OVF vs EVF, R6 vs 5D Mk IV, wedding ...

[SBK]

Well ... I've been asked to shoot a wedding, and probably more down the road. Thankfully, it's probably a year or two away, so I still have time. I've done a couple weddings for friends in the film era, but so that was a long time ago.

This request brought up a lot of questions so please bear with me.

I'll probably the only photographer to cover the wedding, so i can't screw up.

I read online that for weddings, it's a must to use a camera that features dual SD cards, in case one of the card has some issue. So here's my list of questions:

1. On cameras that supports only one SD card, would the camera raise a red signal somehow to inform the photographer that the write-operation of the picture to the SD card failed ? If it does then at least the photographer has a chance to put a new SD card in. If it does not then the photographer is screwed as s/he won't know.

2. If it's a must to have a camera with dual SD cards, then my choices will be either the R6 or the 5D Mk IV. They cost the same price new. The R6 obviously has so many more desirable features, one of which is the 7 or 8-stop of image stabilization that is great for my case ... but the R6 is new.  On the other hand, the 5D Mk IV seems to have a track of record for being reliable according to what I've read and watched on youtube. The question is : could I trust the R6 for dependability even though it has been out for only 4 months ?

3. I currently have a 6D and a 6D Mk II, are they good enough as backup cameras ? Should be, but what do I know ?

4. The R6 has no OVF.

Obviously I won't buy either camera just for weddings. I do enjoy capturing some action pictures (sports, birds ...)

This first picture below was captured with a Fujifilm X100F , and I have a higher rate of success capturing the arrow flying using the OVF, as I could clearly see it and hit the shutter at the right time. There was no need to shoot at 4 fps.

The one below was captured with the 6D, the success rate was lower, so i had to shoot at 4 fps to increase my chances:

But still, with the 6D OVF, I can still see while shooting at 4 fps.

I have not tried to take these pics with an EVF yet. I am wondering whether I should stick with the 5D Mk IV for the OVF ?

5. Panning with EVF ?

I already have a hard time capturing these birds with OVF, would it be harder with EVF ?

[SBK]

... I forgot to mention that if it's acceptable to shoot a wedding with a single-SD-card camera, then I probably don't need to get the R6 or 5D Mk IV, do I ?

The 6D Mk II already has a lot of features that I don't use.

[Waddizzle]

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@SBK wrote:

... I forgot to mention that if it's acceptable to shoot a wedding with a single-SD-card camera, then I probably don't need to get the R6 or 5D Mk IV, do I ?

The 6D Mk II already has a lot of features that I don't use.

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Using a camera with dual card slots is better than using a camera with a single slot.  There is no requirement that you must use a camera with dual card slots.  However, the dual slots give a backup.

You could use a 6D Series body, if you wish.  I would carry at least 4-6 spare cards for each body, an swap out the cards often.    If a card fails, then you won't lose the entire wedding because everything is on just the one memory card.  This is where carrying smaller capactity cards works in your favor.

As far as an R6 only being 4 months old goes, I don't think it really matters.  Didn't you say the wedding is 1-2 years away? Canon is likely to have another RF mount camera released by a 2022.

[rs-eos]

Putting aside the camera body, what lenses do you have?  Weddings can often demand quite a few focal lengths and many venues can end up being dark, so wide apertures are almost a must.

Also consider lighting.  Flash would not be acceptable in many situations.  But for cases where you could add lighting, you could set up a few speedlites to fire on very low power while increasing say ISO.  This won't distract guests.

For some of the more elaborate setups I have learned about (Bob Davis; Canon Explorer of Light and well-established wedding photographer), he uses two camera bodies so has very quick access to two lenses at all times.

Think about the types of shots that are needed too.  From group shots to closeups.  Mr. Davis also carries around a macro lens to get various detail shots (e.g. the rings).

I agree that dual card slots are not an absolute must, but they are nice.  You can always capture in RAW + JPEG to get two files written per shot.  True, if the entire card goes bad, you lose all its photos.  However, if the RAW fails to write, but the JPEG succeeds, you've got the shot.   Speaking of cards, make sure you use very trusted brands; avoid the cheap stuff.

Other tips... carry around corrective gels (often CTO) for any flashes you'll have.  Lighting in the venues can be about anything these days.

[SBK]

> You could use a 6D Series body, if you wish. I would carry at least 4-6 spare cards for each body, an swap out the cards often.

Yes, I am currently using 32GB cards, but will probably switch to 16GB

> Putting aside the camera body, what lenses do you have? Weddings can often demand quite a few focal lengths and many venues can end up being dark, so wide apertures are almost a must.

I currently have the EF 200mm 2.8L, EF 70-300mm 4-5.6 IS USM, and 50mm 1.8 STM

Depending whether or not I would get the R6 or 5D Mk IV, I would either get the RF 24-105 and RF 70-200; or the same zoom in EF lenses. The 85mm 1.4L IS and 35mm 2.0 IS are considered too if 5D Mk IV is the way.

> Also consider lighting. Flash would not be acceptable in many situations. But for cases where you could add lighting, you could set up a few speedlites to fire on very low power while increasing say ISO. This won't distract guests.

I am not a fan of on-camera flash pictures so that's why I like the R6 IBIS + RF IS lenses for that big advantage over the 5d Mk IV

> For some of the more elaborate setups I have learned about (Bob Davis; Canon Explorer of Light and well-established wedding photographer), he uses two camera bodies so has very quick access to two lenses at all times.

Yes, this is what I used to do in the film days, one body with a 35mm and the other with an 85mm.

[John_SD]

"I read online that for weddings, it's a must to use a camera that features dual SD cards..."

"...the 5D Mk IV seems to have a track of record for being reliable according to what I've read and watched on youtube. 

I am going to be frank. Based on your questions and statements, I thnk you should thank whoever asked you to shoot their wedding, but you should politely decline. You have no business shooting a wedding. A wedding is an unrepeatable event, and your questions reveal you to be a complete amateur without even knowing the basics. Most people are going to tell you that your shoot will be a great success. Don't believe them. It's going to be a disaster for you and for the bride and groom. Don't do it until you learn something about photography. I don't care if the wedding is a year from now. You can't go from shooting pigeons to shooting a wedding and expect to have happy customers.