Denis Reggie talks camera gear

Denis Reggie waxes eloquent on his gear with frank commentary and insight. Here is a listing of the equipment he totes to his wedding assignments:

Cameras

Canon EOS 1D Mark IV – I just love this camera and it is my wedding workhorse and very likely my favorite camera ever. It does everything at the wedding very well, and I really enjoy the excellent high-res screen on back. The high ISO shots are fabulous when processed in Lightroom version 3 especially… much better noise handling than previous LR versions.

Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III – this grand-daddy is fabulous for formals and room shots. I have covered many weddings using only this camera model (before the 1D Mark IV arrived) and I happily find the buffer more capable of handling aggressive shooting vs. the previous 1Ds model. It does not offer high ISO capability anywhere near the newer 1D Mark IV, however.

I have also used the Canon EOS 5D Mark II at many of my wedding assignments and have great respect for the fine quality images it produces. And, particularly for the new entrant into professional wedding photography, the impressive Canon EOS 7D has garnered lots of kudos and is worth a close look and consideration. I am partial, however, to the 45-point focus system of the 1 series (which has 39 ultra sensitive cross-type AF points compared to just one – the center point – in the 5D Mark II) which is the primary reason that I stick with the heavier 1 series cameras. I also like having cameras with identical ergonomics so that in the quickness of the moment, my fingers know exactly where the button or dial is located. That’s why I am all 1 series today.

Prime lenses

Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L – sometimes my most used lens at a wedding, though my lens choices seems to change over time and particular event, and my mood at the moment, I guess! Great for candids, formal groups and couple portraits. Quite lovely. If cost is too much, try the excellent-for-the-price Canon EF 50mm f1.4 lens. It impressively sharp especially from about f:3.2 through f:5.6, arguably even sharper than my 50 mm f:1.2 L lens at these particular apertures. Of course, so much of my use at weddings is in the f:1.8 to f:3.2 range, so I opted for the L lens. By the way, for my groups, I am in the f:3.5 to f:4 range. See the overview of how I shoot formals also found here on LearnPhotoPro.

The magnificent 85mm f:1.2L II lens. I adore the sharpness though it is not my fastest focusing lens for moving targets. Love it for portraits and PJ moments. © Denis Reggie 2010

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II – legendary ultra-sharp lens that’s ideal for photojournalism and portraiture. I adore this one especially in the f:1.6 to f:2.8 range. A truly awesome lens that delivers a unique look to the images. There is a far less expensive alternative to the f:1.2 L lens that is particularly sharp and a superb value: the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8. All-in-all, 85mm is a terrific length especially on full chip cameras. Brides’ dressing areas are often a bit small to handle a lens with an effective length of 110mm (as an 85mm appears on a 1D Mark IV) so a 50mm may be more practical depending on your camera.

Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L – sweet and does well on the 1D Mark IV especially given the magnification push… becomes a 45mm. Even on the full chip camera, it has a nice perspective without distortion concerns.

Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L II is now absolutely tack sharp though it needed a visit to Canon for focus calibration on arrival, not sure why. I love this lens and was not previously a real wide angle shooter. I like it in crowded rooms… quite sharp throughout the range though I tend to play in the f:2.8 range.

Canon EF 200mm f/2L IS – yes, it’s pricey (consider renting one for a special assignment), but oh my gosh.. this is the sharpest single lens I have ever shot in my whole photo life. This baby cries for wide open use… and you can seemingly count each eyelash even on full length subjects. A true work of art – the optical engineers need to e congratulated. I didn’t think it possible to out resolve the predecessor 200mm f:1.8 especially while adding IS to boot, but alas, they did it. Even with IS, I find myself often using this beast with a monopod and the Really Right Stuff system. I also changed the “foot” on this lens (just need a tiny screwdriver) to the lens specific RRS plate that works in tandem with their excellent quick release clamp which is mounted atop the monopod. I use the same quick release system on my tripod and ballhead setup described on the bracket description page of this website.

My only non-L lens and it's really sharp. The 15mm Fisheye looks awesome and not too distorted on smaller chip cameras... love it for interior room shots like tents. © Denis Reggie 2010

I do also carry the Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens which is great for a few tent interior shots especially. Note that I do not use this lens on a full chip camera owing excessive distortion. Having said that, the new Lightroom lens correction tool can do astounding corrections even eliminating the wacky fisheye distortion. This is the only non-L lens I own, but it is quite sharp and has great use for a handful of my images at most every wedding… though Lightroom 3.0 may give its usability a boost.

