How would you set up a6300 to shoot a wedding?

[chironNYC]

I used my a6300 to take pictures at my niece's wedding this weekend. For some reason, they had not rhired a photographer and were quite interested in getting pictures from people with cameras. I had brought the a6300 to get some experience in using it as it is a new camera for me and Sony ILMC camera are not known for their intuitive and easy to learn interface and I am taking it traveling in a few weeks. But because there was no photographer and my niece asked me to take photographs of important moments, I wound up taking far more pictures at the wedding than I would usually do as a guest.

I would be very interested to hear how experienced and perhaps professional users of the a6300 would set it up for shooting at a wedding.

One of the frustrations I had, for example, was learning what each of the AF modes would do under different circumstances. Same thing with learning how the Auto setting for ISO would work in practice. Particularly with the AF system, I felt that I was not sure where focus actually was some of the time. I tried using AF-C with lock-on-expandable-flexible-spot-small, but looking at the pictures afterward, a number of them seem to have just missed focus, though I can't see what else the system was choosing to focus on. I clearly need to learn more about these focus modes. Frankly, it made me long for the center focus point of my Canon 5d3, whihc is always quick and accurate. But I accept that I need to learn a lot more about the a6300's systems.

I also used silent shutter for a lot of the wedding. It was great most of the time, and wonderful during the ceremony, but i did get some odd artifacts that cost me some photos I wanted and that I think resulted from an interaction of the rolling silent shutter and the flashes of other photographers' cameras. This is discussed in another thread here.

So, how would the more experienced photographers set up the a6300 to shoot a wedding?

 

[DJohnny]

If you are just taking pictures for fun at a wedding, then just shoot away. f you are doing it for money, the a6300 is not the way to go. Yes, it can work, but unless Sony did something special with AF between the a6000 and a6300, you will miss a LOT of shots at reception.

I wouldn't even attempt this for free as a main shooter because you are taking on a lot of responsibility. Also, people can be horrible and expect you to outperform a $10,000+ photographer even if you are not paid.

If I only were using an a6300, I would probably use a zoom with 16-35 range + 55/1.8 or 85/1.8. If I use a 16-50 range zoom, then I would use the 85/1.8 as a portrait lens. At reception, I would shoot lots of stopped down shots with manual focus. Also lots of speed lights or 2-3 Godox AD360. Maybe the Godox because post ceremony pics would work well with a pair of those.

 

[Seeky]

I used my a6300 to take pictures at my niece's wedding this weekend. For some reason, they had not rhired a photographer and were quite interested in getting pictures from people with cameras. I had brought the a6300 to get some experience in using it as it is a new camera for me and Sony ILMC camera are not known for their intuitive and easy to learn interface and I am taking it traveling in a few weeks. But because there was no photographer and my niece asked me to take photographs of important moments, I wound up taking far more pictures at the wedding than I would usually do as a guest.

I would be very interested to hear how experienced and perhaps professional users of the a6300 would set it up for shooting at a wedding.

One of the frustrations I had, for example, was learning what each of the AF modes would do under different circumstances. Same thing with learning how the Auto setting for ISO would work in practice. Particularly with the AF system, I felt that I was not sure where focus actually was some of the time. I tried using AF-C with lock-on-expandable-flexible-spot-small, but looking at the pictures afterward, a number of them seem to have just missed focus, though I can't see what else the system was choosing to focus on. I clearly need to learn more about these focus modes. Frankly, it made me long for the center focus point of my Canon 5d3, whihc is always quick and accurate. But I accept that I need to learn a lot more about the a6300's systems.

It would be wise to investigate the different AF configurations before applying them in the field without knowing what they do. The Focus settings guide (for A6000, but applies mostly to A6300 too) contains a lot of information.

Normally, when using AF, a rectangular box or multiple smaller squares show the area in focus. I think what you try to explain is that even though the AF was indicated, it misfocused.

Alternatively, you can also shoot with center focus point by selecting center focus point or flexible spot with the option of moving it.

I also used silent shutter for a lot of the wedding. It was great most of the time, and wonderful during the ceremony, but i did get some odd artifacts that cost me some photos I wanted and that I think resulted from an interaction of the rolling silent shutter and the flashes of other photographers' cameras. This is discussed in another thread here.

I like this function too, but use it primarily when I'm absolutely sure the shots are not ruined by other flashes or light sources.

So, how would the more experienced photographers set up the a6300 to shoot a wedding?

I used the A6300 for a wedding a couple of weeks ago; Mainly with the LA-EA3 and Sony 16-50 f2.8, but also with the Batis 1.8/85 and Sony 28mm f2. I used Wide AF, mostly continuous AF, with face detection enabled. This worked very well with a high percentage of accurately focused images.

In addition, the center button on the back of the camera is set to the default function, which is center point AF. When the wide AF+face detection misfocuses or I want to focus on a specific point, just press the center button.

