Doubt - Wedding photography.

[arvindm29]

I have been to many wedding in and around Bangalore. I always had one doubt with regards to wedding photographers. “Why do all the wedding photographers use only Nikon Cameras?”
I have nothing against Nikon cameras but still never was able to spot any Canon camera photographers at wedding occasions. Is it because of any technical differences? or anything else?

Please post your thoughts.

[KrishnenduKes]

Query Approved

This may be true in your case. I have known three very high profile Wedding Photographers. All three of them use several 1Ds Mk III Cameras in their arsenal. And their assistants use several 5D Mk II !!! Now go figure! :)

[anvancy-(macro analyst)]

even when i attended my sister's marriage in indore,the photographer there was using nikon.

it may be cause they preferred D40 since it came at a VFM price.the ones that i have seen many use the D40.

anvancy

[nelson_sanjoy]

In US till last year ,Canon 5D with Canon 24-70 f/2.8 L and 70-200 f/2.8 L IS USM was the bread and butter for many of the wedding photographers .40D with Canon 17-55 f/2.8 was used as backup.

Now it may change to 5D mk II and 7D as backup :) .Mind you the wedding photographers are paid pretty well.

[Aryan]

@Arvind: True. :D Heck, even at my elder brother's reception/ wedding, a few weeks back, the photographer was using a Nikon D-SLR, while I was shooting with my 400D and the 18-55mm IS.

He came up to me, and asked me to show my photographs. He seemed somewhat impressed with the pictures. He asked, which company had sent me; basically, he wanted to know which photo-studio/ organization I worked for. When I told him, I was the groom's younger brother, he was shocked. :D

He said, he didn't really expect, of all people, the younger brother of the groom to lug around a camera bag and a camera at the wedding. :p

[Bibudesh]

Strange! I also found myself clicking thru a D40 in my friend's wedding :o

[rio008]

I noticed this before and not only wedding even the studio photographers aslo. and one more thing more of them are using D70 , D70s :)

[shutterbug]

Yes, I have the same observation, that most wedding/ studio photographers here in Kerala( also in Bangalore) seem to use Nikon(d70, d80 mostly).
I have come across a Canon 1d user just once or twice.
From talking to some of these Nikon users, what I came to know is that they prefer Nikon because:
1. According to them, Nikons give more punchy colors sooc.
2. Around here, Nikkor lenses are more affordable in the grey market.

[surya@64]

A very good observation....and its true....

one, its a brand....and second its blind faith, third, Nikon manual lens can be used, fourth is spares are available...fifth...old series flash SB SERIES including metz can be used...

I have been in to wedding photography since 25yrs...but now I have restricted my self ....

When I attended a relative's wedding ...despite having pro- photographers they asked me take some pic. ...

I agreed and told them I would work only portraits and candid...with my limited equipment...i have...

So, I landed with my 50d and 100-400L...and no external flash... As the wedding progressed I kept on taking pic. from different perspective and from a distance....My white lens, 50d and BGE2N GRIP...had its presence felt and the pro- photographers had their of stare and gup-shup talk among themselves....they even managed to block me at times...

Finally one guys had to courage to talk to me and asked me to show the pic. i had taken....and said....Sir how do U get these colors, compositions and timing on the shots....Then on I got the space I deserved to take pic...

One shot which caught people and photographer...was the moist eye of the bride's father...which shows tear trickle down his face...when his daughter became part of the groom's family...

All those 200 odd pic. were done in 8x12inch size and sent to Australia...where they live...They still say...they go thro just those 200 pic. to get a summary of the event...and other albums are in cold storage...

I am always a CANON MAN...and will be one...

[Bibudesh]

I believe its the photgrapher 'PLUS' the camera which makes good photos during a wedding.
Honestly till date I haven't seen any good photo coming out by a pro wedding photographer. By Pro I mean the ones who charge bucks for the coverage.
For my wedding I paid 13k for a literally lousy set of photos. That guy was using a D80. But Danish gave me amazing candid shots using my D40.

I dont think any punching stuff comes into picture, but its the fact that Nikon does gives a better and defined level of saturation compared to Canon, this is my personal observation and experience after trying a 40D and a 1D mark III during the Aero India fest. I felt like back home after I tried the Nikon D3 (I shared the bag photo sometimes back), no offence meant to Canon users. But the 40D owner accepted the fact when I showed him my SOOC from puny D40 for the same subject.

The Canon might not be giving the 'punching' effect maybe due to different setting I used probably. But once I did an apple to apple comparison between my D40 and 400D (xbhp chap HiSunil's) with the same settings, honestly the result in saturation was highly uncovincing in 400D, my D40 was way beyond in color quality compared to 400D. 400D was not so bad either but not better than D40. This fact was accepted by Sunil then and there (well this was a result of 400D v/s D40 argument during a GTG).

