viability of m8 for weddings...

I used to shoot weddings with two M6TTL's, two SF-20's with Lutz's S-FILL and Nikon off-camera TTL cords, plus an EOS-3/EX-550 for things the rangefinder couldn't do, macro, etc.

Having done that, honestly, I think any M body is best suited to available light work. I did get good results using the SF-20's, but 'degree of difficulty' simply doesn't count when trying to deliver consistently good images. And flash work is such an important part of wedding shoots that I think using any M body as your primary camera is a handicap.

Once you start strapping flashes and sync cords on your M, you'd really be better off using a CaNikon. And if you're planning on shooting a 100% available light wedding, well....who are you shooting to impress, the bride, or your pals on this forum? 🙂


If I had to do it again, I would reverse the proportions: Two Canon SLR bodies for the bulk of the wedding, and an M body loaded with B&W film for those times when it's the right tool. And because it simply brings me pleasure to use the damned thing. 🙂
 
Check out Riccis Valladares' work. He's a professional wedding photographer who shoots with M8s and Leica RFs.. He's also a member here so he might respond to your questions.

Jeff Ascough also recently started to shoot weddings with the M8.
 
I'm currently gearing up for weddings ( I do portraits and corporate work at the moment). I'd have to say that as you can have two 5d's and a lens for the price of an m8 it's a no brainer. Couple that with the black fabric issues - you'd have to get the cut out filters for all your lenses for wedding work, the 5d's better high iso performance, better flash system, you can use zooms - and I could go on.
 
Way off topic in this day and age, but I went to a wedding yesterday and the photographer was shooting with a Hasselblad, and yes, film backs. He also had a terrible toupee. I don't know if the two facts are related, but this was the first time in a long time that I have seen a photog shooting with MF in a long time.
 
" I'd have to say that as you can have two 5d's and a lens for the price of an m8 it's a no brainer"
it's not that black and white actually... firstly i am a available light photographer. flashcapabilities are not a concern. as well, there is a "shooting flow" with rangefinders that to me has an equitable value. yes the 5d is a very capable camera BUT i would gravitate towards the m8 if i knew the issues of reliability were a "non concern".
i really don't want to dwell on the ir "issue" as 1/ the filters will be part of the package and 2/ i will be shooting raw
thanx ywenz... i'll see if i can check out his work. i am well up to date on ascough's feelings on the m8. man that guy's good...
 
Jeff has bought an M8 for sure, but where did you read that he's using it for weddings?

He wrote this on April 17th and has written that he would never use a single card camera for a wedding. perhaps the M8 reliability has inspired a change of heart. 🙄

"Jeff Ascough
Pro Member

Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: UK
Posts: 5,451
At this point I sit quietly patting myself on the back for always, always using dual cards at a wedding.....

When are the major camera manufacturers going to get a grip on this and supply all cameras with dual card cabability.... "
 
kevin m said:
You've piqued my curiousity now. How do you shoot weddings without using flash?
Click to expand...

Use and work with the ambient light and shoot wide open if necessary. f1.4 will gather a lot of light for you.

Unless you're balancing strong contrast why would you need it? I use a flash gun at 1 in 3 weddings maybe and only then at the reception.

Rolo
 
i believe, and it's been a while since i shot a wedding (two years to be exact) i shot the last 5 weddings without any flash at all. i certainly pack them along for the ride but rarely. rarely use them.
if you are indeed curious about weddings sans flash take a hop over to mr ascoughs web site and take a peek.
disclaimer; i am by no means comparing myself to jeff ascough

i'm not entirely sure ascough is shooting weddings on an m8 right now... i did see some landscape work he did with the m8 but i am unsure as to how it has worked out in his proffessional endeavours.
 
emraphoto said:
" I'd have to say that as you can have two 5d's and a lens for the price of an m8 it's a no brainer"
it's not that black and white actually... firstly i am a available light photographer. flashcapabilities are not a concern. as well, there is a "shooting flow" with rangefinders that to me has an equitable value. yes the 5d is a very capable camera BUT i would gravitate towards the m8 if i knew the issues of reliability were a "non concern".
i really don't want to dwell on the ir "issue" as 1/ the filters will be part of the package and 2/ i will be shooting raw
thanx ywenz... i'll see if i can check out his work. i am well up to date on ascough's feelings on the m8. man that guy's good...
Click to expand...

