Which is better, Nikon D3000 or Canon EOS 1100D?

[stevegosling]

Hey guys,

I would like to ask some of your opinion on which kind of digital slr is best for wedding photography, Nikon D3000 or Canon EOS 1100D? I don't have any idea in terms of different specifications of cameras and other technical things that a professional photographers need to know. I am just a photography enthusiast and my cousin requested me to be her official photographer during her wedding day. I don't want to disappoint her so I take the challenge.

And choosing the best camera is the first step. The right camera plays an important role since the couple is planning to publish my images on a photo magazine they are planning and some for their upcoming website. I believe that having the best equipment to capture this very important event is a must. And we all know that photos must be in high quality before submitting them to a local printer or printing services online (http://www.rushprintingservices.com/). This will be a huge endeavor and learning experience for me.

I'd be glad to hear some few advice from the people in this forum soon. Thanks and God Bless! :)

[stic]

I would argue that knowing the "terms of different specifications of cameras and other technical things that a professional photographers need to know" is probably just as important, if not more so, than quality of camera.Especially if the finished result is to be submitted to a 'photo magazine'...

Go for one that is simple to operate and that you can 'master' quickly, as you'll need to be pretty competent on the day...

[Lazlo Woodbine]

Well you already know it's going to be a huge challenge which is a start.

Planning is the most important thing to consider. Do you know what the venue is like, and what time of day and year the wedding will be? If it's all outdoors in good weather then equipment won't be too much of a problem, but if you're going to need to shoot in a dark building or at night then you really need a camera with much better low light performance such as a D700, or/and a lot of experience with flash (both on and off camera).

Whatever camera you have you need to know it inside and out as weddings happen very quickly and you'll need to instictively know where all the different settings are and what effect they'll have on the photo. So practice lots and lots before the big day.

Visit the venue beforehand to find good spots for group photos. Ask the bride and groom to create a shot list, and a full schedule of the day so you know where to be and when. Photographing weddings is very stressful so knowing exactly what is coming next and what you're going to do are the best ways of reducing this.

A typical wedding photographer's basic kit will consist of:

2 Pro camera bodies (D700, D3, D3s, and whatever the Canon equivalents are)
24-70 f2.8
70-200 f2.8
A Macro lens for close ups of cake, jewellry etc
2 flashguns with heads that can swivel in all directions
A Wide angle lens
A couple of fast primes like a 50mm 1.4
Lots of spare batteries, and memory cards
Something to carry it all in

I wouldn't like to shoot a wedding without any of this but the most important one is the spare batteries and memory cards so make sure you carry plenty around with you in your pockets at all times.

It looks like you'll have only one body, and a consumer one at that, which in daylight needn't be much of a problem if you know how to use it. Lenses on the other hand are more of a problem as some kit lenses can be quite soft. Buy/borrow/hire the best lens you can afford. See if the bride and groom will pay for the hire of a second body and lens. That way you can can have two focal ranges (greater variety of shots, fewer shots missed while you're changing lenses).

Whatever equipment you manage to get hold of, I hope the bride and groom don't expect you to get the same results as a good experienced pro. Everything happens so quickly that even if you have a fair idea of what you're doing it's easy for something to go wrong at an important moment.

I'd honestly recommend to most people just not to do it. Get them to hire a pro instead.

If you're sure you can cope then good luck! Smile and joke with people a lot, and just try to capture people enjoying themsleves.

[smurff]

just on a side note, this seems like a fancy spam ad for the printing service :)

-smurff

[Lazlo Woodbine]

Doh! ...and it took ages trying to write a helpful reply.

[smurff]

was still a very good reply, someone may come across it and be awestruck :D

-smurff

[Kazeden]

Mmmm....that was a good pick up Smurff. I thought it was genuine and was about to post my response, haha.

[Lazlo Woodbine]

was still a very good reply, someone may come across it and be awestruck :D

-smurff
I'll have to remember to copy and paste it in case anyone asks something similar in the future. :)