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Hi everyone,

Well I have a few questions, but first i will explain the reason why i am posting these questions. Earlier today I received an email from an old school friend asking me to photograph her special day, after she saw my pictures from my first wedding I did last year. She loved what i had done and really wants me to photograph her special day.

As you all mostly know now, I am the proud owner of a Nikon d200 and a 24-120vr lens. My old tripod wasn't a very good one and i need to replace it as the weight of this camera is just too much for it, it's broken a few times and i've repaired it each time but i've only used it at home and always been prepared for the tripod to tip etc. Where as i will not risk it, i love this camera too much for something stupid like that to happen to it. So i'd like to ask you all what you suggest for a tripod , i am no proffessional and would like something that i can quickly get the camera on and off and wont be too big and bulky to pack up.
My second question is in regards to CF cards, i only have a 1gig and a 512meg card currently and i know they are too small for anything like a wedding, so what size would you suggest i use? with my old camera i used for my last wedding, i used a 4 gig and shot in raw and i was uploading pics onto my laptop over and over again as it kept getting too full. But everytime i did that it drained the battery.
My third Question is in regards to the battery, where is the best place to shop for one? fleabay?
My fourth question is, External flash, i don't have one, but after my first wedding i believe i need one, but this wedding is going to be an outdoor garden ceremony, am i going to need it?
My fifth question is in regards to lense. Will my current 24-120vr be suitable - its so hard as with my old camera i had all the gear i needed except the flash and the day was a sucess, this time i have to start all over again!! It is a heavy lens but i love having the built in Vibration reduction, would i need a wider lens? or do you have any other suggestions?

Sorry to have bothered you all with these questions, but as i said i had most of the gear for my old camera and my plan was to slowly get these items i now need, but suddenly being asked to do a wedding has made me get my backside into gear and get ready for it.

Thanks Kristen

I don't know enough to answer your questions, but you've got more guts than me!
Doing a wedding, only one chance to get it right... Scary stuff!

bigsarg7 wrote:really wants me to photograph her special day.

She's getting divorced?

I would look at Manfrotto for a tripod; they probably represent the best value and with the right model, you will have no issues supporting the D200 and whatever glass you care to wear.

For memory, consider Sandisk - they seem to be the best these days. Wander in to JB and get a couple of cards and a card reader. You can move the data off one card while using another.

What other glass do you have? As long as you know where your lens's sweet spot is, the 24-120 will do just fine. I would have no hesitation in using mine, but as an alternative thought, perhaps consider too the acquisition of a nifty fifty? 50mm, f/1.8: light, several stops faster than the zoom, sharp and inexpensive.

Flash? SB900 would be the better choice, but the SB600 should be adequate for the task. Yes, even outdoors: it can help you better control the light and shadows, and offer some fill when needed.

I would just be sure to have a good play with everything several times beforehand: you need to be comfortable that you know your equipment for this sort of gig.

yeah i know, when i was asked the first time i was quite taken back by it all, but i guess this time i have more experience under my belt and a better camera....which i am still learning, still don't know much about the focus system, so i'll have get to lots of practice!! lol

thanks gary,
yeah i've asked for all the info about the wedding and i'll be sure to go visit a few times at around the times of that the ceremony will be and see what the lighting is like and take a few shots to get an idea of good spots etc around the garden.
I must say its on the 20th of march, and i am getting anxious about it already!! lol but i know what i've done in the past and i know i still have those abilities and more so with a lot of fiddling around and practice i think i might be alright, i hope!

A used SB800 would also be a great find. If you can. You will also need a flash diffuser of somesort even if you are using on camera flash. Also make sure you practice heaps to get used to the recycling and the different modes ettl and manual.

I would strongly suggest a backup camera AND lens with separate battery....

Lots of batteries for the flash and camera. Flea bay is your friend for camera batteries however in the longterm, nikon battery may holdup better.

If you have an assistant, then you can take a reflector/diffuser which could be used very effectively outdoors.

It would be nice if you could rent a 24-70 OR 17-55 for the day as the background blur might be nicer even if you forget the contrast, colors etc. Keep the 24-120 as backup.

Disclaimer: I am not a wedding photographer but I make a few comments on the questions I can answer.

bigsarg7 wrote:My second question is in regards to CF cards, i only have a 1gig and a 512meg card currently and i know they are too small for anything like a wedding, so what size would you suggest i use? with my old camera i used for my last wedding, i used a 4 gig and shot in raw and i was uploading pics onto my laptop over and over again as it kept getting too full. But everytime i did that it drained the battery.

You will certainly need more card space. I would recommend you have at least three cards, eg 2x4gb and 1x1gb as "emergency". More would be better, if you can afford it.

