Lens for weddings

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D90-Sniper

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Im doing a few weddings in the not too distant future and Im looking at getting a lens or two to make my life easier, at present I have a Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX and a 55-200MM F/4-5.6 AF-S VR.

But I was looking at getting a better quality lens like the 50mm 1.4G AF-S.

Is it worth spending the £300 on it or should I opt for the 50mm 1.8 for £120 then get another lens like the 18-105mm - F/3.5-5.6

I have around £500 to spend
 
For weddings you do not have appropriate kit. Those lenses are way too slow for a dark church or venue where you can't use flash.

Also what about the backup gear, couple of flashes, reflectors, etc etc. Doing weddings are a one time event and you really shou;ld have the kit to allow you to complete the job in any condition you find yourself in.

JD
 
50mm f1.8
35mm f1.8
Jessops 360AFD flashgun
£10 eBay 5 in 1 reflector
couple of extra memory cards (about 2 or 3 4GB's should do)

That should give you a kick start however you need to account for backup if you go pro on this. For just the odd wedding the above will be able to get you some good shots.
 
manualfocus-g said:
I'd recommend a fast prime e.g. 50/1.4 or 85/1.4. It would also be advisable to have a second body in case one conks out (I've seen this happen before!).
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I'd have thought 2 bodies is vital if using primes so you could have one body with a wide and another with a longer (eg 24/1.4 & 50/1.4) but i'd imagine that 24/1.4 & 85/1.4 would be the ultimate setup with 2 FX bodies :cool:
 
As far as I'm concerned, whether you are shooting one or two weddings or hundreds, the possibility of kit breaking down is the same. As already said, a wedding is a one time event, if you do not turn up with backup equipment the bride is NOT going to wait whilst you pop down to Calumet for a replacement. Hire equipment for the day if you don't have the kit.
 
A friend of mine was shooting a wedding and called me about an hour before the ceremony.... Her camera broke and she'd no backup! Luckily I was free and ended up doing the wedding to save her.... She no longer does weddings :) I did tell her one camera and one lens is no way to be shooting....she didn't listen until it was too late!
 
mastertrinity said:
50mm f1.8
35mm f1.8
Jessops 360AFD flashgun
£10 eBay 5 in 1 reflector
couple of extra memory cards (about 2 or 3 4GB's should do)

That should give you a kick start however you need to account for backup if you go pro on this. For just the odd wedding the above will be able to get you some good shots.
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Please, please tell me that that is a joke, and not the attitude that you really adopt towards someone's wedding?
 
mastertrinity said:
50mm f1.8
35mm f1.8
Jessops 360AFD flashgun
£10 eBay 5 in 1 reflector
couple of extra memory cards (about 2 or 3 4GB's should do)

That should give you a kick start however you need to account for backup if you go pro on this. For just the odd wedding the above will be able to get you some good shots.
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No this is not the way to deal with someones precious moments! Also have you ever shot a wedding?

4Gb for a wedding are you serious? Most brides will want decent results (even those whose weddings you do free).

Do not let them down.
 
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I thought we were Yv... So many of these threads though I think it's maybe worth having a sticky!
 
I think we need a defintion of 'doing a wedding'.

If you are the main shooter, charging or for free then as the guys have said, you don't have enough kit.

If you mean doing a wedding, as a guest, friend or just as someone with a nice camera - then a nice 50 1.4, extra batteries and mem cards and a flash gun. (Just to clarify, you are not the main shooter in this example)

I wouldn't buy any zoom lens less than f2.8 for indoor use.


Andy
 
EOS_JD said:
I thought we were Yv... So many of these threads though I think it's maybe worth having a sticky!
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I do wonder sometimes whether we should.... but then there are some guides and tutorials covering some aspects that often get missed. ah well.... maybe a sticky about using the search facility would be a starting point ;)
 
EOS_JD said:
For weddings you do not have appropriate kit. Those lenses are way too slow for a dark church or venue where you can't use flash.

Also what about the backup gear, couple of flashes, reflectors, etc etc. Doing weddings are a one time event and you really shou;ld have the kit to allow you to complete the job in any condition you find yourself in.

