I get many requests from my subscribers and readers to suggest the best wedding photography camera and lenses for 2023. so in this article, you will get all the essential details related to camera gears and lenses required for wedding photography.
One of the most important parts of wedding photography or cinematography is the skill of the photographer. And the second most importantly the gear you have. So, in the article, we will discuss the best possible wedding photography gear you can buy with the budget you have. This is a custom-tailored wedding photography guide made for every budget.
SELECTING Lenses for Wedding Photography
For wedding photography, we generally recommend two lenses (at least you should have these two lenses) and the lenses are, the coverage lens and the portrait lens.
Coverage Lens
The coverage lens is specifically recommended for the wedding event when you cover the ring ceremony, group photo shoot, and other important rituals performed during that day.
Portrait Lens
For Pre-wedding shoot and boudoir photography, you need a portrait prime lens. So in this article, we are recommending you two basic essential lenses for every camera that falls in your budget range.
So let’s talk about the best wedding photography camera of 2023 let’s begin with the list. If you looking for a super budget wedding Photography guide and no matter what you get in your hand it should be a perfect system.
We are keeping DSLR recommendations
As usually you know the DSLRs are outdated and the DSLR makers are cannibalizing their DSLRs. The research and development on DSLR and their lenses also stopped so it’s worthless to recommend any DSLR camera for wedding photographers in the year 2023. in this article, we will be keeping out the DSLR cameras and that’s essential too.
1. Best Nikon Camera and Lens for Wedding Photo and Video
Nikon Z6 Mark II is the best camera for Wedding Photography and Video in 2023. If you are a Nikon shooter, we highly recommend that you get associated with Nikon Z6 Mark II in 2023.
Nikon Z6 Mark II with 24-70mm F4 and portrait lens
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Nikon Z6 Mark II Camera with 28-75mm F2.8 Lens B&H Store
Optional – More affordable package – Nikon Z6 Mark II with 24-70mm F4 at Amazon.com
Nikon 85mm F1.8 Lens for Potraits Amazon.com | B&H Store |
The best wedding photography camera for the year 2023 is Nikon Z6 Mark II. Nikon Z6 Mark II camera is a very reasonable price camera, packed with amazing core specs. In that price range, no other camera maker offers such core specifications at such a price point.
Yeah, there was a time when we were recommending the Sony a73 camera to our users, but after the announcement of the Z6 mark 2 camera, everything changed. The Camera arrives with the enhanced core specification compared to the a73 so after that, we have started recommending the Z6 mark 2 camera.
Whether you are coming from Nikon D7500 or D750 this is a surprise upgrade for you. Nikon Z6II kit with the wonderful 24-70 f/4 S lens is a perfect combo for a wedding photographer. The IBIS in the Z6II is the best I ever used, I can handhold all the way down to 1/5th of a second with a 50mm lens! I don’t know what else to say about it, it’s an awesome camera and it works exactly the way it should. Easy to handle for my large hands and easier to walk around with.
| Nikon Z6 Mark II Pros |
Nikon Z6 Mark II Cons |
- Excellent image quality
- Best in class for oversampled 4K Video
- N Log 10 bit, HDR
- Professional Design and Controls
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- None (best in class camera)
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2. Best Sony Camera and Lens for Wedding Photo and Video
Sony A7 IV is the best Sony Camera for wedding photography and video. The Sony A7 IV features an amazing 33 MP resolution and allows you to capture 10-bit 4k Oversampled videos. If you are interested in Sony cameras then we highly recommend you get the Sony A7 IV camera for wedding photography and video purpose.
Sony A7 IV with Tamron 28-75 G2 Lens and a portrait lens
Sony A7 IV is an excellent camera for wedding photographers when paired with Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Lens. The 28-75mm F2.8 acts as an event coverage lens as well as a candid photography lens. Even if you are a Canon user feel free to migrate since now you guys have S-Cinetone support that will generate perfect skin tones while shooting portraits or recording a video.
