Nikon D80 Discount

discount wedding photography Better camera, Nikon D80 or Nikon ...

I shoot professionally for quite a few wedding photography companies. I shoot Canon Digital but I can offer some advice.

From the two I would choose the D200. It offers uncompressed Raw imaging which will be more forgiving during post processing. I would however invest and upgrade further if possible. The fact that you are a second photographer is irrelevant because you will not want to be a second shooter for ever.

Higher end camera bodies have better sensors which will provide clearer and more vibrant photographs in any situation. For weddings a high working ISO range is imperative, even more so than lenses. The higher ISO you can shoot without noise will help big time.

I personally shoot a Canon 7D with a 18-200mm IS f5.6 (wide angle) lens. Many people will stress that you need super fast glass, such as the f2.8 lenses, along with prime 1.2-1.8 lenses. These lenses are nice for wedding portraits as well as detail shot as they offer more control of depth of field. However, you do not want to get caught taking a group shot at f2.8 because they will not turn out tact sharp. So in many instances you are going to have to be shooting a smaller aperture (higher f-stop) in order to sustain the depth of field. This is however controlled with ISO and fabricated light (ie flashes/lights (I use the Qflashes and Canon Flashes.))

Another reason to increase the body quality and utilize a work horse lens, is simply the fact of convenience. Some photographers will carry multiple bodies with different lenses, this is so they do not have to change lenses as often and are more prepared for a photogenic opportunity. When you are utilizing these higher end more specific lenses, you will have to change lenses a lot. Weddings tend to move fast and you need to have the correct lens on your camera given a certain circumstance. You can afford to miss a moment because you simply are not equipped with the right lens. With an 18-200, I can cover a wide range of opportunities and never have to change a lens. Also, since it is a zoom lens you can utilize a zoom along with aperture to get that nice background drop off which is often desired; granted it will not be as good as that shot with a f1.2, yet you can even polished the desired effect in the post processing.

So, upgrade your camera body and shoot a more convertible lens for weddings to start.

Nikon

Nikon D80 Digital Field Guide

The Nikon D80 Dbook, Your Interactive Guide to DSLR Photography

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HWM