So this is going to sound stupid... Q's about wedding lenses

[AmberAtLoveAndInk]

Ok so I have a question about gear when shooting a wedding. I really do not have much to work with and am shooting my friend's wedding this May for free. I'm using a 60D (don't laugh) my main lens is 24-105 f/4 and I have a 50mm f/1.8 II, along with my kit lens 18-55mm EF-S f/3.5 II.

So what I'm wanting to do is rent another L lens to help me shoot this wedding better, I was thinking the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS to get some good shots during the ceremony without me being in the way, but the problem is, when it comes to the reception I will have to be pretty far back to get a lot of the "scene" in the frame, especially since I am using a crop sensor. I was thinking of renting a full frame body as well but I'm nervous that I will not be as comfortable with it as I am with my current body and then lose important shots due to me fiddling with a new device.
Anyway, getting back to my question, what lens would you recommend me to rent for this wedding? Should I rent the 70-200mm f/2.8 for the ceremony shots and then use my 24-105 & 50mm to shoot the rest? Or should I be looking into renting a better 50mm (like the 1.2 L) or some other L prime instead and use my 24-105 for the ceremony part? I know the 24-70 is the king of wedding lenses but I just don't see a point of me renting that one when my 24-105 is so much similar (besides the 2.8 of course)

Also, I have only have room in the budget to rent one lens, with gas & tolls and shooting this for free I just can't dump that much money into it. Thanks!
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[jaomul]

You have 2 months to put it together. Probably you won't take the don't do it advise.

In your case I would definitely get a speedlight. If you can only afford one thing get that. If you can borrow or rent another crop body do that. 105 on a crop should be long enough for most and 18 on the wide should be enough for most things. A speedlight and extra body would serve better than any single Lens here imo

 

[tirediron]

"besides the 2.8 of course"... that's a pretty big "besides". Weddings are NOT my stock in trade, but the rare ones I do shoot I would NOT want to have to deal with anything slower than an f2.8. That said, you need to know a little more about the event. Is this a Catholic wedding where you will doubtless be relegated to the far back of the church; if so, then definitely the 70-200, or one where you can get fairly close to the "action", in which case it will be a toss up between a second body and the 24-70. Do you have a speedlight?

 

[pixmedic]

Your 50mm 1.8 is just fine.
Rent the 70-200 2.8 for coverage and use the 24-105 and/or 50mm for the rest depending on how much moving you can do.

I use my 85mm for most of my wedding shots when I don't need something wider and can move around freely.

 

[AmberAtLoveAndInk]

You have 2 months to put it together. Probably you won't take the don't do it advise.

In your case I would definitely get a speedlight. If you can only afford one thing get that. If you can borrow or rent another crop body do that. 105 on a crop should be long enough for most and 18 on the wide should be enough for most things. A speedlight and extra body would serve better than any single Lens here imo

I have a nice speedlight to work with but I hate using artificial light. I shot a very dark beauty pageant using only my 24-105 without a flash and was happy with the results, the pageant took place in a room very similar to the room being used at the reception. Wish I had an extra stop though.

Love & Ink Photography - Nakota's 2014 Pageant

 

[AmberAtLoveAndInk]

"besides the 2.8 of course"... that's a pretty big "besides". Weddings are NOT my stock in trade, but the rare ones I do shoot I would NOT want to have to deal with anything slower than an f2.8. That said, you need to know a little more about the event. Is this a Catholic wedding where you will doubtless be relegated to the far back of the church; if so, then definitely the 70-200, or one where you can get fairly close to the "action", in which case it will be a toss up between a second body and the 24-70. Do you have a speedlight?

Yes I have a speedlight and yes it's in a Catholic church but the minister (is it minister?) is ok with me coming out into the aisle and working close to the ceremony. Just not within 5 ft of the alter.

 

[runnah]

A speed light is the most important thing you can have. I'd rent it for the wedding and once before to practice.

 

[KmH]

The Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 II has 5, straight, sharp edged lens aperture blades and delivers some of the ugliest, nervous, jittery looking bokeh of any of the inexpensive "nifty-fifty" lenses camera makers sell. It needs to be stopped down to f/4 or more anyway to get to the start of the range of lens apertures where it produces it's sharpest focus. The lens also has AF issues (inconsistent AF) in low light even though it has a max aperture of f/1.8.

Many new to photography have focus problems because a fast lens used at or near its max aperture and at a close point-of-focus (PoF) distance delivers very a shallow depth-of-field (DoF).
The lack of a good understanding of how DoF works and controlling that very shallow DoF is usually where the focus problems lie.

Use the 24-105 f/4 and rent the 70-200 f/2.8.
For many wedding photographers a 24-70 mm f/2.8 and a 70-200 f/2.8 are their main lens tools.

A consideration when it comes to renting is that it takes some time to get familiar with a lens such that you can use it effectively. The same is even more so if you rent a camera, because there is a lot more to learn about a camera. So be sure you are able to use the lens quite a bit for a couple of days before the wedding.

