advice: The best Nikon wedding photography gear
Hey there! You’re likely someone who enjoys capturing beautiful moments through photography. Perhaps you’ve been asked to photograph your first wedding, and you’re ready to take your skills to the next level. You’ve come to the right place to learn about the essential Nikon equipment for professional wedding photography.
I am a NJ wedding photographer, running my business since 2018. I photograph with Nikon. I used to shoot with DSLRs: DX Nikon D7500 & FX D750. In 2020, I upgraded to the Nikon Z6ii – going mirrorless is a game changer.
The best Nikon wedding photography gear
All recommendations are coming from me, a NJ professional wedding photographer since 2018.
Camera for weddings:
Nikon Z6ii is what I shoot with, and I have two. Recently, Nikon released the Nikon z6iii which is known to have 20% faster autofocus and better for video. However it is heavier and $500 more. So you can decide if it’s worth the upgrade. I love my Nikon z6ii and don’t plan on upgrading for a few years.
Flash for weddings:
Regarding Flash, I recommend the affordable options from Godox or Flashpoint. If you’re not looking for budget-friendly, invest in the Profoto – they are the leading wedding flash company. Godox and Flashpoint flash capture fast, wild dance party action during receptions or in low light.
For shooting large groups, like wedding parties and family photos indoors, you can convert the on-camera flash system into an off-camera one. I recommend the basics of having a light stand at least 9 feet tall and an umbrella.
- Auto stand for flash
- Dual flash brackets or one flash bracket with umbrella mount
- Parabolic umbrella
- Flash trigger to put on top of the camera and trigger the off-camera flash
Important note: Remember to shoot indoors only with parabolic umbrellas. Outside winds can knock your gear over without an assistant or weights on your stand.
How to use your flash for weddings correctly:
You’ll need a diffuser to create a softer light, especially when directing the flash on your subject. If not, you can bounce the light straight up to white ceilings or a white wall behind you. If you shoot direct flash, you can use TTL mode. If you shoot your flash bouncing off walls, use manual mode and adjust the power as you shoot/review images.
The best camera lenses for weddings:
As you shoot more weddings, upgrading your lenses to capture fast action in low light is important. For the best results on wedding days, look for lenses with a 2.8, 1.8, or 1.4 aperture.
Lucky for you, if you’re starting wedding photography with an F series, Nikon lenses are cheaper now as I believe Nikon stopped making F lenses and is focusing on mirrorless Z series lenses. DSLRs are still great cameras for weddings! I shoot with prime lenses primarily, but to start, you only would need any variation of these two (85/35) in a wide-open aperture under 2.8. I have each lens on each camera and always have two cameras on a wedding day to switch back and forth. Watch this video of which camera lenses are the best for wedding
photographers.
Must have prime lenses for F Mount DSLR Nikon Cameras:
When ready to upgrade, you can add a 50mm lens (portrait angle—making it feel like seeing through our human eye) and a wide 14-24mm lens for ultra-wide shots on the dance floor. I love standing close to subjects and getting the full scenes. Although people around the corners of the composition will be distorted, the subject in the center will not. The 14-24 lens is perfect for reception dance floor shots.
Must have prime lenses for Z Mount mirrorless Nikon Cameras:
Suppose you upgrade to a mirrorless camera like the Nikon z6ii or z6iii. In that case, you can use an FTZ adapter and easily switch your F-mount DSLR lenses to use on the Z-mount adapter without having to sell all your camera gear to upgrade to mirrorless. Otherwise, you can be like me and get the following Z-series lenses for mirrorless Nikon wedding cameras.
- 85mm 1.8 for portraits and close-ups while standing far away. Scenes behind the subject will be closer than they appear
- 35mm 1.4 for full-body portraits and wide shots with beautiful landscapes and scenery.
Bonus lenses for Nikon wedding photographers:
- 50mm 2.8 macro for detail shots and close-up ring shots while being very close to the subject
- 14-24mm 2.8 for ultra-wide shots on the dance floor. I love standing close to subjects on the dance floor and getting the whole scene. Although people around the corners of the composition will be distorted, the subject in the center will not. The 14-24 mm lens is my go-to for reception dance floor shots.
Must have zoom lenses for F mount/DSLR cameras:
It’s important that you order lenses with Vibration Reduction (VR) version. Keep in mind that these camera lenses are HEAVY
Must have zoom lenses for Z mount/mirrorless cameras:
Keep in mind that these camera lenses are HEAVY. If you’re a small human and can suffer from neck/back pain. These lenses are not best for wedding photographers.
How to make sure your camera is fast:
You need fast memory cards. I typically shoot to fill 2-4 64 GB cards for a full wedding day. If your camera has dual SD card slots, prepare double the amount of SD cards. I do not format the cards until I deliver all the photos and save them to a hard drive and to an online cloud (Smugmug) as a backup.
The official wedding photography equipment list for photographers:
- – two full-frame cameras with dual memory card slots like the Nikon z6ii or z6iii
- – extra batteries (at least four backups, two per camera)
- – charger
- – on-camera flash (one per camera)
- – extra batteries
- – charger
- – diffuser for the flash
- – super fast SD or CF cards, 64 GB (4-8 count) or 128GB (2-4 count)
- – fast portrait lenses: 85mm or 70-200mm
- – fast wide lenses: 35mm or 24-70mm
- – camera bag
- – dual camera holster
I hope this helps you become the worlds best Nikon wedding photographer there is.
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