Wedding Photography Gear

[claypylant]

Hi, my goal is to develop my skills and learn wedding photography. I would like to start acquiring the gear that I will eventually need piece by piece.

I currently own:
Canon Digital Rebel xt
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 (non IS)
Canon 50mm 1.8
Tamron 28-75mm f/28
Canon 18-55mm kit lens
Canon 430ex ii flash

I feel my current body is really old and not 'professionally suitable.' I know a better lens can do wonders on an older body, but I just feel like I need a more updated body (along with new lenses as well).

I would really like to upgrade to the Canon 5D Mark ii, for the full frame, and its low light ability.
I know there is chatter right now about possibly a 5D Mark iii coming out soon. If it ends up being out of my price range, I am hoping the Mark ii will drop in price some. Either way I can't wait forever on what may be rumors.

So the questions are:
1. Would it benefit me more to buy a new body, or a new lens (if so, which lens?)?
2. Consider a different body such as 7D, or even 50D (even though not full frame)?
3. Are some of the lenses I have workable with a full frame camera? I know they are compatible, but I mean since they are not all 'L' quality will they be ok with a full frame camera?

Thank you,
Clay

[eblyth00]

well as far as the zooms go youve got that covered although i have heard that the tamron has very noticable vignetting on a full frame camera. before upgrading your body i would invest in a longer prime lense like the 85 1.8 or even the 135 because when you get a gig and there is no flash allowed its nice to have that extra reach with a fast lense. second and people may disagree with me on this I would upgrade your flash or at least get the external battery pack to increase your recycle times it comes in very handy when shooting weddings. After that I would look at your body and by that time more than likely the 5d mkiii will be out anyways.

[eblyth00]

and by the way I own the same tamron and absolutely love it so im not hating on the non canon lense but I shoot with a cropped sensor.

[sk66]

Well, where are you right now in your development/ skill level? Why are you wanting to become a wedding photographer? If you still have a lot to learn and want to do weddings because that's "where the money is"....I suggest you just work with what you have and see how things develop....

In the end I would expect a Pro wedding photographer to have:
FF high ISO body
FF high MP body
Top quality FAST zooms (like 24-70 f/2.8)
"Specialty" prime or 2.
Lighting and modifiers.
And skill

[OsmosisStudios]

All your lenses except the 18-55 will likely work on full-frame just fine, that said;

I'd say go for a 60D or 7D, instead of full-frame. You'll see significant improvements right there, and you won't be completely breaking the bank. Most FF cameras do require the best lenses, but you already have some pretty good ones. Besides, the money you save over going FF could be spent on a 135/2

[oldwolf]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

All your lenses except the 18-55 will likely work on full-frame just fine, that said;

I'd say go for a 60D or 7D, instead of full-frame. You'll see significant improvements right there, and you won't be completely breaking the bank. Most FF cameras do require the best lenses, but you already have some pretty good ones. Besides, the money you save over going FF could be spent on a 135/2

+1

Have to agree with OS if you're going to buy a camera. I shoot weddings with a 7D. My backup camera is a 40D. Would love a FF but I do fine with the 7D.

[claypylant]

Hi everyone, and much thanks to all of you who took the time to reply and share your thoughts.

Today I took advantage of a deal on Amazon and picked up a new Canon 5D Mark ii for $1,900. To make the deal sweeter, I had $600 in amazon giftcards so my total out of pocket was only $1,300 for a new full frame camera!


eblyth00 - I will take your advice and try to pick up a good prime.

sk66 - I've been shooting digital for 5 years. I enjoy photography so I would like to move in the direction of trying to make some money doing something I enjoy. Weddings are just one facet that people happen to pay for. I also want to do pet photography because I LOVE dogs.

Thanks again! It's great to have a place to get input from others.