A little help in wedding photography...?

Hmmm interesting thought. Thanks Don.

I get asked about once a year......"oh you are good at photography, would you like to do our friends/daughters/someone we met on holiday 's" wedding.

The answer is always the same.

To repeat others comments, my answer is always 'No', I did one once as an informal favour (which worked out OK) - SFXn, FA28-80 & AF240FT.

I don't think there's any problem with the gear (or the photographer), it's just an impossible ask - very sharp, clear, vibrant photos where there's movement under dim-ish lighting without flash. If f/2.8 zooms don't work, you're out of options as (unless you're in total control) you'd need some flexibility of framing.

It's mostly about prep: meeting the families, scouting the location, being there in good time, lists of 'must have' photo's (knowing about that long lost relative from Australia), being able to command the situation (one reason why Medium Format gear was so helpful in the film days), organising batteries & SD cards in sequence etc. Shooting should be second nature along with the ability to work-round any gear limitations, having some creative ideas in your back pocket should something go wrong (weather, distracting background etc).

I appreciate Vic's comments, admittedly the gear is much more productive than 'the old days' but also 'expectations' are higher. From what I've seen there's a general _appearance_ of upping the game (to charge more I presume) by having teams of photographers shooting in a 'documentary' style (often in mono - with/without colour popping), custom photo books and anything else being peddled at wedding fairs & photo shows.

Edit: If I was looking to do it professionally, I'd be considering a 645D/Z system - the next bride getting married will remember the photographer with the big camera far longer than what the photos look like. In this day & age of smartphones & social media - most participants probably never see the official photos. The bride & groom will already be bored of them before they see the official photos and just want one one for the mantle piece (and that custom photo book that will be languishing in the loft in six months time).

Tried out the little tip of switching to crop mode for extra length. Except on the K1 its not so easy. You still have to select apsc mode in the menu to shoot apsc on a full frame lens. If your in auto mode or FF and you switch to crop on the selection dial. Nothing changes..!!

No, if you set it to APS-C, that's what you'll get! Don't forget about the square format too. If you leave it in FF format, just crop it afterwards, the resolution won't change.

No that's not right. Changing the function dial to crop mode will give you a crop aps-c sized image. You will see the black aps-c frame in the viewfinder as a guide.

As John says it is irrelevant anyway, cropping the FF image yields the same result.

Does crop mode on the K-1 give any improvement in burst rate?, or is it just there to guarantee 'compatibility' with crop only lenses and avoid user complaints of "why is there black around the edges of my image?"

[35mm full-frame]
Max. approx. 4.4 fps, JPEG ( L: ★★★ at Continuous H): up to approx. 70 frames, RAW: up to approx. 17 frames
Max. approx. 3.0 fps, JPEG ( L: ★★★ at Continuous M): up to approx. 100 frames, RAW: up to approx. 20 frames
Max. approx. 0.7 fps, JPEG ( L: ★★★ at Continuous L): up to approx. 100 frames, RAW: up to approx. 100 frames

[APS-C size]
Max. approx. 6.5 fps, JPEG ( L: ★★★ at Continuous H): up to approx. 100 frames, RAW: up to approx. 50 frames
Max. approx. 3.0 fps, JPEG ( L: ★★★ at Continuous M): up to approx. 100 frames, RAW: up to approx. 70 frames
Max. approx. 1.0 fps, JPEG ( L: ★★★ at Continuous L): up to approx. 100 frames, RAW: up to approx. 100 frames


Never seen that! Which program do you use for PP?

Actually Peter you dont when using a full frame lens.. Thats my point.. Well not on my K1 anyway..!! Unless you select apsc in the crop menu...

Are you sure it is set to APS-C?

Viewfinder display in the Crop mode (APS-C image area)



In live view it sill show the cropped image filling the screen (presuming it is set to APS-C.)

http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/products/k-1/feature/04.html

Thanks for the advice John,,, No I'm certainly not looking to do it Professionally.. Though I have agreed to help out with one more... Then I think it will be back to "NO THANKS"

Yes John thats correct when the menu is set to apsc... But my point was when you have a full frame lens on. And want to get some extra length by changing to crop mode. You cant just set the function dial to crop.. You have to delv into the menu to change to apsc.. Which makes it a little slower to operate ... and the switch pointless..

Alternatively, you can use the quick menu access (press the INFO button) and change the crop from there. Handy if your camera is high on a tripod.

ps "extra reach" is still illusory Sorry to labour the point but it is a hot topic on other forums at the moment.