JD
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Thanks for your comments JD, but thats why Im asking about LENSES, I know I dont have the correct ones!
I do have flashes and reflectors, also tripods!

EOS_JD said:
4Gb for a wedding are you serious?
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I read a couple of EXTRA ones, 2 or 3, surely that is 12-16GB

AndyB1976 said:
I think we need a defintion of 'doing a wedding'.

If you are the main shooter, charging or for free then as the guys have said, you don't have enough kit.

If you mean doing a wedding, as a guest, friend or just as someone with a nice camera - then a nice 50 1.4, extra batteries and mem cards and a flash gun. (Just to clarify, you are not the main shooter in this example)

I wouldn't buy any zoom lens less than f2.8 for indoor use.


Andy
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Andy, I will be the main shooter at 2 of the last ones in the year, I am NOT going to be charging as they arent loaded with cash, and I have shot 2 weddings before and came out with some better shots that the official togs.

All I wanted to know is what lenses to buy to save me regretting it and having to buy another in the future when its not suitable!

Thanks for the relevant comments.
 
D90-Sniper said:
Im doing a few weddings in the not too distant future and Im looking at getting a lens or two to make my life easier, at present I have a Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX and a 55-200MM F/4-5.6 AF-S VR.

But I was looking at getting a better quality lens like the 50mm 1.4G AF-S.

Is it worth spending the £300 on it or should I opt for the 50mm 1.8 for £120 then get another lens like the 18-105mm - F/3.5-5.6

I have around £500 to spend
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Whether you are charging the couple or not - if they are relying on you to get the photos, then you have a responsibility to ensure that you are equipped to get them. Remember, this is the biggest day of their lives and if your gear lets you down then they'll never get a second chance. Professionalism isn't about money changing hands.

My main suggestion is to sell the 18-55 and the 55-200. Whilst they are decent lenses for the price, and will be fine when the light is good, they will not work well in a poorly lit venue. Put the money you get towards their replacements and your budget will be bigger than the £500 you mentioned.

You should replace the 18-55 with some sort of f/2.8 zoom with a comparable range. The Nikon 17-55 is way out of your budget, but Tamron and Sigma make some very decent alternatives at a fraction of the price.

You should also replace the 55-200 with a lens which is f/2.8 or better, but you have a number of options. Some sort of 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom would probably be ideal, but would be expensive. If you can pick up a decent Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8 then that might be attractive. Or alternatively you could pick up a fast prime such as an 85mm f/1.8 or a 100mm f/2 for a reasonable price. You get less flexibility with primes, sure, and you have to work a bit harder - but the images will be great.

You should definitely have a 50mm f/1.8 in your pocket. Or if you can pick up a decent Sigma 28mm f/1.8 or 30mm f/1.4 then that would arguably be more appropriate on your D90. If the light is REALLY crap then one of these lenses could save the day for you.

Finally, you really should get a second body. Borrow one from a friend if you can, or pick up a used D70 or similar cheaply. You cannot afford to take the risk that your camera might develop a fault.
 
D90-Sniper said:
Andy, I will be the main shooter at 2 of the last ones in the year, I am NOT going to be charging as they arent loaded with cash, and I have shot 2 weddings before and came out with some better shots that the official togs.

All I wanted to know is what lenses to buy to save me regretting it and having to buy another in the future when its not suitable!

Thanks for the relevant comments.
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There is a very big difference between shooting a wedding and being a guest with a camera, which is all you were if there were official photographers.

Its easy to get two or three photos that are (in your opinion) better then the official photographers in that situation,especially of people you know well, but if your honest, was your whole set better and did it capture exactly what was needed for the day?

For lenses as Stewart has said, sell your current zooms and replace with a couple of 2.8 constant zooms, they'll give you the best chance on the day. If for whatever reason this isn't an option then I'd hire a 24-70 and a 70-200. Those two will see you through.
 
Hi,

I have a 50mm f1.4d (the one below the one you posted about) and its awsome (at f2-f4) with the option of soft but nice bokeh at f.14.

I did find it zoomed me in a bit and sometimes couldn't be used because it brought me too close to the people.

