Rex Photography
What is the best Canon lens for wedding photography?
Pictures will be taken at both the church and the reception. Also, there will be both directed poses and photojournalism. Thanks.
Public Comments
- Your question tells us that you have very little experience as a photographer and therefore should stay away from shooting a wedding. Weddings are a one shot deal and only an experienced pro should be doing these. Check with some of your fellow photojournalists and see what lenses they are using. Usually a nice wide angle lens (12-24mm is good), medium zoom (24-85mm) and a long zoom (70-300mm) plus ... a 400mm f/2.8 and 600mm f/4.0 for field sports. If you run the numbers, you will see that being a freelance photojournalist is a little expensive ... to say the least. Most photojournalists are staffers and the newspaper supplies most of the exotic equipment. For now, look at the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens will get you started ... that and a good Canon flash designed for your camera
- I have 2 lens for my Canon XTi and love the new Tamron 18-250, I use that one the most. The other one is a Canon 50mm f/1.4 for Portrait work, on singles or couples where I can fully blur out the background. I use this along with my Metz CT60-4 but next month I'll be getting a NEW...Canon 580EX II Speedlight.
- There is really no way to encapsulate everything you would need for a wedding with only one lens. No two weddings are really the same, so your needs will differ, but one thing is for certain is that you will need a backup of everything, especially if you're the main photographer for the event. Anything that could go wrong may actually go wrong at your event. For fixed pose portraits, I generally use a prime lens. I use the 50mm f/1.8 lens ($80) and the 85mm f/1.8 lens ($340). These lenses give you the capability to really blur out the background with beautiful bokeh and generally sharp image quality. If you want another step up from the 50 1.8, you can consider the 50 1.4 ($310) or even the 1.2 ($1400). Another step up from the 85 would be the 85mm f1.2 ($1600). You really need a fast prime lens for those low-light situations at the church and the reception. For zoom lenses, basically, the faster you can go, the better. For a mid range lens, the favored lenses seem to be the 24-70 f/2.8 as fhotace said, or the 24-105 f/4 IS lens. You need something that can capture well in low light, sometimes without flash. If you can't get that close to the altar during the ceremony, you might need a lens like the 70-200 f/2.8 as well. None of these are cheap- they all run at >=$1100. Besides lenses, you also need flashes and other lighting equipment for things like posed photography. I have two Canon 580EX II flashes with battery packs. You may also need to invest in some studio strobes from a company like Alien Bees. Basically, if you are going to be the main photographer, you need to make sure you have backups of EVERYTHING. Things from equipment being dropped to inadvertant splashes of champagne can mean the difference between ruined memories and a well-paying job. Make sure you know what's going on before you dive in. I've included a link to a reputable site with good recommendations for wedding photography.
- my suggestion go to yahoo shopping digital cameras digital camera GUIDE be sure to check titles on the left side the guide should answer your questions
