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Which camera?

Started by Tess (Tassie D), July 31, 2008, 07:54:52 PM

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Tess (Tassie D)

Hi everyone. My eldest daughter is getting married next March and I will be the photographer. They are having a simple wedding to keep costs down so I'm it so to speak.
My current camera, a Fuji Finepix A600 is a nice camera but I wonder if it's adequate for good wedding shots? It's 6.3 megapixels with a 3x8-24mm zoom.
I suppose my question is should I be buying a digital SLR camera? You only get married once (hopefully) so I'd hate the photos to turn out like snapshots. I was planning on getting a tripod regardless cause my hands aren't as steady as they used to be.
Opinions, suggestions?
Tess Cameron
Distribution Coordinator
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Mhayes

Tess, I would definitely want a digital SLR camera and a 2nd camera person. There is so much to do at a wedding, even if it is for your own relation. Besides the camera, the lens is very important (you could use a lens with stabilizer instead of a tripod) and also what kind of lighting will you be working under. An outside wedding will be easier than inside when it comes to lighting. Go on line and also check out your bookstore in the photography section and the Photoshop section. Here are a few links:

http://www.christophermaxwell.com/wedding-photography-tips.htm
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1025&thread=22912795
http://photo.net/wedding-photography-forum/007rD7

Margie
"carpe diem"

Margie Hayes
OPR President
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Tess (Tassie D)

Thanks Margie. There will be several people taking snaps so we should get a good selection of photos. It will be a garden wedding and in the middle of March it should be sunny and hot.
I'll definitely check out those links, thanks.
Tess Cameron
Distribution Coordinator
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Hannie

Tess, you have until March to practice with an SLR, I'm sure you will be used to it then and make great shots!

On the other hand, you have taken absolutely beautiful photos with your Finepix.  (An SLR with an inferior lens isn't all that either!)

:loveit:

Hannie
Hannie Scheltema
Distribution Coordinator
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schen

It is the photographer not the camera.
It is the story behind the image not the resolution of the image.
It is the marriage not the wedding.

Frankly, after thirty years, I can't remember we ever took out the wedding photos and mesmerized over them.  There are so many things in a marriage to be cherished and wedding is just a small part of them.   If your daughter is looking for a simple wedding to keep the cost down, our philosophy may be similar.

Having said that, we all need an excuse to buy a better camera.
Here are my suggestions of pros and cons and "don't matter" of a digital SLR:

Don't matter:
1.   Pixels – 6.3 meg is sufficient for 8x10 prints or for that matter, any size of print.

2.   Image quality – with outdoors daytime lighting, even the cheapest point-and-shoot will have reasonable quality

Pros:
1.   Fast response time to capture "the moment".  The small cameras almost always have delays to prevent you from taking a photo at the time you want it. 
-   the power up delay
-   the shutter latency (the time the image is captured after the shutter is depressed)
-   the time between shots
-   the time between flashes
-   the time it takes to zoom
-   the time it takes to focus

2.   Nice image quality in poor lighting – just in case of overcast, under the tent, indoors shots

3.   Nice fill flash – a good digital SLR should be able to control the amount of flash to match the background.  Or better yet, spend several hundred dollars to buy an intelligent flash for the SLR camera

Cons:
1.   Bulky and heavy – you are going to be the new mother-in-law.  Do you really want to lug the big camera (and the tripod) with you while you greet your guests?

If you do decide to buy a new camera, I would suggest you do it soon and practice wedding photos at somebody else's wedding. 
Shujen Chen
Windows 10, Photoshop CS6

Tess (Tassie D)

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I'm leaning towards keeping what I have and just using the tripod for the formal pics after the ceremony. Just about everyone there will have a camera so there will be no shortage of photos. I figure any that do need a bit of adjustment can be done at home with my software as far as lighting goes.
I'll play round with the portrait mode on the camera and see what sort of results I get.
Tess Cameron
Distribution Coordinator
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Ausimax

Hi Tess,

I would normally recommend going with the camera you know, however looking at the specs of yours you don't seem to have a lot of exposure control, no manual exposure settings.

I would seldom recommend going to a DSLR unless you are really committed to photography and they are a real sinkhole for money as there is always that other lens you just have to have, that said check out BigW they have the Pentax K100D with 18-55 zoom lens (has Image stabilisation) on sale for $496.00 or the Fujifilm S5800 10xzoom for $246.00.

What I would suggest is finding a similar setting and conditions as you hope for the wedding, round up a group of willing volunteers and do some test shoots, gives you a chance to sort out the bugs beforehand, and remember as mother of the bride you are going to be needed in many of the shots, so train up a good apprentice for those times.

Have fun.

Max
Wisdom is having a well considered opinion .... and being smart enough to keep it to yourself!     MJS

"Life" is what happens while you are planning other things!

Ratz

Hi Tess, just thought I'd put my 2 cents in :)
I agree with Max, that a camera with higher specs will give you a better result.His suggestions from Big W are great,
I have a Canon s2is that I use as a back-up to my dslr. It has been superseded now, so you could probably buy one fairly cheaply.
It is a great camera with image stabilization and 10 X zoom. Takes beautiful shots and has a super fast response time.

Having a practice run is definately worth the effort, and just a little tip for outdoors in bright light, use your flash as a fill light to avoid harsh shadows on the face.

Good luck, weddings can be nerve- wracking......practice,practice, practice!

Tess (Tassie D)

Thanks everyone. I'll take my current camera out and play round with it. I'll have to try out the manual exposure settings and continuous shoot mode. There's so many settings I haven't tried lol.
I'll do a trial run if the sun ever comes out and it stops raining. If it doesn't give great results then I'll look at a better camera.
Tess Cameron
Distribution Coordinator
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