Is anyone having good luck with the EX1 and weddings. I have read there could be a problem when a flash goes off with a CMOS sensor?

If that is not an issue I am going to pick up one of these cameras.

Denny

First off, I do not do weddings. I can't imagine a more frustrating way to make a living. But I did one last week because a friend whom I owed a favor called me at eight in the morning, freaking out: "My daughter's getting married this afternoon and the video guy just called to say he can't make it. Please, help!"

Okay... so I won't bore you with details such as making him rush to the church to show me the layout, getting my ladyfriend up to speed on my Z1U to backup the EX3, getting shots of hair being done at the last second, etc. You want to know about rolling shutter.

It was god-awful. I can't describe how bad it was. Hundreds of flashes... all those horizontal rectangles across the video. I used a lot of footage from the Z1U to cover the worst of it.

But for some reason I'm the only one who seemed to notice. Go figure.

My hat's off to wedding shooters, by the way. Not me. Huh-uh. I'd rather eat worms.

Here. See for yourself.

rolling shutter on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/39123560@N03/3747856514/)

Had one of the first EX 1's into Australia.

I do about 80 single camera weddings per year, although at 59 y.o. the EX 1 is really not good for my back....esp with a light hanging off the front of it.

In short, rolling shutter...awful.....esp. for slow motion....has anyone else noticed? ....NO!!!

Images......awesome......esp. low light receptions!

Now....if it was only as light as a V1!

Cheers,

Vaughan

Been shooting weddings for 28 years, and with the EX for since June '08. It's absolutely not an issue for me. There are a few times where I use the flash as an effect, that is I'll freeze on it. Depending on where the shutter is, sometimes it will give you a full frame flash, other times the still frame will be half flash. Having said that, I found if I put the "deinterlace" filter on in FCP, I'll often be able to get the full flash frame effect by picking one of the choices in the deinterlace filter tab, like odd, even, etc.

Been shooting weddings for 28 years, and with the EX for since June '08. It's absolutely not an issue for me. There are a few times where I use the flash as an effect, that is I'll freeze on it. Depending on where the shutter is, sometimes it will give you a full frame flash, other times the still frame will be half flash. Having said that, I found if I put the "deinterlace" filter on in FCP, I'll often be able to get the full flash frame effect by picking one of the choices in the deinterlace filter tab, like odd, even, etc.

That's a lot of work when there are hundreds of flashes.

Really? I only do the effect about 5 times, on the 50 weddings I shoot a year.

i was worried about it at first, now I don't care. my bigger concerns are the horrible white balance and focus with this camera.

Try using a preset white balance, i.e. 3200k for tungsten or 5600k for outdoors. On a wedding you need to work fast, so constantly adjusting the WB settings you could miss some key moments.

The EX auto focus is not the best, try using manual assisted focus. Or, set the camera to manual focus and keep a finger near the push for auto focus button.

I have been using the Canon XH A1 for wedding work, but shot my last one on the EX3 and the results were outstanding.

I am also using the new DM shoulder mount and this does make life a lot easier for the handheld work.

If that is not an issue I am going to pick up one of these cameras.


it is an issue, but I never heard anything from my clients, to them it's just a photoflash light.
but the picture is just great!

i was worried about it at first, now I don't care. my bigger concerns are the horrible white balance and focus with this camera.

I've not had a problem with those two issues. But I always shoot full manual; and I do not use the auto white balance.

Newbluefx makes a filter that removes the flash from the video.

I have read there could be a problem when a flash goes off with a CMOS sensor?

If that is not an issue I am going to pick up one of these cameras.
It's funny - the way the rolling shutter behaves when a camera flash goes off is exactly the same as tube cameras used to behave with a camera flash, for those old enough to remember the era! Nobody even mentioned it at the time - it was just how video cameras behaved.

Likewise there was little comment passed when CCD cameras appeared, and rendered flashes a little differently. (Vertical streaking was far more an issue!) So why is such a fuss being made about rolling shutter now?

So why is such a fuss being made about rolling shutter now?

I do think things have changed a lot in the last few years.

Every guest has a digital camera, and every camera has at least one "pre-flash" or more likely, a series of them to relieve red-eye!

This can make a normal cake cutting look like a Hollywood media circus!!!!

Likewise I recently did a surprise wedding where guests thought it was an engagement and so the guests were all standing around the couple in the middle of a hotel ballroom.
When they were pronounced Husband and Wife the flashes went completely insane!
I really couldn't use "that" kiss at all, and had to get them to kiss again later for me.

Likewise last year we did a school concert where the new school Principal did not warn people there was to be no flash photography during the event.

After they complained about the quality of the video we went back and counted 165 camera flashes in the first 5 minutes of the concert footage, (@25 f.p.s.)

Sometimes you just can't control this stuff, and it is getting OUT of control.

Cheers,

Vaughan

What ever happened to no flash during the ceremony.

We do a few weddings at a church where this is NOT allowed, even by the photographer, even at the kiss. The pastor will state this at the beginning of the ceremony. He has been known to stop the ceremony and ask a guest to please put there camera away. Word gets around quick that you follow the rules.

A news photographer friend was married at a church where he was told photography was prohibited. The bride-to-be said it was her wedding. And of course all the news photogs invited to the ceremony jumped into the fray.

So there were two photographers at the front, one of whom had a 300mm f2.8 on a monopod, generally used for shooting football. One on the side. An unmanned video camera located high at the back of the church. Another video camera at the front. One more off to one side. And a 1000-watt light to counteract the blue stained glass on the wedding couple.

And when the bride walked up to the altar, the groom pulled out a small pocket camera to get his POV.

The minister chuckled and said the winner of the photo contest would be announced at the end of the ceremony.

The minister chuckled and said the winner of the photo contest would be announced at the end of the ceremony.

Love it!

My favourite is an old irish priest who sat down on a chair near the front of the stage area of his church to give his homily before the wedding vows, and was finding himself distracted by the two photographers (20 - something y.o. girls) who were sitting near the stage area taking reaction shots of the parents and others in the congregation.

As one of them clicked her shutter just in the pregnant pause at the end of his sentence, he turned to these girls and banished them down to the back of the church, telling them it "was his time to speak to his flock, and if they would be so kind as to sit down and listen, they may actually learn something too".
Two chastised girls were very embarrased and waited until he told them they could come and record the wedding before they ventured back down the aisle!
Loved that one too!

Cheers,

Vaughan