The reason I'd recommend the 5d or indeed any equivalent nikon/canon camera is that a) you should really have two cameras for a wedding two M8's is very expensive. b) if you have reliability issues it's easier to rent canon/ nikon equipment AND you won't have to deal with the wait while your M8 is sent to Germany. That's the big problem with any camera that's not nikon or canon they just don't have a decent pro back up / service infrastucture. The first rule of wedding photography is to cover yourself in case things go wrong this is not impossible, but is certainly harder with an M8 based set up.
 
Please feel free to PM or email me if you have any questions about shooting weddings with the M8. Also visit my blog to see more of my recent work.

For those of you interested in available light, please check out my latest wedding on the blog (http://www.riccisvalladares.com/wordpress/?p=591) as it was shot all with an M7 and available light.

I also don't think the Jeff A. is back to shooting weddings with the M8, but I could be wrong.

Cheers,

Riccis
 
Hi everyone. I'm Danielle and I've shot weddings with two M7s (one mine, one rented). The images were beautiful and if I hadn't switched to digital I'd probably still be using them. If the M8 were cheaper I'd buy one tomorrow, heck I've been thisclose to using the M7 I do have for a credit towards it and putting the rest on a credit card.

As for Jeff A, his work is incredible and he does mention on his blog:

http://www.jeffascough.net/blog

using the M8 on several recent weddings.
 
Just curious, in a wedding, where most captured moments are spontaneous, how do you decide when to use the backup?

I mean, do you only use the backup if you sense that the primary camera is acting up? or do you alternately use the cameras so there's a good chance that the backup camera also get the "good shots"?

I remember years ago that my wedding photographer had two cameras on her side at all times, but I don't remember if she switches back and forth (well, I was the groom, why would I notice things like that? 😛 )
 
"The reason I'd recommend the 5d or indeed any equivalent nikon/canon camera is that a) you should really have two cameras for a wedding two M8's is very expensive. b) if you have reliability issues it's easier to rent canon/ nikon equipment AND you won't have to deal with the wait while your M8 is sent to Germany. That's the big problem with any camera that's not nikon or canon they just don't have a decent pro back up / service infrastucture. The first rule of wedding photography is to cover yourself in case things go wrong this is not impossible, but is certainly harder with an M8 based set up."

i would never dream of shooting a wedding with one camera. my kit would be (for now) an m8 (for b+w), an r-d1s (colour) and an m6ttl for the back-up. i will sport a 35mm f1.2 voigtlander, 35mm 'cron, 50mm 'cron, 15mm heliar and a 75mm f2.5 voigtlander.
as well a pair of sf 24d's and some odd's and sodd's
 
shadowfox said:
Just curious, in a wedding, where most captured moments are spontaneous, how do you decide when to use the backup?
Click to expand...

In my case the backup is always in use... One camera has a wide angle and the other one has a mid telephoto.

Emra - Two M8s will not be that much more expensive than 2 D3s or 2 1DMarkIII or 2 1DsMarkIII...
Nikon Professional Services or Canon Professional Services are great in the sense that you can get loaners while you wait for your repairs. You can also look into Leica Professional Services and as long as your M8 does not have to go to Germany, you can have it back in 1-2 weeks...
BTW, I no longer use M8s for reasons I can't state, but nothing to do with the quality of the files or knowledge of an M-9, I just had to make a decision that it was best for my business.

Cheers,

Riccis
 
I am little surprised some here don't use the Fuji S5 for weddings

With their recent price drop and I actually probably going towards that instead of the D300 (using my other Nikons as backup)

The extra DR and the Fuji Colors are a great match, even at the expense of a few fps

Ricci, great work as always

What film are using currently?
 
Thanks, Pete... I am currently using Fuji Neopan 400 for the B&W and Pro 400H-800Z for the color work. I'm overexposing the film by a stop, but have my lab develop regularly.

Cheers,

Riccis
 
Riccis said:
Thanks, Pete... I am currently using Fuji Neopan 400 for the B&W and Pro 400H-800Z for the color work. I'm overexposing the film by a stop, but have my lab develop regularly.

Cheers,

Riccis
Click to expand...


Now I see ... that Neopan 400 has a real unique look, perhaps the overexposure adds to it... but I like it

So are you still using some of your texture masks over the film shots? Or are you just tweaking the colors
 
IGMeanwell said:
I am little surprised some here don't use the Fuji S5 for weddings

With their recent price drop and I actually probably going towards that instead of the D300 (using my other Nikons as backup)

The extra DR and the Fuji Colors are a great match, even at the expense of a few fps

Ricci, great work as always

What film are using currently?
Click to expand...

I have a fuji S3 that hogs all my DSLR duties, sometimes I crave some speed but I really like the image files that the fuji puts out. Certaintly a viable option.
 
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