I dislike the lack of an exposure compensation dial because I'm so used to it coming from the A7 cameras. In addition, I would prefer to use it with an L-bracket, but it wasn't available at the time.

 

[Bobo Hodls]

So, how would the more experienced photographers set up the a6300 to shoot a wedding?

Accordingly. Being intimate/familiar with the camera in hand is essential, though. The last thing a wedding photographer would want to do is to take a new/different camera to a job.

And this experience may well get you to sort out that for yourself quicker than you might have otherwise.

--
...Bob, NYC
.
"Well, sometimes the magic works. . . Sometimes, it doesn't." - Chief Dan George, Little Big Man
.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobtullis/
http://www.bobtullis.com
.

 

[chironNYC]

If you are just taking pictures for fun at a wedding, then just shoot away. f you are doing it for money, the a6300 is not the way to go. Yes, it can work, but unless Sony did something special with AF between the a6000 and a6300, you will miss a LOT of shots at reception.

I wouldn't even attempt this for free as a main shooter because you are taking on a lot of responsibility. Also, people can be horrible and expect you to outperform a $10,000+ photographer even if you are not paid.

If I only were using an a6300, I would probably use a zoom with 16-35 range + 55/1.8 or 85/1.8. If I use a 16-50 range zoom, then I would use the 85/1.8 as a portrait lens. At reception, I would shoot lots of stopped down shots with manual focus. Also lots of speed lights or 2-3 Godox AD360. Maybe the Godox because post ceremony pics would work well with a pair of those.

Thank you for your comments.

Sony did make major changes to the AF between the a6000 and the a6300. They now claim it to be the fastest AF in APS-C, but at least at this point my impression is that Canon is faster. But this may be because I am still very new to the camera and learning the AF modes and camera-handling.

There was no arrangement for me to shoot pictures for the wedding. It was something that evolved informally over the course of the rehearsal dinner and the wedding itself, which was quite informal, though lovely and a lot of fun. I did get a bunch of pictures that I think the bride will like.

I personally would agree that it would be very risky to take on responsibility for shooting a wedding without having more specialized photographic knowledge and experience than I do. I had brought the a6300 precisely because I did not know how to use it well and wanted to get some experience with it before I take it traveling in two weeks.

My original question was really about how the a6300 might be set up by an experienced for this kind of shooting--custom buttons, ISO, AF modes, focus area modes, shooting mode (I assume aperture), etc. Some of what you said is helpful about this, so thanks.

 

[chironNYC]

I used my a6300 to take pictures at my niece's wedding this weekend. For some reason, they had not rhired a photographer and were quite interested in getting pictures from people with cameras. I had brought the a6300 to get some experience in using it as it is a new camera for me and Sony ILMC camera are not known for their intuitive and easy to learn interface and I am taking it traveling in a few weeks. But because there was no photographer and my niece asked me to take photographs of important moments, I wound up taking far more pictures at the wedding than I would usually do as a guest.

I would be very interested to hear how experienced and perhaps professional users of the a6300 would set it up for shooting at a wedding.

One of the frustrations I had, for example, was learning what each of the AF modes would do under different circumstances. Same thing with learning how the Auto setting for ISO would work in practice. Particularly with the AF system, I felt that I was not sure where focus actually was some of the time. I tried using AF-C with lock-on-expandable-flexible-spot-small, but looking at the pictures afterward, a number of them seem to have just missed focus, though I can't see what else the system was choosing to focus on. I clearly need to learn more about these focus modes. Frankly, it made me long for the center focus point of my Canon 5d3, whihc is always quick and accurate. But I accept that I need to learn a lot more about the a6300's systems.

It would be wise to investigate the different AF configurations before applying them in the field without knowing what they do. The Focus settings guide (for A6000, but applies mostly to A6300 too) contains a lot of information.

Normally, when using AF, a rectangular box or multiple smaller squares show the area in focus. I think what you try to explain is that even though the AF was indicated, it misfocused.

Alternatively, you can also shoot with center focus point by selecting center focus point or flexible spot with the option of moving it.

I also used silent shutter for a lot of the wedding. It was great most of the time, and wonderful during the ceremony, but i did get some odd artifacts that cost me some photos I wanted and that I think resulted from an interaction of the rolling silent shutter and the flashes of other photographers' cameras. This is discussed in another thread here.

I like this function too, but use it primarily when I'm absolutely sure the shots are not ruined by other flashes or light sources.

So, how would the more experienced photographers set up the a6300 to shoot a wedding?

I used the A6300 for a wedding a couple of weeks ago; Mainly with the LA-EA3 and Sony 16-50 f2.8, but also with the Batis 1.8/85 and Sony 28mm f2. I used Wide AF, mostly continuous AF, with face detection enabled. This worked very well with a high percentage of accurately focused images.

In addition, the center button on the back of the camera is set to the default function, which is center point AF. When the wide AF+face detection misfocuses or I want to focus on a specific point, just press the center button.

I dislike the lack of an exposure compensation dial because I'm so used to it coming from the A7 cameras. In addition, I would prefer to use it with an L-bracket, but it wasn't available at the time.

