Wedding Lens Recomendation

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Mirez

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Hi Guys and Girls, I'm after a spot of advise about buying a new lens in order to do some wedding photography as I have 5 different ones to attend this year.

Firstly, I should point out there will be a pro photographer at all of them (ie not me lol) so don't worry! That said I'd still like to take the opportunities to get some portrait practice as I mainly shoot vehicles and landscapes.

As a relative newbie to D-SLR's my current kit consists of:

  • Canon 600D with the standard EF-S 18-55mm kit lens
  • An EF-S 55-250mm
  • and an EF-S 10-22mm USM

Secondly, I work directly for Canon (although not part of the imaging group) so I get a nice discount on kit and hence my list is all Canon brand ;)

I've looked at similar posts and most of these lens have been mentioned, however can anyone provide a recommendation based on my current selection?

  • EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM
  • EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
  • EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
  • EF-S 60mm f/2.8 USM
  • EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
 
If you will be there as a guest then you will only need one lens and this will be ample for you.

Canon EF-S 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 IS

What is the point in lugging and worrying about more kit when you should be enjoying yourself.
 
I would go for a fast prime. I see the 50mm f/1.4 on your list but to be honest you'd do just as well with the 50mm f/1.8 for presumably a lot cheaper (sorry, don't know Canon, but in Sony the 1.8 is around £100 vs the 1.4 at three or four times that).

Weddings - especially at this time of year - are dark affairs so a nice wide aperture (smaller f numbers) will let in loads of light (so you can have a faster shutter speed). Other advantage of wide apertures is the shallow depth of field (how out of focus the background looks). Ideal for portraits and at the end of the day, weddings are all about people.
 
50mm 1.8/1.4 would be my choice. Should be able to get some nice candid shots with that. Could even think about the Canon 85mm 1.8 if you wanted a little bit more reach to not be so close.
 
Thanks guys, that's really helpful ;)
Had a good look at samples from the 50mm 1.8 and it looks a great lens to work with. There is about a £100 difference between the 1.4 and 1.8 so i'm inclined to spend the extra and get the 1.4 although I'm still slightly aprehensive of getting my first prime!
 
Mirez said:
Thanks guys, that's really helpful ;)
Had a good look at samples from the 50mm 1.8 and it looks a great lens to work with. There is about a £100 difference between the 1.4 and 1.8 so i'm inclined to spend the extra and get the 1.4 although I'm still slightly aprehensive of getting my first prime!
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I've had both, depends how serious you are really. Can't beat the 1.8 for the money but the 1.4 is built so much better and just feels like a proper lens. I personally upgraded as I'm into video so the bigger manual focus ring was a big +

But after having both, I'm glad I spent the extra to get the 1.4 the 1.8 feels like such a toy, but hey - that's not to say it performs like one!
 
I'd grab 17-55 or 24-70mm f/2.8. This is one versatile zoom you can rely on for most things, and at f/2.8 you are not very likely to struggle for light.
The prime is faster, but a lot more limited. I very rarely take mine out.
 
Mirez said:
That said I'd still like to take the opportunities to get some portrait practice as I mainly shoot vehicles and landscapes.
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Being a guest at a wedding is probably one of the worst possible times for portraiture practice. Everyone's there to enjoy themselves, and barely has enough time for the bloke who's been paid to take photos.

If you want, use the kit you've got to get your happy snaps, and get on and enjoy the day like everyone else would be my advice. :thumbs:
 
If you'd asked me a few years ago I'd have said get the 50mm f1.4, that was my first decent lens after having the standard kit lens and a basic 55-200mm, similar to what you have. When I got it I couldn't believe how much better the images were.
However, I then got a 17-55mm f2.8 and the versatility and quality I can achieve with that lens means its rarely off the camera and now the 50mm f1.4 rarely sees any action.
So my advice would be the get a f2.8 zoom, you will simply use it more.
 
Jayst84 said:
If you want, use the kit you've got to get your happy snaps, and get on and enjoy the day like everyone else would be my advice. :thumbs:
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That last paragraph is more than a little condescending don't you think?

I've seen some lovely candid portraiture taken by wedding guests and being a guest is an ideal opportunity to practice this, lots of people dressed up relaxed and expecting to be photographed!
 
Hey no worries, you never know how comments are meant on forums so no offence taken and he's assumed I'm a guest which I never stated I was :P ;)

So, back on track - I've ruled out the 50mm f1.8 as Ben's comment rings very true to me. My 10-22 USM just feels so much nicer then the standard lens so I really want that feel for any new kit I buy. Therefore I'm left with:

50mm f1.4
or
17-55mm f2.8

The price difference is about £200 which I'm not adversed to paying for what I think should be a more versatile lens in the long run?

