Mr. Chronopoulos Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I've been asked by a good friend to be the main photographer at her wedding in a few months. I've done some portraits and a little model photography before, but nothing like a wedding. I'm confident I'll be able to do it the way it should be, though I'll be using some friends as practice subjects beforehand. Anyway, anyone done this before and have any suggestions for what kind of settings are optimal? Also, I'm prepared to buy one or two new lenses for this event. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'll have to. I have an 18-105mm VR and a 70-300mm VR right now. I shoot with a D90. I was thinking something along the lines of a 50mm fixed lens, but I'll leave that to all of you to guide me. :p Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remus_lupin Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Is it indoor or outdoor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Chronopoulos Posted January 15, 2011 Author Share Posted January 15, 2011 Is it indoor or outdoor? Doh! I should have mentioned that. My bad. It's going to be outdoors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remus_lupin Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Sweet. well the first thing you should do is pray for it not to rain hahaha :p Well I am no wedding photographer, I have done a thing or two inside a church... and you NEED a flash... so that's what I was going to suggest... but there are others here that have got experience... but I think a 50mm prime would be a very good lens... of course a nice 2.8 zoom would be great, but those are expensive... I would go to wherever it is the wedding will be at, and get a general idea of where everyone will be and the distances etc. and see if 50mm is a suitable focal length or if something else would be better, but a prime is a good idea, even if it is outdoor with plenty of light. [large aperture will make for some nice looking photos] Edit: As well, shoot RAW!!! (you never know...) and I'd expose everything a third of a stop in the positive... maybe that's stupid, I don't know, but usually weddings are a bit 'brighter' if you know what I mean... and because its in raw you have the flexibility to bring it back down if it is too bright, but I doubt it will be... (a third of a stop isn't THAT much anyway) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argote Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 From what I've read, shooting a wedding is hectic, the 18-105 might work with a flash, getting something like an SB700 might be a good idea. Will the wedding extend into the night? Also, the 50 or 85mm fixed lens would be good, but I'd keep it for "calmer" situations, when things get busy you (and you subjects) might not enjoy you having to move around until you find an angle. I'd ask her to see if you can shoot the wedding rehearsal too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAZMINATOR Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Doh! I should have mentioned that. My bad. It's going to be outdoors. If it is raining on that day, you all can go inside to have picture taken. No problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jme621 Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 couple of nice lens rental places on the web if you dont wanna fork over the cash all at once Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John.D Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Yup I just came back from my sis's wedding just over a week ago in the Sth Island (in NZ). But it had to be inside, since it was pouring down outside. But, I didnt use any lenses, just a Canon A495 digital cam. Pics were great. Then I printed my own photos with a Canon MP492, then laminated them. And posted the wedding / trip photos on FB, for the rellies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazzy88ss Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 50mm f1.4 70-200mm f2.8 shoot in continuous AF shoot at full speed, 4.5FPS You'll want a shutter speed of at least 1/160 to scrape by. Get before/after photos. Focus on the bride. Plan out wehere you'll bee during the wedding. You've only got ONE chance, so you can't screw up. good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prince Charming Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Rent a couple of lenses (crazzy88ss' suggestion as above), and a flash. Practice before hand, get used to the lenses/flash/equipment, try and visit the venue so you know kind of where you'll be shooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