The problem with Sony A74 is the overheating issues. if you live in the Asian region or somewhere near the equator and the summer season temperature ranges somewhere around 35° to 40 degrees centigrade, then recording videos with an A74 camera will be not so easy. You will regularly get heat warnings and auto shut-down after a max of 25-30min of recording 4k videos. even after increasing its threshold value. For wedding Cinematographers, those who are near the equator or the summer temperature of your region ranges above 35 degrees and above you should have another option for cinematography or videography like we have the Sony A7C camera or the Sony A7S III.
also, look at Best Lenses for Sony A7 IV Camera
What Canon users say about Sony A7 iV
Sony A7IV after regular use of my Canon DSLRs. The A7IV is portable, lightweight and versatile, allowing me to move from taking stunning photos to recording video content for my clients which range from fashion to hospitality. Moving from photo to video shooting is smooth and does not break my workflow. I get to focus on capturing the moments. The kit is fantastic as-is, but I also purchased a 50mm 1.8 lens which I’ve been accustomed to shooting with. All in all, I would highly recommend the purchase if you’re in the market for a mirrorless camera.
What Nikon users say About Sony A7 IV
Coming from Nikon after 18 years it’s been a hard learning curve but worth every penny! Yes, the kit lens people say is a joke but it is what it is.I have made it work for studio work and am happy. Not a prime but it works. The camera is something else! Studio work, outdoors, birds, and sports it has done what I want and lots better. I am coming from a long line of Nikon cameras with the latest being the d750 and d850.
| Sony A7 IV Pros |
Sony A7 IV Cons |
- Excellent image quality
- Best in class for oversampled 4K Video
- S-Cinetone
- Professional Design and Controls
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- Overheating in hot-humid weather
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3. Best Budget Wedding Fullframe Camera from Sony
Sony A7C is the best budget full-frame Mirrorless camera of 2023 from Sony. You can use the camera for wedding photography and cinematography purpose. We highly recommend you to have this camera for prolonged video recording.
Sony A7C with Tamron 28-75 F2.8 G2 Lens
The Sony A7C is a budget full-frame cinema camera with Fastest Autofocus in its class. The Sony A7C is an incredible camera that outperformed my expectations, and highly recommended those who are into video. It has everything that a professional wedding photographer requires from a full-frame camera, you can shoot incredible still shots as well as you can also capture videos without any overheating issues.
The low light performance is outstanding, the overall image quality is superb, and the ergonomics of the camera work well, although you have slightly less physical control than the Sony A7 III. It feels like it’s a well-made/sturdy camera body but it’s not quite as large as other full-frame cameras that I’ve tried (small and compact). I recommend this camera to photographers or videographers of any skill level looking for a full-frame camera.
| Sony A7C Pros |
Sony A7C Cons |
- Excellent image quality
- Best in class for oversampled 4K Video
- N Log 10 bit, HDR
- Professional Design and Controls
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- None (best in class camera)
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4. Best Wedding Fullframe Camera from Canon
The best Canon camera for wedding photographers is Canon R5. The other budget solution is Canon R6 if you want to have a more affordable camera. We have also selected the best budget lenses for Canon R5 Camera for wedding photographers.
Canon R5 with 24-105mm F4 and 50mm F1.8
The Canon R5’s newly developed 45 Megapixel sensor is just amazing, I am not able to believe the number of details visible in the captured image. One of the most noticeable things is its low-light performance, despite having a conventional CMOS sensor the camera produces amazingly well low-light images with shadow details, its performance matches with competitors’ BSI CMOS sensor-based cameras.
Canon R5 features Canon’s advanced hybrid artificial intelligent autofocusing system, which covers approximately 99% area of the frame, and object tracking, face tracking, and eyes tracking are just amazing.
I’ve had the R5 only a couple of weeks now, but really love it. The level of detail we get from this camera and the autofocus methods including eye-tracking is amazing.
5. Wedding Camera Package Under $1500
Let’s have a look list of cameras and lenses we have for wedding photographers and wedding cinematographers under $1500. These are the best combos available in 2023.
Exceptional Camera under Affordable Price Tag
Sony ZV-E10 for Wedding Cinematography and casual clicks Under $1500
We are not able to keep this camera despite its production line issues.
Most of the time the camera remains out of the stock due to its high demand or the chip shortage Sony may be facing this time.
