or if I should get a 70-200 f4 L (can't afford the 2.8) for a piece of longer glass. The weddings will be

indoors and outdoors. I really can't afford much more than $500 until this spring and would appreciate some practical

advice on what the next logical step for me to take is.

 

Thanks, Jimmy

[jimstrutz]

If that's all you have for now, you really have no way to go wide with the digital camera. 28mm gives a normal

perspective on the DRebel. I'm guessing for weddings your friend would prefer to have digital files rather than

negatives, but perhaps not. 70mm is long enough for most weddings with a digital camera like the Rebel, so I

don't see that you really *need* a longer lens. Besides, you also have the 135 for longer shots. The tele-zoom

could be useful though, and you will eventually want one. But if you were shooting with me, I would prefer you

had a wider lens on the DRebel, and only use the EOS 3 as backup. Either a 10-20 or a 17-50. Something like that.

 

A second flash can be a great tool, but unless you have time to set them both up the second one will have limited

value at a wedding.

 

If you end up shooting weddings for yourself you will want duplicates of everything.

[William Michael]

1. Ask your friend, he / she is the Lead Photographer and as such should have a firm opinion of what is required of you and thus a firm opinion of what equipment might be most beneficial.

 

2. What gear does the Lead have? And what will be available for you to borrow, over the course of the gig?

 

***

 

My opinion on it: I cannot answer because you are not supplying enough information, for example:

 

1. Do you require negs or files as you main output? i.e. is the EOS3 purely back up? Or will is be a working camera?

 

2. Re 1 above: If you require files, then the money would be better spent on a wide lens, because you are really limited there.

 

3. BUT Re 2 above: But if your duties as the Assistant Photographer is never to get in close and or do any groups, then maybe a wide lens is not necessary for you, or maybe the lead has one you can borrow.

 

etc

 

***

 

Simple answer. Looking at your Wedding Kit, in isolation and for any general Wedding Photographer:

 

The critical item you are short, is: Second Flash Head.

 

This is not so you can make: ``better lighting techniques with my 420ex as a slave`` . . .

 

It is for System Redundancy.

 

The fact that you have included one Flash in your kit indicates you intend to use it and to make money from using it, thus your living is dependent upon this tool.

 

A Weeding is a ``one shot`` gig. Once you decide upon the base tool kit, you need to ensure complete System Redundancy, (across all the systems) before taking one frame / file.

 

With the kit you currently have, you are likely stuffed, if your 420 goes down.

 

WW

[William Michael]

Jim and I were writing at the same time . . . oblivious to each other . . . it could have been thought transfer . . . spooky . . .

[jimstrutz]

Yeah, I'm spooked!

[frolickingbits]

Tamron 17-50 f2.8 for a normal lens on your XT-or, if you can get a couple hundred dollars more, the Canon 17-55 f4. Alternatively, get a second Rebel, put the 28-70 on that, and the 135 on the other camera. I would leave the 420EX on the camera with the 24-70, and shoot available light with the 135.

 

As others have said, if you plan to go pro as a primary shooter, you are going to need to come up with some significant capital-at a bare minimum two digital bodies, a second flash, 70-200 and a backup wide zoom. If you're continuing to assist your friend, see what equipment they have that you can borrow, and make your decisions on what to purchase based on what gear works best for your shooting style.

 

As others have said, the 135 is a very good piece of long glass, and since it becomes about a 200 on the XT, it should be plenty of reach. I love my 70-200 f2.8 on my 30D, but I rarely go much past 135 at a wedding.

[sfdgs]

Thanks for taking the time to answer. My friend has a complete system from the 10-22mm up to a 70-200f2.8 IS,

including several flashes and 2- 40D's. The EOS3 is my sole backup, so I'm mostly concerned about that and the

flash. I do have the 18-55 kit lens, but I'm not sure I trust it with wedding quality pictures. Would a used 20D be good

investment, or is it too old to serve a useful purpose? Wow... after reading your responses and reading the more

questions I have, I should work a lot harder to set aside more money to invest in the equipment I need. Also, my

420ex flash has seen a lot of use in the 3 years that I've had it, so it basically comes down to the fact that I need:

 

a) One more flash

 

b) Wide angle lens

 

c) Second digital body

 

I have put all of my equipment to good use so far, and I see no reason why that wouldn't continue with adding the

above items.

[jimmy_woods]

Sorry about that last response... I thought I was logged in on my account, but I'm on my friends computer and he was already logged in.

[William Michael]

> Would a used 20D be good investment, or is it too old to serve a useful purpose? <

 

Firstly, based upon the fact that you seem to want a digital kit, I think you have correctly identified three items which you are lacking. But, I think you might have the tendency to either make stop gap measures, or not really have a good plan for Prioritization or Selection, and that IMO, is not a good idea.

 

What I believe you should to do is:

 

. write down what the kit is you need to produce your product, in about one years time.

 

. identify what is missing AND is critically preventing you from getting the job done, ``tomorrow``.

 

(That might indeed be a second Flash, if you cannot easily borrow one from the Lead Photographer, but on the other hand, it might be the second digital body is a more pressing issue for ``tomorrow``)

 

So now you have a goal . . . for one year, and you have tomorrow`s priority (ies).

 

Then:

 

. plan how you will move from what you have now to what you will have then.

 

For this you must have a time line a purchase / savings plan and some purchasing rules.

 

My rules have always been very simple: I never buy Photographic Gear that I do not intend still using in two years time. The reasons for my rules are also simple: Expenditure; Capital Depreciation; Capital loss on resale; and the Big one is I am (was) in the business of taking and selling Photographs, not Cameras. YMMV.

 

Then, and only then, I suggest you break down each choice to a single item: for example IF you decide you need a second digital body as the MOST pressing ``tomorrow`` purchase, you need to decide what the rules are, for that particular purchase.

 

Here are two example as to how you might decide what your rules will be:

 

IF you are comfortable working with the Rebel XT : I suggest you consider a new 400D (are they still available?) or similar ``xxxD`` new body.

 

The main reason is: compatibility, which equates to . . . System Redundancy, across all your systems (funny that, how many of my posts come back to System Redundancy.)

 

Let`s look closely . . . just at two issues: IF you are happy with working the RebelXT then is it not both Better and Safer to have a body with the same batteries, and (assuming you are still a little inexperienced) the same functionality? . . That all equates to your total system, being more secure.

 

But, on the other hand, you might decide that in one years time you do not want to be using the Rebel XT at all, because (as an example) you find the functionality is a PITA. And that you really want to be working with 50D as the main and another a backup camera: then a used 20D (or 30D) would be a good choice now, because you are logically building towards your longer term plan.

 

***

 

In regards to the 20D itself: The digital part of my Wedding kit is: 20D, 30D, and 5D.

 

The 20D has put through about 50,000 and (touch wood) is fine. If you get a good one it should be fine. The shutter mechanism really is the most likely thing to go bung, I think that is about US$250 to $300, and I assume you are in the US. So you should factor that into your equation.

 

If you do decide a second hand 20D is a good idea, then I suggest you look at a good 30D (or 40D), not necessarily because it might be younger, but because it has features you might find appealing.

 

The main differentiating function I do often use, is the Spot Meter, YMMV.

 

***

 

1. Planning building the ``Whole Kit`` one to two years down-board

 

2. and having a time line; rules and budget plan

 

3. PRIORITIZING, what I needed for ``tomorrow`s job``

 

4. selecting those prioritized ``Individual Pieces`` and nit picking about the model and make of that individual piece purchase, LAST.

 

WW