So my cousin and her fiancé asked me if I can take some pictures at her wedding this weekend.
They hired a photographer but apparently (s)he won't be staying until the end of the ceremony, so what they're looking for is mainly pictures of them at the end, walking down the aisle together (pic related is the kind of picture my cousin told me she liked), and some snaps of the family at the ceremony afterwards.
I've got an X-Pro2, X70 (28mm equivalent FOV), X100S (35mm equivalent FOV), and my girlfriend's X-T1. For lenses, I've got the 14/2.8, 16/1.4, 23/1.4, 35/1.4, 56/1.2, 90/2, and the 16-55/2.8. I've also got speed lights and a few light modifiers.
It will be indoors and dimly lit.
Considering that it's out of town and I'll be flying there, I want to travel light. I usually shoot studio which is obviously a lot more forgiving than an event, so I want to make sure I get it right.
What do I take? I'm split between the zoom for versatility and the primes for low light capability. My current plan is the X-Pro2 with the zoom since it can do higher ISO's better, and taking a few primes to use with the X-T1 - 16, 35, 56, 90? Plus a speed light and a couple of gels to match ambient lighting.
I'm probably overthinking this but obviously I don't want to fuck it up. Also, any tips would be truly appreciated.
To summarize,
>mirrorless
>dark
>moving subjects
How fucked am I?
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Camera-Specific Properties: Image-Specific Properties: Image Orientation Top, Left-Hand Horizontal Resolution 72 dpi Vertical Resolution 72 dpi Color Space Information sRGB Image Width 630 Image Height 630 Scene Capture Type Standard
>>2815424
Use your XPro2 and 16-55 in in high performance mode, medium sized zone AF, AF-C, and continuous low. You'll be just fine.
For safety, keep the X-T1 on your shoulder with the 16mm on it. Also medium zone and AF-C. That lens has great AF, and the added aperture should help the X-T1 out.
You'll be just fine.
You're gonna make it.
Anyway to find out what equipment their photographer is shooting with? Dimensions of the room the ceremony will be in? Your available mobility?
I'd go for precision at the ceremony, and then open up and be playful at the reception. That's generally what people are looking for given the contrast between the ceremony and the party.
56 or 35 IMO. maybe one for each segment.
>>2815433
>>2815433
Not OP, but I've owned an X Pro 1, XT-1 - before and after FW4.0, an X100S, an X100T and now an X Pro 2 and I still can't bring myself to use zone focus instead of single point.
What do you use it for, and how do you go about deciding where to place the zone, what size, etc? I feel like I'm half using the camera lol.
>>2815441
Single point is fine when things aren't moving, or when your subject is small in the frame.
Zone is for moving subjects, and subjects that are larger in the frame (take up enough space to fill the whole zone you're using). For single shot, it gives the camera the chance to evaluate the subject and pick the most appropriate spot to focus, or in low light situations, gives more surface area and therefore more focus points to give it a better shot of finding a lock.
It's REALLY good for moving subjects (like people dancing, or a bride and groom walking down an aisle at you) since as they shift, you can keep the camera steady and know that it will be activating and using whatever focus point it needs to keep tracking the subject.
Personally, I only use zone for moving subjects, and low light. And even then, in low light, if I need to NAIL focus, like on someone's eyes for a portrait, I'll switch back over to single point.
>>2815444
Yeah I still have a bad habit of using single point for moving subjects too; always have and old habits die hard. I shoot from an airplane at low altitude for pictures of boats with various Nikon cameras and still find single point yields better results for me than any of the smart AF modes. I really should stop being a troglodyte one of these days - I feel like I'm under utilising so much of the camera haha. I think I just have a hang up on trusting it to follow the right subject.
>>2815441
Oh, and for:
>and how do you go about deciding where to place the zone, what size, etc?
I evaluate the scene, and the shot I'm looking to take, and decide where I want the subject to be in the frame. Then I decide how big the important part of the subject will be in the shot (typically someone's head, for me) and put the zone in that spot, at that size. I try to account for motion of the subject too, if they're moving erratically, I'll make the zone a little larger. If they're predictable I'll keep it smaller to keep from ending up with a background in focus.
Pic Related is a shot I took a couple of days ago, I painted on an approximation of what my zone looked like when I was shooting.
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Camera-Specific Properties: Equipment Make FUJIFILM Camera Model X-Pro2 Camera Software Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6.5 (Windows) Maximum Lens Aperture f/2.8 Sensing Method One-Chip Color Area Focal Length (35mm Equiv) 78 mm Image-Specific Properties: Horizontal Resolution 300 dpi Vertical Resolution 300 dpi Image Created 2016:04:13 22:00:37 Exposure Time 1/500 sec F-Number f/2.8 Exposure Program Shutter Priority ISO Speed Rating 320 Lens Aperture f/2.8 Brightness 5.2 EV Exposure Bias 0 EV Metering Mode Pattern Light Source Unknown Flash No Flash, Compulsory Focal Length 52.00 mm Color Space Information sRGB Rendering Normal Exposure Mode Auto White Balance Auto Scene Capture Type Standard Sharpness Hard Subject Distance Range Unknown
>>2815448
Thanks for the insight.