:D , America's one of the top-10 wedding photographer happens to use Nikon equipment-
http://www.cmphotography.com

Period. No intention to start a never ending Canon v/s Nikon arguments. I can comment more on quality viz-a-viz with a 50D once I get a D300. ;)

For me its Nikon anytime. Use it to know it. I used Canon so I know it.

[anvancy-(macro analyst)]

i agree with surya.the availability and old equipment running on it makes it choice for these people.

i will make an addition..

the FUJI S5PRO is the first camera preferred during wedding photography.and yes it sits on a D200 body..so nikon and fuji..:p

anvancy

[Vicky]

But once I did an apple to apple comparison between my D40 and 400D (xbhp chap HiSunil's) with the same settings, honestly the result in saturation was highly uncovincing in 400D, my D40 was way beyond in color quality compared to 400D. 400D was not so bad either but not better than D40. This fact was accepted by Sunil then and there

It's absolutely true that with default settings, the SOOC JPG's from the entry level Nikons have better color, contrast and sharpness compared to the SOOC JPG's from their Canon counterparts. But, from what I have personally experienced, this result is due to the more aggressive 'in camera' JPEG processing in the Nikons rather than anything else. The camera is set up by default to add a touch of "PP" to your images for you!:D


Take the same shot with both cameras in RAW and then process both the RAWs in CS4 with the same Adobe Camera RAW Codec, and then you will realize that there's negligible difference if at all:)

I actually did that with my 400D and a friends D60:cool:

[anvancy-(macro analyst)]

Take the same shot with both cameras in RAW and then process both the RAWs in CS4 with the same Adobe Camera RAW Codec, and then you will realize that there's negligible difference if at all:)



if the sensor is made by one company how can there be a difference??;)

anvancy

[synn]

if the sensor is made by one company how can there be a difference??Nikon sensors are made by Sony as per Nikon's specifications.
Canon sensors are made in-house.
Sony sensors are made in-house.


All three use very different lo-pass and IR filters. Even models within the same brand that share the same sensor don't have the same filters.

I have no idea about SOOC colors though. I rarely use JPEG and even those are processed. As long as the dynamic range is captured properly, I'm content. I've used DSLRs from all the major brands and a few more like a Leica M8 and a Mamiya 6 (For a few minutes :D ) and I liked the ergonomics of Nikon and Pentax the most.

[surya@64]

I have been around with these Pro- Wedding photographers ...and have understood their psyche...
They operate with a Budget constraint/ max profit per pic......They have a fixed style of taking pic...( some time demanded by client)...

It will be a mundane routine thing to take wedding pic.....and U loose the plot once U know Ur profit is assured...

Its...CLICK- EDIT-PRINT-PASTE & DELIVER...Some time they dont even bother to check if the sequence is in order or not...

Just this morning...I went thro 3 fat self-stick album full of pic....of my cousine marriage held last month....not a single pic. is worth its salt...These guys were from brides side as Pro's operating with one of the best equipments...d200 and d300....with Metz side flash, elinchrome softbox and what not...The bill has run in to 45k...

Finally the bride's brother has borrowed the entire set of my pic. taken with my PS...CANON ELPH 770 IS...a 10mpg. cam to be made into an album...

They complimented me saying...Ur set of pic. tells the entire story with clarity, colors, and sharpness...

Honestly I am not starting a debate of CANON / NIKON...

These Pro's think they can tweak any thing with PP...but, they have to get the initial stuff bang on target....

Unless you put you heart and soul into you assignment, setting aside the remuneration aspect...Its very difficult to grow as a good photographer...

We should introspect and criticize our own work first ...and then expect comments form other onlookers of your work...

I ALWAYS EDUCATE MY CLIENTS ABOUT WHAT HAS BEEN DONE AND WHAT ELSE COULD BE DONE IN FUTURE ASSIGNMENTS.

[Deltaone]

Generally, internationally, the S5Pro is regarded as the best wedding photographer's tool. Very simple reason actually, every single reviewer out there does agree, that it has the best dynamic range amongst all the cameras. Poor high iso performance and a few other cons mean its not for everyone, but for weddings, portraits etc, it is the tool of choice around here. However, in an indian scenario, that might not be the best tool of choice. No offence to indian women, but something that sensitive is more suited to the smooth complexions and color ranges of Caucasians, most east asians etc. Most indians tend to have a more textured skin (it is changing and fast but got a ways to go yet). Trying something with that much dynamic range on skin like that ends up doubling the amount of ps work involved.

That said, most "wedding photographers" in india (at least the ones ive seen in kerala) are only pros at photoshop. I know one of the so called best guys from my town, he does portraits, snapshots w/e, uses a d60, in auto mode no less. Most of them use this as a way to make some money and that is about it. Most indian weddings are not looking so much at the quality of the photographs as much as how many and which people are clearly seen in the pictures. So yea, there is a huge variety out there.

