what do I buy?!

[chris_whitcomb1]

<p>Shucks....I'll take one of each :) Going away now.</p>

[steve_c.5]

<p>Kay, I'm curious why you said "ugh" to Sony? Do you know anything about the upper end of the Alpha line? If so, you know they're a serious contender and produce gorgeous images. I've built a career on this platform and will put my shots next to anything by Canon or Nikon and have no compunction about it.</p>

<p>Stephen Asprey touched on a great point. A pro can use a point and shoot and produce quality work. When you're shooting 30 or more weddings a year, buy what you want, spend all you like, and have the best. If you're just getting into weddings, you can build a business with less expensive hardware and put all your money into glass that can transition to better more expensive bodies later.</p>

[dave_bean1]

<p>I think we lost Melissa.<br>

Here's a question Melissa....what system do you have now? I assume you didn't sell everything two years ago???<br>

Dave</p>

[joe_rych]

<p>I'm gonna throw my 2 cent in here. Its not full frame but on his budget the D300 might be a better solution for him seeing as how hw only has 4k to work with. He can pick up 2 bodies and a few extra batteries and maybe even a sb800 head for that assuming he still has is pro lenses.</p>

[steve_crist]

<p>I'll throw a wrench in the works here. I use a Canon 1DMKIII which is not a full frame camera (but has a larger sensor than all other "crop" frame bodies). I also have a Canon 5D which is full frame. I use both for weddings and get great results with both. I prefer the 1D3 for all shots except the formals (simply because the 5D has a bit more mp). The 1D3 is much more responsive with faster, better autofocus than my 5D. It has more metering options and combined with the Highlight Priority feature and 14 bit processing works great for wedding use. It just works better for me in the hectic wedding format. That said, I prefer to use the 5D mounted on a tripod to take the deliberate composed formals since I have a few more mp and full frame to squeeze out a touch more detail in any large blow-ups.</p>

[dolly_donovan]

<p>I would like to see some of your work Melissa. I think that spending alot of money when your work is "just OK" is not a great idea when your developing your talent. Or you're maybe the most amazing photographer at this point and maybe it would be a good idea to invest more funds. Do you have any experience at all with digital photography? I know I started out very slow from lack of funds, but looking back it was better to do it that way.</p>

[melissa_arcuri1]

<p>Hey guys! Thanks for all the input. You did lose me for awhile, only because it became hard to log on at work and my boyfriend has been monopolizing the computer when I am home.<br>

Thanks for all your input, it has been quite helpful and it is great to see so many photographers offering their advice AND their opinions.<br>

"WHY do you feel the need to go digital?"<br>

I dont. Only for weddings. I LOVE film and will never give it up. But, after shooting film at weddings for 5 years I want and need to move to digital.</p>

[kiva]

<p>First things first ... better solve that "problem" of the boyfriend hogging the computer all the time!</p>

[melissa_arcuri1]

<p>hahaha!!! I agree!!</p>

[melissa_arcuri1]

<p>Dolly,<br>

My work is much better than "just ok", I have been developing my talent for the past 18 years so it is definately time for me to move on to digital. That is part of my problem, I am a bit scared to have to "start over" because that is what it fells like.<br>

I will upload some stuff as soon as I have the chance. I have used a digital slr while working my part time photo lab job, some studio and outdoor portraits. It is a lower end Canon Rebel, unfortunately I wasnt able to take it home for any extended period of time to become familiar with it and comfortable using it.<br>

"Most aspiring wedding newbies have no clue as to what they are getting into... and I mean this respectfully... I think you are one of them"...HAHAHAHA!!! I shot weddings for 5 years...I DO know what I am getting into and I am not sure why I am doing it again!! Basically they are friends or friends of friends. I dont want to make them my career but if I want to make photography my full time career, which is better than all the junk jobs I have had, I need to "restart" somewhere.</p>

[zlatko]

<p>The Nikon D700 and Canon 5D2 are probably your best choices right now. Both are superb and well-suited to weddings. Great files and great high-ISO ability. Not too expensive and not too heavy. The Sony is likely a fine camera but I'm less familiar with it. I suggest buying one of these 3 and shooting the heck out of it.</p>

<p>The others are either discontinued (5D, 1Ds, 1DsII), likely too heavy (D3, 1Ds, 1DsII) or way too expensive (D3X, 1DsIII).</p>

<p>Your backup can be a less expensive, non-full-frame camera like the Nikon D300 or Canon 40D or 50D. A gently-used 5D would make a good backup too. I am a Canon user and really like the 5D2, but if I had Nikon lenses and was used to shooting Nikon, I would likely go with the D700.</p>

<p>A few related suggestions ... start with a bunch of high quality memory cards, like Sandisk Ultra or Sandisk Extreme (genuine ones only, beware of fakes). Buy some good external hard drives and a DVD burner for backups. Invest in good software (Photoshop and Lightroom) and make time to learn to use them. You'll need a fast computer to deal with those big files. Good luck!</p>

[dsoleilstudios]

<p>Right now, if you're looking at a Canon camera, it's hard to pass up on the Canon 5D MKII.<br>

- full frame<br>

- high ISO with low noise<br>

- calibrate your lenses<br>

- better weather sealing<br>

- and the Canon L lenses. Ya can't beat it with a stick!</p>

<p>Daniel H.<br>

 

 

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