Medium format
For a long while this has been the absolute best
option for shooting weddings and the very
first sign to recognize a professional wedding
photographer. The size of the film is three
times larger than that of a 35mm negative,
resulting in high resolution photos that
can be beautifully enlarged. However, the
camera and processing costs are quite expensive.
The main advantage is the high resolution
of negatives. Disadvantages include: high
operating expenses - so high that many wedding
photography album companies advise the photographer
to limit the number of photos he takes; the
film can be lost or destroyed during processing;
slower to operate.
35mm cameras
These cameras used to have a bad reputation
for producing low quality enlargements compared
to the ones talked about before. However,
the quality has been significantly improved
during the last few years and now these cameras
are successfully used by many photographers,
especially those shooting thousands of photos
at a wedding. Main advantages: fast - easy
to operate, focus and shoot; significantly
improved quality of enlargements - most people
can hardly tell the difference between a
medium format and a 35mm. Disadvantages:
increasing costs for processing the film;
the film can again be damaged or lost.
Digital cameras
Using digital cameras for shooting weddings
has been a viable alternative for eight years
now. The technology has evolved so much that
it rivals and even beats that of medium format
cameras. In fact, many wedding photographers
that used medium format have switched to
digital. Advantages: the possibility to review
the photos immediately; cutting the costs
of film and processing (though this may be
offset by the high amount of time spent to
process the images on the computer); higher
control on the final result - a rotation
or cropping is much quicker and easier than
with film. Disadvantages: the technology
is rapidly evolving and is hard to keep updated
(though this does not necessarily affect
the consumer); memory cards can be easily
lost compared to films (ask the photographer
how he makes sure that the photos arrive
safely at the studio).
All in all, any of these formats can produce
great results. Many photographers use several
types of cameras during a wedding. For example,
they use a medium format camera for the formals
and switch to 35mm for the ceremony and reception.
Or they can mainly use a digital camera but
bring along a film camera as a backup. The
most important thing is to ask the photographer
to show you some enlargements made with the
same camera that will be used for your wedding.
If you like the colors and quality then it
is a good choice. |
