Lenses for weddings

Pete Allen

Pete Allen

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Hi guys,
I am in the process of aquiring some kit for wedding photography.
I am using a Canon 40d.
At the moment I will have the following lenses
Canon 50mm 1.8 is
Sigma 18-50mm 3.5
Sigma 70-300mm
Could anyone tell me what other lenses I would need (if any)
I must point out at this stage, I am supplying the kit for a friend while learning.
Thanks
Pete
 
Pete Allen said:
At the moment I will have the following lenses
Canon 50mm 1.8 is
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Really? That's a new one on me. It must be great in low light. :D

Anyway the wedding togs will tell you that you need fast lenses, f/2.8 or better, because you need to be prepared for pretty crummy light. The most popular Canon lenses we hire out for weddings are:
* EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L
* EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS
* EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS
* EF 35mm f/1.4 L

Your 50mm f/1.8 will be good for portraits. But your two Sigma zooms won't cut the mustard because they're not fast enough. You should consider selling them and putting the money towards something faster.

Plus if you're planning to do this seriously, as your post implies, then you'd be advised to have backups of everything, or at the very least a "plan B" in case of any given item of kit failing. That doesn't mean you need (say) two 24-70Ls, but you do need to have something that you can use if you have one 24-70L and it gets broken. And it does mean you need two bodies.

Your post only mentions lenses, but don't forget about flashes too. And tripods. And more memory cards than you think you'll need. And .... and .... and ....
 
You could start with:

16-35mm EF F2.8L
24-70mm EF F2.8L
70-200 F2.8L (IS or not optional)

or their equivalents by Sigma etc,

that would be my choice, but dont forget maybe a couple of 580EX's (I/II)

Always carry a spare :)
 
Sorry Pete but if you are going to be doing this with the idea of earning money from it I'd only take the 50mm out of that lot.

You really need to be looking at f2.8 and below to get shooting in the kind of lighting conditions you find yourself in at a wedding. Ceremonies in dimly lit churches with no flash and you will struggle.

To give you an idea I use:-
Canon 1Ds and 5D (you do need two even as a backup)
One wide angle (zoom or prime is OK)
One short telephoto 24-70mm f2.8 is a favourite.
One 70-200mm f2.8 is a must.
You can add any other primes you may like to cover different venues. I've hired a 35mm f1.4 a couple of times now for specific locations. (Thanks to Stewart) And I have the 85mm f1.8 for bridal portraits.

You also need at least one flashgun.(A backup is better) You need to know how to use it to balance daylight and fill flash and then you can get all creative with it.

Hope that helps.
 
CScottMcQueen said:
You could start with:

16-35mm EF F2.8L
24-70mm EF F2.8L
70-200 F2.8L (IS or not optional)

or their equivalents by Sigma etc,

that would be my choice, but dont forget maybe a couple of 580EX's (I/II)

Always carry a spare :)
Click to expand...

That is the perfect as you can get wedding set up on zoom.

If you have spare funds, a fisheye for some wideangle fun and a 50mm 2.5 macro for the ring shot.

Of course, all these are base on a FF camera set up.
 
I agree with everyone above, a few nice primes wouldn't be a bad investment either.

Some primes that would do well at weddings,
135 f/2 L - very nice and not too expensive (on my list)
35 f/1.4 L - again a very nice lens although a little bit pricy
50 f/1.2 L or f1.4 if you want to save a few quid
macro of some sort 50 above or 100mm

They would be nice to have but if you have good 2.8 zooms then not essential. They'd also act as back ups for your zooms if one of them failed or got damaged.

