What is the cheapest backup I can buy?

Yeah, Uncle Bob is always really interested in your gear.

I've only had one obnoxious Uncle Bob. I was using a 40d up until a few weeks ago, and Uncle Bob had a 5dii and a 1d3 as his backup. (Yes, he was a guest.) He came up to me at the reception and asked if I thought a full frame camera was "better" for weddings. All I said was "well, the 5dii is a very nice camera, no doubt about it. But necessary? Not at all."

But the bride and groom? Unless they are also photographers then I really don't think they care; as long as you deliver great photos.

PMCphotography wrote in post #11752266
But the bride and groom? Unless they are also photographers then I really don't think they care; as long as you deliver great photos.

Agreed. Even as a 'tog myself, I just hired a wedding photographer who doesn't have nearly as good of equipment as I do. I know he's an awesome photographer and a great guy to work with, so I hired him regardless of what's in his gear bag.


Also, it REALLY helps to have photographer friends when you're searching for a wedding photographer. LOL

Sometimes the cheapest backup can be the most expensive, if it fails.

The only camera that has ever failed on me was a 5D. Just sayin'...

wdwpsu wrote in post #11722018
I strongly disagree with this statement. The lowlight performance (my biggest need for wedding photography) of today's rebels is better than the 40d..

The body doesn't make a professional.. If anything, it's the skill of the photographer and the lenses. Put L glass on an XSi, and a kit lens on the 40d, I'll tell you what's going to produce better pictures.

And your clients and guests don't know the difference. Just Uncle Bob. And he's shooting his 5dii in auto with the pop-up flash, so good for him..

I can't find the pop up flash on my 5DMKII. Is that a new feature?

jamiewexler wrote in post #11754547
The only camera that has ever failed on me was a 5D. Just sayin'...

haha, ditto, my 40D and our old xt both proved more reliable than my 5Dm2.

PeaceFire wrote in post #11722431
Oh I completely agree with you and I didn't say the XS won't take professional grade pictures but that it doesn't LOOK professional.

Caring what your camera looks like should be the absolute furthest things from your mind as a photographer who puts out professional quality products. A big flashy camera held by a bumbling idiot will look considerably less professional than the person with a XS who looks like they know what they are doing. Aside from a camera savvy person, most would not notice the difference between a XS or a 5DMKii.

With that said though, I'm going with the rest of the crowd on this one... 40D. You won't find a better camera for $500 and they are plenty capable of shooting just about any subject. Not to mention, they are considerably more feature rich than the XS and will offer more room to grow as she learns the ins and outs.

Based on price alone, I would go with one of these options:

Used Rebel XTi -- $250
Used 40D -- $500
Used 5D -- $950

i'll get her a 40D if I can find one used on here in good condition. Thanks everyone!

Does your wife even want to shoot? Everytime I try to get my wife in on one of my hobbies, it ends up ruining it for both of us.

tkbslc wrote in post #11758638
Does your wife even want to shoot? Everytime I try to get my wife in on one of my hobbies, it ends up ruining it for both of us.

How so?

I've been seeing plenty of used Canon 20d's floating around on Craigslist and such for around $250. Was a quality camera just a few years back. Why not now, assuming it is still functional? My 20d still shoots great photos and backs up my 5d mkii.

jamiewexler wrote in post #11754547
The only camera that has ever failed on me was a 5D. Just sayin'...

Fair point. I've had two different 40D's fail at weddings for no reason, 20Ds and 30Ds play up, and i've had a 7D that worked but takes oof images. I've also had various cameras break when I drop them, but that's expected.

Rich Brown Photography wrote in post #11760855
I've been seeing plenty of used Canon 20d's floating around on Craigslist and such for around $250. Was a quality camera just a few years back. Why not now, assuming it is still functional? My 20d still shoots great photos and backs up my 5d mkii.

Still a viable backup IMO. I use a 30D and have zero issues with the IQ as long as I'm at ISO 800 or lower. Same sensor.