Weddings: I would like to get your take on specific lenses for specific shots....

[Noah Ruderman]

Originally Posted by Sean Nelson

Answers are very insightful so far. If they came out with a full sensored autofocus DSLR, I would no doubt have that than the 70d.

I am for sure going to get the 70-200 f/4. No way I am spending $2500 for the 2.8. Hopefully f/4 is enough for the toasts.

From my experience without any added lighting, f/4 is NOT good enough for the toasts. 2.8 isn't even good enough for a lot of my dimly lit receptions. Again, this depends on if you use your own lighting and/or don't mind pumping the ISO up pretty high.

[Adrian Tan]

Hey Sean, whether f/4 is good enough for toasts... Your mileage will vary a lot. Round here, it wouldn't be good enough for general reception/dance floor stuff, but it would be good enough for the toasts, because bride and groom normally are seated at a top table rather than amongst the rest of the guests, and the top table is lit differently by the venue. Speeches are usually done either from the top table, or a lectern beside it.

Always carry extra lighting with you anyway, just in case...

Also: it's possible to find a 70-200 f/2.8 IS version 1 that's a lot cheaper than the version 2. Probably around $1200 on eBay.

[Edward Calabig]

F4 is good for the reception if you have a C100... maaaybe a 5DM3.

I've used both and the C100 can give usable footage at 10,000 ISO so F4 is definitely usable. You're really pushing your luck with a 5DM3 though.

[Rob Cantwell]

thats what i've been doing since i got the 5D Mk III (pushing my luck) but as i said elsewhere venues in my area are so badly lit by the Band/DJ or whatever (think of laser lights) it doesn't really matter what light/lens I use these days. i do ask the couples if they can enquire what sort of setup their Band/DJ will have and explain the problems associated with these and possible solutions, so mainly then it's up to the couple.

I'd agree with the view that the 70-200 f/4 wouldn't really cut it in a lot of situations.

[Danny O'Neill]

On our C100 and 6D which can both do 10,000 nicely the F4 will be fine. We have the 24-105f4 as it has IS and it does just fine. On the 70D you will struggle. Certainly here in the UK we find most churches f2.8 at ISO 850 is the sweet spot. F4 would require quite a bit more ISO and you will see the noise on the 70D.

We know a couple of people who went for the 70-200 F4 non IS and sent it back within the week to upgrade. Even not touching your tripod you will see the shake from simple floor vibrations. Instances where the IS is needed. Marquee with false floor, tripod on a dance floor and photog walks around, floor shake from vibrations like bass speakers.

The usual goto, all rounder is the 24-70 f2.8. No IS needed at those focal lengths and highly versatile.

Other popular lenses for the 70D would be the 35mm f1.4 or save and get the f2. On the 70D this equals roughly 50mm.

[Steve Bleasdale]

Tamron 24-70mm 2.8 vc magnificent and i would be lost without it...Sigma 70-200 2.8 is also brilliant... Stabilization a little stiff on a mono-pod but cs6 warp takes care of it.

[Chad Whelan]

I shoot with a FS100 and my set up has always been 24-105 for pre ceremony, ceremony and main events at the reception. I use the tokina 11-16 on a monopod for general party dancing as well as some prep shots. One of my favorite specialty lenses would be the Canon FD 50 1.4 which gets pulled out a few times throughout the day as well. I just bought a speedbooster so now the 24-105 is a beast but it really makes me long for the 70-200 F4 now, which would be 2.8 with the booster. The tokina looks great at 16 f/2 with the booster but I think I would much rather have the 16-35 now.

Point being the speedbooster and crop factors really change things.

My B roll set up is a GH3 set up with all FD lenses, 200 f2.8, 50 f1.4, 35-105 f3.5, 24-35 L f 3.5 all with a metabones speedbooster as well.

[Robert Benda]

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

Gosh

You guys must be all shooting from the back of the Church ..then again I'm pretty much up front so on APSC is seldom go any more than 50mm ... My choice at ceremonies is 17-50 and on the stedicam I stay at 18mm but if I do need a wider shot I use a Tamron 10-24 ... At receptions gain I like to stay close to the action so my 18-35 F1,8 virtually stays on all night so I don't need lights and the DOF is controllable

Wow 70-200 for bridal entrance!! even on full frame cameras 70mm means that unless you are a long way away all you are getting are the bridesmaid's faces.

I guess the lenses you use must match your position in the aisle and ceremony... I cannot imagine where I would use 200mm !! Each to their own.

Chris

Chris, it changes, but we put cameras at the front of the outside aisles, but have a zoom that can reach 250mm on a crop factor because large churches are very common here, and we like a tight shots of the B&G's faces for vows.

For our aisle camera, we have churches with, literally, 50 meter aisles, and if I'm camped at the front (near the groom), I'll want at least 50mm, but when they don't do a first look, and I'm supposed to get the bride's reaction when they see each other the first time... well, you get it.

[Edward Calabig]

I agree, we use 70-200 every single ceremony and in most cases, I wish it were longer! You really need 200mm for a tight shot to capture the emotion well not only from the couple but also the audience's reactions.

[Kren Barnes]

Prime shooter here! lol!

well we use to rely heavily on our zooms 24-70L and 70-200L but have been using more and more prime lenses specially for preps, b-rolls and reception. Outside of the ceremony, we barely use our zooms. We have 60Ds and Mark IIs and use Canon 50m f1.4 and f1.8, 35m f1.4, 85m f1.8, 135m f2 ,Sigma 30m f1.4 and Helios 55m f2 for preps and broll items. I often use the sigma 30m for slider shots.
We also have a Rokinon 14m f2.8 which stays on our glidecam and the tamron 17-50 which stays on the jibcam. We actually just sold our Sigma 70-200 f2.8 and Tamron 28-75 f2.8 since they were just collecting dust.

For ceremonies we use 2x 70-200L in the front and the 135 or 85 in the middle. For the the reception we both use 135Ls and have found that to be simply awesome!

[Sean Nelson]

Awesome answer Kren!

[John Knight]

I use a video camera.

[Chris Harding]

Hi John

Brilliant answer as always! I also use a video camera but I can change lenses and from the sound of things the DSLR people seem to walk around with bags around their waist snapping on and off lenses every few minutes. If my ceremony is not a candlelit one in a cave at midnight, I keep the camera's stock 18-200 zoom on both cameras ...they do the job ! At receptions that are dark and dingy, I swop the stock lens when I get to the venue to a Sigma 18-35 F1.8 and that stays on all night.

I couldn't imagine changing lens all the time I must admit but I guess if you are using primes you have no option. Then again I'm lazy ..if it works don't change it!

Chris

[Noa Put]

if it works don't change it

If you never would change a lens on a dslr you are not using the camera for what it has been designed for and your better of with a fixed lens videocamera, why bother having to work with all the functional limitations a dslr styled camera has when you can make it so easy for yourself with sony ex1 style camera? I really would like to have a 10-200 f1.2 stabilised lens with autofocus on my gh3 but that will never happen, the biggest advantage a dslr has is that you can get a lens for each specific type of shot you need it for and get an image that way no fixed lens camera will every be able to give you. Nobody likes changing lenses but if you want to get the most out of a situation you need to do it.
There is a way though to use the right lens for every type of shot without having to exchange lenses all the time and that's to get a separate body for each lens :)

[Nigel Barker]

It's quite common for wedding photographers to use two cameras. One camera with a 24-70mm F/2.8 & the other with a 70-200mm F/2.8