Is combining camcorder and DSLR footage a good idea for filming a wedding?

[David Rehm]

Yes you can. I just did a wedding using my Nikon D7000 and I borrowed a friends Canon Vixia HF-R30.

I’m not personally familiar with the cameras you mentioned but I would choose a camera that has the same frame rate, fields, PAR, – just to make things smoother.

Here’s how I setup for the wedding I just did:
Nikon D7000 – hand-held (monopod) for the more close-up shots.
The Canon was on a tripod straight back – a loose tight shot.

I shot the ceremony at full HD / 24fps (both cameras)

All the other (pre, reception) I shot at 720 / 24fps.

I used a Tascam DR-40 on a tripod and placed it in front of the PA speaker (this wedding was professionally mic’d)

The reason I shoot the ceremony at 1080 and the rest at 720 is because my final sequence in my editor will be 720. I nest the ceremony in the 720 seq. and now I have ALOT of zoom range. It works out great. That’s why I shot the Canon tight but not too tight (which I call loose).

I had a little trouble in post trying to figure out why the Canon footage was 29.97 when I shot it at 23.97. After a little research I had to remove the pulldowns in After Effects to make it 23.97. Other than that “issue” eveything went well.

Hope this helps.
David

[Bill Bruner]

Hi Trent – I like your equipment list except for the 60D. It has a 12 minute clip length limit, no autofocus, a viewfinder that stops working when you switch to live view for video, and a terrible moire problem with patterned fabrics (e.g., wedding dresses). Please see these side-by-side comparisons with the Panasonic GH2:

Canon 60D vs Panasonic GH2 evil moiré test on Vimeo

60D vs GH2 Moire Test on Vimeo

For about the same price, you can get a moire-resistant Panasonic G6. With this camera, you can shoot continuous video for hours, instead of minutes; you’ll have lightning fast video autofocus (and manual focus peaking), a viewfinder that continues working in video mode, wi-fi and NFC for wireless control of the camera and wireless file transfer, and you’ll be able to record at 1080/60p for smooth action and slow motion.

Here is what this camera can do:

Junwei + Daohua

for a couple of hundred dollars more, I would look at the $998 (on sale) Panasonic GH3.

This camera adds a built-in headphone jack and multiple codecs and bit rates (up to 72mbs) for ultra high resolution recording.

Here is what this camera can do, combined with the large sensor, interchangeable lens Sony NEX-EA50 shoulder mount camcorder.

Lievan and Shaan Wedding on Vimeo

I recommend you buy either the G6 or GH3 (depending on your budget) and rent the NEX-EA50 from lensrentals.com.

The Panasonic DSLMs are great still cameras that happen to produce great video – while the EA50 (on sale for $2725 after rebate at Adorama) is a great large sensor video camera that also produces great 16MP stills like this:

https://www.dvinfo.net/forum/attachments/sony-nex-ea50-all-variants/28988d1360200314-still-pictures-ea50-rasdaniel.jpg

There really isn’t another DSL/camcorder combination with this much flexibility.

Hope this is helpful!

Bill
Hybrid Camera Revolution

[Trent Slabaugh]

Thank you both for sharing your insight!

Bill, I’ve taken a look at the GH3 and I do like a lot of the features I see. However, I’m seeing that its lens selection in comparison to Canon’s is much slimmer. I have $1500 saved as of right now and would only be able to attribute $1000 (at best) before the wedding. With this kind of a budget, what are some lenses that you would recommend? Also, what are some downsides that you have encountered using this camera?

[Bill Bruner]

Hi Trent – is that $1000 for camera and lenses? Or just for lenses? If it’s for both, the GH3 is too expensive at $998 body-only.

If you mean $1000 for lenses alone, for weddings I would get two lenses – the $399 Olympus 45mm f1.8 for medium/telephoto and the $499 Oly 17mm f1.8 for wides.

If you mean $1000 for camera and lens, I would get the $638 Panasonic G6 with the 14-42 kit lens plus the Oly 45mm f1.8.

Again, hope this is helpful!