Again thanks for the help so far :D
 
Mirez said:
Hey no worries, you never know how comments are meant on forums so no offence taken and he's assumed I'm a guest which I never stated I was :P ;)

So, back on track - I've ruled out the 50mm f1.8 as Ben's comment rings very true to me. My 10-22 USM just feels so much nicer then the standard lens so I really want that feel for any new kit I buy. Therefore I'm left with:

50mm f1.4
or
17-55mm f2.8

The price difference is about £200 which I'm not adversed to paying for what I think should be a more versatile lens in the long run?

Again thanks for the help so far :D
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To be honest, you could probably get the best of both worlds. Get a Tamron 17-50 (£230) and a Canon 50mm 1.8 (£75) so roughly depending on where you buy from you will get two decent lenses for just over £300.

Then upgrade to the 1.4 when funds allow.
 
Mirez said:
Hi Guys and Girls, I'm after a spot of advise about buying a new lens in order to do some wedding photography as I have 5 different ones to attend this year.

Firstly, I should point out there will be a pro photographer at all of them (ie not me lol) so don't worry! That said I'd still like to take the opportunities to get some portrait practice as I mainly shoot vehicles and landscapes.
Click to expand...

First of all, you make a point of saying the above...

Mirez said:
Hey no worries, you never know how comments are meant on forums so no offence taken and he's assumed I'm a guest which I never stated I was :P ;)
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Then, you point out that he assumed you were a guest.


So, just to clarify...
Are you attending as a guest, or as a second to the pro who is going to all of them?
Or have you taken it on yourself to take some "Uncle Bob" type shots?

In my opinion if you are there as a guest, then take something like a 17-55, and enjoy the day.
If you are going as a second, to assist the pro tog, then you might want to approach it in a different way, although the 17-55 is still a good choice.
If you are doing the uncle bob thing, then get a nice long lens and keep out of the way of the official tog who is being paid to be there, and wouldn't appreciate some-one getting in the way !
 
None of the above and I'm slightly concerned who these "Uncle Bob" people are? lol
I'm going with an event team who put on live entertainment, stand-up and children's games. As part of what they do they have a number of photographers who take all aspects of the wedding (except the ceremony itself) and I'm helping out with that as one of the regular guy isn't available on these 5 days and I saw it as a good opportunity to get a little more involved as I normally shoot landscapes and night. As said, there is still a pro attending but they are independent and I'm not sure what relationship they have to the event company, however that's not my concern :) (the relationship, not the pro - I'll naturally keep out of their way)
 
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On a crop camera I'd be tempted more towards a 28/30mm f1.4/1.8 rather than a 50mm. Other than that a 17-50mm f2.8 would come in handy.
 
The only reason I thought it would be good to clarify is that it makes a difference to your approach to the job.
As you have described, there will be a number of togs attending in addition to the wedding pro.
In that case I would try and find out what the other togs are using, and do something which they aren't.
This way, your work will hopefully stand out from the crowd.
That could mean using a wide angle, or shooting long with a tele just to be different.
Would be good to see what you end up doing though, so post some up when you're done !
 
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If you would like to 'get into' Wedding picture taking then the lenses my friends use are:

24-70mm F2.8 - main do it all lens
70-200mm F2.8 (on a different body) for anything they can't get with the 24-70.
85mm F1.8 or 50mm F1.4
 
Nikkor 17-55mm f2.8 all the way!

Riz :)
 
a1ex2001 said:
That last paragraph is more than a little condescending don't you think?
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No.

a1ex2001 said:
I've seen some lovely candid portraiture taken by wedding guests and being a guest is an ideal opportunity to practice this, lots of people dressed up relaxed and expecting to be photographed!
Click to expand...

Most of the stuff wedding guests come away with, while it may be nice, I wouldn't say was good portraiture practice.

Yes, I assumed the OP was going as a guest, because he laughed at the idea of being a "pro", was looking for "opportunities to get some portrait practice" and is asking about what kit to buy.

Mirez, seeing as you are shooting as part of this team, do they not have a style guide? This would give you an idea of what kit you may or may not need. Also, if you're filling in for a few weeks, is it possible to loan gear off the company to save investing yourself for the time being?

Are you shooting for the event company, or for the couples?
 
I can't talk from photographic experience but I can from experience of weddings having been to a fair few.

Personally, I think a zoom is a much better choice than a prime. At most of the weddings I've been to, you can't frame a shot with a prime because there'll be tables, dancers, a wedding cake or something else in the way.

I came across this thread looking for recommendations, and currently I'm leaning towards 28-75mm f2.8.
 
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