7D for Weddings

I just finished a wedding where we tested out the GH-1. For the ceremony I would not want to shoot with the 12 minute time limit and being able to do slow zooms is very important. For everything else about a wedding though, a vDSLR is amazing. The small form factor and low light sensitivity are a god send.

"I have also found that critical setting such as exposure, focus, white balance, and audio are MUCH quicker to dial in on the fly in conventional video cameras than they are in DSLR's. That becomes extremely important for spontaneous wedding events such as a quicker than expected boquet toss or unexpected toast. "
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When shooting video, you really should only be adjusting iso and iris. This is one reason I prefer to shoot with manual nikon lenses, my aperture ring is always right there, immediately accessible. If I make sure I always am aware of the light level around me and keep the iso at a workable setting I never have a problem with this.
 
djkarn105 said:
I just finished a wedding where we tested out the GH-1. For the ceremony I would not want to shoot with the 12 minute time limit and being able to do slow zooms is very important. For everything else about a wedding though, a vDSLR is amazing. The small form factor and low light sensitivity are a god send.

When shooting video, you really should only be adjusting iso and iris. This is one reason I prefer to shoot with manual nikon lenses, my aperture ring is always right there, immediately accessible. If I make sure I always am aware of the light level around me and keep the iso at a workable setting I never have a problem with this.
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Eh? There is no 12 min time limit on the GH1...only on the mkii and 7D.

I've shot weddings using the panny hmc150 and gh1 together...even did SDE's with them. i've found advantages for both cameras. from a creative standpoint, you can't beat the filmic look of the dslrs and fast glass and the smaller form factor allows the shooter to get shots/angles that you may not be able to get with a larger conventional videocamera (especially if you're using it with a 3 adapter). but as previously stated there are shortcomings with using dslrs and it does create a more hectic day.

For me, I feel that as long as I know what those shortcomings are and find ways to work around/with them, I am confident that I can produce a quality product that my clients will love at the end of that day. And that's all that matters. As long as the clients are happy and I can produce quality work. To that end, I sold both my panny's and bought 2 7D's. My first engagement shoot and weddings using only 7D's are in January. Wish me luck!
 
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I e-mailed Stillmotion to ask if it would make sense to keep my HMC150 for weddings or sell it and pick up 2 7Ds and they recommended the 2 7Ds. Philip Bloom told me to keep the HMC150 and find a way to pick up a 7D to supplement without selling. After he recently shot a wedding for a family member though, he wrote in his blog that for a wedding, it's all about DSLRs. I just shot my first wedding a couple weeks ago with a pair of 7Ds. A lot of painful lessons were learned while shooting:

-- The Z-Finder provides an unbelievable difference in stability. I was shooting a 50mm f1.4 on a monopod and it looked okay, but with the Z-Finder, it was rock solid.
-- The kit lens' 135mm is way too short for CUs during the ceremony. My second camera person (my GF) was probably way too close.
-- The 70-200mm f4 non-IS on a monopod was a beast to keep steady and since it was a new purchase, I didn't have enough time to experiment beforehand. There's a lot of wobble during the ceremony. I'm definitely going IS for all my lenses now.

Here are the results:
http://vimeo.com/8123032

Good luck!
 
I'm just saying its possible to shoot a wedding with one 7d. I did it..yes it could be better and I will consider renting another 7d for a b cam. I say shoot one and make your own call like I did. I learned a lot and will eventually get a zoom h4n and things will definitely change and be more difficult.
 
I'm just saying its possible to shoot a wedding with one 7d.
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Sure, it is possible to shoot 'anything' with "anything". It doesnt mean much though, as wedding pros don't just aim to shoot, but make sure they repeat a certain success in providing a wedding video that has a certain standard.
There comes the question of style; are you a highlight producer, or/and do you also provide long continous ceremonies, receptions etc...
Depending on your style & service you provide & your habits you may find using 'HDSLR only' for weddings adequate or not. As for myself I can only justify them as a B roll cameras for their excellent low-light & shallow DOF features, because my style doesn't allow me to use them as primary cameras.
Hence question is not whether or not if it is doable, but "does it suit my style"....
 