 

[tirediron]

Yes I have a speedlight and yes it's in a Catholic church but the minister (is it minister?) is ok with me coming out into the aisle and working close to the ceremony. Just not within 5 ft of the alter.

Having a speedlight makes things much easier. This is something you might want to very seriously consider investing in. If the officiant is allowing you to work that close to the ceremony, you are, in my experience, VERY lucky. I'm not sure I would worry too much about the 70-200 in that case, since your 105 will be long enough for the recessional. Have you asked them about flash during the ceremony?

 

[AmberAtLoveAndInk]

Your 50mm 1.8 is just fine.
Rent the 70-200 2.8 for coverage and use the 24-105 and/or 50mm for the rest depending on how much moving you can do.

I use my 85mm for most of my wedding shots when I don't need something wider and can move around freely.

Thanks, I was thinking about the 85mm too... decisions decisions.

 

[curtyoungblood]

You're really going to struggle to shoot a wedding with a 25-105. F4 is a lot more light than f2.8 and it is going to show up during a wedding. I see that you say you're shooting this for free. I'd go to the bride, explain that you aren't a professional and don't have the professional gear needed to get her any good photos of the wedding. If she cares about photos at all, have her get you a couple hundred dollars to rent appropriate gear. (My suggestion would be to get the wedding package from lensrentals.com). Weddings are expensive things, and even a very basic wedding budget should be able to spend $150-$300 on photos.

 

[pixmedic]

Thanks, I was thinking about the 85mm too... decisions decisions.

It's easier for me because I have a bunch of options to choose from.
17mm to 200mm in fast zooms, and a bunch of primes. Sometimes I like the zooms, sometimes I like the primes. It all depends on my range of movement and lighting conditions.

It's hard to really give you optimal advice without knowing the venue setup and lighting

 

[AmberAtLoveAndInk]

Yes I have a speedlight and yes it's in a Catholic church but the minister (is it minister?) is ok with me coming out into the aisle and working close to the ceremony. Just not within 5 ft of the alter.

Having a speedlight makes things much easier. This is something you might want to very seriously consider investing in. If the officiant is allowing you to work that close to the ceremony, you are, in my experience, VERY lucky. I'm not sure I would worry too much about the 70-200 in that case, since your 105 will be long enough for the recessional. Have you asked them about flash during the ceremony?

No I am not allowed flash and yes I was pretty surprised too, but they know the minister pretty well so I'm sure that played a big role.

 

[AmberAtLoveAndInk]

The Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 II has 5, straight, sharp edged lens aperture blades and delivers some of the ugliest, nervous, jittery looking bokeh of any of the inexpensive "nifty-fifty" lenses camera makers sell. It needs to be stopped down to f/4 or more anyway to get to the start of the range of lens apertures where it produces it's sharpest focus. The lens also has AF issues (inconsistent AF) in low light even though it has a max aperture of f/1.8.

Many new to photography have focus problems because a fast lens used at or near its max aperture and at a close point-of-focus (PoF) distance delivers very a shallow depth-of-field (DoF).
The lack of a good understanding of how DoF works and controlling that very shallow DoF is usually where the focus problems lie.

Use the 24-105 f/4 and rent the 70-200 f/2.8.
For many wedding photographers a 24-70 mm f/2.8 and a 70-200 f/2.8 are their main lens tools.

A consideration when it comes to renting is that it takes some time to get familiar with a lens such that you can use it effectively. The same is even more so if you rent a camera, because there is a lot more to learn about a camera. So be sure you are able to use the lens quite a bit for a couple of days before the wedding.

That was my concern as well because when I have used my 50mm it's a hit or miss with focusing. I really do not want risk hitting or missing a wedding but then I figured most of the "miss" part is most likely error on my end. Thanks for the advice.

 

[AmberAtLoveAndInk]

You're really going to struggle to shoot a wedding with a 25-105. F4 is a lot more light than f2.8 and it is going to show up during a wedding. I see that you say you're shooting this for free. I'd go to the bride, explain that you aren't a professional and don't have the professional gear needed to get her any good photos of the wedding. If she cares about photos at all, have her get you a couple hundred dollars to rent appropriate gear. (My suggestion would be to get the wedding package from lensrentals.com). Weddings are expensive things, and even a very basic wedding budget should be able to spend $150-$300 on photos.

Yes I am looking at lensrentals.com but I do not want to rent a camera I am not familiar with. I'm sure Canon has done well at matching most of their button menus and such but it wouldn't do me much good to rent a full frame and spend most of the late afternoon the day before and early morning of the wedding fiddling with it. She is aware of my skill level and gear (though she doesn't know squat about lenses & such so it's gibberish to her anyway) they asked me because they have zero budget for a photographer and they know I have been wanting experience with wedding photography. Do you have any suggestions for a better lens to use than my 25-105? Thanks for the advice.