Hassel lenses for weddings and studio !!!!???

[salvador_penaloza]

I am about to start a new business, doing wedding photography,

in a studio and outside, I would like to know, how many lenses I need

or if I can just start with a 80mm lens ??

The hassel I plan to buy is a 503CW kit.

My second question is: what´s the difference between the "Millenium"

and the " Normal" ????

Thanks a lot , best regards from Mexico City // Salvador Penaloza

[kevin_kolosky]

Salvador

 

Sure, you could get by with an 80 mm. But I would highly suggest that along with the 80 you also get a 150 and either a 50 or 60. The 150 works very very well for portraits and you will need a wide angle for group shots where things are tight. I think that the millenium model is just a camera that has a special name plate on it so as to make it a collectors item. I would also recommend that you purchase at least three A12 backs or two A24s and an a12. And for weddings, I highly recommend a prism finder as well. For flash, a metz ct-60-4 and a lumedyne 200 watt second system will serve you well. Get a good bogen tripod and a flash bracket that keeps that flash away from the lens (I use a stroboframe). also a good light meter such as a minolta 5 will be very handy. I would definitiely recommend a second body and a second flash unit. Don't be afraid to spend money on good stuff. and dont be afraid to charge what you need in order to use good stuff and keep it maintained. that is what being a professional is all about. Delivering the goods!!!!!!!!! You can't do it without good well maintained equipment. kevin

[dzeanah]

<p><i><font color="#0000FF">I am about to start a new business, doing wedding

photography, in a studio and outside, I would like to know, how many lenses

I need... </font></i></p>

<p>Are you sure you're ready to start your own business? This is about as basic

a question as you can ask, and it suggests you don't understand your own style...</p>

<p>You can do everything you need to with just an 80mm, so that would be a good

place to start. The 150mm is probably a better "portrait" lens, especially

when mixed with a Softar 1. The 180mm is known as one of the stellar performers

in the Hasselblad line-up, but many consider it too sharp for portrait work.</p>

<p>If shooting weddings, you can do the whole event with just an 80mm -- I've

known photographers who have no need for anything but an 80mm in a 6x6 wedding

rig. If you're going to be shooting formals at the altar, you'll find a wider

lens will make it a little easier and give you more options.</p>

<p>If it were me starting over, I'd seriously consider a 60mm and a 120mm/150mm

as a basic kit. Well, that and 35mm...</p>

<p>Hope this helps.</p>

<p> </p>

[andreas_carl]

My favourite 2 lens combination is CF60 plus CF180. The 60 is ideal for group shots! (The 150 requires a small extension tube to get head size portraits.) The 180 is VERY sharp, but you can always soften it down with the wonderful Zeiss Softars!

[jkantor]

You might find that you prefer using 35mm cameras with zooms if you like photojournalistic-style photography. Two bodies, and a short and a long zoom would be a lot less than that Hasselblad system (and it's necessary backup body).

 

And I find it rather ironic that someone would buy a $3000 lens for its sharpness only to put a soft-focus filter on it. (You can get a used RB67 system with 90 and 180 for $2000.)

[nicholas_wybolt]

Salvador,

 

Just to echo a few points made in other responses -- The 80mm is quite versatile; however, I would recommend a wide angle lense such as the 50mm for tight places (I shot a wedding that was held in the bride's house and the 50mm was used for all but the bride / groom portraits). The 150mm is useful for portraits as well as for picking out individuals at say, the reception. I have also set the camera on a tripod and used the 150mm for existing light shots during the ceremony (where permitted), usually down the aisle or off to one side.

 

It's difficult to use flash without a prism finder. I have used a big Metz on a Stroboframe bracket as well as a Vivitar 283 mounted on the prism's shoe. I rarely use direct flash, typically boucing flash off a Lumiquest reflector of some sort.

 

A meter prism is handy, but not required. I've shot weddings using an incident light meter, but confess that since getting a meter prism, the light meter is primarily used for checking exposure in tricky lighting situations.

 

Probably the most valuable accessory has been extra film backs. Two (or more) 24 exposure backs with your chosen film and say, a 12 exposure back with "specialty" film (e.g., ISO 800, B&W, tungsten) has worked out very well for me.

 

Kodak published a book entitled "The Portait" a while back that features a detailed chapter on wedding photography, which covers equipment coverage, shooting styles, planning, after the wedding details, presenting "proofs," and the like. I don't know if it's still available, but I would recommend it, especially if you're getting started.

 

Good luck.

 

-Nick

[kornelius_j._fleischer]

For a compact but capable wedding kit I would use a Hasselblad camera, 2 magazines A 24 to handle two different film types (in my case mostly Portra 160 VC and Portra 400 VC), a Zeiss Distagon 3,5/60 for groups and interiors, a Zeiss Sonnar 4/150 for portraits of all kinds (it is clearly smaller and lighter than the Sonnar 4/180), a close-up lens Zeiss Proxar 2 m for tight head shots (much smaller and lighter than an extension ring much quicker to attach), and a Zeiss Softar I to add some romance and hide detracting details like skin blemishes and the like.

[bill_dewberry]

As always, Konelius cut to the quick; take his advice to the bank.

[daniel_janssen]

Hi Salvador,

 

I know this is a bit off topic, but for wedding I would consider the Mamiya 7. It will save you bundlle and the Mamiya is much easier to work with in crowds.

 

Daniel