--
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/keesw/

Thanks for you comments and suggestions.

I was not scheduled to do anything with photography for the wedding--I might easily have gone without my camera, but I wanted to learn and get some experience with the a6300 before a trip in 2 weeks. I had looked at the literature on the AF modes, and I thought I knew what they were, but my experience of them in a real situation was still confusing and uncertain. I am not confident enough of my use of the camera to claim that the system misfocused anything. I think I need more practice with them. I was curious how an experienced shooter might use the camera in this situation. what you said about wide area with face detection was quite interesting. I also do like the idea of center point focus as a main mode or a back-up mode via the center button. This is how I normally shoot with Canon.

I also miss the exposure compensation wheel. The way I have the camera set up, it takes two steps to change the EC, which I am getting used to. But the Canon system on the 5d3 is quicker and more intuitive.

The silent shutter is truly silent. I was not aware that it had a rolling shutter. I had started another thread here about the strange results I got in some images and that evolved into my realizing what had happened with the flashes from other photographers.

Thanks again for your experienced comments.

 

[chironNYC]

So, how would the more experienced photographers set up the a6300 to shoot a wedding?

Accordingly. Being intimate/familiar with the camera in hand is essential, though. The last thing a wedding photographer would want to do is to take a new/different camera to a job.

And this experience may well get you to sort out that for yourself quicker than you might have otherwise.

--
...Bob, NYC
.
"Well, sometimes the magic works. . . Sometimes, it doesn't." - Chief Dan George, Little Big Man
.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobtullis/
http://www.bobtullis.com
.

Hi Bob. Thanks for your comment, but I think you misunderstand my post and question. I am not a wedding photographer and I was just a guest at the wedding. I might easily have gone without a camera. I brought the a6300 precisely because I did not know how to use it and wanted to learn before a trip in two weeks--so it was intended to be a learning experience for me with a new and unfamiliar camera. The bride's request evolved over the course of the wedding weekend itself and was entirely informal.

My experience led me to wonder how an experienced wedding shooter who was familiar with the a6300 might set it up for such a shooting situation. That is what I was asking.

 

[Bobo Hodls]

So, how would the more experienced photographers set up the a6300 to shoot a wedding?

Accordingly. Being intimate/familiar with the camera in hand is essential, though. The last thing a wedding photographer would want to do is to take a new/different camera to a job.

And this experience may well get you to sort out that for yourself quicker than you might have otherwise.

--
...Bob, NYC
.
"Well, sometimes the magic works. . . Sometimes, it doesn't." - Chief Dan George, Little Big Man
.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobtullis/
http://www.bobtullis.com
.

Hi Bob. Thanks for your comment, but I think you misunderstand my post and question. I am not a wedding photographer and I was just a guest at the wedding. I might easily have gone without a camera. I brought the a6300 precisely because I did not know how to use it and wanted to learn before a trip in two weeks--so it was intended to be a learning experience for me with a new and unfamiliar camera. The bride's request evolved over the course of the wedding weekend itself and was entirely informal.

My experience led me to wonder how an experienced wedding shooter who was familiar with the a6300 might set it up for such a shooting situation. That is what I was asking.

In a wedding there's the reception, outdoor poses of the couple and guests, and during the prep before the wedding, and periphery activities that can be recorded. There's a few different lighting scenarios to adapt to, which could be shot with or without supplemental lighting. I'm suggesting if one knows how to deal with the variances of light and knows their camera well enough to make the changes 'accordingly'. . . well, I think you'd have had a better time if you were simply more familiar with the camera.

I've turned down weddings for hire, but have shot two on the periphery of the hired photographer's job, as a guest. Not a problem, I can't tell you what settings I used. . . I'd set the lens and adjust the ISO as I would any other indoor/outdoor objective (without flash). As a hired photographer I'd be honing my flash chops so opportunities weren't as limited as they might be w/o (because I prefer natural light I'm not as good with flash as I could be, for lack of practice).

I'm out of place anyway. . . I don't own a 6xxxx, and I thought this was asked in the Sony FF forum.

--
...Bob, NYC
.
"Well, sometimes the magic works. . . Sometimes, it doesn't." - Chief Dan George, Little Big Man
.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobtullis/
http://www.bobtullis.com
.

 

[blue_skies]

I used my a6300 to take pictures at my niece's wedding this weekend. For some reason, they had not rhired a photographer and were quite interested in getting pictures from people with cameras. I had brought the a6300 to get some experience in using it as it is a new camera for me and Sony ILMC camera are not known for their intuitive and easy to learn interface and I am taking it traveling in a few weeks. But because there was no photographer and my niece asked me to take photographs of important moments, I wound up taking far more pictures at the wedding than I would usually do as a guest.

I would be very interested to hear how experienced and perhaps professional users of the a6300 would set it up for shooting at a wedding.