When you transfer the photos to your laptop, sounds like you are hooking up the camera directly to the laptop, hence the battery drain. This also means you can't be taking photos in that time. Get a card reader, that will speed things up for you and will not tie up the camera to the laptop. It would also be useful to have a helper with you if you can't get enough memory cards. Give the helper a 4gb card to save to laptop, put 2nd 4gb card in camera, keep swapping like that and have the 1gb as an emergency spare.

My third Question is in regards to the battery, where is the best place to shop for one? fleabay?

This fine web site's bargains area will be able to help you there. You will find the genuine Nikon and the Phottix equivalent.

Your friend is paying you for this? Then you should be able to get some extra bits and she may be even to give you a deposit.

I'm sure other will be able to help with your other questions.

André

I would go for Benro Tripods. They are heavy duty, high quality and you wont pay through the nose. Their aluminium ones are extremely sturdy and great value.

http://www.photo-shop-studio.com/eng/p2.asp?ItemClass1=BENRO+Tripod+%26+Ball+head

I bought mine with a heavy ball head through these guys and was VERY happy.

Get a few 4 gig CF cards. Sandisk seems to be the standard, and have never failed me. They won't fill to quickly, and are well priced. Of course, you can get bigger, but my own opinion is the more you have on several cards, the less you have to worry about card failure. If you shoot an entire wedding on a single 16 gig card, and it stuffs up, you've lost the lot... I still use some 2 gig cards with my D700's for this reason. I know national level shooters who still use 512mb cards for this very reason.

Third party batteries are fine, I use them and they give as many shutter releases as the Nikon ones. Nikon must think we are all twits if they think everyone will pay the ridiculous amounts they want for one. Ebay is a good fast source. You might find a member here who has a few spare to sell if you needed them quick. I carry about 10 batteries for my bodies, + the batteries for my D2h bodies.

External flash is a must. Sb600 or 800 would be fine for this gig, and give you enough fill light. Personally I wouldn't worry about a SB900 unless down the track you plan of doing lots of CLS stuff. Buying an SB600 allows you to later buy a SB800 if you decide you need one for CLS stuff. The SB600 can get found for $250. Learn to use it and be comfortable with it's features well before the wedding.

Your lens isn't to bad. I would be tempted to get something faster, maybe a 70-200 2.8. Vibration reduction is handy, especially if shooting indoors, but for an outdoor wedding less so. THe joys of the D700 is you can pump up the ISO rather than lowering shutter speeds, so VR becomes less of a concern. On the D200, you should be aware of it's noise issues.

I would have a second body, even if it's a D70 vintage body. You have to have redundancy in your gear. I carry 4 bodies for this reason, you can';t do such an important gig with 1 body. If it fails, you will also.

I've tried to give you the cheaper alternatives, as I know that starting out it can be hard to justify expenses.

Good luck, believe in your own abilities and you'll do well.

Oh, don't worry about transferring to a lappie at the gig either. Chances are you are going to be too busy, and besides, you'll be lugging enough gear. Forget the laptop and get extra CF cards. And shoot raw. You can recover blown highlights and shadow if you shoot raw. Shoot JPG at your own peril.

Hi I can give you a d200 battery for free I have 6 of them and hardly use my camera
Just send me your address

Also re your 24-120 that is pretty much all the range you would need for a wedding

Hope it all goes well for you

Wow, what responses!! thanks everyone, i really really appreciate it, i really want to get all the gear so i get plenty of practice, well i will i have that many weddings i have to attend myself, so i might take it a long and practice there!! lol, i think i have 2 before this wedding then another the week after....so 4 weddings within 6 weeks, going to be crazy!! but lots of fun!!

Wendelt, i sent a message, wow thanks for the offer - my husband was made redundant last month as the government gave his work contract to another company (youth pathways) so its been tight, and to give a battery like that is just awesome. thanks

I think i will take my laptop, but get my assistant to transfer them with a memory card reader, why didn't i think of that idea last time!! lol

Thanks very much everyone!!

Congrats on the oppertunities!! I wish you heaps of bussiness.

As for gear...

Tripod - Manfrotto 190 series legs (cheap and will last), have a look at Benro, but I prefer Manfrotto
Batteries - Genuine Nikons (from the forum), or Phottix
Lenses - 50mm f/1.8, in the long term you will need something longer and faster (70-200mm f/2.8 - consider SIgma and Tamron if you dont think you can get the Nikkor)
Flash - Nikon SB900 would be the one to get, but consider the Nissin Di622 ($200ish from ebay) if not the SB600 from the forum

Wendell that was very generous of you to send a battery.

I saw that Quality Camera Sales has some specials on Manfrotto combos with free shipping if that helps.

Kristen, aside from all the excellent equipment advice, I would attempt a rehearsal shoot - either with the
wedding party or substitutes. Just an hour or so, it will give you reassurance, and if stuff goes wrong, you
can adjust whatever needs to be adjusted before the day.

If possible, an assistant would be useful too on the day, someone to be uploading the card to the laptop
(via a card reader) while you keep shooting.

But definitely do a test run in some form or another