I just went through some notes I made and some twitter comments and found quite a number of very respected and very professional wedding folks (videographers? cinematographers? storytellers? ...another topic...) using DSLRs either exclusively, or as a very major component of their work.

Its a personal thing, I believe. Use what's best for you.
 
I just went through some notes I made and some twitter comments and found quite a number of very respected and very professional wedding folks (videographers? cinematographers? storytellers? ...another topic...) using DSLRs either exclusively, or as a very major component of their work.

Its a personal thing, I believe. Use what's best for you.
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I'd love to see these respected & very pro wedding folks using exclusively HDSLRs for shooting a wedding reception(for 700 people) where there is a live broadcast of the event distributed on 5 projectors in the hall with multiple wireless mikes placed on several positions connected to multiple cameras in order to make a continuous at least 4 hrs product. Show me, just one...
So it is not just a personal thing, it is a business thing... There are many weddings demand more than just a flashy 1/2hrs love story...
 
Aside from the actual topic, I have shot many weddings and not one has been like the scenario described above. How many of those weddings do you do? If you have a large market for that, well then of course DSLRs are a bad idea.

However, I as well as other wedding videographers I know do not run into the scenario above on a consistent basis.

Kegan
 
VGurcu said:
I'd love to see these respected & very pro wedding folks using exclusively HDSLRs for shooting a wedding reception(for 700 people) where there is a live broadcast of the event distributed on 5 projectors in the hall with multiple wireless mikes placed on several positions connected to multiple cameras in order to make a continuous at least 4 hrs product. Show me, just one...
So it is not just a personal thing, it is a business thing... There are many weddings demand more than just a flashy 1/2hrs love story...
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I certainly didn't mean to make such an inflammatory post!

I don't know how many people have worked with exactly the setup you mention, nor similar setups in terms of scale or requirements. I do know that, for example, Joe Simon and Still Motion (who are both as successful as I figure most could imagine being in their business) seem to use primarily HDSLRs now. I'm not going to say they only use them because I don't hang out in their ERs.

I would conservatively wager weddings like you described make up less than 25% of the market. Of course, that doesn't mean they don't exist - they most certainly do - the rich and famous probably do it all the time. But it does mean that there is another 75% of the market. And last time I checked (I'm currently in the market!), both of my examples were booked solid at least a year out. DSLRs certainly haven't hurt them.

I return to what I said - use what is right for you. If you need to stream a live broadcast in HD to 5 projectors with a bunch of wireless mics and so forth... an HDSLR is definitely not right for you. If you need AF because your party is getting married while running through a field... an HDSLR is definitely not right for you. If your wedding will be broadcast on BBC, an HDSLR is not for you (they don't accept them!). But if you simply need to be on site to capture a beautiful, romantic, and atmospheric piece (of any length) to remind the couple of their day, an HDSLR may work very well.

P.S. - Offtopic and simply out of interest, who was this 700 person wedding for? And how was the food?! :)
 
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VGurcu said:
I'd love to see these respected & very pro wedding folks using exclusively HDSLRs for shooting a wedding reception(for 700 people) where there is a live broadcast of the event distributed on 5 projectors in the hall with multiple wireless mikes placed on several positions connected to multiple cameras in order to make a continuous at least 4 hrs product. Show me, just one...
So it is not just a personal thing, it is a business thing... There are many weddings demand more than just a flashy 1/2hrs love story...
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How often does that happen? A 4 hour product? 5 projectors? The original poster was talking about a 1-2 man crew.

From Stillmotion:
"we are now all 7d. love the 24P. and the 1.6 crop lets us get in tighter with less light loss. P. "

The comment is from this video:
http://vimeo.com/7767538
 
I'll continue to watch this thread with interest: I think that a wedding is one place where the slim, unobtrustive form factor of a DSLR combined with its cinematic look would be big benefits. But between audio, overheating, and the 12 minute limit, there's no question that this is not the "ideal" tool. You can't miss the vows because a little red light comes on on your camera.
 
