Have you ever wondered… “What is the difference between a professional camera and the one I have?
Apertures, all weather, bellows, battery life, color, contrast, developing, depth, exposure, enlarging, film size, focus, Hasselblad, housing, image quality, lenses, light meter, Linhoff, medium format, Mamyia, negative size, optimum contrast, prism finders, quality, resolution, Rollei, reliability, size, shutter speed, switch backs, timing, tack shape, volume, vibration, wear and tear, Yashica, Ziess lenses. (Almost A-Z)
Which Camera Produces The Best Quality Picture?
 Medium Format Cameras: The professional camera of choice is the medium format camera. The camera is larger and sometimes heavier than most consumer grade cameras. The name to remember as the Rolls Royce of medium format cameras is Hasselblad. Those photographers who want the greatest resolution, contrast, sharpness, color, depth and detail as possible have used the “Hassy”. The camera is built to last a lifetime (if not longer) and is hands down the finest camera. Ansel Adams used a Hassy and so does NASA. All those pictures from space were taken with the Hasselblad medium format camera. At a much steeper cost than most consumer or professional grade cameras, some less experienced photographers may not have a Hassy because they cannot afford it. Photographers who have been in the business for longer than 10 years know the value of this camera and often have at least one in their studio.
Hasselblad uses the best grade of camera lenses called the Carl Ziess lens. These Ziess lenses are the finest grade lenses on the planet. They are used in planetariums, high-end binoculars, and laboratory microscopes. There is no doubt that the quality of photographs taken with a Hasselblad medium format camera with Carl Ziess lenses are far superior to anything your standard ‘point and shoot’ camera you can buy just anywhere.

Film:
Professional grade film has a higher-grade crystal than consumer grade, over the counter film. Some brand names are VSP, Fuji, and Kodak Pro. At three times the price of regular film, it is generally not purchased by anyone but professional photographers for the finest quality photograph. Film should be bought from a film buyer who refrigerates the film. Exposure to heat, light and humidity degrades film very quickly resulting in grainy washed out photographs.
Most professional film companies, like Kodak, have an unconditional quality guarantee for their professional grade films. Should the color wash, fade or degrade over time, the company will reprocess your photographs at no cost to you for the lifetime of the photos. This lifetime guarantee is not available for consumer grade film.
A word on disposable cameras……
Some couples believe it is fun to offer these cheap disposable ‘wedding’ cameras for their guests at the wedding. The idea is that the guests will capture moments that otherwise might not be caught by your professional photographer. Some film and camera stores even give the cameras for the wedding at a reduced cost or free in return for doing all the processing with them.

HERE’S THE PROBLEM.

1. These are cheap cameras with cheap components and film. The quality of the photographs is not what you want to put near your wedding album.

2. Remember the 80/20 rule of thumb. 80% of the photographs taken will be useless and 20% will be marginally worth keeping in a memory box somewhere. The truth is that guests will be snapping photographs of everything from the centerpiece (probably out of focus too) to the floor, to random photographs of the crowd and perhaps even of someone’s gluteal region. Then there are the photos where someone’s thumb is over the mother of the bride or the flash didn’t go off. At the end of it all you have hundreds of garbage photographs… but you had to pay to process all the cameras to know they are garbage (that is if you got all the cameras back).

3. The cost is not what it seems. If you figure the cost of each camera at about $8 a piece, one camera per 6 people at a table with an average of 200 guests, that is over $260 just for the cameras! Then the processing of each camera with a 24 exposure is about $10 per camera…. That is about $300 just for processing. So for almost $600 you have about 600 completely useless photographs. What a waste!

Disposable cameras seem like a good idea at the time with maybe a little ‘cute’ factor but are definitely a waste of wedding budget resources. Take that money and upgrade your professional wedding photographer photo package deal. Then you know you are getting quality photographs of the most important day of your life.
What about digital cameras…
Technology has changed so fast in the world of consumer photography. Digital cameras are able to capture a photo and you are able to accept or reject the photo before processing. Additionally, the photograph can be posted on the internet within minutes of taking the photo. There are consumer grade digital cameras as well as professional grade digital cameras. When talking with a potential photographer look at their photographs and make sure you see large prints {16x20 plus}. Look at the colors, are the whites white, rich blacks, skin tones look good. Digital has a lot of benefits to it. Because it is a newer technology and constantly changing you need to make sure that your photographer has a good understanding of his equipment and digital technology. If you are looking for an internet ready photo or for photos smaller than 8” x 10”, digital is a fine choice. If you want the best photographs of your wedding at any size you choose, make sure they are taken either with a professional medium format camera with a 2 _” x 2 _” negative for the best enlarging capabilities or a digital system comparable.

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