Back up wedding photographer!

Bep82

Bep82

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Bethia
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I usually shoot portrait/babies/families etc. But have asked to be a "second shooter" to a wedding to capture those "natural moments!". I wonder - is the 70-200 f4l any good to fit with my Canon 450d? I will also be using my 50mm 1.4.

I am wanting to purchase another lens anyway and wonder whether this is a good "all rounder" which I will use with my usual nieche of photography?

Thanks in advance! :thumbs:
 
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Something a little wider maybe as even 50mm could be a bit tight on APS-C?

A 28mm f1.8 or 30mm f1.4 perhaps?

Or a 17-50mm f2.8?

I'm not a great fan of f4 zoom lenses if f2.8's are available.
 
I like the look of the 28mm and 30mm - as I do prefer having my 50mm on my camera - and they are not "in your face!". Which one out of interest would you prefer or is there not much difference?
 
When I had an APS-C camera I went for the Sigma 30mm f1.4.

Many people have reported focus issues with these but I never had a problem.

The only critisism I could aim at the Sigma 30mm f1.4 that I had was that the focus ring felt a bit gritty when used to focus manually. I did try another and it felt exactly the same so I assume it's just how they're made.

One nice feature is that it has HSM and you can adjust focus manually even in AF mode, just like with Canon's USM. I don't know if the Canon 28mm's have full time manual focus but it is a feature I like.
 
If you are there for natural candid shots, I would look for some thing fast and a little longer so you can blend in and not be in their faces. On the 450d, the 135 f/2 would be a great asset to you. Fast,long sharp and great bokeh.
 
But with a 135mm on APS-C you need to be aware that for anything other than a tight shot you'll need to call a taxi.
 
im bang on in the same position , i have the sigma 30mm 1.4 and a 70-200F4 canon - going to swap that for a 70-200 2.8 as you just wont be able to get the shots right at only f4 unless its a bright day (keeping say /200) also im not sure how good the iso is on your 450d ? any chance of hiring a couple of lenses ?
 
You don't mention a 2nd body.

Borrow one.

Use the 50mm f1.4 for indoor which should be mostly fine.

I would be tempted to go for an 85 1.8 for outdoor candids assuming you'll be borrowing another crop.

Better that than constantly switching between 2 lenses, which a) is a pain, and b) doesn't really look good.

The 85 will also suit your portrait stuff afterwards too.

You'll get plenty of shots with that combo. I wouldn't worry about the wider shots, just grab what you can.
 
Do you really want to be worrying about changing lenses while doing weddings? I'd have thought a wide-to-short-tele zoom would be your best option, so something like the 24-70/2.8, and then think about taking a second body with the 70-200/2.8 on it.
 
magicolor1 said:
Do you really want to be worrying about changing lenses while doing weddings? I'd have thought a wide-to-short-tele zoom would be your best option, so something like the 24-70/2.8, and then think about taking a second body with the 70-200/2.8 on it.
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Sorry, I didn't mention a second body, but do have one. So was thinking of having 50mm on one and the other on the other! I wouldn't dream of standing there changing lenses! So out of the suggested lenses can anyone give me the top 3, which would also be beneficial for my portraits?
 
My 2nd shooter uses a 24-70 2.8 and an 85mm 1.8 on a crop and we're both happy with this. You should really speak to the 1st shooter about his / her expectations though. I wouldn't worry too much about a 2nd body if you're only 2nd shooting, especially if you're shooting the same camera brand as the primary - who should have backups for emergencies.

Flashgun though?

And both the 24-70 and 85mm are great for portraits too (with the wide end of the zoom a bit long for 'environmental' but just about usable.
 
Bep82 said:
I usually shoot portrait/babies/families etc. But have asked to be a "second shooter" to a wedding to capture those "natural moments!". I wonder - is the 70-200 f4l any good to fit with my Canon 450d? I will also be using my 50mm 1.4.

I am wanting to purchase another lens anyway and wonder whether this is a good "all rounder" which I will use with my usual nieche of photography?

Thanks in advance! :thumbs:
Click to expand...

The 450d is awful at ISO's over 400 so I'd say regardless of the lenses the body itself is gonna cause you all sorts of problems anywhere other than outside in a brightly lit environment... Believe me I've owned one so know its severe limitations
 
ajax_andy said:
The 450d is awful at ISO's over 400 so I'd say regardless of the lenses the body itself is gonna cause you all sorts of problems anywhere other than outside in a brightly lit environment... Believe me I've owned one so know its severe limitations
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+ 1 I've used my 450D at 1600 when photographing school shows in the past, needless to say the shots need an awful lot of cleaning up.
 
ajax_andy said:
The 450d is awful at ISO's over 400 so I'd say regardless of the lenses the body itself is gonna cause you all sorts of problems anywhere other than outside in a brightly lit environment... Believe me I've owned one so know its severe limitations
Click to expand...

I am in the process of purchasing another body and using the 450d as a backup. (I have two of these - due to having a small budget when I first started!). I was hoping to purchase a 60d or 7d (again budget not great but a little higher than last time!).
 
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