threetonesun Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 50mm on a D90 should be nice. See all above suggestions. Best of luck to you, most people don't ask their friends to be the wedding photographer. It is an incredibly hectic job, and the demand to get good photos of the day is crazy :pinch: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Chronopoulos Posted January 15, 2011 Author Share Posted January 15, 2011 Yeah, it's going to be a large undertaking, but I'm confident. Keep it up with lens suggestions. I'll be going shopping in a few weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Chronopoulos Posted January 15, 2011 Author Share Posted January 15, 2011 50mm f1.4 70-200mm f2.8 shoot in continuous AF shoot at full speed, 4.5FPS You'll want a shutter speed of at least 1/160 to scrape by. Get before/after photos. Focus on the bride. Plan out wehere you'll bee during the wedding. You've only got ONE chance, so you can't screw up. good luck! I'm looking at 50mm lenses right now. There's an f1.4G and a 1.4D. I can't really tell a difference between them, and I'm looking on Nikon's site right now, so no prices listed. There's also a 50mm 1.8. Also, what would you recommend for a flash? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remus_lupin Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 the 50 f/1.8 is cheap, but as was discussed earlier, it is not very sharp, so I wouldn't bother getting it, unless you don't want to spend more than the price, and I am on Nikon's site and they appear to have prices for all the lenses? (canadian site) 50 1.8 is $159.99 50 1.4G is $579.99 50 1.4D is $389.95 although when you actually buy it I'm sure you'll find it cheaper at some places... As for the difference between G and D, basically the D lens allows you to change the aperture from both the camera electronically as well as manually on the lens itself, but unless your using an older manual camera or with a bellows etc. you won't need to worry about that. Overall I would say the G is better just because it's newer... but in a real world situation I have no idea if it's worth the extra money. In terms of flash, the new SB-700 looks like a good deal, although one would argue that the SB-600 is good enough and it's cheaper... Again, the SB-700 is newer, has more intuitive menus, buttons etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAZMINATOR Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 If you have an 105VR lens (not talking about an 18-105mm), you can use it for sharp pictures. Maybe you can use 105VR for close up wedding rings, flowers, cake, etc.. I love my 105VR a lot. About Flash: SB-800 - it is great but hard to navigate the menu.. it has a white pull-up card. My bro has 2 of these. SB-600 - Easy to navigate. No pull-up card but this flash adjust the length automatically while you adjust the lens focus. I like this one. SB-700 - I have not tried it yet.. As remus said about this flash... I might get either one of these or the SB-800 in near future. Maybe I get another SB-600 for remote usages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Chronopoulos Posted January 15, 2011 Author Share Posted January 15, 2011 the 50 f/1.8 is cheap, but as was discussed earlier, it is not very sharp, so I wouldn't bother getting it, unless you don't want to spend more than the price, and I am on Nikon's site and they appear to have prices for all the lenses? (canadian site) 50 1.8 is $159.99 50 1.4G is $579.99 50 1.4D is $389.95 although when you actually buy it I'm sure you'll find it cheaper at some places... As for the difference between G and D, basically the D lens allows you to change the aperture from both the camera electronically as well as manually on the lens itself, but unless your using an older manual camera or with a bellows etc. you won't need to worry about that. Overall I would say the G is better just because it's newer... but in a real world situation I have no idea if it's worth the extra money. In terms of flash, the new SB-700 looks like a good deal, although one would argue that the SB-600 is good enough and it's cheaper... Again, the SB-700 is newer, has more intuitive menus, buttons etc. If you have an 105VR lens (not talking about an 18-105mm), you can use it for sharp pictures. Maybe you can use 105VR for close up wedding rings, flowers, cake, etc.. I love my 105VR a lot. About Flash: SB-800 - it is great but hard to navigate the menu.. it has a white pull-up card. My bro has 2 of these. SB-600 - Easy to navigate. No pull-up card but this flash adjust the length automatically while you adjust the lens focus. I like this one. SB-700 - I have not tried it yet.. As remus said about this flash... I might get either one of these or the SB-800 in near future. Maybe I get another SB-600 for remote usages. Any idea how much the 105VR and SB-600 are? The one site I normally use to price out photography equipment is down right now, so I'm thinking blind here when it comes to pricing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remus_lupin Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 105VR is about 849 canadian and the sb-600 is about 249... That's from the top of my head, so I could be off by a bit Also, the SB-800 was discontinued a while ago was it not, unless you bought it used I don't think you'll find one Shozilla. (not that it really matters, they last forever) edit: I checked and those prices seem accurate, however aden camera has the 105VR for 799.99 on sale... If your in Canada this site is convenient: www.photoprice.ca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacey Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 get prime/fixed focal length lenses for sure. 50mm is good, 85mm as well. i'd stick to using those as much as possible. you may actually want to just rent a full frame camera and an expensive lens, believe me -- it will make a huge difference. u can use your zooms for group photos etc. (ps i'm wedding photographer...