Zoom lenses

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II – really a must-have upgrade from the previous version; very sharp. I am still not wild about wide lenses for groups because of inherent perspective distortion – they’re just not as people friendly as a normal length lens. But this wide zoom lens is really fabulous anyway and I find myself using it lots more than the earlier model especially during the reception… it’s extremely sharp! I should also credit my buddy Joe Buissink with renewing my interest in this particular lens – he uses it extensively for his awesome work.

The updated 70-200mm f:2.8L II lens has improved IS performance and is even sharper near the 200mm focal length setting. Notice that I have replaced the lens foot with the Really Right Stuff lens plate to work with their cool quick release system. © 2010 Denis Reggie

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L – perfect range for wedding… a sharp lens, however, occasionally a bit touchy about holding focus. Probably needs an update, maybe adding IS. If you can live with f:4.0, the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS is a superb choice and is a tack sharp alternative with more length.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L II – switched to this updated “type II” version with even better IS performance and now sharper on the long end of its range near 200mm. I always thought its predecessor was pretty amazing, but this one is even better. This is my favorite lens for outdoor events like garden or beach weddings and receptions.

Flash gear

Three Canon Speedlite 580EX II flash units each with companion Canon CP-E4 flash power packs. I use Maha Powerex NiMH batteries and the matching Maha 8-cell battery charger.

When I am in my cruising mode in search of interesting wedding moments that require flash, I like foofing my flash (wall bouncing) for three dimensional lighting effect. When that’s just not an option because of the environment, I reach for my Gary Fong collapsible LightSphere to deliver the broadest light I can get with a shoe mounted flash… very nice design.

Denis Reggie Bracket designed to work with any brand flash, with or without radio devices.

It will come as no surprise that I bring along a Denis Reggie Bracket for my 20 minute formal portrait sessions which I will mount onto my Avenger A0035B aluminum light stand with Adorama 40 inch white umbrella. I pack two Pocket Wizard FlexTT5units that I attach to my bracket along with two flash units with power packs, then place a PocketWizard MiniTT1 transmitter on the camera’s hot shoe to fire the E-TTL rig. This whole setup is described in more detail on the bracket page of this website.

Tripod and mounts



Speedy Manfrotto Neotec tripod, just pull the legs to extend, no knobs to turn whatsoever. Fabulous design.

I use a tripod for portraits and some room shots or time exposures and my choice nowadays is the Manfrotto 458B Neotec pro photo tripod which features ultra-quick setup and breakdown that has to be tried to be believed. Both ballhead and camera L-plate are precision manufactured by Really Right Stuff - fittings are offered for all popular camera brands and models. L-plates have dual platforms, one for each orientation. The main advantages are (1) placing the weight of the camera directly over the center column regardless of orientation – say goodbye to over-torquing the ballhead when camera is in vertical position;  (2) switching orientations is nearly instantaneous thanks to dual platforms and the ballhead’s nifty quick release, and (3) orientation changes requires no refocusing and minimal recomposition. Very sweet indeed.

Other gear

Think Tank Roller Bag is well made. I hear that a reinforced version is in the works to be “gate checkable”… nice to get added protection when I am not able to keep the bag in my possession for the entire trip… especially nice with all those regional jet flights nowadays that don’t allow the bag in the cabin (won’t fit the overhead bin, not even close).

The Portabrace gear bag holds my bracket, tripod, monopod, light stand, umbrella, radio devices and extra batteries. © Denis Reggie 2010

Portabrace Tripod Case… comes in a few different lengths. Be sure to get one that can handle the length of your light stand.

Lexar 32GB 600x CompactFlash cards… my favorite cards. And Lexar is terrific with service for professionals if you need it. I have older 8GB and 16 BG, but I always reach first for the 32GB cards.

Lexar Dual-Slot USB 2.0 Card Reader… it’s UDMA compatible so it offloads cards really fast. Slots for SD and CF type cards.

Apple MacBook Pro 13.3-Inch Laptop… I picked up one of these and it rocks. Love the lighted keyboard.

500 GB USB 2.0 Portable Drive… I always have a second copy of my files before reusing a CF card.

Joe Buissink uses very similar gear

I asked Joe to email his gear list and, wow, we have nearly the exact list of favorites! He does have a couple of additions that I were not on my list:

Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II
Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Macro Lens
Frezzy video light with the excellent Endura battery setup and adapter for portable use.
Canon EOS-1V Film SLR Body, yes, Joe still shoots film at many of his assignments.