How serious are you about Wedding Videography?

• You’re here because you find interest in filming weddings? Filming weddings is definitely a challenge but super rewarding in the end. If you’re someone who is up for a challenge to see the great reward at the end then this is your niche when it comes to weddings. There is a little more that goes into filming a wedding than, what camera should I use for wedding videography? I don’t want you to be an “okay” wedding videographer. I want you to be the best you can be wedding videographer. A wedding videographer that can film exactly what they envision in their minds with their camera. That’s when it becomes rewarding!

Things we’ll cover for good wedding videography cameras: 

• Camera I used when I first started filming weddings.
• Camera I use now to film a wedding. 
• Other good cameras that might be the best fit for you.
• What lenses you should start with.
• other recommendations

Camera I Used When I First Started Getting into Wedding Videography?

This camera did me well when I first started getting into wedding Videography. With the right lens I was able to capture movie like footage during a wedding. I would recommend this good camera if you are just someone who is experimenting with wanting to get into wedding videography. I always say start small and see if this is something you’re interested in. Save money first and then invest in a good camera when you feel you’ve become passionate about Wedding Videgraphy. 

Basic Camera Specs:

• 1080p @ 24 fps Full HD recording
  • 24fps is standard frame rate for getting a nice cinematic motion-picture.
• 720p @ 30 / 25 / 24 fps HD recording
  • The higher your frame rate the more you can slow down your footage to give it a slo-motion effect. 
• Can Capture Both Photo & Video
• Crop Sensor (APS-C)
  • Just means your final image will be cropped 

Camera I Use Now for Wedding Videography?

This is my go to camera for weddings! When you’re feeling passionate and ready to make this camera upgrade you will not be disappointed. When getting into wedding videography, certain locations (Mainly the reception) may have the worst lighting. The perks of this good camera is that it films well low light situations.  

Basic Camera Specs:

• 1080p @ 24 / 60 fps Full HD recording
  • 24fps is standard frame rate for getting a nice cinematic motion-picture.
• 4k @ 24 / 30 fps
• Can Capture Both Photo & Video
• Other Cameras that you might like?

This camera can record for long periods of time! It also has crazy built in stabilization. You can use this camera hand held and your footage will look super smooth. Friends of mine have this camera and for the price it is a great camera. 

Funny story about this camera. We were shooting a wedding in New Jersey in the middle of June @ 5,000 Degrees fahrenheit. My Nikon 3100 over heated and would not allow me to enable record…DURING THE CEREMONY! Thank God my wife was able to switch roles with me. She ended up shooting video with her camera and I shot the  photos with my overheated camera cause it was all my camera would allow me to do. 

During cocktail hour I ran to Best Buy a couple of miles down the road and purchased the Nikon – D5500 and used it for the rest of the wedding. Has a flip out screen! Always a great feature when shooting video. This camera was a good upgrade from the Nikon 3100.

Good Camera Lenses to Use for Weddings!

The very first lens I used when I started filming weddings with the Nikon 3100 was a Nikon 50mm. You get great bokeh (Blurry background). 

What I would recommend you start with is a prime lens (Just means lens is not zoomable.) A 35mm lens is our go to lens when shooting a wedding. You can get great intimate shots with it and good wider shots when you step back. To me it’s the the middle ground of all other focal lengths. You can then adjust to a wider or closer focal length in the future based off of what you want more out of your photos. 

Some things to be aware of when selecting prime lenses…Is it a f/1.4 or f/1.8? This means your aperture and how wide it will open vs how much it will close. Also known as “f-stop.” You can let more light in with a 1.4 then a 1.8. It may seem like a small jump but this jump makes all the difference. Let’s talk a little more in depth about the two.  

f/1.4: Allows for more light to enter into your camera, you’ll need this especially for low light situations, and gives more bokeh to your images (Blurry background). It also has a smaller focal point allowing you to pin point a certain area you want to focus on. 1.4 lens are usually more expensive than a 1.8 lens but it’s worth the extra investment. There is just something about that extra f-stop that I personally love and want when dealing with low light situations, especially at a wedding.

f/1.8: Still allows more light to enter into your camera, but not as much as the 1.4. 1.8 still allows for that smaller focal point. 1.8 lenses are usually more cheaper than a 1.4 lens and if your on a budget you’re better off starting with this type of lens and then when you are really getting into it upgrade your lens!

I made two different list for you here 1.4 and 1.8 lenses but also within those list are different brands depending on the camera your using (Nikon, Cannon, Sony, etc.)

f/1.4 Lenses	f/1.8 Lenses
Nikon 35mm	Nikon 35mm
Nikon 50mm	Nikon 50mm
Cannon 35mm	Cannon 35mm
Cannon 50mm	Cannon 50mm
Sony 35mm	Sony 35mm
Sony 50mm	Sony 50mm

I threw these in here because they are very popular lenses and I love how sharp my images look when using a sigma lens. They have special ones made for your specific camera brand. I could only find one f/1.8 lens on Amazon.

f/1.4 Lenses	f/1.8 Lenses
Sigma Art 35mm for Nikon	Sigma Art 35mm for Cannon
Sigma Art 35mm for Sony
Sigma Art 35mm for Cannon
Sigma Art 50mm for Nikon
Sigma Art 50mm for Sony
Sigma Art 50mm for Cannon

Last Thoughts on Good Wedding Videography Cameras

Don’t overwhelm yourself with which camera is the best. Work on your skill first rather then getting the best camera for a wedding. Learn how to use the camera for video and nail down a style of filming. When you see yourself becoming more passionate about wedding videography then look into upgrading your camera. Everyone starts somewhere so don’t feel like you have to be great when you first start. Just practice on friends and family. You can also set up a free shoot for couples you might know and practice on them. Be creative and be inspired. You got this!