>>2815447
Yeah, to put it bluntly, a lot of the time when people are complaining about the capabilities and hassles that go with their camera, it's because they're not using the camera correctly, and not letting the camera do the heavy lifting it's designed for. Many people complain about the focus system on Fuji cameras, and while I don't have any statistics, I'd say that a lot of the time, the issues come from not understanding how the system works. Especially after the 4.0 updates. There are a ton of settings and options that affect AF performance, and they all have to be set correctly to do the job well. It's not quite as complex as the "pro level" AF systems on a 1Dx for example, where you have different settings for lateral motion than you do for longitudinal, for example, but it's much more fine tuned than it would be on a 50D or D5200. And when you're shooting with an OVF "rangefinder style" with parallax added to the mix, and you're not actually even pointing the camera where you think you are, you add more complexity to the mix and can end up frustrated.
But, once you get it learned, and take the time to set the system to your needs, you'll find that it's very responsive, very accurate, and reliable enough that you can stop worrying about it.
Pic related for the OP. Super low light, lots of distractions in the frame for the AF system to get confused by, and still, focus right where I wanted it. Not sure if this will have EXIF so it's on my X-T1. Not a great shot for viewing as it's not interesting if you weren't there, but it shows that I'm not just making this all up as I go, hopefully.
[EXIF data available. Click here to show/hide.]
Camera-Specific Properties: Equipment Make FUJIFILM Camera Model X-T1 Camera Software Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6.4 (Windows) Maximum Lens Aperture f/2.8 Sensing Method One-Chip Color Area Focal Length (35mm Equiv) 210 mm Image-Specific Properties: Horizontal Resolution 200 dpi Vertical Resolution 200 dpi Image Created 2016:02:16 23:27:04 Exposure Time 1/60 sec F-Number f/2.8 Exposure Program Manual ISO Speed Rating 3200 Lens Aperture f/2.8 Brightness -1.8 EV Exposure Bias -0.7 EV Metering Mode Pattern Light Source Tungsten Flash No Flash, Compulsory Focal Length 140.00 mm Rendering Normal Exposure Mode Manual White Balance Manual Scene Capture Type Standard Sharpness Normal Subject Distance Range Unknown
>>2815452
>ISO 3200
Wow. That looks nice.
>>2815433
>>2815436
>>2815444
>>2815448
>>2815452
OP here, thank you all greatly for all the help. I'm used to using single point AF-S autofocus, so I'll be practicing with zone AF-C today to get myself familiar with it.
Any reason continuous-low is preferred over high? CS-L gets me 3 frames per second, while CS-H gets me 8 (I think). I've got a 32GB UHS-II card so buffer issues should be minimized.
>>2815436
My cousin sent me the location's name and a few photos. The wedding itself will be in a chapel where the ceiling looks about 12-15 feet high, and the walls are way apart. The dinner afterwards is in an even bigger room.
Any recommendations on flash? Looks like bouncing won't be an option with such high ceilings. In addition to the gels I mentioned, I have a wannabe softbox thing that goes over the speedlight (and honestly doesn't do shit since it's so small). Should I make one of those Fong things with Tupperware to diffuse flash? Or should I forget about flash entirely?
>>2815522
>Any reason continuous-low is preferred over high?
For your needs, I suggested low to give the camera bit more time to focus between shots, especially since action won't be unfolding THAT fast. Of course it's up to your judgement, but having 32 nearly identical photos that might be out of focus seems less useful to me than having 12 photos that are in focus. If you trust that the focus will lock at the faster speeds (it very well may) then there's very little to lose by bumping it up.
>Should I make one of those Fong things with Tupperware to diffuse flash? Or should I forget about flash entirely?
If you're worried about REALLY low light, I'd make a dome diffuser for a flash, but if it's just "low light" your cameras will do very nicely at high ISO, and my personal approach would be to shoot them wide open at f1.4. Maybe some dragged shutter second curtain stuff if there's energetic dancing at the reception or something.
I'd bring it all and apply it as needed.
>>2815528
Cool beans, thanks again!
>>2815532
No problem.
Also, if you're going to practice AF-C, I'd suggest finding a moving subject for it. When I had my DSLR setup, I'd leave it in AI-Servo all the time and when something wasn't moving, it would be perfectly happy focusing on it and just sitting there, so it worked well for both moving subjects, and for still stuff, but on the Fuji, for the lenses I use. I've found that for a still subject, AF-C freaks out trying to keep it in focus as it moves (it isn't moving) so it jitters constantly like a puppy waiting for you to throw a ball, and most of your shots will be out of focus. So try on cars driving by, or something.
>>2815424
Da fuk kind of wedding photog doesnt stay for the whole ceremony? Are they hired for first look and some pre ceremony formals and thats it?