Aside from the actual topic, I have shot many weddings and not one has been like the scenario described above.
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I don't know how many people have worked with exactly the setup you mention, nor similar setups in terms of scale or requirements.
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I would conservatively wager weddings like you described make up less than 25% of the market. Of course, that doesn't mean they don't exist - they most certainly do - the rich and famous probably do it all the time.
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Hunter & Michael,
Reason you havent heard such scenarios often is that because you havent filmed East Indian(Punjab) weddings. Set-up I am talking about is pretty standard for such receptions.
I cant comment on the numbers marketwise as I have no idea. But in terms of wealth, it is not rich & famous do such weddings, it is pretty much everybody in that community.
What seperates really expensive ones is the amount spent on hall, decorations, caterer, performers etc, otherwise guest numbers float about 600-1000 easily. An Indian videographer member could definitely shed some more light on these norms.

I return to what I said - use what is right for you. If you need to stream a live broadcast in HD to 5 projectors with a bunch of wireless mics and so forth... an HDSLR is definitely not right for you.
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If you have a large market for that, well then of course DSLRs are a bad idea.
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Wrong, DSLRs are not bad for me. Using exclusively DSLRS is bad for me, please read my previous post carefully, we do agree on using what is right.

How many of those weddings do you do?
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P.S. - Offtopic and simply out of interest, who was this 700 person wedding for? And how was the food?!
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How often does that happen? A 4 hour product? 5 projectors? The original poster was talking about a 1-2 man crew.
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Pretty much every wedding I do is like this, that is my specialty. Food is usually Indian, spicy, open buffet, from good to excellent.
Projectors are connected and reception halls have them set up already, we just connect to central one. I work with 2 crew too...

Again, if you think DSLRs are sufficient for you to cover an entire wedding go for it. In my original post I simply observed it for my needs, and I stand behind my words: There are weddings current DSLR technology is just not right there to be used exclusively....
 
That's fascinating. Just goes to show how different cultures can be. I spent a little time thinking about this and no-one I know of had a ceremony anything at all like that. Even the "non-traditional" ceremonies were simply those not held in churches, or with non-religious officiants.

Do you have any footage you could share of such an event? Definitely changes the conception of what a wedding video is all about!
 
Again, if you think DSLRs are sufficient for you to cover an entire wedding go for it. In my original post I simply observed it for my needs, and I stand behind my words: There are weddings current DSLR technology is just not right there to be used exclusively....
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That's interesting...I know several professional wedding studios that use only DSLRs for Indian wedding clients...the entire multi-day affair.
 
Hm, thanks for clearing that up. Yes, I haven't had the opportunity to shoot East Indian weddings - a few have approached, but never ended up going with my company. I assume a large portion is due to the lack of experience I have in that specific market. I'm going to make a few calls and see if I can second camera operate or do some B roll stuff for a wedding like that, just for the experience.

Kegan
 
Do you have any footage you could share of such an event? Definitely changes the conception of what a wedding video is all about!
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Cant share footage, sorry. But I do have some stills to show the projector setup & size of an event:
(I did some terrible blurring job on the pics)
1260778428.jpg

You can see some of the projector screens on the wall.

1260778521.jpg

Now this dude is a Bollywood star... Can you see the end of the hall ;)

I know several professional wedding studios that use only DSLRs for Indian wedding clients...the entire multi-day affair.
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It may be possible, most probably they dont provide continous longer version...

I assume a large portion is due to the lack of experience I have in that specific market. I'm going to make a few calls and see if I can second camera operate or do some B roll stuff for a wedding like that, just for the experience.
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Experience counts, of course. I think it's a good idea to get some experience. Also it is the ultimate challenge for a wedding videographer to test his/her limits, especially if you are trying to bring western approach(location lighting, top notch audio) to a full deal Indian wedding.
Old school companies will put their 250W lights on a camera that is sitting on a wheel dolly, cables hanging from everywhere, recording 6hrs of master shots; now this is not what I'm talking about...
 
I'd like to add on what I said earlier and what Vgurcu has said...

Although I primarily provide a short-form, cinematic/tv-style edit (which my clients love) - they also enjoy watching the ceremony uncut in its entirety. This is why an all DSLR setup wouldn't work for me.

If I were shooting ONLY TO PROVIDE a short-form, highlights, SDE, etc...then the DLSR may be an option. However, the 12min max still makes me uncomfortable.
 
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