One of the frustrations I had, for example, was learning what each of the AF modes would do under different circumstances. Same thing with learning how the Auto setting for ISO would work in practice. Particularly with the AF system, I felt that I was not sure where focus actually was some of the time. I tried using AF-C with lock-on-expandable-flexible-spot-small, but looking at the pictures afterward, a number of them seem to have just missed focus, though I can't see what else the system was choosing to focus on. I clearly need to learn more about these focus modes. Frankly, it made me long for the center focus point of my Canon 5d3, whihc is always quick and accurate. But I accept that I need to learn a lot more about the a6300's systems.

I also used silent shutter for a lot of the wedding. It was great most of the time, and wonderful during the ceremony, but i did get some odd artifacts that cost me some photos I wanted and that I think resulted from an interaction of the rolling silent shutter and the flashes of other photographers' cameras. This is discussed in another thread here.

So, how would the more experienced photographers set up the a6300 to shoot a wedding?

Your fastest AF would be AF-C with wide-area selected. For a wedding, this (fast AF) may not be needed and in low light, this may not work in PDAF. The camera will switch to CDAF when light-levels drop below -1EV. CDAF focusing is very different, especially in low light, as bright lights (typical background) will have higher contrast than dimly lit subject, causing you to miss focus.

You are better off using eye-AF, if possible, as the A6300 support eye-AF in continuous mode. If not, face detection can overcome CDAF inefficiencies in many cases.

I would use AF-S in the wedding situation and use DMF mode with face recognition with sufficient DOF (e.g. kit E1560 at wider side at f/4). Then, after focusing each frame, I would wiggle the focus ring and use macro-zoom assist to confirm focus and then snap a picture.

I would not use center focus, or small flexible spot in low light. Also, this center focus mode would force me to focus and re-frame, but make it harder to confirm focus.

As to lenses, having a fast f/1.8 lens makes a dramatic difference. I expect that you were shooting at ISO 3200, and a f/1.8 lens could have dropped this to ISO 800, improving the image IQ. (Of course, a FF camera could have dropped this even lower).

In addition, silent shutter (rolling shutter problems in incandescent light) and camera technique (unfamiliarity with the camera can lead to camera blur, e.g. by pressing shutter button too hard - this camera is very light, especially with kit lens), are both problems to best be avoided. Some gimping could have helped you realize that certain things did not work, so you might have been able to retake an image.

Even so, given that your friend had no photographer, every picture that came out is one picture they would not have gotten otherwise. This is a plus, although I expect that many experienced photographers would recommend to not engage as a 'wedding photographer' without prior experience and familiarity with both the equipment as well as the low light scenes.

I would definitely bring either the E35 or E50 as a portrait lens to use during ceremonies, and, if you can, the E24Z (or S19 or E20) - I would use them all at f/2.2 or so.

For many 'static' (posing or ceremonial) scenes I would not use AF at all, rather I would use MF (or DMF) and confirm focus for each shot using zoom-assist magnification, as you would have time to do so.

Then, a wedding photography has many 'must take' pictures, such as the rings, the cake cutting, family group shots, and so on. Many such pictures must come out acceptable, and many such shots are static. Having such a list helps a lot (and having the experience in which sequence they occur helps).

As to your Canon - it can do PDAF at lower light levels, as its PDAF detection cells are apart from the sensor and much larger in sensitivity. The Canon however has a much smaller grid of PDAF points, hence your center point bias focus mode. The Sony does not need the center point bias, as using wide-area AF-C will give you reliable results - except not in low light (-1EV and below) which was your situation.

Also, a 5D3 is comparable to the A7r/II, and not the A6300. For weddings, I would consider investing in a A7rII, A7sII, or A7ii (in this sequence), with a number of fast primes.

Lastly, I would consider the A6300 a backup camera for a wedding photographer, not the main camera. Do consider using flash light in many situations, bounce, diffused, or direct. Flash photography has other challenges (shoot in RAW), and some experience with both the equipment and lighting should be in place. Many wedding photographers use at least a dual flash setup (one on camera and one slave flash on fixed stand) to allow both lighting on the subject (camera) and on the background or side of subject. Balancing the flash light should be done beforehand.

The fact that you can shoot in low light is not sufficient - it is great for mood shots. Many shots will look better if you add illumination (flash) on your subject. You don't need flash at max output - just enough to drop the ISO a lot, and get brighter faces in the image.

After all that, again, any successful picture is on that the bride & groom wouldn't have had otherwise, so cherish what you got.

 

[tominhouston]

Glad you were able to help them out.

I have come from 35mm to medium format to canon digital to combination Dslr/mirrorless and finally to mirrorless alone. I found the Sony A6000 to be challenging in two areas: auto focus and flash (TTL). However, more than capable of shooting weddings once you have the system down and any needed work-arounds in place. Caveats are below.

Because there are so many variables I am just going to give you some youtube videos/channels to investigate as they will do a much better job than I can and it will be visual.

