Wedding camera

I have a 40D and have been asked to take a friends wedding, it's not the first wedding I have done, but those were is film days.

I will want 1 large print but the rest will be 10x8.

The question is will the IQ from the 40D be good enough?

Thanks.

I think you should be asking whether the photographer would be good enough, I take it you've not had the 40D for long? I am sure the 40D is more than capable of producing good 10x8 prints.

How large is "1 large print"?

What lenses do you have for your 40D? What is your skill level?

Even if you have all the necessary photographic skill, I would suggest that you not even consider accepting the task unless you have backup equipment (an extra body and enough lenses and lighting equipment to get through a disaster). Failure to produce as a wedding photographer is unforgiveable. I would not want to be subjected to the wrath of a bride whose photos were not made because of simple hardware failure with no backup.

Ok a quick check on spec, supports resolution of 3888 x 2592... therefore it is more than capable of producing good prints up to 12.96x8.64 with 300 DPI...

i print 18x12 out of my 20D on a regular basis @ ISO1600 and they look great, i also print the odd 30x20 from it as well, so a 40D shouldn't have much trouble

ICee wrote in post #6218512
I have a 40D and have been asked to take a friends wedding, it's not the first wedding I have done, but those were is film days.

I will want 1 large print but the rest will be 10x8.

The question is will the IQ from the 40D be good enough?

Thanks.

Short answer, YES

Long answer, I use 40D as second body at weddings and have printed up to 60X40 cm, looks great. I'm sure I could print twice that size with nice outcome´in shots taken below 1600 ISO.

Digital SLRs haven't been the weak link since right around the time the Y2K scare was deemed a waste of financial resources.

SkipD wrote in post #6218534
How large is "1 large print"?

What lenses do you have for your 40D? What is your skill level?

Even if you have all the necessary photographic skill, I would suggest that you not even consider accepting the task unless you have backup equipment (an extra body and enough lenses and lighting equipment to get through a disaster). Failure to produce as a wedding photographer is unforgiveable. I would not want to be subjected to the wrath of a bride whose photos were not made because of simple hardware failure with no backup.

I'd be looking a t 18x12 as for skill thats not a problem as I'm a pro but not doing weddings, my work is press and sport all of which is low res.
I use a 1D mkii for work so that would be there as a back up.

cdifoto wrote in post #6218612
Digital SLRs haven't been the weak link since right around the time the Y2K scare was deemed a waste of financial resources.

oh it made me so happy to see a Y2K reference!! And as always, CDI's perspective is insightful and liberating

i printed really nice looking 11x17 (inches) pictures from my 6mp 300D a few years ago - im sure your 40D will do just fine... search for threads on printing large prints and you can find lots of info on how to get quality looking LARGE prints, much bigger even then the "recommended" max print sizes...

Shots from the 40D look great when printed big. I print iso 1600 shots at 15" by 10" with no visible noise unless you get your magnifying glass out.

I think the 40D is very capable of great wedding shots, especially if coupled with some fast primes, or 70-200f2.8 IS if you'll be shooting in low light.

Yes, 40D is capable.
I shot weddings with a 400D even... the 40D is better and easier to use.

Contrasting opinion... I would use your MKII over the 40d. I shot weddings last year with a 1D (mark I) and produced beautiful 8x10s. The MK II is more than capable of handling your needs and have the 40d ready with an 50 or 85 1.8 lens for any low light issues.

Joe Cyr wrote in post #6219631
Contrasting opinion... I would use your MKII over the 40d. I shot weddings last year with a 1D (mark I) and produced beautiful 8x10s. The MK II is more than capable of handling your needs and have the 40d ready with an 50 or 85 1.8 lens for any low light issues.

I was wondering about that as I've seen some shots from a 1d mkii blowen up quite big and they looked good.

Thanks for all the help guys.

I don't see why you don't just go out and make some test shots and print them at 8 x 10. Then you won't have to rely on the subjective opinions of others. You can decide which of your cameras is better for the job easily.

You can get 12X18 prints for $3.00 at Costco. Can't guarantee the quality, but should be fine for test shots.