On the other part, the captured saturation, exposure etc, canon used to be on the forefront of that one, but the newer gen nikons with the CMOS sensor have beaten them on that front. Most reviewers do agree with that. Especially in scenes with a high contrast difference or huge exposure difference, nikon usually gives the best exposures. Then again, the newer canon chip is only coming out in the 7d, so they might have upped their game yet, so it remains to be seen.

[synn]

I wouldn't call the wedding photographers in India "Pros". No matter what equipment they use (Nikon/ Canon/ Fuji/ Whatever), their understanding of it is nil.

To see what real wedding photography is, one needs to look at the portfolios of some international pros. Yes, they post the images a lot, but boy! the output is breathtaking!

[Bibudesh]

Indeed. M happy to see this thread progressing in a very peaceful and enjoying way.
During my wedding the photographer had a D80 with 18-105mm fitted on top :eek: and he was shooting in a low light env. A big vivitar flash use to sparkle every now and then to remind others that its a wedding reception.

The photos are so lousy and I had to leave the album at my in-laws place. He has done some PP also like selective coloring, everything in BW except the lips :mad: ..
If similar respect is given to wedding fotographer just like other genres then I think its one of the most enjoyable stream.

[synn]

Lesson learnt: For my wedding, I better use a tripod and a remote release. :D

[Bibudesh]

Lesson learnt: For my wedding, I better use a tripod and a remote release. :D

Please dont laugh at me now. I had literal plans like that for my second reception ni my native. Fortunately there was danish (xbhp id crazylord) for rescue. On the way to my native I kept on thinking about how to get the shamiyana, how to get the holder when I can put my camera and things like that. SO much disapointed I was.

But dont worry, I'll come for your wedding :) if in blore.

[Deltaone]

And dont use a D80 :P (speaketh personal experience)

[Vicky]

Unless you put you heart and soul into you assignment, setting aside the remuneration aspect...Its very difficult to grow as a good photographer...

+1

Even in our area, most wedding PhotoG's use a variety of Nikon bodies and lenses. The most common setup being the D40 / D60 with 18-55 VR and SB 600. Some higher end guys also use D200 + 18-200 VR + SB800.

Most are just taking 'snap shots' of the proceedings with very little creativity in terms of angles, DOF, etc.

Most of these guys shoot with fixed exposure setting like 1/125, f/9, ISO 400-800, and the rest of the exposure is taken care of by the hot shoe mounted direct TTL flash:o

What will you get with these settings except 'snap shots'. With this kind of work, no wonder the rates as as low as 5k for a two day wedding assignment with 200 nos 4x6 prints!!

LOL, at least bounce the flash guys!

[Bibudesh]

FYI my wedding was covered in Auto Mode.

[Vicky]

I remember attending a business conference in Dubai, and the official Photographer there was shooting away with a 1Ds Mk III and alternating between a 35mm 1.4 L and 24-70 2.8L!!! Also the 580ex had a Gary Fong diffuser on it. Also, the guy was dressed in a black polo neck, black jeans and black sneakers and looked very presentable.
And this wasn't even a wedding!!!

[surya@64]

Please dont laugh at me now. I had literal plans like that for my second reception ni my native. Fortunately there was danish (xbhp id crazylord) for rescue. On the way to my native I kept on thinking about how to get the shamiyana, how to get the holder when I can put my camera and things like that. SO much disapointed I was.

But dont worry, I'll come for your wedding :) if in blore.

Its happened to you and its happened to me..and probably to others ....

At your wedding you are thinking more about how the pic. has turned out, rather than the process of the wedding... whether the flash fired at the right moment, whether the moment was captured right...whether the eyes were closed in a portrait....:):):):)

It would have come to a point where U want to jump and grab the camera from the photographer....and do the honors...but just cant do it....!!!!!

ONE THING IS FOR SURE...DURING THE WEDDING, THE POOR FELLOW, PHOTOGRAPHER IS THE LAST TO INFORMED AND FINALIZED AND HE IS THE FIRST TO BE QUESTIONED AND PESTERED FOR PICTURES AT THE EARLIEST...

SOME TIMES JUST A DAY AFTER THE WEDDING....!!!:(:(:(:(:(:(:(

[anvancy-(macro analyst)]

the worst part is...

are hamara picture dikhao kaisa aaya hai..(ie of guests)

so instead of competing an event,we get stuck clicking their photos till they get satisfied..:p

anvancy

[raunak]

We were also lucky to have a so called pro photographer for my sister's wedding. When I saw the pics taken by him, I was really disappointed and so was everybody else. But we were actually lucky to have a real pro photographer attending my sister's marriage as a guest.