I did have a 30mm f1.4 sigma, but it wasn't focussing properly. However on the crop sensor (d300, d90 etc) it gave a lot wider and still fast.

If you aren't sure which to get, perhaps hire/borrow some and try them for a few days.

Also, since its weddings, try them out in a church or two (permission asked first - with a willing model/friend) and in a hall or hotel bar (likely places for the reception...?).

That should give you the idea which lens to go for and not cost you too much.

When you do get a lens or two, post back with your choice and how you find it :)
 
save the money on the 50mm 1.4 and get the 1.8. £79 used, in mint condition, on MPB photographic.

That still leaves you over £400 to play with. Would definintely look at a 35mm f1.8 in case the 50mm is too tight.

Maybe then rent a Nikon 17-55 (off Stewart, who posted above) to see if you like it for the wedding, and if you do then start saving!

btw, I've never shot a wedding in my life, so these are just my thoughts
 
D90-Sniper said:
Thanks for your comments JD, but thats why Im asking about LENSES, I know I dont have the correct ones!
I do have flashes and reflectors, also tripods!
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But your budget is less than the cost of what you require. Good that you are looking but taking chances without the appropriate kit is a big risk.

D90-Sniper said:
I read a couple of EXTRA ones, 2 or 3, surely that is 12-16GB
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Fair point although even 16Gb may be tight - remember if you do shoot them, you need to be using RAW.

D90-Sniper said:
Andy, I will be the main shooter at 2 of the last ones in the year, I am NOT going to be charging as they arent loaded with cash, and I have shot 2 weddings before and came out with some better shots that the official togs.
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The problem is getting a few nice candids is very different to the pressure of shooting someones big day. When you're responsible to shoot the big day it's a completely different story. How do you deal with posing or how do you organise the groups etc etc....

Many capapble photographers baulk at the thought of shooting weddings!

If you do them without charging that is a way to start but you should not value them any less.

D90-Sniper said:
All I wanted to know is what lenses to buy to save me regretting it and having to buy another in the future when its not suitable!

Thanks for the relevant comments.
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24-70 or somethng like that. i use the 24-105 and whilst not the fastest by backup is a 28-75 f2.8 in case I need it or one of a few fast primes.

70-200 f2.8L IS - Is a fantastic wedding lens - you could get away with the 50-150 f2.8 sigma as mentioned above but that's a choice for buying something you would sell ata later date.

There are a million of these threads across the forum and you'll find they always seem to end up like this.
 
OK my 2p worth.......

Last year I was asked to cover a wedding, I say cover because the circumstances were as follows:

The Bride works with my dad, I had been invited to the wedding as a guest and within a month or two of the big day, the friend of a friend who was going to be the tog cried off.

The Bride's main priority was that she was getting married and nothing else really mattered (which I think is a very rare attitude these days) but if she could get some reasonably good photos to remember the day by then she'd be more than happy. This was all explained to me when I met the B&G and I explained that I only had an entry level camera, 1 lens and 1 flash gun, by means of back up I did have a bridge camera which was nowhere near as good as the DSLR but I would still be able to get some images if the worst happened.

The B&G were fine with this and tbh, just grateful that I was willing to step in.

I atteneded the Bridal party getting ready and stayed until last knockings (even helped the DJ who's a mate pack up and also helped tidy the hall up too :lol: )

I offered my services for free and supplied a disc of around 300 images as agreed.

Posted some of the images up on here which generally got panned, looking back they weren't as good as the images I can now produce and I did very little/no PP BUT the B&G were over the moon with the photos. That's not to say that's good enough for a wedding tog but from my perspective I was pleased to be able to help out and record some images that they can look back on in years to come.

From a personal perspective, I don't think I'll ever "choose" to shoot a wedding again :lol:

I'd definitely consider being a second shooter but the responsibility I can well do without ;)
 
NikonSimon said:
save the money on the 50mm 1.4 and get the 1.8. £79 used, in mint condition, on MPB photographic.

That still leaves you over £400 to play with. Would definintely look at a 35mm f1.8 in case the 50mm is too tight.

