Marc Grant wrote:
I hear you but what you say isn't necessarily true.  People who have expensive weddings have expensive toys.  Imagine showing up with a Rebel when the father of the bride (the guy paying for the wedding, including you) has a 1Ds Mark III in his closet for special occasions.  He may frown on it.

This world on MM is very different than the real world and in high end wedding photography (or just high end photography), what you shoot is very important to the client.

There is truth in your words but there is also a huge difference between sporting a 5d with battery grip and an L lens on it and a Rebel. I shot a few weddings and decided to leave them to the professionals, my hat is off to them.

Considering that the OP would be doing without lights and an ultra wide zoom to get the latest body, I chose to make the more solid investment. The lights and lens will still be in his kit long after the latest and greatest body has been replaced by something better. I am standing by my opinion. The OP has not mentioned the caliber of wedding he usually shoots, there is a place in this world for those who are working their way up the food chain.

Christian Starr wrote:
Everyone knows Nikon indoors - Canon Outdoors!  The Sony 700D indoors is pretty nice too!

Thomas B wrote:
I own a Canon 40D along with the 24-70 2.8 L and 70-200 2.8 IS L. I am purchasing a new body for wedding photography.
If you had the money to buy a 1ds mark III would you purcahse that body for wedding photography OR would you buy the 5d along with the 16-35 L lens as well as some other accessories? Again...only if you were shooting weddings. I will be using the 40d for backup.
Thanks

I am in the exact same situation and I have researched the crud out of this and I am going with the 5D.  The full frame sensor allow me to get out of my lenses what I need to.  The quiet operation and the weight are very manageable.  I have the 40D, love it but the 1.6X kills me for wide group shots.

The flash issues with the 5D and well Canon in general prove to still be a pain in the ass, even with the 580EXII, but then again that is Canon's albatross.  You do not need speed at a wedding, you need quality.

Alan from Aavian Prod wrote:
I am confused by this thread.  I just had a shooting break and had some time to read the forums this morning.

I will tell you why I am confused.  For the OP, budget doesn't seem to be the issue.  If money isn't an issue, I can't think of one good reason to pick a 5D over the 1DS MKIII.  They are both great cameras but, without a doubt, the 1DS MKIII will outperform the 5D.

If budget were an issue, the you would have to balance cost vs performance.

Read the OP carefully-

"If you had the money to buy a 1ds mark III would you purcahse that body for wedding photography OR would you buy the 5d along with the 16-35 L lens as well as some other accessories?"

To get the 1ds, he will have to do without lights and the ultrawide zoom lens. This is the decision, balance of values. No doubt the 1ds is the better camera, at nearly 4x the cost it ought to be! Which is the better long term investment for a wedding photographer is the question.

I vote 5d, lights and lens. While he is making money with that the price of the Mk III will slowly go down and he will have more opportunities to purchase a good used one. It is still too new and goes for full price. 5d was $3k when new, I got a mint one with 500 clicks for $1,650 before the recent price drop (tired of waiting!). That is a lot of camera for the money, the IQ is very high. Yes, there is better available but as I stated before none of his customers are going to complain about image quality of the 5d.

PhotoDancer wrote:

Read the OP carefully-

"If you had the money to buy a 1ds mark III would you purcahse that body for wedding photography OR would you buy the 5d along with the 16-35 L lens as well as some other accessories?"

To get the 1ds, he will have to do without lights and the ultrawide zoom lens. This is the decision, balance of values. No doubt the 1ds is the better camera, at nearly 4x the cost it ought to be! Which is the better long term investment for a wedding photographer is the question.

I vote 5d, lights and lens. While he is making money with that the price of the Mk III will slowly go down and he will have more opportunities to purchase a good used one. It is still too new and goes for full price. 5d was $3k when new, I got a mint one with 500 clicks for $1,650 before the recent price drop (tired of waiting!). That is a lot of camera for the money, the IQ is very high. Yes, there is better available but as I stated before none of his customers are going to complain about image quality of the 5d.

I have done a ton of research and read dozens of other threads on other sites.....this post seems to be the best advice for me right now. I know that the other camera is better but I agree that getting the 5d along with the wide lens...and other accessories will move my business forward. In a year or so I can always upgrade my camera body to the latest and greatest....but this combo seems the best for me right now
Thanks again to everyone who posted some advice...I appreciate it

Marc Grant wrote:

I hear you but what you say isn't necessarily true.  People who have expensive weddings have expensive toys.  Imagine showing up with a Rebel when the father of the bride (the guy paying for the wedding, including you) has a 1Ds Mark III in his closet for special occasions.  He may frown on it.