Since back then I didn't know much about DSLRs, I just thought that he has an ugly looking gigantic camera with a gigantic lens which unnecessarily weighs about a ton whereas my light and very powerful Fujifilm S5700 is a small magic box. Now of what I can remember of the camera, it was some full frame Canon with God knows which lens.

Now let me introduce the photographer... His name is Siddharth Mishra and he is one of India's top photographer (and also my father's good friend). He lugs around his main equipment, backup equipment, backup backup equipment, backup backup backup equipment (Ok now this is getting boring...) in a Verna. I have had the opportunity to see some of his projects in print and believe me, I could've cried seeing the pure beauty of his photographs. Unfortunately, when I had met him, I almost knew nothing about photography otherwise I would've never left his side.

You can check out his website http://www.siddharthmishra.com/. Go to portfolio and see the amazing work that he has done.

[KrishnenduKes]

You can check out his website http://www.siddharthmishra.com/. Go to portfolio and see the amazing work that he has done.

Oh yes! Truly brilliant stuff indeed. Thanks for sharing. :)

[arvindm29]

this is what one of the pro photographer has to say in a different forum

"The hidden reason goes something like this:( this is from my experience
as a print finisher to many wedding photographers since 25 years,90% my business is from wedding photogs).

We are able to give better skin tones ( which is very, very important to wedding and portrait photography) from a Nikon image file than from Cannon image file, Why? Very simple

Suppose you travel every day from morning to evening in Bangalore roads with a motor bike and all of a sudden ,one fine morning your asked to use scooter for that day instead of bike ,your ride will definitely not as smooth as you used to, though you reach the destination.

In the same manner every day 90% of the time we print files from Nikon and my technician knows what correction to be made to get a good skin tone as soon as we open the file and also our machines are fine tuned to that. so if some one comes with wedding images shot with cannon we usually don't get that perfect skin tones.

This is the main reason for such remarks from the photographers.

Believe it or not, by just looking at the portait/wedding image on our calibrated monitors , me and my technicians easily tell what brand camera is used (Nikon or Cannon)to shoot.

Note: This holds good even in good old film era, We used to give good skin tones shot with Konica film compared to Kodak film , because 90% of wedding photographers used Konica film to shoot weddings.

KVSSetty"

[hitanshu]

Ha ha. A very correct but almost dinosaur of a statement, i'm sorry to say.

The way Canon sales and nikon profitability is going, things will change. If nothing else, things should improve courtesy sheer numbers!

@raunak: What really was brilliant? I've seen some va va voom pro photog sites - this wasn't one of them! What have I missed?

[anvancy-(macro analyst)]

every photographer likes his or her own purchased photo gear.so canikon..L VR..all boil down to what happens during the event.and what happens in front of the monitor.

anvancy

[synn]

Ha ha. A very correct but almost dinosaur of a statement, i'm sorry to say.

The way Canon sales and nikon profitability is going, things will change.

From what I saw at the event last week and from what I've seen on the pro side here in general, almost every pro here seems to be using Nikon gear while tonnes of enthusiasts and amateurs are toting Canon. Not a knock on Canon and not indicative of the situation elsewhere in the world, but that's how it is.


Even at the Olympics, D3's outnumbered 1D's by a comfortable margin. Yes, many were surprised by that.

[hitanshu]

Nope - I'm not taking a jab at anyone. I'm just talking about the impact of canon's growing popularity, not at the topic at hand either.

http://www.flickr.com/cameras/ shows an interesting trend!

[synn]

Yes, Enthusiasts buy more cameras than professionals. Nothing new about it and that chart is in accordance with what I said.

Canon has been leading the sales for quite a while now. That's something everyone knows. But for the first time since the AF revolution, pros who ditched the Nikon (And on a lesser extent; Minolta) system for Canon seem to be returning to the brand and THAT, is an interesting trend.

[Xavier]

Yes, Enthusiasts buy more cameras than professionals. Nothing new about it and that chart is in accordance with what I said.

Canon has been leading the sales for quite a while now. That's something everyone knows. But for the first time since the AF revolution, pros who ditched the Nikon (And on a lesser extent; Minolta) system for Canon seem to be returning to the brand and THAT, is an interesting trend.

Yes, and a major reason for that is the lack of a fast full frame from Canon and the superior AF system of the D3 to the 1DMIII. However, the pro market almost keeps changing and fluctuating in every 2 years. The 1DM4 should be out by next month and trends might change again. Rumours are going on that it might be a 12-14 mp full frame (instead of APS-H) camera with 12fps. That should make things very interesting.

[synn]

Totally agreed on all counts, Xavier.
Competition always improves the breed and this rivalry between the two manufacturers always ends up being great for us consumers!