Sony A7S ii for Weddings
Warning: nerdy equipment post!
As a wedding videographer your main tool is your camera.
I've recently decided to change over from Canon to Sony. My primary camera was the amazing C100 mkii, but after much research I've taken the plunge and sold my Canon stuff and got myself a brand new Sony A7S ii from http://store.digitalrev.com/
Why? Only two reasons really: the A7S ii is smaller, and has in-body stabilisation. One other reason would be that it can record in 4k (the next C line canon up from that can film in 4k is around £10k lol) although I don't plan on filming 4k wedding videos for at least another couple of years.
For me the smaller a footprint the wedding videographer has the better. Any kind of camera is going to change the atmosphere of a room, it strips the people around it of a layer of authenticity. So I believe the smaller the videographer can make themselves, the more authentic moments you are able to capture. The main part of your footprint is your energy, confidence is huge, confidence paired with empathy to the vibe of the room. As a great wedding videographer I believe you have to have a decent emotional IQ. You need to be able to read multiple characters quickly and adapt your approach accordingly. And if you are confident in your skills then your clients will be too, people can sense hesitancy and self doubt, it's a big turn off and grates against what may be an already sensitive situation. A small part of your footprint is your camera, but it helps to have a small a camera as possible.
In terms of lenses I've invested in the 55mm Zeiss and the 16mm prime only. My set up on the day at the moment is to keep the 55mm on the camera most of the time and pull the 16mm out of my pocket for establishing shots and super cramped shots. 55mm is a great focal length for most shots, and if I need to zoom in at all (usually getting smiling faces pre and post ceremony and during deserts) I use the A7S ii's 'clear image zoom' which actually looks pretty decent at 50fps, and at 25fps has basically no noticeable quality impact.
As a wedding videographer your main tool is your camera.
I've recently decided to change over from Canon to Sony. My primary camera was the amazing C100 mkii, but after much research I've taken the plunge and sold my Canon stuff and got myself a brand new Sony A7S ii from http://store.digitalrev.com/
Why? Only two reasons really: the A7S ii is smaller, and has in-body stabilisation. One other reason would be that it can record in 4k (the next C line canon up from that can film in 4k is around £10k lol) although I don't plan on filming 4k wedding videos for at least another couple of years.
For me the smaller a footprint the wedding videographer has the better. Any kind of camera is going to change the atmosphere of a room, it strips the people around it of a layer of authenticity. So I believe the smaller the videographer can make themselves, the more authentic moments you are able to capture. The main part of your footprint is your energy, confidence is huge, confidence paired with empathy to the vibe of the room. As a great wedding videographer I believe you have to have a decent emotional IQ. You need to be able to read multiple characters quickly and adapt your approach accordingly. And if you are confident in your skills then your clients will be too, people can sense hesitancy and self doubt, it's a big turn off and grates against what may be an already sensitive situation. A small part of your footprint is your camera, but it helps to have a small a camera as possible.
