must have lens to shoot weddings?

[Tbini87]

Hey guys,
My wife and I will be shooting a wedding in a year. We have lots of worked lined up before then. We have been using nikon prime lenses (35mm 1.8 and nifty fifty) that have been awesome so far. However, I don't know that they will be enough to shoot a wedding with. Wouldn't zoom lenses make life easier? If you guys could recommend some lenses you guys like to use for weddings would be great. We will be shooting with Nikon cameras.

 

[Neil S.]

I have never shot a wedding, but this is how I see it.

The ideal combo is a 24-70 2.8 and a 70-200 2.8 in my opinion. I know for a fact that many wedding photographers use this combo.

For this to work well (without changing lenses) you need two bodies though. If one was crop and one was FF you would then need to decide which goes on which body.

When you are shooting a wedding you dont want to have to be doing lens changes often (if at all), and its better to have a wide focal range to play with.

So yes zooms are better.

Hope this helps.

- Neil

 

[Overread]

You might also need to invest in a flash and learn how to control it will also - even with wide aperture lenses some weddings can be very dark inside and good control over support lighting will be key to getting the shots you want (furthermore shooting wide open, as I'm sure you know, gives you very little depth of field to work with).

However an idea of your full setup as well as your working practice and some examples of your work will allow others to help you better.

 

[Tbini87]

You might also need to invest in a flash and learn how to control it will also - even with wide aperture lenses some weddings can be very dark inside and good control over support lighting will be key to getting the shots you want (furthermore shooting wide open, as I'm sure you know, gives you very little depth of field to work with).

However an idea of your full setup as well as your working practice and some examples of your work will allow others to help you better.

definitely looking into flashes as well, into the sb600 and 800. We will be doing a lot of work and practice prior to the wedding... but planning on making some major purchases here soon and want to make sure we are making good purchases. i may be asking about flashes soon, but i def want to look into lenses first.

 

[Tbini87]

oh, and the only place i really have photos up would be albiniphotography.blogspot.com, but i know most people don't want to be crusing around blogs to look at photos. not to mention my wife loves doing all types of arts and crafts stuff so it isn't dedicated just to photography. we will be using D90s, and already mentioned the prime lenses we have been using.

 

[Overread]

You can show example photos from your blog here on the site if you want input - just get the URL of the photo (right click it - go to properties - then copy the whole of the URL line) then just paste that between image tags.

[ img ] paste address here [ /img ]

do that without the spaces between the words and you should have the photo here - make sure that its the right size though. 800 pixels or shorter on the longest side (500 is the real minimum if you want feedback) and you can always just paste the URL direct without the image tags should you want to link to a larger version.

 

[Tbini87]

bump. any specific recommendations would be great, but broad advice is also appreciated!

 

[Big Mike]

We have been using nikon prime lenses (35mm 1.8 and nifty fifty) that have been awesome so far. However, I don't know that they will be enough to shoot a wedding with

You certainly could shoot a wedding with just those lenses. It wasn't that long ago that a typical wedding photographer would use only a single lens.

Sure, zoom lenses can give you more options with your framing/composition, but on that topic, too many photographers stand in one spot and zoom, rather than moving their feet.

Either way, you will likely want 'fast' lenses (large max aperture) for shooting weddings. You already have a couple fast lenses, and if you want a zoom, the best you can do is F2.8. But I would certainly avoid the 'consumer' zoom lenses with max apertures of F3.5-5.6.

What cameras do you use?
If they are APS-C (crop) sensors, then I'd suggest something like the Nikon 17-55mm F2.8, or the similar models from Sigma (18-50) or Tamron (17-50).
If you have a full frame digital or 35mm film camera, then I'd suggest the 24-70mm F2.8 (or similar from Sigma or Tamron).

Adding a 70-200mm F2.8 lens might be nice, but also rather expensive. You might consider renting one for the wedding, if you don't plan to shoot wedding regularly.

Those two lenses, along with your primes, would be a decent wedding kit. You might choose to add an ultra wide angle lens or a specialty lens like a macro or fish-eye.

But really, the lenses that you have & use, should be determined by your style...and likewise, the lenses that you use, will help to define your style. Some shoot with fast primes and use them at large apertures for a very shallow DOF and/or they don't want to use flash.

Other use a lot of flash and thus may not want or need to shoot at large apertures, so to them, fast lenses may not be a priority.
Some use on-camera flash, some use off-camera flash.

 

[Mike_E]

I use a crop sensor and leave the 80-200 at home. The effective focal range being 120-300mm is mostly useless indoors. Depending on the size of the rooms, I'll bring either a 105mm or a 135mm and use a 28-80/2.8 Tokina that I'm fond of and bring my 18-70mm Nikon if I need tighter.

AN F3.5-4.5 LENS AT A WEDDING you ask? Yah, it's a great lens And I carry a flash with a guide number of 197.

 

[Big Mike]

I use a crop sensor and leave the 80-200 at home.

I use a crop sensor and use my 70-200mm at least half the time.

Just goes to show, it's more about personal preference & style than what is 'required'.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

i like to use the 24mm f/1.4, wide angle with shallow DOF. mmmmmmm...

 

[Studio7Four]

I'm assuming that if the photographer is booked this early the venue is too, and I'd take that into account when considering the lens(es) needed. If it's a small, intimate venue you may not need a long focal length lens. But if there is any size to the location a longer lens is recommended (and yes, might as make it a zoom not a long prime). This allows you to shoot the processional/recessional without having to run up and down the aisle, and to get as wide or as detailed as you want while staying unobtrusively on the periphery.

As Big Mike wrote, if you don't see much need for whatever lens(es) you choose you can always rent them for that day. Heck, you could even rent a couple extremely different lenses. You don't want to be switching lenses on the fly during the ceremony, but you could conceivably take off your nice long zoom after the ceremony and put on a nice wide angle to get in among the dancing during the reception...

 

[IgsEMT]

There really isn't must have lens as it is more about the final product. If you know what you're doing and how to achieve results your clients (and maybe you) want, then you'll get it. Primes vs zooms: back in film days all there was were primes, today I only use nifty 50 in-studio but it isn't very practical, for me, to use it at a wedding or any event.
Make sure you have backup gear (bodies/lenses) for both of you; at least one back up set. If you don't already own one, get flash units and learn how to use them. Use it wisely it'll add to glamor.
Good Luck

 

[ghache]

i only did 2 weddings so far and i was shooting with a 85mm 1.8 on a body and a 24-70 2.8 on another one and imo it was perfect.
I think the 24-70 is the perfect focal lenght for indoor.

 

[MrLogic]

i like to use the 24mm f/1.4, wide angle with shallow DOF.

Sure, but you have to get all up in people's faces.