1)“How I Use focusing options The Sony A6000” Fotofied (Jason)

2)Robert Wilson's series on the A6000 (backbutton auto focus, memory recall and custom button assignments)

3)lastly Gary Fong's auto focus info.

Caveats:

You need more than one of the little buggers

You will find shooting a wedding with your 5DIII easier than with the Sony A6000

Ability to handle low light situations with fast lenses or flash or both. (the Nissin i40 is nice)

I am moving to Fuji for most of my still photography, but not giving up the A6000's (will be ordering a A6300) especially for the incorporation of video on some assignments.

Best wishes

 

[chironNYC]

I used my a6300 to take pictures at my niece's wedding this weekend. For some reason, they had not rhired a photographer and were quite interested in getting pictures from people with cameras. I had brought the a6300 to get some experience in using it as it is a new camera for me and Sony ILMC camera are not known for their intuitive and easy to learn interface and I am taking it traveling in a few weeks. But because there was no photographer and my niece asked me to take photographs of important moments, I wound up taking far more pictures at the wedding than I would usually do as a guest.

I would be very interested to hear how experienced and perhaps professional users of the a6300 would set it up for shooting at a wedding.

One of the frustrations I had, for example, was learning what each of the AF modes would do under different circumstances. Same thing with learning how the Auto setting for ISO would work in practice. Particularly with the AF system, I felt that I was not sure where focus actually was some of the time. I tried using AF-C with lock-on-expandable-flexible-spot-small, but looking at the pictures afterward, a number of them seem to have just missed focus, though I can't see what else the system was choosing to focus on. I clearly need to learn more about these focus modes. Frankly, it made me long for the center focus point of my Canon 5d3, whihc is always quick and accurate. But I accept that I need to learn a lot more about the a6300's systems.

I also used silent shutter for a lot of the wedding. It was great most of the time, and wonderful during the ceremony, but i did get some odd artifacts that cost me some photos I wanted and that I think resulted from an interaction of the rolling silent shutter and the flashes of other photographers' cameras. This is discussed in another thread here.

So, how would the more experienced photographers set up the a6300 to shoot a wedding?

Your fastest AF would be AF-C with wide-area selected. For a wedding, this (fast AF) may not be needed and in low light, this may not work in PDAF. The camera will switch to CDAF when light-levels drop below -1EV. CDAF focusing is very different, especially in low light, as bright lights (typical background) will have higher contrast than dimly lit subject, causing you to miss focus.

You are better off using eye-AF, if possible, as the A6300 support eye-AF in continuous mode. If not, face detection can overcome CDAF inefficiencies in many cases.

I would use AF-S in the wedding situation and use DMF mode with face recognition with sufficient DOF (e.g. kit E1560 at wider side at f/4). Then, after focusing each frame, I would wiggle the focus ring and use macro-zoom assist to confirm focus and then snap a picture.

I would not use center focus, or small flexible spot in low light. Also, this center focus mode would force me to focus and re-frame, but make it harder to confirm focus.

As to lenses, having a fast f/1.8 lens makes a dramatic difference. I expect that you were shooting at ISO 3200, and a f/1.8 lens could have dropped this to ISO 800, improving the image IQ. (Of course, a FF camera could have dropped this even lower).

In addition, silent shutter (rolling shutter problems in incandescent light) and camera technique (unfamiliarity with the camera can lead to camera blur, e.g. by pressing shutter button too hard - this camera is very light, especially with kit lens), are both problems to best be avoided. Some gimping could have helped you realize that certain things did not work, so you might have been able to retake an image.

Even so, given that your friend had no photographer, every picture that came out is one picture they would not have gotten otherwise. This is a plus, although I expect that many experienced photographers would recommend to not engage as a 'wedding photographer' without prior experience and familiarity with both the equipment as well as the low light scenes.

I would definitely bring either the E35 or E50 as a portrait lens to use during ceremonies, and, if you can, the E24Z (or S19 or E20) - I would use them all at f/2.2 or so.

For many 'static' (posing or ceremonial) scenes I would not use AF at all, rather I would use MF (or DMF) and confirm focus for each shot using zoom-assist magnification, as you would have time to do so.

Then, a wedding photography has many 'must take' pictures, such as the rings, the cake cutting, family group shots, and so on. Many such pictures must come out acceptable, and many such shots are static. Having such a list helps a lot (and having the experience in which sequence they occur helps).

As to your Canon - it can do PDAF at lower light levels, as its PDAF detection cells are apart from the sensor and much larger in sensitivity. The Canon however has a much smaller grid of PDAF points, hence your center point bias focus mode. The Sony does not need the center point bias, as using wide-area AF-C will give you reliable results - except not in low light (-1EV and below) which was your situation.

Also, a 5D3 is comparable to the A7r/II, and not the A6300. For weddings, I would consider investing in a A7rII, A7sII, or A7ii (in this sequence), with a number of fast primes.

