How to choose a camera for beach wedding photos

The invitation has been RSVP'd, the plane tickets are booked and the awkward Hawaiian shirt is packed. But which camera will get the best beach wedding photos? In this article, an explanation is given for each type of camera, and how useful it will be on the sand. It also covers what to look for when researching the camera.

Digital compact camera

Easily, the most diverse in terms of practicality. It's small, lightweight and can therefore be taken anywhere in the world. They're cheap, so if they get sand or seawater in, it's not too much of a loss. There are also water-proof and sand-proof cameras available for ultimate protection. Issues However, they have small sensors, so the picture quality isn't the best and flash will have to be used more often than not. Also, when it comes to wedding photography, size matters, and the bride and groom will instinctively look at the bigger cameras first.

Superzooms

These are more DSLR looking with chunky grips and large zoom lenses. They will attract the attention of the wedding group and also they're good for reportage pictures, thanks to the large focal range. The downside is that they share the same small sensors as a digital compact camera, so the image quality will suffer.

Compact system cameras and DSLRs

Compact system cameras (CSC) are similar to DSLR because they have a larger sensor and detachable lens. However, CSC are smaller in size than DSLR because of no mirror or pentaprism which is great for travelling. Lenses To fully take advantage of the versatility of the CSC camera, the lenses can be changed. However, when a lens is taken off a body, a small vacuum is produced sucking everything into the body of the camera: Air, water vapour and even sand. This can spell doom for the camera, so care needs to be taken. DSLRs DSLRs have a similar problem with dust and they're bigger, but they offer the most versatility in terms of accessories, lens ranges, and they simply look the part. To get the weather sealings, more money has to be spent on a DSLR to get a higher spec version, and this will generally run into the thousands.

Tips

Before taking any weddings photos, look at reviews of the cameras that have been shortlisted. Pay particular attention to the metering performance, colour rendition and dynamic range. The metering will ensure that the right subject is exposed correctly, while a good colour rendition means realistic colours of those tropical wedding cakes and beach wedding flowers. A good dynamic range will mean that highlights of beach wedding gowns won't be burnt out, while darker areas of foliage or shadows will still retain detailed.