X1 wedding photography

[Bo_Lorentzen]

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Agreeing with several others who have actually photographed weddings.

 

Speaking as a guy who used to do a wedding each weekend, it seems to me the OP asked if the X1 would be a "wedding camera"

 

However a different question is " would it be a choice camera for a wedding photographer "

 

Any camera can contribute to the work of a wedding photographer, and I am confident that I could successfully photograph a wedding using a X1 with pleased clients as a result. one of my favorite group shot cameras was the fuji 645 collapsible.

 

But if I was to purchase a camera for wedding photography, it would probably be a rangefinder or a slr, for the money a x1 is not the number one tool for a wedding professional. That said, the size is great, and the files awesome, this is a great camera to stick in the jacket pocket along with one or two main cameras.

 

just my 2 cents.

 

.

[DwF]

Good two cents from Bo!

 

I am not a wedding photographer but have close friends who are. One of them honored me in requesting that I photograph his daughter's wedding (the part where he escorted her to the alter) with his D2X (this was years back). He gave me explicit instructions on what to do!

 

I love my X1 and of course at any wedding there are photo opportunities where the X1 will function beautifully, but that hardly makes it a wedding camera.

 

Can we just get our firmware already so we can lay these discussions to rest?!

 

David

[brill64]

i am confident enough already but with the updated firmware, an x1 would be a very useful camera to have in the pocket at any wedding in addition to and complimenting whatever else was being used. i can't really see how it wouldn't be

[phancj]

I agree. Meanwhile the X1 continues to take great pictures.

[mrdawkins]

I stopped shooting weddings a few years back, but in the latter stages of this aspect of my work I was using the M8 much more than a DSLR and nailing shots at f1 with the Noctilux; the f2 Summicron was lke shelling peas in comparison. That said, I simply found that manually focusing the RF was easy and the X1 does not have that facility so it will require a different approach.

 

So yes, the X1 could be a brilliant wedding camera, but as mentioned by others, perhaps should be introduced when satisfied that sufficient shots have already been obtained. Even though I have sold the X1 because I disliked the autofocus immensely, I do agree that with practice you could be knocking off shots with consistency together with brilliant results.

 

You might want to look at the work of Bristish wedding photographer Geoff Ascough who is renowned for RF wedding photogapher. As far as I know he has used Digital Ms and I'm not sure, but he may have reverted back to Canon DSLRs. He certainly has used M6s for many years with great success which I feel indicates that the X1 will work in the long run.

 

http://jeffascough.typepad.com/jeff_ascough_blog/for-photographers/

[phancj]

I fI am paid to shoot a wedding I will certainly NOT bring the X1 as the single camera. The AF is less of an issue than the fixed 35mm.

 

I will think the DSLR will trump the M in capturing and "recording" the moment, not with the kind of look I like but it'll make the customers happy that they got loads of shots of their relatives and friends,etc,etc all in perfect focus. I do not believe that you can achieve the diversity of shots in an M9 compared to lets say two Nikon bodies, perhaps a 24-70 on one and a 70-200 in another. The Ms are also weaker in the long teles and without image stabilization things can be more deliberate hence slower. With a DSLR you can set iso to the stratosphere and nail all shots. Not the kind of shots I really like to see for a long time but It'll make customers more happy than lets say we have several award winning photos but miss many "important" relatives/friends who are not in any of the shots.

 

The M9 to a lesser extent the X1 can be a "fill-in" capturing very nice images with that "look" and will perfect an otherwise "commercial" album.

[h00ligan]

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Cj, check out lacour photography.

[ChiILX1]

Well I'm about to find out!

 

Long ago I found this guy on the internet. He's the best wedding photographer I've ever seen and I've seen a LOT of wedding photography. Blew me out of the water.

 

I'm subscribed to his blog and he just announced that he's going to be in town and hold a wedding photography workshop here, in Chicago. If any of you are in Chicago– you can read details here and sign up here.

 

Anyway- maybe I will meet some of you there!

[robert blu]

It seems very interesting. Unfortunately for me there are too many miles (with an ocean included) between my home and the workshop location ! Hope you'll let us know how it was ! And maybe some tips...

ciao

robert

[ChiILX1]

Ok I will- I'm registered

 

Even if I don't shoot weddings, I like his consistent style that shows up in his photos. I have yet to develop my own style consistently. I should hopefully learn something useful!

[donalrey]

I am presenting myself a little fun challenge. My sister's wedding will be at the end of this month and I will be taking my X1 with me (well it is the only camera I own). But my goal at the end of the day is to make my sister like my pictures better than the professional they are hiring. I will definitely post pictures.

[Matus Kalisky]

donalrey - I have a very similar experience to the one you are up to:

 

I did shoot some photos at two weddings (one of them I did the whole photo session and the ceremony, but that was for a friend, so it was really nice), but that of course does not make me a a wedding photographer - my ego is not that large. What I learned is that it is actually great to be a "second" photographer. Not being payed (my case at least ) but being accepted as one allows you to pop up even when the rest of family would not snap (of course not getting in the way of the pro who is actually trying to work). it gives you the possibility to "loose shots" as you are not the one who is being relied on. So you are under no pressure and my try things you would not dare otherwise. SImply put - you can, but you do not have to.

