Can you realistically shoot weddings with a G-series cam?

[Superbaldguy]

I mean, I know it would work OK, but what about actually hooking up the 550EX on a bracket (with OCSC) and doing it? I wonder if many people have shot a wedding with a G-series cam.

What about the viewfinder - would one be better served to learn how to use the dinky optical finder than relying on the screen?

I'd be inclined to shoot Manual, since I'm fussy about getting correct exposure and I'd be shooting Large Superfine JPEG's. Do you really have the time to take correct spotmeter readings when things are unfolding all around you so quickly? I guess I could shoot RAW and take loads of time doing post-processing.

Is it really practical for me to try to shoot the occasional wedding with my G6/550EX?

[Andy_T]

As a guest for your personal enjoyment ... surely :D

If you plan on doing it for a living, I'd certainly advise you to get some kind of camera that doesn't take 5 seconds to write an image to the CF card. Y'know, something might happen in the meantime.

DOF is another nice feature you might want for the job.

Best regards,
Andy

[lefturn99]

I've got a G6 and I love it dearly. But I would not do weddings for pay with it.

[Andy_T]

I took my G2 to my cousins wedding (complete with monopod, conversion lenses, flash).

I got exactly one shot of her walking down the aisle. Plus, it was not that glorious.

If you want to do weddings, look at a Canon DRebel (300D or 350D), Tamron 28-75/2.8 XR, 18-55 kit lens for wide angle and 50/1.8.

Best regards,
Andy

PS: The only thing that would look more ridiculous than a photographer shooting a wedding with a G6 would be a photographer shooting a wedding with a G6 using the LCD viewfinder.

[Superbaldguy]

Good points. I can see that using a G6 would have limitiations for candid shooting and shooting moving subjects.

The DOF thing is another issue - you simply have too much background detail.

I could see using it for formal group photos, though, from a tripod where you have more time to set these up and can be careful about exposure.

[dbump]

Ditto. I love my G6 too, but I bought it for amateur photography, mostly slow, meticulous shots, not people/action. All of the advantages of the G6 (size, cost, twist LCD, etc.) don't seem to be major advantages for a pro shooting weddings. The disadvantages of it (slow focus, slow shutter, lower frame-rate, wide DOF, etc.) do seem really bad for that kind of shooting.
A friend with a 20D was kind enough to loan it to me for a week--I loved it, but still haven't bought one, mainly because for my non-pro shooting, the advantages of the G6 are huge, and the disadvantages are simply annoying (some of them are really, really annoying, but not $1300 annoying ;) ). I shot a ton of pictures at my cousin's wedding recently, and got a few good shots, but I was pretty limited by lack of zoom, and slow focus. Having played with the 20D, I know how it would have excelled in that situation. The zoom alone is worth it, but also the immediate, crystal clear focus.
I will say that a G could be a great secondary camera to have with you for specific kinds of shots (odd angles with the LCD, etc.).

[Andy_T]

(some of them are really, really annoying, but not $1300 annoying ;) )

$1,300 :shock: ?

You might also need some lenses :lol:

Best regards,
Andy

[dbump]

$1,300 :shock: ?
You might also need some lenses :lol:

Sorry, that's my 20D envious brain trying to trick me. I always think in terms of the body cost only--because of course the lenses could be used with the next Canon body, so they're not really an expense, right? Keep trying, left lobe. :)

Definitely, you wouldn't be getting out under 2K. Sure, that's an expensive hobby, but as a business cost? Not bad.

[Maureen Souza]

Okay, don't laugh.... I actually shot a whole wedding with an A80. The bride only cared about having 8x10's and was not picky about anything (don't ya wish they were all like that?) All i had was the A80 at the time and I just went for it. Amazingly, those pictures were what started my wedding photography. They really came out beautiful and I was able to give the B&G one hundred 8x10 photos!!! So don't let the camera limit you....

[Superbaldguy]

When you think about it, most weddings do not feature a lot of movement so the fact the likes of a G6 (or any compact) has limitations with lag and moving subjects is not a big deal. I'm sure you could shoot a wedding as an amateur and get good results. In fact, if you're careful about exposure, you could produce some dynamite 11x14's and 16x20's with this little gem.

My biggest bugaboo is the fact you'd either have to go to a keosk and make prints from the CF card/CD or do it at home, chewing up valuable time, paper and ink.

[Bryan Bedell]

I shot a choir concert inside a church last week and got some really good shots, even from a pew with my mini tripod. (I'm really starting to think the mini tripod and remote are the greatest thing ever.) But I shot for an hour and got maybe six great shots and a lot of crap. With more experience (I don't have much) I have no doubt you could get some good shots with a G6 at a wedding, maybe even get away with "covering" a wedding as the main photographer if you were friends with the bride and groom and they wanted to do it on the cheap and didn't mind autofocus targets on their noses the whole day, and were willing to cut you some slack. If you kept shooting all day, you'd be able to pull off some good shots of the ceremony and then do some set-up group shots that would be acceptable, especially if you had a couple remote strobes to play with and time to set up everything. You could order prints online, or even give the bride and groom a CD and let them worry about having prints made.

