D70 Digital Camera (Body Only)Buy new: $1,288.99
/ Used from: $400.00
This is a lot like the D50 that I use. it's a great camera to start with and when you buy a better one, it's a great second body to have around. During the ceremony I shoot two cameras. On this one I put the 18-50mm sigma f/2.8 and set it to around 1/60 shutter and 800-1600 ISO, depending on ambient light.
Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)Buy new: $1,755.81
/ Used from: $1,675.00
Unless you shoot for Sports Illustrated or National Geographic, this is all the camera you'll ever need. During a wedding ceremony, I put the sigma 50-150 f/2.8 on it and set it at around 1/150th shutter, f/2.8, and ISO 1600-3200, depending on ambient light. It's great that it captures 6+ frames per second.
Nikon MB-D10 Multi Power Battery Pack for Nikon D300 DSLR CamerasBuy new: $229.00
The D300 gets phenomenal battery life, but if you're going to shoot all day you don't want to take chances. Get this grip for the extra battery power, but also get it because it gives you a vertical shutter button and command dial, and ALSO because it gives you an extra 2 shots per second in burst mode (bringing you up to 8!)
Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM Macro Lens for Nikon DSLRBuy new: $449.00
I once shot an entire wedding day with just this lens. It's that handy. It's perfect for indoors because it's fast and it's wide. It's a lot cheaper than buying the equivalent Nikon-brand lens, too.
Sigma 50-150mm F/2.8 APO EX DC HSM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR CamerasBuy used from: $728.00
Normal to telephoto zoom at a fast f/2.8. What's to hate? Shooting a ceremony in a dim church is always a challenge. You usually have to use f/2.8. But at 150mm you also need a shutter speed of 1/150th of a second... that's when you need to use a high ISO and hope your camera deals with the noise. That's where the Nikon D300 comes in, yo.
Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR CamerasBuy new: $110.90
Every Nikon DSLR owner should have this lens. It's ninja-sharp and it's super cheap. Just buy it. Trust me. I don't use it a lot for weddings, but if I did I'd probably try using it for some of the one and two-person posed shots.
Nikon SB-800 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR CamerasBuy new: $321.83
/ Used from: $309.08
I won't repeat the wealth of information the other kind reviewers have already given. I'll just focus on why I decided to cough up the extra $100 to get the SB-800 instead of the less powerful SB-600.
Compared to the SB-600, the SB-800 has the following extra features:
1) Much more powerful, as reflected in the GN.
2) Slightly faster recycle time with the standard four AA batteries. It also comes with a battery holder that holds a fifth battery which cuts down recycle time by 1/3 to 1/2.
3) The SB-800 has non-TTL auto and auto aperture modes. (More on this later.)
4) In wireless remote mode, the SB-800 can act both as the master and slave, whereas the 600 can only be a slave.
5) It comes with a useful diffusion dome, which won't even fit on the SB-600.
6) The SB-800 package also includes two colored gel filters.
7) The SB-800 can do repeating flash (in the same exposure), for a strobe effect.
Basically, both the 600 and 800 support Nikon's latest flash technologies, i-TTL (supported by the D70 and D2H only) and CLS (creative lighting system), in addition to all the TTL (through the lens) flash modes Nikon introduced in the past. The 600 is really a prosumer-level flash that's either TTL or manual, whereas the 800 is pure pro-grade with a lot of modes and options. The manual, evidently written by a Japanese manual writer, attests to its sophistication; understanding the manual will really require a Ph.D. in yoga so you don't stress yourself out.
The 800's auto modes are what won me over in the end. The auto modes can set the flash output automatically on Nikon bodies that do not support any TTL (through the lens) mode. On those bodies, with the 600 you'd have to resort to manual, which is simply a pain in the butt, not to mention prone to error. The two non-TTL auto modes on the 800 are auto aperture and auto. You'll need to study the manual very carefully to figure out the difference; I still haven't, but I'm already enjoying the auto aperture mode. The availability of auto modes also means the 800 can be used on a wide range of Nikon bodies than the simpler 600.
If you are deciding between the 600 and the 800 like I was, ask yourself the following questions:
1) Do you have an extra $100-$150 to spend? If yes, the 800.
2) Do you plan to use the external flash a lot? If yes, the 800.
3) Do you have Nikon bodies (usually older manual ones) that do not support TTL (you can find out in the camera's user's guide)? If yes, the 800.
4) Do you plan to do a lot of wireless flash photography and take full advantage of Nikon's Creative Lighting System? If yes, the 800.
5) If you want to get a diffusion dome that fits the flash, get the 800.
In the end, I think the SB-800 is a better long-term investment than the SB-600, despite the higher price. It's much more powerful and flexible, and even though it's an overkill for me right now, I imagine when my flash photography improves (and I'm trying very hard right now), it'll prove a very worthy investment.
Gary Fong P1 Clear Lightsphere II Inverted Dome Flash Diffusion System.Buy new: $39.95
/ Used from: $27.50
Gary Fong's Lightsphere is the coolest diffuser. Put it on your flash, aim the flash at the celling, shoot pictures that use flash but don't look like you're using a flash. Seriously, this makes your flash twice as useful as before--plus it's cheap! Don't skip this.
Domke F-3X Super Compact Camera Bag, Canvas, Sand.Buy new: $100.50
I almost cheaped out on my camera bag, but after using the Domke super compact, I'm really glad I didn't. This bag is so wonderful that I'd wear it as a hat if I could. It's perfect for carrying one DLSR, a couple of lenses, plus some do-dads.
Domke F-2 Original Bag (Sand)Buy new: $116.25
This is as swell as the super compact, but it holds two cameras and a few lenses and some do-dads. Hey, you have two cameras. Whatcha gonna carry when you need to haul them both? This bag. The other one is for when you're just shooting one camera.
Tags:
