johnriley wrote:
The key to wedding photography is an absolute total knowledge and control of your equipment. After that is achieved, you get on with the more serious people handling matters.

When we shoot weddings almost all my shots are made with the SMC Pentax-DA 16-45mm f4 lens, even indoors without flash if necessary. I use a fast 40mm or 50mm lens when shooting in disco lighting in the evening, but for no other purpose.

I have often wondered if a really good photographer could actually shoot a wedding with a compact digital camera, and I suspect it might be possible. I'm not going to try that on a paying customer though! But the principle is that you don't need masses of equipment. Things move too fast for that.

Anvh wrote:
I think those would be to slow, probably the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 or sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 might do (maybe not wide enough?) or the DA*16-50 with the DA*50-135 but sadly those are quite high in price right now.
You could also get the third party equivalent, the Tamron/Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 with the Sigma 50-150 f/2.8.

With one of these lenses or combination you're pretty much covered for portrait shoot of various group sizes and it does not get better then f/2.8 with zooms which is fast enough most of the times.

For portable studio, for portrait you might consider going the strobist way. A collapsible background with a stand and 2 flash stands with two umbrella's and normal flashguns would get you pretty far.

Spacus wrote:
Hi Guys I just joined last week, I just need a few ideas I had a k100d super, which came with a Tamron 70-300mm and 18-55mm kit lens. I have also bought a few months ago a k10d which came with Pentax DA 50-200mm and an 18-55mm as well. In total I have 2x 18-55mm, 1x Tamron 70-300, 1x 70-300mm sigma APO which I bought separately. I also bought Sigma 28-80 mm aspheric macro and a 50mm Pentax smc 1.4 manual. Please guys do I need anything else as I do photography. I have purchased a kood 5 in 1 reflector, 3 umbrellas white, gold and silver. My last purchase was last week for a heavy duty interfit backdrop support and a white muslin background. Sounds like and displaying all I have but the more I keep reading the forum the more things I think I need to buy need. I use a Pentax AF360FGZ flashgun. I do all my printing from home as I have an Epson 4800 stylus pro, and a HITI 730PS. Please help if I want to achieve a pure white background do I need to invest in studio lighting as I travel to peoples homes to do family shoots. Is there anything else I need as there seems to be an unending purchasing in this business.

Thanks guys