Lastly, I would consider the A6300 a backup camera for a wedding photographer, not the main camera. Do consider using flash light in many situations, bounce, diffused, or direct. Flash photography has other challenges (shoot in RAW), and some experience with both the equipment and lighting should be in place. Many wedding photographers use at least a dual flash setup (one on camera and one slave flash on fixed stand) to allow both lighting on the subject (camera) and on the background or side of subject. Balancing the flash light should be done beforehand.

The fact that you can shoot in low light is not sufficient - it is great for mood shots. Many shots will look better if you add illumination (flash) on your subject. You don't need flash at max output - just enough to drop the ISO a lot, and get brighter faces in the image.

After all that, again, any successful picture is on that the bride & groom wouldn't have had otherwise, so cherish what you got.

 

[chironNYC]

Glad you were able to help them out.

I have come from 35mm to medium format to canon digital to combination Dslr/mirrorless and finally to mirrorless alone. I found the Sony A6000 to be challenging in two areas: auto focus and flash (TTL). However, more than capable of shooting weddings once you have the system down and any needed work-arounds in place. Caveats are below.

Because there are so many variables I am just going to give you some youtube videos/channels to investigate as they will do a much better job than I can and it will be visual.

1)“How I Use focusing options The Sony A6000” Fotofied (Jason)

2)Robert Wilson's series on the A6000 (backbutton auto focus, memory recall and custom button assignments)

3)lastly Gary Fong's auto focus info.

Caveats:

You need more than one of the little buggers

You will find shooting a wedding with your 5DIII easier than with the Sony A6000

Ability to handle low light situations with fast lenses or flash or both. (the Nissin i40 is nice)

I am moving to Fuji for most of my still photography, but not giving up the A6000's (will be ordering a A6300) especially for the incorporation of video on some assignments.

Best wishes

Thank you for all the leads and caveats, Tom. I am going to follow up on them. I have just bought Gary Fon's video on the a6300, thanks to your suggestion.

And I did miss my 5d3 all night at the wedding. But the a6300 is such a beautiful camera! I find it hard to resist. I guess the question this experience has left me with is this: Is the a6300 better at shooting anything than a FF camera like the 5d3? How much image quality in low light is sacrificed with the APS-C format?

Why did you forego the larger cameras and settle on Fuji and the a6xxx cmaeras?

 

[IvanPavlov]

Thank you for all the leads and caveats, Tom. I am going to follow up on them. I have just bought Gary Fon's video on the a6300, thanks to your suggestion.

And I did miss my 5d3 all night at the wedding. But the a6300 is such a beautiful camera! I find it hard to resist. I guess the question this experience has left me with is this: Is the a6300 better at shooting anything than a FF camera like the 5d3? How much image quality in low light is sacrificed with the APS-C format?

Why did you forego the larger cameras and settle on Fuji and the a6xxx cmaeras?

You do not lose image quality with APS-C camera in compared to FF at equivalent DoF in the situation demanding diafragm f/2.8 and more closed.

I.e. you shot on FF - ISO200 f/2.8 1/200 and in the same conditions on APS-C - ISO100 f/2.0 1/200.

 

[tominhouston]

Well I didn't lose anything using my A6000 vs a MkII. I think the files between the MkIII vs the A6300 would favor the Canon. But, unless you are a pixel peeper it wouldn't be significant. Sony, either thru the new image sensor or software has managed to smooth out the high ISO files in the A6300. So in that regard it is even better than the A6000.

I haven't printed anything larger than 20"x30" from my A6000, they look great.

Why did I move to the smaller cameras #1) Weight, 8 to 10 hour weddings were starting to take a toll. #2) Video I was getting more calls for still photography and some video

Why am I moving toward Fuji 1) beautiful straight out of the camera JPG's so faster work flow 2) simpler menu system (at least for me), 3) takes me back to my humble 35mm rangefinder beginnings 4)Fuji seems to listen to photographers more and have their own repair center(s) 5)Glass while I have been using adapted lenses - the two Fuji lenses I have are superb.

Both the Sony and Fuji systems still suffer low light focusing and TTL flash to varying degrees. Both are improving. There are work-arounds for both issues. A word on TTL flash - I don't use TTL anything in my studio...but...TTL can save your butt in fast paced action during a wedding. There are purists who wouldn't use flash for anything.. good for them ... I'm no purist when i need it I use it. Fl*sh isn't a bad word.

I still plan on getting an A6300 I had been planning on the A7 full frame but they remain (at least for now) too flawed for the money. Of course opinions are like belly buttons ..everyone has one.

 

[a7sastro]

Allow me three points that are so applicable to your situation that may be helpful for others, plus my own chance to rant.

So if you find yourself ever again behind a camera at a wedding preplan and rent extra equipment:

#1 good going using the silent shutter feature. If only everyone had skill and the a7s with good glass! Then no need for clicks or flashes!

I look forward to the day when ceremonies can have no flashes and no annoying clicks throughout the ceremony!!!!!!!!!

I say this as a videographer that has to deal with every noisy click and every flash that goes off.