Maybe then rent a Nikon 17-55 (off Stewart, who posted above) to see if you like it for the wedding, and if you do then start saving!

btw, I've never shot a wedding in my life, so these are just my thoughts
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Some good ideas, but you will need something longer - as suggested, if you cant afford to buy, rent a longer zoom in the 70-200 range - I have shot about 15 weddings last year, mainly as a second and a 24-70 f2.8 and 70-200 f2.8 were the lenses I used almost exclusively, with the 70-200 being the heaviest used, albeit on a full frame body. The Sigma 50-150 f2.8 is a viable alternative if buying, gives roughly the same range on a crop sensor and will at least cope with the low light you are going to encounter at the end of the year. Its not got the quality of the nikon offerings though, so bear that in mind too.
If looking for something wider on a crop body, you can do much worse than the nikon 28mm 2.8 - well priced s/h and a lovely sharp lens that works well with no discernable barrel distortion, but agai, might not wide enough and renting something like 17-55 might be a better option.

As others have already said, I cannot emphasize enough the need for a second body, and also a flash gun with some kind of diffusion.


finally, read what Russ said above and digest carefully ;)
 
Sort of relevent here, not do do with lenses as such, more the situation.

A friend of mine got married last year, they had a massive outdoor party, very Pagany/Hippy like. Deer roast, beer on tap, songs around the camp fire type affair. They dont have a lot of money, but spent a lot on organising thre whole thing, and even though they called in a lot of favours and got all the hire of the marquees and deer roast cheaper than usual, it still pretty much wiped them out financially.

Now the groom knows al lot of people in all different types of work, so he knew a guy who was photographer and asked him to do the shots of this really special day as a favour (he also asked me, but my back was particualy bad at this point and I declined as I could barely walk) The guy had all the kit and confirmed he'd done weddings before. The deal was, he'd be fed and watered and also the groom would owe him a handyman favour in the future.
I spotted him during the day, he had a 5DMkII and a 70-200 f/2.8 plus another lens I couldnt see well. He seemed to be talking lots of candids, which is what the couple asked for.
Anyway, a few weeks later I was talking to him about the wedding and asked about the photos. At this point he got quite angry and explained that this apparently "pro" photographer had produced what he described as something a 6 year old could have done. Not only that, but the guy then had the cheek to try and charge him £500 for the disk with all the images on without a copyright watermark. As it was a friendly agreement, there was no contract, and this photographer "friend" was trying to screw them over. I saw some of the images and quite frankly couldnt beleive my eyes.
Seriously a dog could have done better. The main subjects were all OOF or blury, the highlights were massively blown, all the pictures were crooked and there was no effort of composition. It really looked like a child had been walking around with a polaroid camera.

The moral of the story is, even with the greatest gear, and the best heart if you arent experienced at capturing someones special day, then dont attempt it, without a backup of a pro tog.

The result of my story is the guy is no longer speaking to his long term photog friend, he has no images of his wedding apart from a few other friends P&S shots and his usuall fully trusting character has been tinted, as he now feels that he has been taken for a mug. As well as his new wife was furious with him for ruining thier big day due to not hiring a proper photog and trying to cut corners. Not a good start to thier married life.

Its not just thier big day that can be ruined by an experienced photographer, but friendships and even relationships could be strained.
 
weddings is something that i will be looking to do in the future but i will not take it on till i have the following at least

2x nikon d700
1x nikon 24-70
1x nikon 70-200
1x fast prime 50/85 1.4
2x sb900
lots memory, spare batteries, etc
and most likely something like a d7000 for if one of the d700 packs up

i wouldnt even attempt a wedding with anything less than above
 
TCR4X4, when I got married we asked a friend of my (now ex) wife's brother who was a cracking tog and specialised in reportage and more contemporary wedding shots (I believe he runs the Essex Wedding Guide franchise).

Anyway, we asked him what he wanted by way of compensation for shooting the day and he said his time would be a wedding gift and the price for the prints would be cost plus a small mark up. We also asked that in addition to prints, that we could get a disc with the shots on too. He said it'd be fine and basically we could have what we wanted. As he wouldn't take any cash, we gave him an experience day in a tank to say thanks.