Sony ZV-E10 is an excellent camera without a doubt and if you are a videographer or a cinematographer or even if you are a photographer this camera will going to full fill all of your needs flawlessly.
| Pros |
Cons |
- Excellent image quality
- Best in class for 4K Video
- Oversampled video quality
- Easy to use,
- has lots of controls
- Work as webcam
- Perfect for Shooting Reels
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- No battery Charger included
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Sony ZV-E10 camera is one of the best and class-leading cameras, if we compare the specification against its competitors in the same price range, You will find Sony ZV–E10 is way ahead of others.
This camera is very similar to my a6400 for hundreds less. Same battery. Great vlogging camera at this price point. This camera has great features including 4k video and eye-tracking for clarity. The kit lens works better than I expected for videos.
The built-in mic is pretty good if you don’t want to carry around an external mic. I’d recommend purchasing the tripod with remote control. It works great on this camera and has cool features as well.
I’d recommend buying 2 extra batteries and an external battery charger. Out of the box you have to plug the entire camera into the outlet for the battery to charge. Happy vlogging everyone!
Nikon Z50 Camera for Wedding Photographers
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Nikon Z50 with 16-50 Lens (Basic kit lens will act as a coverage lens) B&H | Amazon.com
Viltrox 56mm F1.4 for candids & Portraits for pre-wedding shots B&H | Amazon.com |
About Nikon Z50 Mirrorless Camera
One of the most affordable cameras to start with is undoubtedly the Nikon z50. Nikon z50 is one of the best low light cameras for wedding photography purposes, you can start with the kit lens and later you can upgrade it to an 18 to 140 MM lens. And now we also have viltrox lenses support that you can buy for portrait photography or candid photography purpose.
About Viltrox 56mm F1.4 Lens for Nikon
really great value lens that produces incredible results. It is very sharp wide open and offers excellent subject separation with great background blur. Well worth the money.
| Pros |
Cons |
- Excellent image quality
- Best in class low light performance
- Oversampled video quality
- Comfortable, well-placed controls
- Plenty of customization
- Rapid stills/video switching
- USB charging
- Fairly simple Wi-Fi image transfer
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- No IBIS
- Lens availability /
- reliance on adapted lenses may be limiting
- Middling battery life
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Nobody is paying attention to this little camera because it does not have the pro specs, it’s no dual card slot, it’s only 20.9 MP, it’s a huge mount with a small sensor, full-frame is better than APS-C, the lens selections are not good, blah…blah..blah… Everyone is missing out on the intention Nikon has on this camera and that is the FUN factor in photography. I have used Nikon D7100, D810, D850, D500, and the Z7. All of them are really great cameras. Well constructed, weather-sealed, rugged, and most of all aimed for professional use. I also have a bunch of Nikon lenses that you can say are also pro-grade. When Nikon first announced this camera I was not really thrilled like the way I was when they debuted the D850 and Z6/7. And like everyone before investing on new equipment I do research first before committing. When it became available for pre-order I went ahead and took the dive of getting one. Now that I tried it I was amazed at how compact this camera is. It literally a pocketable camera like its point and shoot cousins. The capabilities in stills and video is on par with my D500 except of the size, additional features, and weight. I take this camera with me most of the time than my other ones. It’s fun to shoot it. IMO it’s a better alternative than using my smartphone for taking photos at least the shape is familiar for me with that DSLR/Mirrorless feeling in your hand. The size makes good use for candid and street photography because it’s less noticeable and discrete. It’s a well-rounded camera for taking almost any kind of photography. The 20.9MP is just within the sweet spot for resolution good enough for a 13 x 19 size printout. I do not pixel peep or even scrutinize the resolution like Youtuber reviewers do because at the end of the day what matters most it your overall satisfaction with the product since you are the user.
If You are looking for a super budget wedding package then you should go with the Nikon Z50 camera, the camera features a perfect 20M low-light Sensor for perfect output during wedding sessions.
IF YOU STILL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS RELATED TO WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY GEARS PLS FEEL FREE TO ASK IN THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW OR YOU CAN EMAIL TO US AT THENEWCAMERA[AT] GMAIL.COM
Also, look at
Best Sony Cameras of 2022