Yes rolling shutter drawback. But:

Others should not be taking pictures during the ceremony, especially with flashes.

And uncle joe doesn't need to be holding up his 8x11 ipad to get a video blocking the people sitting behind him.

Ideally as Sony sensors become more light sensitive,

and photographers use bright lenses and use depth of field and are adept at focus/ISO/WB/ etc. weddings will need less flashes,

and Sony puts its fast sensor data offload technology (high fps) into more cameras that can give us a global shutter,

we will get to a place where we don't have to deal with the "click" "click" "click" and "flash" "flash" "flash."

Props to the professionals that exploit the advantage of a flash and mechanical shutter,

but video is getting to the point (4K) that I can take video frames and best or better what I see many wedding photos taken with the annoying photographer up close kneeling in front of everyone with the "click" "click" flash flash, while I have a few video cameras in the back with good zoom lenses getting a better shot.

As Sony extends its ability to record 4K with high frame rates, it will become easy enough to stack multiple video frames together and combined them for better color, lighting and resolution (superresolution technique) to get amazing photographs directly from the video.

#2 attend the rehearsal and rehearse your shots.

If possible, visit the site on a different day at the same time (placement of the Sun/lighting) so there will be no surprises.

it's nice to have more than one photographer, given the need to be in the right spot to frame the shot, etc. I get it. But would be nice if both were using silent shutter.

A good solution to being in the right place at the right time is to attend the rehearsal, set your framing and shots while they are rehearsing, take notes, and make sure they walk you through everything that is going to happen for that particular ceremony.

This is critical for video since there is no second chance nor much option to throw out footage.

#3 have different set ups to get the important events. Set up multiple cameras at specific locations, already set with lighting compensation, focus, etc.

This is easy with video to set up multiple discreet cameras constantly recording, and is simple to edit in post which shot to have for what moment, -even sometimes having more than one best shot for the same moment (like the face of the bride and the face of the groom with the rings exchange).

I get the freedom of relying on autoxyz, but as a control freak I like the freedom of using manual to make sure the shot is right. Practice and rehearsing makes this easy.

The advantage to a wedding is that it is a choreographed and ordered event. Trying to shoot it as if it were an unpredictable setting (sporting event, safari) with the run and gun approach is not the correct method.

IMO

 

[uhligfd]

What has not been mentioned yet: The A6300 has 4 memory settings. For a wedding with quickly changing venues and views: outdoors, getting inside, nighttime artificial light dancing, portraits and so forth - assuming you know how to adjust what, AF wise, Eye-AF, ISO wise, Aperture wise, flash wise, etc - etc ...

Then it is easy: just call up a different memory setting on your camera and shoot away. That is what Sony wedding shooters do.

But first you have to be able to set the parameters yourself! Learn them, read up on them, mess with them ,,,, ... and that will take quite some time, 2 + months at least. I have had mine for 2 month right now and today I finally realized that I had to set those memory settings much finer than I had done before. Are they perfect now? Not yet. I and they will be there in a year ... maybe

So time is your answer, learn and re-learn.

 

[DJohnny]

Allow me three points that are so applicable to your situation that may be helpful for others, plus my own chance to rant.

So if you find yourself ever again behind a camera at a wedding preplan and rent extra equipment:

#1 good going using the silent shutter feature. If only everyone had skill and the a7s with good glass! Then no need for clicks or flashes!

This one I disagree with because some lighting just doesn't work with silent shutter. Also, it seems that the camera performs better with mechanical shutter.

I look forward to the day when ceremonies can have no flashes and no annoying clicks throughout the ceremony!!!!!!!!!

I say this as a videographer that has to deal with every noisy click and every flash that goes off.

Totally agree with the flash!!! I am mindful of videographers, being a videographer myself and avoid flash at ceremonies. The a7s makes it easier, however I am able to do it with 5D3 and a99 as well.

Yes rolling shutter drawback. But:

Rolling shutter can ruin some photos, so yes this is a drawback.

Others should not be taking pictures during the ceremony, especially with flashes.

And uncle joe doesn't need to be holding up his 8x11 ipad to get a video blocking the people sitting behind him.

I've seen a large lady stiff arm the paid photographer so that she can get the shot of bride walking down the aisle with her ipad... Photographer missed the moment, luckily the couple didn't get mad at the photog.

Ideally as Sony sensors become more light sensitive,

and photographers use bright lenses and use depth of field and are adept at focus/ISO/WB/ etc. weddings will need less flashes,

Although I avoid flash at ceremonies, I use it the rest of the day. I like to control light myself, so I use flash wherever possible. Some shots work better without flash, so I turn it off, but 70% of my photos are done with flash. For reception I use multiple units to light up as much as possible. It eliminates to green and purple skin tones. Also, I can use a much lower ISO. I am shooting photos at F/1.8 ISO 400 with 1/125 shutter, but video in the same settings at F/1.8 ISO 25600 1/50 shutter.

and Sony puts its fast sensor data offload technology (high fps) into more cameras that can give us a global shutter,

we will get to a place where we don't have to deal with the "click" "click" "click" and "flash" "flash" "flash."