We got back from honeymoon to find out that my ex's brother had split with his g/f as she'd been cheating on him...... with the photographer :lol: (seriously.... you couldn't script it :lol: )

From that point his attitude changed!!! I think we ordered around £600 worth of prints and asked about a copy of the images on a disc to which he replied "well that's not really the professional thing to do", which I agree but we were under the impression he was a friend :suspect:

Long story short, some very "tense" phone calls and a lot of bad feeling later, we got the disc.

Marriage only lasted 18 months before she cheated on me so it was all a lot of fuss over nothing really :lol:
 
I have posted similar a few times but it backs up the need for backups.

Doing a wedding for my dads mate as a favour cost me a fortune. I started with a 500D, 18-55mm IS, 50mm f/1.8 and a 580EX2 flash.
I bought a month after being asked 24-70 f2.8 and 70-200 f2/8 IS as thats what I learned were used by everyone else and started practising and learning to use them.

Next you hear about back up kit, and with the practise shooting I had done I discovered swapping lenses was a pain so a 2nd body was purchased now the owner of a 450D I know entry level but I know the 500D well so a cheaper option/alternative was the 450D.

More shooting with 2 cameras nice lenses swapping the flash between bodys was a pain in the ass yep, you guessed it I bought another flash. I could have bought the 430EX2 but went for a 2nd 580EX2.

Then its all the other bits that go with them, I wanted 2 sets of batteries for each gripped camera, same for the flash I have 3 sets for each flash, memory cards I bought a lowe pixel pack to store them and filled it with sandisk extreme cards so i could keep them in my pocket.

Anyway a few weeks before the wedding I went to the church for the rehersal to see what I could/couldn't do and the 500D started playing up on me, ETTL wasn't working blowing everything with a full power flash, brown trousers moment. Spoke to canon sent the camera off and a 5 days before the wedidng I contact calumet about hireing a body just incase. Anyway Im panicking phone calls to canon, its on its way back 3-5 days eeek. The afternoon before the weddding my 500D arrives back panic stations are over.

If it hadn't I was ready to hire from calumet but I suppose I could have shot on a single body and prayed but I had the 2nd camera available if I needed it.

Ohh yeah no weddings again, I put too much pressure on myself to produce the goods I didn't enjoy the day.
 
Just a note on lens pricing, I realise that not everybody gets along with them, but if you shop carefully it is possible to pick up the most recent non HSM Sigma 24-70 for about £200-250 and the slightly older 70-200 at around £300. Lots of compromises with the crop factor taken into consideration, but it's a point worth bearing in mind.
 
smalls said:
weddings is something that i will be looking to do in the future but i will not take it on till i have the following at least

2x nikon d700
1x nikon 24-70
1x nikon 70-200
1x fast prime 50/85 1.4
2x sb900
lots memory, spare batteries, etc
and most likely something like a d7000 for if one of the d700 packs up

i wouldnt even attempt a wedding with anything less than above
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Agreed - though this is my wish list for when I start wedding photography seriously - I've got the 24-70mm already though!
 
A 2.8 is all well and good but if the lighting is poor it's not going to be much use on a D90. I personally don't trust the D90 at anything above 1600, if he needs to be shooting 3200 then it's not going to work out, even with a 1.4.

Lenses aside, the real issue here has to be the lack of any backup. Any camera can fail at any time, if this were to go just as the bride reaches the church then it would be an absolute disaster.
 
ISO3200 on a D90 will not be pretty!!! You have to forget about the 18-105 lens, really nowhere near good enough. Ok, you are not charging, and I guess a D90 with a 50mm on should get better results than a guests P&S but I would say you must be able to cover roughly 18/28mm up to 180/200mm, so something like a Tamron set of 28-75 and 70-200 both 2.8's but that would be probably £600 MINIMUM 2nd hand.
 
redddraggon said:
Straight out of the Camera it's not good but Noise reduction in Photoshop is great these days, and I'd say they are perfectly usable with a bit of PP.
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3200 in a dimly lit church will be crap, regardless of noise reduction. I got rid of mine when I attempted 1600 and 2500 in a horribly lit register office. although it wasn't a big deal as I had the D700, the D90 shots were unusable and that was with a 1.4 50 attached.
 