 

So, as a "second" photographed I used 30 years old Konica Auto S3 and got a few very nice shots - often from an angle that the alpha photographer could not get mainly because he was getting the attention and he also had to do the work of organizing the situation at times. Funny was that I was later told by the friend that the photographer actually addressed me as a "pro" - because of my camera

 

So - for the situation described above I think that camera like X1 (not the only game in the town, right) could be just excellent as it is small, quite and unobtrusive and the 35 mm focal length is just fine (50 would be too of course) and as it is fixed you will rather concentrate on getting the shot instead of changing lenses and possibly getting in the way of something while doing so. If you get the composition and focus right you may end up with very nice work. I hope to get such an occasion again.

 

So, donaldray, enjoy that experience. But do not forget that you are there also as a brother

[carlosecpf]

Last year I brought my X1 (now sold) to a friends wedding and the experience wasn't good. The wedding party was indoors at night, so the AF struggled a lot... to the point that the subjects were asking me constantly "is it working?" or "did you get the shot already?". I was very disappointed. MF was a no go with the old firmware version, so the X1 was simply a bad choice for that occasion. Got very few keepers....

 

Now, with the new firmware, I believe it would have been a very different experience! At least in the manual focus department. I am positive I would have set the MF to something like from 1.5m to 4m and happily shoot away for the whole night.

[lykaman]

Hi, I understood the question to be:-

Using the X1 for weddings.

Specifically No, because the lens on the X1 is too wide

for many of the formal shots. I also doubt the Bride-N-Groom

would take you seriously with an X1 on a tripod.

As an additional and candid shot camera in my opinion it is great.

Uncle Joe' will shoot the wedding with his

Optio' and we know he will get shots.

Realistically not in the class of a real Pro.

I used Hass's in the UK (moons ago) to shoot weddings

& Leica M's and R's for the candids.

To-day a $100 digital p&s turns everyone

Into a Tony Armstrong Jones or so they think!

We know better..

[avsearle]

Hi All

I don't get into arguments if it can be avoided.

I worked with ONE lens on a Hasselblad for 13 years as a wedding photographer shooting about 450-500 weddings. This restriction stimulates the imagination, makes good use of the feet and gives you a different relationship with couple and guests.

Now before anyone says it, I know its all different now with zoom lenses on DSLRs and a different style in the form of reportage, hey the results were superb and I never had a complaint.

Just a different point of view.

 

All the best

Avril

 

M6, X1, Nikon D300, Nikon D90

[earleygallery]

Likewise, I shot many weddings on a Bronica with a standard lens. The typical wedding camera for many photographers over many years was a Rolleiflex, again just one lens.

[donalrey]

So I just got back from my sister's wedding. From my experience, using the X1 alone for a professional wedding photography wouldn't probably be the best choice. Perhaps as a second or third camera. But then again, I think this is all relative to your experience as a photographer. I am fairly new to this. All in all, I did have fun shooting with it during the wedding and I think I came out with some decent shots. I think mostly because the lighting was good and had the wedding been at night it would have been a completely different story. I did miss some important shots I wanted to capture because of the slow AF, wish I would have used the MF.

 

[earleygallery]

I think I recognise the venue, Croydon registry office?

[bender73]

This is an old thread, but I am new here and was searching all the pages. I stumbled upon this thread and felt the need to comment.

 

The X1 is 100% NOT up to the standards of a camera used for weddings, at least not in today's generation. And not a primary camera. Gone are the days of using a TLR and getting 10 photos of the day...usually one formal. Nope, brides today want photojournalism and weddings today are fast paced...very fast.

 

I would not dream (nobody in the industry really) of bringing less than 2-3 bodies. Pro bodies with large buffers and many lenses with fast glass. Backups of backups. Good lighting. I mean, off camera flash with remote triggers and long 200mm focal lengths for good compression and isolation.

 

The X1 is a fine photographic instrument. It can produce stunning images as I have seen in my 24 hrs of ownership. Leica glass is amazing. That said, the AF is dreadfully slow for any sort of a wedding and with dark churches and reception halls, you need a camera like the Nikon D3 that can see in the dark and lock focus in micro-milliseconds, regardless of available light.

 

The X1 is a luxury for the pro shooter that wants DSLR quality in their pocket. I am thrilled now that I have this ability to get amazing shots from something not much bigger than a few iPhones in size.

 

Weddings are exhausting and brutal on the gear. I even had my D3 and 70-200 f/2.8 run over by a wedding guest trying to get a good spot in the lot. Yes. I almost cried.

 

Maybe a few shots here and there for fun, but it will never be a "wedding camera." There is nothing wrong with that. The X1 (or any Leica) is a fine camera. I can't wait to build my Leica collection for personal use!

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[earleygallery]

I agree with you but the OP (who has stopped posting here) shot me down in flames for dare saying so!

 

I'm currently reassessing my equipment to build a 'ready to go' kit for weddings/events around my Canon DSLRs, having shot a wedding again earlier this year. I used to use a Bronica but can't imagine doing a wedding with it now unless the couple wanted the traditional approach.

 

As you say, most want reportage, or rather they want their snaps to look like the celeb ones they see in Hello magazine!