Bill
Hybrid Camera Revolution

[Trent Slabaugh]

No, by $1000 I meant what I’ll possibly be able to save up in addition to the $1500 I have now. So I’m hoping to have a total of $2500 saved up by the wedding at least. However, I also want to invest in a decent tripod, a Rode VideoMic Pro, a case, and as many accessories and extras I can afford.

Also, I’ve read that purchasing lens adapters is an option many GH3 users have gone with. Do you have any recommendations for that?

[Bill Bruner]

Great! Glad you’ll have some extra money for lenses, support, and sound.

I have Nikon, Canon FD and Konica adapters. I use them with inexpensive Tamron, Canon FD and Konica lenses. They all work great with the Panasonic mirrorless cameras – but remember, you have to focus and set aperture manually with these lenses – something you may or may not want to bother with.

Again, hope this is helpful!

Bill
Hybrid Camera Revolution

[Trent Slabaugh]

I plan on operating as manually as I can, even if it means conditioning myself for it. Trust me, I want for both this video and my abilities to excel as best they can. Which lenses and mounts do you think will be the most accessible to me, as far as finding them and along with my budget restrictions goes?

If I want/need to put a good chunk of my money to the necessities outside of the body and lens(es), then I probably will only be able to afford 2 at best. I know I’ll need a prime lens with an f/1.8-1..4 stop minimally, but also some sort of zoom lens if I can (a kit lens may be all I can afford, but I’d make due if it came down to that). If I am stuck with just the prime lens though, would you recommend using one with more of a cropped image so I can get tighter shots from further away (35-50mm), or should I give the shot more space (20-28mm)? Or would you perhaps recommend using both of these kind of prime lenses instead of a zoom?

I apologize for having so many questions, but I just want to make sure I get as much of this right as possible-especially for what I’m going to be purchasing.

[Bill Bruner]

Understand. If you don’t mind shooting manual, I would get the amazing $799 Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 lens for Nikon and a $429 Metabones Speed Booster. The Sigma is the first-ever f1.8 zoom lens.

With this combination, for about the same price as the Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 system zoom, your GH3 will produce phenomenal images in just about any lighting condition, and you won’t need any faster primes at the wide end.

With the rest of the money, I would get the $399 Oly 45mm f/1.8, and, if you can afford it, the $899 Oly 75mm f1.8. With ETC, this will be long enough for anything except bird watching.

By the way, this Amazon Gold Box Deals page shows the $998 GH3 sale ends tonight at midnight. The price is likely to go back up from $998 to $1198.

Again, hope this is helpful!

Bill
Hybrid Camera Revolution

[Trent Slabaugh]

*whistles* the Nikon looks sweet! And by the way, I’ve also seen the $998 price tag on B&H’s website. I don’t know if that will eventually rise too, but I doubt it. Either way, I appreciate you keeping your eyes open for me.

And if I could bother you for just one more question, it’s about combining footage from different camera sources. Obviously, resolution, frame rate, and aspect ratio have to be the same, or it’s going to look like a crappy music video I tried shooting back in high school (but I digress :P). What I’m wondering is if bit rate plays a factor at all. If it does, is it best for it to be exactly the same or is there a limit as to how far apart they are? This is something that I’ve been wondering for some time now. And seeing that the GH3 can power through to 72mbps, I want to make sure that this wouldn’t overpower any additional footage in any way.

[David Rehm]

For the ceremony I would use a zoom. A prime might be disastrous if you don’t have the correct angle and viewpoint. A friend of mine uses a Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 lens for all his wedding ceremonies and they look great. It’s almost $1000 but covers it all.

The most recent wedding I shot was outside. My kit lens actually did the trick (though I would never have used it for an inside wedding). The reception, which was inside, was dark in the room. I used a Nikon 35mmm 1.8. I cranked the ISO up to around 1200 – 1600 and everything thing turned out decent in post. I wouldn’t go over 1600 ISO as you will get the grain showing. Also you want to shoot flat as blacks will be crushed. Everything will turn out great in post.

David