Dman said:
3200 in a dimly lit church will be crap, regardless of noise reduction. I got rid of mine when I attempted 1600 and 2500 in a horribly lit register office. although it wasn't a big deal as I had the D700, the D90 shots were unusable and that was with a 1.4 50 attached.
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Depends whats causing the "crapness", if you happen to use AutoISO and have 3200 set as your highest, and you hit 3200 your shutter speed will start to drop, and when when it drops too low and I've not been paying attention is when I've got rubbish, and I granted I do through a lot away at 3200, but a decent shot is recoverable - but yeh that's not the way forward for a pro wedding photographer. Although If I was getting paid for doing weddings a D700 would be minimum.
 
DemiLion said:
Please, please tell me that that is a joke, and not the attitude that you really adopt towards someone's wedding?
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It's not a Joke. If he is getting paid for this then yes I would say get proper back up kit even if you have to rent it but all I'm hearing is "I've got a few weddings coming up" which could be simple little "bring your camera along" jobs and nothing serious whatsoever.

To get a detailed answer you need detailed info.
 
Thanks for all the advice, I think Ill go for the 50mm 1.8 and look into the 17-55mm 2.8 DX, but my next question is;

If I fit this to my D90 am I right in thinking it'll effectively be a 82mm at full zoom due to the crop factor of 1.5 on the D90??

and

Really there is no point in buying the 70-200 2.8 due to it being FX and not DX or am I making stuff up now?
 
No matter what the Bride says before the event, it IS a big deal - she'll want the best shots she can for her big day.

When it's raining and you have to shoot the groups in the Church and your slow lens needs ISO 3200 or the flash you use on camera casts dark shadows - that's when you realise **** I see what they mean!

You do have to take a leap at some point, but before that you really need to get capable gear - and lots of it!
 
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D90-Sniper said:
Thanks for all the advice, I think Ill go for the 50mm 1.8 and look into the 17-55mm 2.8 DX, but my next question is;

If I fit this to my D90 am I right in thinking it'll effectively be a 82mm at full zoom due to the crop factor of 1.5 on the D90??

and

Really there is no point in buying the 70-200 2.8 due to it being FX and not DX or am I making stuff up now?
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The 1.5 crop factor makes it effectively 75mm, which may be a bit tight depending on where you're situated.
 
D90-Sniper said:
If I fit this [Nikon 17-55] to my D90 am I right in thinking it'll effectively be a 82mm at full zoom due to the crop factor of 1.5 on the D90??
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It depends what you mean by "effectively".

A 55mm lens on your D90 will have the same field of view as a 82mm lens on a full-frame camera such as a D3 or D700. But you don't have a D3 or D700, so I'd suggest that's not a terribly relevant comparison.

The 17-55 at full zoom will give you exactly the same framing as your current 18-55 at full zoom. That's what counts.
D90-Sniper said:
Really there is no point in buying the 70-200 2.8 due to it being FX and not DX or am I making stuff up now?
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You're perhaps a bit confused.

Your camera will take DX or FX lenses quite happily. The ONLY difference (apart from size, weight, cost) between DX and FX is that the DX lens projects an image which is the size of your sensor, and the FX lens projects an image which is larger.

But 200mm DX (eg your 55-200mm DX at full zoom) and 200mm FX (eg a 70-200mm f/2.8 at full zoom) will look exactly the same through the viewfinder and on the image.
 
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StewartR said:
You're perhaps a bit confused.
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:thinking:

StewartR said:
Your camera will take DX or FX lenses quite happily. The ONLY difference (apart from size, weight, cost) between DX and FX is that the DX lens projects an image which is the size of your sensor, and the FX lens projects an image which is larger.

But 200mm DX (eg your 55-200mm DX at full zoom) and 200mm FX (eg a 70-200mm f/2.8 at full zoom) will look exactly the same through the viewfinder and on the image.
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:thumbs: Get ya, thanks for clearing that up!!
 
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