I’m shooting on a Canon T3i as my second camera for weddings and have so far been very pleased. Its on-camera microphone even serves as a surprisingly adequate back up audio source and saved me when an audio cable on my wireless got glitchy.
To get around the file length limitations I’m using a traditionalfullHD camcorder with AVCHD to get the full length of the ceremony. I run my wireless mic into this one. It has on the fly audio controls.
You should white balance the two cameras – don’t necessarily trust the screen to eyeball them. You’ll probably do a little color correction in post anyway.
I about had a heart attack when I stepped into the room where my last wedding was taking place. It was VERY dark, lit only by a few dimmed fourescent tubes in fixtures up on a VERY high ceiling and some white Christmas lights. But the T3i did remarkably well. The color exceeded my other camera with the smaller chip. Theburgandy colorswere especially good looking.
And the 5D would only be better.
So if you want to get into short films and you’re a Canon person like I am, any one of the camera’s in their line from the T3i to the 5D mkiii will do the job of a secondary wedding camera and a primary film camera (plus take amazing stills.) After all, there’s a reason the producers of ‘Act of Valor’ used 5Ds exclusively. I’ve used the 5D for a short film and it looks VERY good.
If budget is a concern as it was for me, strongly consider the T3i. It would do everything you want cheaper than the 5D with a slightly smaller chip which leaves a 1.6 crop factor to deal with (get shorter lenses.) If not, go all the way and get yourself the latest and greatest 5D mkiii.
Now, don’t get me wrong, there are other capable cameras out there. The GH2 is good. But it’s a micro 4/3 so if you NEED the shallow DoF the 5D offers thenthat must be considered. Nikon also has some new releases into the HDSLR field but I don’t know much about them.
Remember, buying an HDSLR isn’t like buying a fixed lens camcorder. Consider your investment in glass every bit as much as you consider your camera.
But if you plan to shoot on ONLY an HDSLR for weddings without a second camera in the mix, you HAVE to consider how long any single shot can be. I think the mkiii comes in at 29:29 while my T3i comes in at 12 minutes if memory serves. If it’s your second camera and you can match it up reasonably well you’re golden.
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