why nikon... not becos it's good, it's becos that's wat i started with when i didn't know better, and i have thousands of $ in nikon equipment and while it isn't the "best" it has produced the images u see here. the reason why "best" is in quotes, is becos there's no such thing as the "best" camera.
i've used the d2hs d2x and d200 for weddings, and each of them do fall short in some ways, and after thoroughly using all three, i chose the d200, and have two of them. d2hs not enuff mp (this one got long debate, i dun wanna talk about it here), d2x too noisy. d200 isn't the perfect solution, it does have it's problems, but for wedding photography, it's be best of the lot. i REALLY REALLY REALLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY miss the focussing speed of the d2 bodies, the d200 really miles away from that. if u're using afs lenses u might not be able to tell the difference (i still can), but when u start using afd lenses that are relatively heavy (say 85/1.4) then u can cry when it's low light. put that lens on the d2 and it eats the lens up for supper. so that's the major thing for me with the d200. CAM1000 is... a marketing technique, imo. given, it's probably still better than cam900 but it's marginal, imo.
that said, the d200 is miles apart from the d2 bodies in terms of AWB. altho i shoot in raw, it's still nice to see on your LCD an image that looks real. my d2hs awb is so bad, coupled with a screen that is SO OFF, when u look at ur image u feel like giving up photography. i even asked around if i could calibrate the screen on my cam! it was that bad.... of course when the image was viewed on my PC it looked much better and since it's in RAW i can fix the wb.
while nikon is generally noisier than it's canon counterparts, IF you want the noise, it is MUCH MORE PLEASING. canon's noise, imo.. SUX, that's if u get any at all. 5D is like king of noise, so if u manage to get noise out of it, it looks like crap, but mostly you don't. alot of the "grainy" images u see posted in this thread is just the d200's noise, not necessarily added in PS. u draw ur own conclusions how this noise looks to u, i kinda like it for certain images.
nikon has the best flash system in the world, again, imo. for wedding photography, flash can be very important, and while the trend is to shoot ambient light, it is not always possible. a good flash system can really make it easier to get the right feel for the shot.
i guess that's as much as i will share about the nikon system for WEDDINGS for ME. other opinions will surely differ, and since this thread isn't about equipment, i am not inviting anyone to refute me on what i've said above as this are just my opinions. anyone wanted to do a C vs N pls PM me or open another thread, thanx!
all that said, i have been known to say (many times actually!) that if nikon doesn't come out with a GILAT d3, i am gonna buy a 5D!! serious.. but it'll cost me ALOT. by that time it will probably be a 3D... even better.. and more expensive!
nikon needs to do more than just a good D3 body. they need to put afs on their primes, and somehow make their raw files smaller. it makes me wonder why the the canon raw file is smaller than the nikon raw filme when it has the same MP size.... anyone notice that?? my d200 which is a 10mp camera produces 16mb raw files... hard disk space not cheap lor.
ok i think i spoke enuff about equipment.. i dun usually. eheh... today in some sort of funny mood.
and one last statement, and let me disclaim myself first, that this is just my sincere opinion, in no way am i trying to be ego:
you can only really tell the difference whether it's the equipment that's causing u to "fail" and not ur own error, when u are really really experienced and really know ur equipment well. it is just too easy to say, ya equipment sux that's why my photos dun turn out. there are plenty of times when i dun get my shot and it's not becos of the equipment. but after all these weddings, when i DO miss a shot BECOS of equipment, i know it and hell i blame the equipment for sure (hint - it's usually becos of slow AF, seriously, 90% of the time). but i also know, as mentioned, there is no "best" camera out there, so even if i had all the money in the world i couldn't buy it. so wat to do? move on and hunt for the next shot, not the next best camera!
u wanted a recommendation on a system. i can't, because i've only used nikon, i wouldn't know which is better. if i do go over to canon with the 5d, who knows i might not like it and come back to nikon. that would stupendously expensive, and definitely hope that it doesn't happen! i guess if i were to switch over i would rent or borrow canon first to try for a few weddings to make an informed decision. and yes they have to be tested on WEDDINGS only, becos that is what i truly need the camera for. it's my ricebowl.
which is my advise to u, try before u buy. cameras, wives... all the same. :bsmilie: :bsmilie:
ok lame joke, forgive me, type too much liow....
nice shot, nicely reflected.