At our wedding, we had a photographer friend, a pastry chef friend, a dressmaker friend, a DJ friend, etc, all help us out and everything was cheap and more personal, We paid their costs, and it saved them the cost of buying us wedding presents. I generally design invites for my friends and pay for printing rather than buying them a present.

But if you're talking about starting a wedding photography business around a G6, I don't think it makes sense. People pay a premium for wedding photography, because a lot of equipment is requred, and you only have one chance to get it right, and there are critical moments that last a second or two, and if you don't get the shot, you're gonna have a lot of explaing to do. Every person involved in planning a wedding is completely wigged out and irrational, and at the actual wedding, they're wigged out, irrational, and drunk, and after the wedding, they're hung over, shellshocked, and broke. You don't want to take any chances.

Bb.

[Superbaldguy]

This would not be a professional endeavour by any stretch - I've been there, done that, for almost 20 years. If someone asked me to shoot a wedding with a digicam, I'd try the formals (where you can be more careful and use a tripod, if necessary), but I wouldn't touch the candids with digital media. That's where film cams are superior, IMHO.

I know from experience that the formals are the shots the wedding people want to have enlarged, and the G6 works spectacularly for that.

[Ted Barto]

A recent suggestion from Canon.

For years I would take my gear to weddings and take 3-4 rolls of film as an extra gift to the couple. I had good equipment and enjoyed doing this.

Last year I sold my film gear and purchased a G5. I am delighted with the G5 except for one thing - with its horrible shutter lag, it simply doesn't like MOTION. Since purchasing the G5 I've attended 3 more weddings with pretty abysmal results. I too wrote to this forum and got a suggestion for a hyperfocal Custom setting which I programmed but found that the flash didn't fire in this setting (I'll have to re-visit). Last week, in desperation/frustration I wrote to Canon and did receive a suggestion that, while perhaps not perfect, may improve the odds - use Continuous realizing that you will delete some but may capture one (I'll take that). I tried this at home with my 380EX and found it didn't work because the external flash couldn't re-cycle fast enough. However, the on-board flash did keep up with the burst and this just might work. I haven't tried this at a wedding yet but this might at least compensate a bit.

Best wishes - Ted

[Superbaldguy]

As I said, the G6 would be useless for those fleeting moments but fine for formals where you actually have time to set things up.

[jesshen]

If you are doing it for fun or gratis... I did. I am a rank amateur but our trusty G2 has really inspired me to learn more about photography and further efforts. I was the wedding photographer for my sister-in-law's wedding, because they didn't want to pay for a professional. I used external flashes 420EX and 580EX for the posed shots. Some of them were casual, but they were posed; I did take some candid shots with the external flash too, but not so much during the ceremony itself as I didn't want to disrupt. Anyway even though I am starting to feel that our G2 is archaic by today's standards, I think it did a very adequate job and the Bride and Groom and all the family members and friends were more than pleased (and that was without any post-processing! I didn't have PSE 3 then). However, if you were doing it for a paying job, that may be another story!

Jessica

[Superbaldguy]

To boot, I think you'd be well served to get the WA converter lens as 35mm just isn't always going to be adequate.........

[AXENA]

As a loyal G5 owner, I have a few comments to make here.... first, the G5 (which happens to be one of my fav cams) takes awesome shots if you shoot manual. HOWEVER, that said, you do need to think in advance with the G5. If not, you will most likely miss important shots. There is a long shutter lag and write time (as stated previously) which is not "wedding friendly" or "sport friendly".

Having started on a Pentax K1000 film SLR, it is now a joy to own a 20D. But my G5 still goes everywhere with me. In fact, some of the most requested shots I've done have come off a G5. Like I said, the image quality is superior to any other compact prosumer cam, and if you know how to shoot it right, you will get images that rival anything out there. Don't let the hype about smaller sensors, and lack of lenses throw you for a loop. A lot can be accomplished with this little battle-axe. Learn it, master it, love it. I do.

Oh, but if you can muster up the extra $$$$, I do highly recommend the 20D..... the very fact that you can turn it on and shoot right away is awesome. That is the only complaint I really would say the G5 has going against it. So at a wedding, keep that G5 on, think ahead, use manual ("M") and a Speedlight (off the cam or bounce it). You'd be very surprised at what you can do......

[Superbaldguy]

If you use a digital camera of any sort for weddings, you really NEED to know how to use manual exposure and focus controls. You'll never encounter a more challenging set of conditions for changes in lighting and need to be on top of your game. I would think using RAW files is the way to go since you simply don't have the time to take meter readings and get it right. JPEG's need to be perfectly exposed to be of any value.

That brings up more issues - time. I have tried shooting RAW, with fine results, but it was an exercise in being a slave to the PC, sitting in front of the monitor for hours getting the RAW images into TIFF files.

Honestly, unless you are making a lot of $$$ from shooting weddings with a digital medium, you'll go insane.

[Mannytkd]

Hi all,

I have just been asked to do a wedding using my G6, and i'm looking forward to. I used to be a wedding photographer myself. But thw wedding in quistion is not that type of wedding where there will be all the fancy stuff, it's a couple who can't afford to pay for the whole hog of a pro, so i'm looking forward to job. I will post some shots when the time comes.

[DocFrankenstein]

You can love the Gx camera and it deserves that. You can shoot posed formal stuff with it, but you'll have a really hard time shooting anything else. It's going to be a fun/learning experience for you, and amateur photos for the BG. (no offence implied)

When you think about it, most weddings do not feature a lot of movement so the fact the likes of a G6 (or any compact) has limitations with lag and moving subjects is not a big deal.
If you have to catch the bride coming down the aisle...
If you want to catch the flower toss...

[Superbaldguy]

A skilled semi-pro or pro probably can get these shots, even with the G6.

[Mannytkd]

I don't think they'll be any of the throwing of the flowers in this situation, but wht i will do is use the view finder instead if the lcd screen and pre-focus, that way i'm sure it'll work......? We'll see?

You can love the Gx camera and it deserves that. You can shoot posed formal stuff with it, but you'll have a really hard time shooting anything else. It's going to be a fun/learning experience for you, and amateur photos for the BG. (no offence implied)


If you have to catch the bride coming down the aisle...
If you want to catch the flower toss...

[dsze]

Weddings are hard enough with an dslr. I wouldn't be brave or confident enough to try it with a G-series.

-daniel

[ggibbs1971]

I went up north for my niece's wedding last December. I only had my G2. I spoke to the photographer prior to the wedding for his permission to shoot immediately after he did. He said it would be ok. Everytime he shot a picture I fired my G2 and 420EX. I got a lot a great shots, for an amateur. So it is possible.

Good luck

Geoff

[RAW]

Hi all,

I have just been asked to do a wedding using my G6, and i'm looking forward to. I used to be a wedding photographer myself. But thw wedding in quistion is not that type of wedding where there will be all the fancy stuff, it's a couple who can't afford to pay for the whole hog of a pro, so i'm looking forward to job. I will post some shots when the time comes.

Good luck with the wedding and I can't wait to see the results...


Regards,
Artan

[Nabil-A]

Just a word of advice.

Watch your metering.

The bridal dress and grooms suit will open up a can of warms every single time.

[Superbaldguy]

Exactly. Brides and grooms should wear gray clothing. LOL.

Seriously, it's challenging enough to shoot weddings with film that has lattitude, so it must be real fun to shoot digital wedding photographs. As good as metering systems are, nowadays, nothing can match experience.

[Mannytkd]

Non taken, i hav'nt taken wedding shots for a while, but what i will say is i will still have second cam with me and that will be a Nikon 35mm just in case, as most people on this wedding section will know that you must extra equipment.......?

You can love the Gx camera and it deserves that. You can shoot posed formal stuff with it, but you'll have a really hard time shooting anything else. It's going to be a fun/learning experience for you, and amateur photos for the BG. (no offence implied)


If you have to catch the bride coming down the aisle...
If you want to catch the flower toss...

[Mannytkd]

The metreing is with any cam thought especially when it cames down to the black and the white colour, but thats why we increase exposure for white by about +.5 or +1 for something like wedding dresses but snow is even brighter so it be increased by at least +2.

Exactly. Brides and grooms should wear gray clothing. LOL.

Seriously, it's challenging enough to shoot weddings with film that has lattitude, so it must be real fun to shoot digital wedding photographs. As good as metering systems are, nowadays, nothing can match experience.

[S230]

Okay, don't laugh.... I actually shot a whole wedding with an A80. The bride only cared about having 8x10's and was not picky about anything (don't ya wish they were all like that?) All i had was the A80 at the time and I just went for it. Amazingly, those pictures were what started my wedding photography. They really came out beautiful and I was able to give the B&G one hundred 8x10 photos!!! So don't let the camera limit you....
You are not the only one. This may sound odd to many but so far I had done two complete weddings with point and shoot cameras. S230 and A70. One particular wedding I was told to only use the point and shoot. I was surprised that some of shots were good enough to fool some people thought I was using a SLR. It was certainly an experience for me and lots of pressure since I was their prime photographer for Morning and dinner. They had a different photographer covering the main ceremony. I finally understood why they wanted a small camera because they mainly wanted candid and do not want to surprise anyone. More importantly the tight space and limited time.

The bottom line is the requirements and what you are to cover. Most people don't really require anything above 8x10. If the majority require only 4x6 shots, then a 3mp camera should be enough.

[twl845]

What did they do before digital? The guy who shot my wedding in 1964 used a camera with flash bulbs and didn't miss anything. If your worried about shutter lag causing you to miss something, bring a back up camera you can hang at your side, and alternate cameras. ;)

[RAW]

I would also create a good light around the hall so the shots would be les hard to take...good luck.