If money is no object or once you've made a bit of money out of the weddings a 85 f/1.2 L would be divine, I want one so bad but unless I start making money out of photography I can't justify it :)
 
WOW, got a bit of studying to do methinks.
Also have a Canon 18-55is, would that one be any good?
I have been in videography for a long time, this photography thing is a whole new experience, I have tripods and flash units so, no problem there, just need to get my head around this lens issue.
Is there a zoom lens I could use initially for most situations and, add to this as i progress?
Thanks for all the advice so far :)
 
Col_M said:
If money is no object or once you've made a bit of money out of the weddings a 85 f/1.2 L would be divine, I want one so bad but unless I start making money out of photography I can't justify it :)
Click to expand...

I've got some serious lens envy going on. I've twice hired the 35mm f1.4 from Stewart and I keep hoping he'll forget about it, but no luck so far ;)
And the 85mm f1.2 is just blooming gorgeous. Had to settle for the f1.8 for now. If it gets a serious hammering over the next two years then I'll know I really "need" the f1.2 :D
 
Hi Pete, to prioritise I'd probably go for the 24-70 f2.8 first being the one in the middle it gets the most work (well mine does) Then the 70-200mm and lastly a wide one.

It's not your focal range that's the problem, it's the maximum apertures. What's the 18-55is?
 
AliB, the 18-55is is 3.5, I take it that any lens I get has to be 2.8 or lower, is that right?
 
AliB said:
I've got some serious lens envy going on. I've twice hired the 35mm f1.4 from Stewart and I keep hoping he'll forget about it, but no luck so far ;)
And the 85mm f1.2 is just blooming gorgeous. Had to settle for the f1.8 for now. If it gets a serious hammering over the next two years then I'll know I really "need" the f1.2 :D
Click to expand...
If I was you I'd use the 85 f1.8 at every opportunity just so you have an excuse to get the f1.2 L ;)

My work offers a very nice compensation scheme that would pay for a handful of L lenses if you recommend a new employee that gets the job, I think the HR dept are fed up with me inquiring about jobs for friends now :LOL:
 
Think long and hard about going into weddings with minimal gear, It's just not worth the hassle. That was the piece of advice given to me years ago by a semi pro that I worked with.
One mistake, and we all make them, could ruin the biggest day of their lives.
Leave it to the pro's. That's the best advice I could give you.
 
Hi Gerods, I am not going into wedding photo's just yet, just getting the kit together, then it's learning how to use it.
As I stated earlier, I am a videographer and, as such, I am fully aware of the poential problems surrounding weddings, been doing that for about ten years.
Thanks for your comments ;)
 
I really cant say any more then whats already been said.
At the moment, i use my kit to do small weddings but i really need more gear.

Back-up is key to the situation! You need to cover your bases. I know that you have done videography for long enough and have wedding experience so this should go without saying, if one DSLR dies then you need a back-up.

I'm going to be shopping for a decent wide lens this summer, then next year i want to look at getting the Canon 24-70 f2.8 and 70-200 f2.8. And the year after is a new body.

I need more money :LOL:
 
They don't all have to be £1000 pound L's Pete, don't panic. (Heck it would be nice)

The Sigma 70-200mm is a belter and the 24-70 is none too shabby so there's a huge saving straight away. I get by with both of these and I do it for a living :)

The 50mm f1.8 is capable of some nice stuff, I often have one stuffed in a backpack.

Now, we all have to start somewhere but with your current kit I'd recommend that you shoot alongside someone else for a while until you do have the kit to do the job. it's not all sunny days and lots of light, it's often dark locations both for ceremonies and receptions.

So yes, apertures f2.8 and under are very much the territory of the wedding tog which means often shooting with very limited depth of field so focus needs to be spot on. That's the kind of practice you will be needing to get in. Walk before you can run.

Look on the bright side though, you'll know how to use a video light :)

Lots of wedding togs are shooting with video light these days. After all, light is light :)
 
I think, once I can get my head around this lens selection thing, I will progress ok, the only lens I use on my video cameras is a wide lens and, it's either on or off the camera, simple.
Good thing is, I'm a bit more clued up than I was when I got up this morning so, all in all, not a bad day.
Thanks again.
 
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