This world on MM is very different than the real world and in high end wedding photography (or just high end photography), what you shoot is very important to the client.

And they hire photographers who's rates are high enough that they can afford A 1D.

Marc Grant wrote:
I hear you but what you say isn't necessarily true.  People who have expensive weddings have expensive toys.  Imagine showing up with a Rebel when the father of the bride (the guy paying for the wedding, including you) has a 1Ds Mark III in his closet for special occasions.  He may frown on it.

This world on MM is very different than the real world and in high end wedding photography (or just high end photography), what you shoot is very important to the client.

If your a wedding photographer, you NEED proper gear.

There is a HUGE difference between shooting a wedding and being a professional wedding photographer.

A 5d is a great back up, however I would highly suggest shooting weddings with only pro bodies and L glass. - Events move quickly as do you. - There is no purpose in being limited by a camera or piece of equipment.

Am I saying that a rebel XTI/other low end camera's cant be a great camera for a shooter? No absolutely not. - 3 weekends ago my primary body had its shutter broke, and some fool stole my second body 3 days before a wedding. - I was forced to use a XTI. - Tell you what...I came out with some amazing images. - My avatar is one, however It was EXTREMELY limiting indoors.

My point is, the camera does not make the image, we all know that. The photographer does. - But would a professional race car driver REALLY come to an event in a honda STI? - No. - He would come in the proper car for the event.  - Why be limited?

Reasons for 1D Bodies:

1. Low ISO noise at higher ISO (Indoor images)
2. Strikingly crisp images. (Portraits)
3. Amazing auto focus. (Fast moving clients.) Locks on HARD.
4. 45 Point auto focus. (Great no matter where you are)
5. Weight management - Balance of the body is amazing.
(Amazing when dealing with tele-distances/helps stabilize your hands.) - USM/IS is always a SERIOUS bonus on a lens though.
6. Burst mode.  - (Never miss a moment.)


Feel free to continue adding.

Thomas B wrote:
I own a Canon 40D along with the 24-70 2.8 L and 70-200 2.8 IS L. I am purchasing a new body for wedding photography.
If you had the money to buy a 1ds mark III would you purcahse that body for wedding photography OR would you buy the 5d along with the 16-35 L lens as well as some other accessories? Again...only if you were shooting weddings. I will be using the 40d for backup.
Thanks

I use the 40D as a main and my 30D as a back up with the same lens you currently own. I would  buy thee 5D and use the rest of the money for any other gear you may need.

PhotoDancer wrote:
Read the OP carefully-

"If you had the money to buy a 1ds mark III would you purcahse that body for wedding photography OR would you buy the 5d along with the 16-35 L lens as well as some other accessories?"

To get the 1ds, he will have to do without lights and the ultrawide zoom lens. This is the decision, balance of values. No doubt the 1ds is the better camera, at nearly 4x the cost it ought to be! Which is the better long term investment for a wedding photographer is the question.

I vote 5d, lights and lens. While he is making money with that the price of the Mk III will slowly go down and he will have more opportunities to purchase a good used one. It is still too new and goes for full price. 5d was $3k when new, I got a mint one with 500 clicks for $1,650 before the recent price drop (tired of waiting!). That is a lot of camera for the money, the IQ is very high. Yes, there is better available but as I stated before none of his customers are going to complain about image quality of the 5d.

He already has glass.  He also seems to have some money.   My advice is still the same, if he has the money, go with the better camera.  If money is an issue, then consider the 5D.  It is a fine camera, but by no means in the same league as a 1DS MKIII.

Sioux Falls Photography wrote:
If your a wedding photographer, you NEED proper gear.

There is a HUGE difference between shooting a wedding and being a professional wedding photographer.

A 5d is a great back up, however I would highly suggest shooting weddings with only pro bodies and L glass. - Events move quickly as do you. - There is no purpose in being limited by a camera or piece of equipment.

Thanks again for all of the advice. I have been doing a ton of research and I will point this out.....Andy Marcus and Jerry Ghionis (2 of the worlds most popular and most expensive wedding photographers) use a 5d. Andy Marcus owns the new 1ds mark III but he told me at this years WPPI convention that he loves the camera but thinks it is overkill for weddings. He still prefers to use his Canon 5d.
And I agree with the L glass....all of my lenses are L series