Lenses for a Wedding

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DinoS

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Hi,

I need to invest in a fast zoom lens. As i need the maximum aperture F2.8 i wondering how sharp the Sigma 18-50mm, Sigma 24-70mm and tamron 17-50mm are at F2.8.

The other lens im considering investing in is the sigma 30mm F1.4, how sharp is this lens wide open?

Thanks

Mark
 
I've looked into these lenses and the best review's I've found are at http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/. If i remember correctly he said the Tamron 17-50 came out slightly better than the Sigma version, but all 3 were said to be good. I've seen a lot of people on here recommend the Sigma 24-70 as well.
 
The 30mm Sigma really needs stopped down a bit to be at it's sharpest and wide open the dof is miniscule...
 
My Tamron 17-50 is very,very nearly as sharp as my vastly more expensive Nikon 17-55.It is a very good lens at a very good price.
 
I sold my 30mm Sigma as it was never quite right for anything !!:bang:
 
i was at my friends wedding a month or so back, and had a tamron 28-75mm f2.8, but the AF was a bit slow.

Bought a sigma 24-70mm f.2.8 a few weeks back did a little comparison with both, and the sigma is sharper & the AF is quicker than the tamron.
 
Are we talking about being a guest at a wedding, or a paid photographer? If it's the latter, you'll need a backup for the focal ranges as well! I'd recommend the Tamron, after doing lots of research it seemed to top the sigma 18-50, and I think 24mm isn't wide enough on a crop body. If you want I could take some shots with the tamron wide open and you can see what you think!

Chris
 
never had a problem with 24mm myself:shrug: any less and you may start to get distortion on the outside
 
Hope this helps, 2.8 is somewhat of a magic number in photography but I've seen stunning photos produced at weddings with other lenses too. When spending a lot of money I like to hire the lens first, try it out for myself, see how it handles and then decide if I want to buy one.

You don't always need an F/2.8 I've had good experiences at weddings with a 24-105 F/4L IS - the extra reach also meant that I could use it for candids - however it wasn't as wide as I'd like. I've also shot weddings with the 24-70 F/2.8L and had good results.

These days I'm a Nikon guy - I use the 17-55 F/2.8 which I love along with a Sigma 70-200 F/2.8 on a second body for candid stuff.
 
Hi,

Thanks for your replies, For inside the church i already have my Canon 50mm F1.8 which i think is the best lens for the job. As for outside i don't need F2.8, hmmmm. Im looking for F2.8 for the signing and cutting of cake etc and speeches, where i need f2.8 with 24mm ish to fit everyone in. However i could use flash, for the sigining and speeches. Is it just as possible to bounce the flash of the ceiling for speeches etc?

Any example shots from your lenses at F2.8 would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
 
Sure:

Canon 24-70 F/2.8L - @2.8
426742088_dBv4C-L.jpg


Canon 24-70 F/2.8L - @2.8
426730990_8Xgnm-L.jpg


Canon 24-105 F/4L - @4
480533520_UzSto-L.jpg
 
Canon 24-105 F/4L - @4
Really impressed with that lens.:)
 
Im still yet to test out me 24-70mm L f2.8 on weddings but it fills so much better then sigma 24-70mm and more stronger plus its weathersealed so this maybe something you would like to bear in mind,

and if your lucky enough you could possibly get 24-70L used for nearly the same price as sigma

sigma have done me well in the past and are good for budjet but if your looking to upgrade on biger crop body you may have problems and also Auto focus is pretty fast on 24-70L which helps with sports and Press photography,
 
thanks for all your advice, any more opinions
 
all lenses are softer wide open.
However it rarely matters in situations when you need to use them that way.

All the lenses mentioned would serve, though I would like the option of a 28mm equivalent at the end of the zoom.... so a 17-55 f2.8 or 17-50 f2.8 on a crop would be my ideal in that situation.
 
So i think im looking at a sigma 18-50mm or Tamron as the wideness would be very useful with F2.8, as i do already have a 70-200mm F2.8.

Does anyone have any example shots from either of those lenses at F2.8?

Many thanks for all your helps, much appreciated.

Mark
 
If your shooting a group so wide that you need 18mm be careful of 2.8 you'll be unlikely to get everyone in focus...
 
Actually thats a fair point. Thinking about it im only talking about B&G and witnesses so thats around 6 people so i imagine the 24-70 would be a better.....

Anyone know the second hand price of a sigma 24-70mm? is that the best one not including canon as i can't afford it?

Thanks
 
DinoS said:
Actually thats a fair point. Thinking about it im only talking about B&G and witnesses so thats around 6 people so i imagine the 24-70 would be a better.....

Anyone know the second hand price of a sigma 24-70mm? is that the best one not including canon as i can't afford it?

Thanks
Click to expand...

You might have to move back too far in some churches to get them in at 24mm.
 
DinoS said:
So i think im looking at a sigma 18-50mm or Tamron as the wideness would be very useful with F2.8, as i do already have a 70-200mm F2.8.

Does anyone have any example shots from either of those lenses at F2.8?

Many thanks for all your helps, much appreciated.

Mark
Click to expand...

Mark,

You probably already do this...but stick the lens names in pbase or flickr and you'll get loads of results.

FWIW, I'd go with a 17-50 or 18-50 on a crop-sensor. :)
 
One thing to bear in mind with Weddings is how noisy the AF is, if you're shooting during the ceremony and everyone can hear the lens whirring away you might not be too popular :(
 
No2 Son acted as 2nd shooter at the last wedding I did with his new 24-105L which he never stopped crowing about and I have to say - it's a lovely lens with lovely colour rendition. He couldn't fit in this wedding group though! :D I used the 17-40L.

CLICKY


Just be aware some wedding groups can be pretty wide, and you can't always rearrange them otherwise. Other than that - for available light shots indoors -f2.8 or faster makes life a lot easier.
 
The 24-105mm f4 is a cracking lens for nice summer weddings and the outdoor stuff. With flash it's fine.

Indoors, in anything other than bright conditions, it quckly becomes a very expensive doorstop. Strangely it does not stop me loving mine. I love it for landscapes and cityscapes, for fashion type shoots, in a studio..........all great.

Just don't ever rely on getting a decent shutter speed out of it unless in brightly lit surroundings (or flash)
 
Stay away from Sigma! I tried 7 of their lenses, and they all (except 18-50/2.8) consistently backfocused. Canon lenses are fine in that respect.

Tamron 17-50 is good, just very wide (not long enough).

24-105mm and flash could be the best combo in my opinion, and add 50/1.4 and 85/1.8.

Canon 24-70/2.8 is the best if you need constant f/2.8, and it is very sharp and future proof unlike 17-50 cropped lenses.

P.S. I am trying to get rid of my Canon 24-70mm due to weight (Coventry), that is very sharp at f/2.8 - pm if interested.
 
I have a sigma 24-60mm f2.8 which is very very sharp even at 2.8 and throughout the zoom. I chose this lens as i had been told by a few people that it was actually sharper than the 24-70 and comparing it to my friends 24-70 in places it is sharper, wide open it definately was. Only downside is you lose the macro but i isnt really macro anyway.
 
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