Wedding Set Up

[Matthew Archer]

My son has been videoing weddings and is doing well with them. He's been to college and got a degree, filmed for Channel 4 and won an award.

I want to buy him a better camera as he currently has the Sony a7iii and a Canon D70but hardly uses the latter. He struggles with the colour side of things in post. I want to get him the Canon 1DX Mkii. The average wedding he films the groom getting ready, then the bride, then the service and reception (sometimes from 8am - 2am....... a long day)

How many batteries will he need?
What type of memory cards and how many of them?
He has a cheap tripod, I'd like to get him a professional one or two so help with this please.
What is the best cover to have to insure the equipment plus public liability etc?

I will ask on the audio section about mics etc

Thank you for the help in advance. If there;s anything else you think can help his business please say so. I am on Chemo at the mo so will reply between hospital visits. Just trying to help him out before I go.

Thank you Matt

[Pete Cofrancesco]

Sorry to hear you have cancer. It's nice of you trying to help your son. A camera is a very personal decision unless he has told you he would love this camera you might want see if you can find out what he would like. The Canon 1DX Mkii is known as a top pro photography camera that can also shoot video. Sony A7iii is a very capable and popular camera, even though Canon has a more pleasing color science, I'm not sure the Sony is holding him back. A well known wedding videographer, Matt Johnson uses it and does quiet well.

The best way to move up in the wedding world is do high end weddings. To get clients with big budgets you need to have a great reel and promote yourself to them. In order to produce these type of wedding videos it takes a talented team and a suitable plan that sets you a part from the competition.

All that being said making a living filming weddings is difficult you either need to go all in or after a few years many grow tired of it and move on.

[Allan Black]

Matthew, good advice and it’ll also be good to post in the Wedding and Events forum here ...

https://www.dvinfo.net/forum/wedding...hy-techniques/

You should get helpful replies from members successfully working in the wedding biz.

Emphasis your budget and ask where they bought the gear they recommend.

Sorry to read about your situation, all the very best.

[Matthew Archer]

Thanks to you all for the really helpful advice. Gratefully received with thanks

[David Barnett]

My advice, is either match the camera's & get another Sony a7iii, or maybe consider a videocamera to go with the mirrorless/DSLR style. Camcorders like the Sony X70 or Z90 are great little machines, crisp footage, and come with a zoom lens for under $2000. They're also helpful in fast paced & budget weddings, 6 hours, 20 minutes at each location etc. Also they have built in ND filters to quicly go from inside to outside.

Tripods yeah definitely need one or two good ones, I'd recommend one around $200, lower end $100. Below that they tend to not hold the weight well & I had one cheapo bounce up & down a bit throughout the ceremony.

Batteries I go with 4, plus I have 2 chargers. I charge them the day before, and bring 1 charger with me, leaving one at home in case I lose or forget one & leave it at the venue. ALWAYS keep 1 at home in case you have back to back weddings or go to charge them the following Thursday or Friday & realize its missing.

Remember to get a good Wireless mic, &/or a Zoom H1 recorder to use on the DJs board. They're only about $100

Consider a movement device like a slider or glidecam. Personally I started with a slider (Glidegear $59 https://glidegear.net/collections/ca...-phone-adapter ) but this year finally am going with a gimbal. We shall see.


It may sound like alot but some of this stull is relatively cheap. You can also look for used equipment on B&H & ebay. 2nd camera will be the biggest expense, followed by wireless mics. Lenses of course are expensive but if he's content with the Sony a7iii & gets another body, the lenses obvi will be the same. Def don't mix Canon & Sony cameras, the colors don't match (blueish versus redish hue).


Wish you well my man. You're gonna be alright. It's nice what you're doing for your son.

[Pete Cofrancesco]

David makes a good point. It’s more advantageous to have two of the same camera. That will allow you to get two angles of view. When you cut between them the color, look and feel will be the same. All the accessories such as batteries and lenses will be interchangeable. Operating them is easier because they’re the same. Most importantly the second camera provides backup and any moment if there’s a problem with your first camera you can switch to your second without missing a beat. If your budget permits you can hire a second shooter to use your other camera.

There are lots of other equipment you could buy like lights, gimbal, drone, lenses, tripods, streaming equipment... but one of the biggest limitation you’ll find if you’re a solo shooter having enough time transport, setup/break down, and use all of these great gadgets.

Pros in this business spend a lot of time and money figuring out a system to approach a wedding. Too much equipment you’ll be overwhelmed and distracted from the most important part, filming the wedding. You’ll also find during the hectic course of events you will need to leave expensive equipment unattended, vulnerable to theft or damage. It’s a balancing act.

[Matthew Archer]

Thanks all so much