This seems to go against the spirit here, but...

[kyteflyer]

I'm not sure what to make of this at all. I've only shot one wedding, with a friend, *for* a musician friend, back in 1983. My friend shot Olympus OM10, I had Minolta SRT303 and only the one 50mm lens. Nonetheless, those shots got me more offers of work than I was ever able to accommodate (or be interested in... I really did do it for the friendship and not for the money).

Its what you produce that gets you the work. Its not the gear. That said, in this town now if you don't shoot Canon, don't expect to get work at all. I don't think the punters care which Canon, as long as they see the branding. (Pentax? Whats that?)

 

[Armanius]

Yes Armando but then I fear that you'll spend more time on your big day talking gear with the photog you chose than the guests, bridal party, or the bride's family Well at least you got a say in the photog

I'll be asking him about the noise that's creeping up on that ISO1600 photo and why his camera doesn't have dual memory slots like all pro cameras should have!

Just two things - Andrew, I burst out with a big fat guffaw at your remarks: and Armando, I pity the poor photographer that shoots your wedding, or at least the ones you interview!

Hehehe. I'll definitely ask him/her about gear!!

You don't buy a painting based on the brushes, choose a mechanic based on the scanners he uses or a surgeon based on what scalpel they buy. You choose them based on their work, reputation and experience.

Gordon

Yes, but I'd feel a whole lot better if the awesome surgeon had a real scalpel on his hand instead of a plastic butter knife! Or worse, a spork!!

 

[drd1135]

You have to have a great reputation to use any camera you want. It's also a question of odds. It's not like most of the best photographers use Rebels. You can use a Rebel but you have to prove it with an upfront body of work. That's not art, just biz.

 

[Will]

I doubt the type of camera matters if the images are great. If they aren't then you start looking for things to blame and the quality of camera then becomes an issue. lesson is, if you aren't going to use pro level equipment then make sure the images are great. At my wedding just about everybody took better images than the "pro" we hired and he used medium format film.

 

[thekeddi]

I would work more about the photos they can take as to what gear they are using.

Look at their portfolio, if someone takes awesome looking shots with a low end DSLR and the next bloke has all the bells and whistles and his shots are mediocre then I know which one I would chose

 

[Landshark]

In all honesty this is an over done argument, sure you can take a single great image with anything, there are shooters who only use a cell phone camera or Polaroid back in the day, but that does not mean a cell phone camera can do any job. I own a wide assortment of cameras of all kinds, and while I love shooting my own images with a "serious compact" I cannot think of many jobs that they could be my main camera, there is just a long list of things these cameras cannot do as well or a quickly as the "Pro" camera can do. I would never hire someone simply based on their equipment, but I would have to wonder about someone's professional commitment and ethics if they brought one Canon Rebel to shoot an event. I do not shoot weddings, but I am hired to shoot, and when I show up to whatever it is I am working on, I bring a minimum of 50% to 100% more gear than I need. Things break, cameras stop working, cards do not write, lights do not fire, lenses will not stop down or open up, meters stop reading, ac circuits get overloaded, the list is endless and everyone of these things and more have happened to me. When you are getting paid you need to come through, sorry to tell you but "Pro cameras" are pro cameras because usually they are faster, more accurate and a lot more reliable.
Many times this argument feels like a discussion of why Louis Vuitton Handbags are so much better than some other handbags, they are not you are paying for marketing, it is not same the argument with professional tools of any kind.
At the same time just because someone owns or uses professional equipment does not on its own make him or her a better shooter, talent is talent, equipment is equipment. I am sure there are a lot of boring incompetent "Pros" with all the right equipment, just owning does not mean you know what to do with it.
One should always discuss with anyone you hire what you expect and what they promise they will deliver, you work out the deal and hope for the best.

 

[kyteflyer]

...
At the same time just because someone owns or uses professional equipment does not on its own make him or her a better shooter, talent is talent, equipment is equipment. I am sure there are a lot of boring incompetent "Pros" with all the right equipment, just owning does not mean you know what to do with it.
One should always discuss with anyone you hire what you expect and what they promise they will deliver, you work out the deal and hope for the best.

Bob, I'd be interested to know what you consider to be the right equipment.

For example, I see equipment such as the medium formats like Mamiya, Hasselblad etc, and yes, even the Pentax 645D (yes. why not?) as being up there... then there's the full frame stuff like the Nikon D700 and up, and the Canon 5DmkII... as being "professional".

My own K-5 I regard as being an enthusiast camera, and the Canon x0D, Nikon D300/7000 likewise, but I don't see them as being less capable in the right hands (not necessarily mine) of being good wedding shooting kit, and I know several people who use such gear (in multiples of bodies of course, recognising that Murphy's law rules where important stuff is concerned).

So, at what point would you regard a particular camera as being unacceptable for the job?

(of course this is going way off topic, because I think the original issue was about whether a Canon Rebel would be considered adequate to the task... and with further thought I would say not, really, especially of the kit zooms were being used)

One should always discuss with anyone you hire what you expect and what they promise they will deliver, you work out the deal and hope for the best.

Indeed!

 

[Landshark]

There is no absolute right or wrong equipment, it is just if someone is making a living at whatever they do, you would expect them to invest in themselves and their tools, I would want a pool contractor to invest in a backhoe instead of just a shovel, they both can dig beautiful holes but one is better for that job, I like that my tree trimmer brings a couple of different chainsaws instead of just a hand saw, while the hand saw might do beautiful work I want the tree trimmed in one day instead of 4, etc.. In the right hands the pro cameras just perform better, that is what they were designed to do. The confusion comes I think when one feels the need to buy pro equipment one truly does not need. Great example I own a number of custom electric guitars and ukuleles, they are much more than I need if you based the decision on my abilities. I try but no matter how amazing the guitar is I will never sound as good as just an okay guitarist on a cheap one. But on the other hand a talented guitarist with one of my custom’s can make them sing like no mass market guitar will ever do.
With weddings there a number of pro/amateurs shooting, some do it to pay for gear, some do it as a starting point for a photo career. Once you start really working that is the time one should start the up grade path to better stuff.
I have thousands invested in cameras and lighting because I have to not because I am impressing anybody. If I was just shooting fine art or personal stuff, I could more than happily get by with a couple of cameras and three lenses
Hey if the client is happy that is all that counts, everybody should be upfront about their abilities and expectations

 

[kyteflyer]

There is no absolute right or wrong equipment, it is just if someone is making a living at whatever they do, you would expect them to invest in themselves and their tools...

<snip>

... Once you start really working that is the time one should start the up grade path to better stuff.

On this, I would never disagree. Investment into the tools of trade is an essential. But in the end, people have to start somewhere and as long as they can produce the goods, its all good.