The Ultimate Camera for Wedding Filmmaking

After being a wedding filmmaker for 3 years, I have used a plethora of camera setups. Canon, Sony, and Panasonic are the biggest brands in the wedding film scene. But which one is the best? Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each brand.

Canon DSLRs

Canon sparked the DSLR video revolution in the 2010s with the critically acclaimed Canon 7D. The release of the 7D opened up the world of filmmaking for people that did not want to spend upwards of $10,000 for a cinema camera. It produced excellent quality photos and video and used Canon’s classic EF lens mount. You can see the hype this camera created by looking at reviews from 2009. Fast forward to 2021, and Canon is still a perfectly viable option for wedding films. Any of the upper-end Canon DSLRs are guaranteed to give you terrific color science, spot-on autofocus, and reliability. The biggest downside for Canon is the lack of mirrorless camera options. Portability is vital for a wedding day, and when you are carrying around a camera for 8+ hours, it helps if it is light. Canon has a few mirrorless options available, but they use Canon’s new RF lens mount, making the lenses harder to find and more expensive.

Panasonic DSLRs

I do not have a huge wealth of experience using Panasonic cameras, but they are a superb choice. The Lumix GH5 mirrorless DSLR changed the game with its in-body stabilization. I know several wedding filmmakers who do not even bother bringing a gimbal with them on a wedding day. It captures excellent quality footage, is lightweight, and is reasonably priced. The biggest downside of the GH5 is the sensor. It is not a full-frame camera, so there will be a crop value, and it will be worse in low-light situations.

Sony DSLRs

Admittedly, I may sound a bit biased in this section because I have been using Sony cameras for over a year now. Specifically, the Sony A7III. I picked Sony over the other brands because they offer a wide range of mirrorless camera options with full-frame sensors. A full-frame camera tends to produce better quality images and also performs better in low-light situations. Wedding days are chaotic, and most of the time, you cannot lug around lighting equipment. So, having a camera that does okay in sub-optimal situations is fantastic. Just like with the other brands, Sony has downsides too. Sonys are typically more expensive compared to the other brands. With the A7III, there is a 30-minute record limit, which is annoying for long ceremonies. However, the biggest issue for the A7III is overheating. Reliability is crucial on a wedding day, and sometimes the A7III will give out on you if it gets too hot. It should be noted that the record limit and overheating have been fixed on the A7sIII, but that model is over $1,000 more expensive than the A7III.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you can take what I have learned over the years and apply what you are looking for in a camera. You can’t go wrong with any of these brands. You just have to find what works best for your style.