Home Forums Gear Photography Pro DSLR suggestions?

For wedding work, I would go with something like the Nikon D700. It is roughly half the price as the D3s and as far as I can tell, it has the same basic image quality. I know several successful freelance photographers that use the D300 and the D700 appears to be even better.

It offers the "new" FX format, which is a 35mm format, not the smaller DX format that became the standard for about 10 years. I say go with the new format because not all megapixels are the same. A 12meg FX format image is higher quality than a 12 meg DX format and for wedding pictures, you need the quality. I would probably start with just one body and if the business takes off, buy a second.

For longer glass, I would go with the Nikkor 80-200...not the newer 70-210 VR. The 70-210 is great, but the 80-200 f2.8 is far more budget friendly and the glass is just as sharp. Basically you don't need to pay for all the bells and whistles offered on the 70-210 for wedding/portrait work...you just don't need them.

For wider glass, I would go with a Nikkor zoom in the 24-55mm range, again, f2.8. You need the speed of the 2.8 lenses for low light that weddings are plagued by. I really don't see a need to go any wider with the FX format.(DX is a different story) Cheaper off-brand lenses are tempting due to price, but the quality is not the same no matter what the manufacturer says, that's why they are cheaper.

For lights I would say go with something like White Lightening's Alien Bee series. Two small, lightweight kits and she will be set. White Lightening has a very solid reputation for both quality and superb service.

One thing I will say about marketing. Make sure the prints are made with archival inks such as Epson's chrome inks on premium paper. (For serious work like big portraits, I like the look of acid free art paper instead of regular photo paper. It gives you a more snooty product to offer, and will set her apart from the rest of the pack...that's what it's all about) Also, I would be with them when they choose the images for prints. It is a lot easier to sell somebody a bigger (read: more profitable) print if they are sitting beside you.

Even though I have a photojournalism degree, 25 years of full-time pro experience in photojournalism, have covered everything from a civil war (twice) to sports to homicides to the occasional freelance wedding, I still worry about being laid off constantly. So trust me, I have been looking at gear that will make a living for me. Overspending or underspending on gear are just bad business practices.

Nikon vs. Canon? Six of one, half dozen of the other. Both are high quality. I just use Nikon because that is what I started with in college and it is also what my company buys for me. Also, I know 10 times more shooters who use Nikon, so it makes it easier if I need to borrow a lens from a friend.

Again, this is just for wedding/portrait/travel type work. If she plans to shoot sports that's a whole other animal, but I doubt that will be the case.

Hopefully, this novel-length reply helps! (LOL)