Digital Rebel or a Point and Shoot like the Sony F828?
 

I'm looking to buy a digital camera tomorrow, and within a few days purchase a vx2100 or similar to start a shooting weddings/events and begin making indie films for my academic school career (majoring in film). Which camera is able to produce professional quality photographs for weddings? Also, which lens would be a good choice for the digital rebel? I'm purchasing at Best Buy, and they have a few there. What makes one lens better from the other? What would be my best option for my conditions?

From what I read, the Digital Rebel wins over the F828 (or any of that batch of 8mp cameras) for better picture quality. Maybe the most important factor is that you can actually use it at high ISO settings so it's faster in lower light settings. The 8mp cameras are all pretty much unusable over ISO200 due to excesive noise.


I think most people here agree that the Canon 28-135mm IS lens is a good all around lens. Coupled with the one that it comes with. you've got a pretty good range.

By coupled, you mean use both of them together right? Would you need an additional piece to put them together?

Dylan, is correct from a strict picture quality standpoint. The noise issue is problem in the small bridge dSLR's. The contenders are the Sony 828, Konica-Minolta A2, Olympus 8080, Canon Pro 1 and the Nikon 8700. All of these cameras have serious noise issues starting at 400 ISO. I would think this would be a problem for most wedding photographers. The lens Dylan recommends is a great first lens. Yet the focal length range does not match the built in lenses of the five 8MP cameras. You'll need something wider, like the Canon 17-40mm for your wide shots.

The Rebel will require a much sturdier tripod and an external flash (Canon 420 EX or the 550 EX) may be necessary.

There are numerous good reviews on these cameras. One of my favorites is at Luminous Landscape.

Well I purchased the rebel. I also bought a 75-300mm lens f4.0-5.6, the canon digital slr kit (case for camera+lenses, uv filter, and extra battery), 2 256mb cf cards, and a pair of polarizer filters for about $1600 at Best Buy. The lens was $205, the bag was 55, the cards were 45, and 30 for the filters. The kit was $1000, so plus tax and warraties for the camera + lense (100+30). Did I make a smart purchase? Sorry for the bulleted info, I'm here at work so dont have much time.