I hate this during things like letter readings, or in home ceremonies where I cannot mic everyone up. For church ceremonies, I do not care, because I mic up the groom, officiant and podium. For reception hall ceremonies, I've been having bad luck with DJs, so I don't know any more. I sometimes get horrible audio feeds. Last wedding, they gave me the feed to the DJ microphone only. I requested for the toasts. So, I hear the DJ doing cat calls and laughing like a hyena and a barely audible toast, which I now have to use in camera audio... Sadly, I have to start either learning how to use DJ equipment or hire an audio engineer...

Props to the professionals that exploit the advantage of a flash and mechanical shutter,

but video is getting to the point (4K) that I can take video frames and best or better what I see many wedding photos taken with the annoying photographer up close kneeling in front of everyone with the "click" "click" flash flash, while I have a few video cameras in the back with good zoom lenses getting a better shot.

Yes and no. Good enough for facebook and 4x6, but very different than a RAW photo. If you are doing better than the photographer with your video stills (I've done this a couple times myself) then the photographer does not know what he/she is doing. I am not being paid to take photos, so unless they want to fork over an additional fee equivalent to what they paid their photographer, then I am not doing this. I've only done this on a few occasions when family members pass and the photog missed a lot of shots. These are usually photographers that work for big studios that just contract photographers and give them shot lists.

As Sony extends its ability to record 4K with high frame rates, it will become easy enough to stack multiple video frames together and combined them for better color, lighting and resolution (superresolution technique) to get amazing photographs directly from the video.

#2 attend the rehearsal and rehearse your shots.

If possible, visit the site on a different day at the same time (placement of the Sun/lighting) so there will be no surprises.

Not always practical, but useful. I don't do this because I would rather be at home with my family than to go somewhere for free to take practice shots. I visit some venues, but banquet halls and golf courses are all the same. Most churches are the same as well.

it's nice to have more than one photographer, given the need to be in the right spot to frame the shot, etc. I get it. But would be nice if both were using silent shutter.

2nd photographer makes it much easier and you get more artistic freedom because you are not worrying about missing moments.

A good solution to being in the right place at the right time is to attend the rehearsal, set your framing and shots while they are rehearsing, take notes, and make sure they walk you through everything that is going to happen for that particular ceremony.

This is critical for video since there is no second chance nor much option to throw out footage.

#3 have different set ups to get the important events. Set up multiple cameras at specific locations, already set with lighting compensation, focus, etc.

This is easy with video to set up multiple discreet cameras constantly recording, and is simple to edit in post which shot to have for what moment, -even sometimes having more than one best shot for the same moment (like the face of the bride and the face of the groom with the rings exchange).

I get the freedom of relying on autoxyz, but as a control freak I like the freedom of using manual to make sure the shot is right. Practice and rehearsing makes this easy.

The advantage to a wedding is that it is a choreographed and ordered event. Trying to shoot it as if it were an unpredictable setting (sporting event, safari) with the run and gun approach is not the correct method.

IMO

Overall very good advice for many photographers/videographers venturing into weddings

 

[Film Photo Bryan]

I'm interested in advice on this topic too. I can't believe so many people missed the part about you being a guest and NOT the wedding photographer. The autofocus options are pretty confusing... this is my first Sony camera.

 

[chironNYC]

I'm interested in advice on this topic too. I can't believe so many people missed the part about you being a guest and NOT the wedding photographer. The autofocus options are pretty confusing... this is my first Sony camera.

Yes, it's wonderful to get a condescending and off-topic lecture from people who haven't even bothered to accurately understand what you are saying and asking. ;-)

At the time I got my a6300 and went AS A GUEST to the wedding, Gary Friedman's book on the a6300 was not yet out, and there were very, very few online resources. But Friedman's e-book is now available, and it includes a lot of information on different ways of setting up your camera. The camera itself is quite confusing and the various AF choices are intriguing but a bit complicated in the variety of intersecting settings that are available. I think that you would find Friedman's book very helpful.

I have to say that in dim light, I still do not find the a6300--despite Sony's claims--able to focus as quickly and reliably--without hesitation or hunting--as does my Canon 5d3. The 5d3 has the light advantage because it is FF, which helps with the AF.

But the a6300 is still a very interesting and worthwhile camera. For travel photography especially, I have found the settings like hand-held night shot and anti-shake quite useful and helpful in getting pictures that I really like. But i still miss shots because of the complexity of re-setting aspects of the camera's functioning. It is getting better with time and experience with the camera.

But I wish that Sony would design the interface to be more like a physical tool with settings that are accessed via physical entities like buttons, knobs, and wheels, and less like a software program that you adjust via menus and screens. A camera, after all, is a hand-held physical object that is used as a tool, and going into menus and software screen settings completely takes you out of using the physical object. I don't know why they don't get this.

But get Friedman's book. And enjoy!