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAZMINATOR Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 105VR is about 849 canadian and the sb-600 is about 249... That's from the top of my head, so I could be off by a bit Also, the SB-800 was discontinued a while ago was it not, unless you bought it used I don't think you'll find one Shozilla. (not that it really matters, they last forever) edit: I checked and those prices seem accurate, however aden camera has the 105VR for 799.99 on sale... If your in Canada this site is convenient: www.photoprice.ca I know SB-800 is discontinued but I can buy used one if available so I can use it for remote usages. Unless I can buy either 600 or 700. I like SB-800 lot because of the pull-up white card... oh well. By the way, Mr. Chronopoulos, I have no idea where you are at so I wasn't sure which site I could look up... If you are in USA, then I could but I noticed that remus looked up the price which from Canada based stores. So you are in Canada? I am in USA... which I am about 18 hours south of Remus' location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Chronopoulos Posted January 15, 2011 Author Share Posted January 15, 2011 I know SB-800 is discontinued but I can buy used one if available so I can use it for remote usages. Unless I can buy either 600 or 700. I like SB-800 lot because of the pull-up white card... oh well. By the way, Mr. Chronopoulos, I have no idea where you are at so I wasn't sure which site I could look up... If you are in USA, then I could but I noticed that remus looked up the price which from Canada based stores. So you are in Canada? I am in USA... which I am about 18 hours south of Remus' location. I'm in the US. I managed to find the 50f/1.4D and G on Amazon. They have the G at a nice discount right now, so there's only about a $100 difference between the D and G. I also found the SB-600 (also on Amazon) for about $230. I have to wait until I get my tax return, but I'm pretty settled on the 50f/1.4G and SB-600. Now I'll just have to learn how to use the flash. :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argote Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Isn't the Sigma 50/1.4 better than Nikon's offerings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazzy88ss Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Isn't the Sigma 50/1.4 better than Nikon's offerings? It might focus a bit faster (in terms of sports action) than the AF-S model, but Nikon's is a bit sharper wide open. So take your pick. The Sigma is also heavier/bigger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Chronopoulos Posted January 16, 2011 Author Share Posted January 16, 2011 Okay, I've settled on my decision. I'll be picking up the 50mm f1.4G (link) and the SB-700 (link). Are the imported lenses any different from the USA-made ones? I mean, there's a price difference, but would I be better off quality wise going for the domestic lenses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remus_lupin Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Okay, I've settled on my decision. I'll be picking up the 50mm f1.4G (link) and the SB-700 (link). Are the imported lenses any different from the USA-made ones? I mean, there's a price difference, but would I be better off quality wise going for the domestic lenses? does the 50mm 1.4 come with Nikon's 5 year warranty? The only reason I ask is because I don't see that stated anywhere... I checked Adorama (USA) and they also have 50mm 1.4 for 434.95 free shipping including 5 year U.S.A. warranty, however, they also have one that says "gray market" (409.95) which is essentially an "imported" lenses as seen on bhphotovideo... now I have read that Nikon/canon will usually not warranty imported lenses (at least not like they will a non-imported lens)... However, I don't think there is a difference in quality, the difference is price but lack of warranty... But if you are going to go with the imported lens then buy it at adorama as it's cheaper and they give you 1 year warranty through them (again free shipping). OR buy there non-imported lens for the same price you were going to spend anyway and get something that's covered for 5 years. Either way, it looks like bhphoto is not the way to go in this case. Imported is just a nicer way of saying gray market... it's not exactly the black market (illegal) but it's close... and the camera manufacturers don't like to support that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argote Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Okay, I've settled on my decision. I'll be picking up the 50mm f1.4G (link) and the SB-700 (link). Are the imported lenses any different from the USA-made ones? I mean, there's a price difference, but would I be better off quality wise going for the domestic lenses? USA doesn't mean that the lenses were made in the USA, it just means that the US packaging and warranty are the item. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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