wedding, which lens?

[JBuk]

my cousins getting married on saturday and i thought i`d go and take a few candid shots. (just for practice)

I will only be taking 1 lens and i cannot decide which will be more usefull
so i`d like any suggestions you lot have

heres what ive got and what i think are the pros and cons

Sigma 70-300 apo dg f4-5.6
pros unobtrusive - good range for portraits - good image quality
cons slowish to focus - not too good in low light - group shots will be difficult

Canon 17-40L f4
pros can fit a lot into frame for group shots - can get a lot of the church/landscape into frame too - great image quality
cons obtrusive - not too good for portraits - distortion?

Canon 50mm 1.8 mk2
pros good for low light (can use indoors too if i can get close enough) - great image quality
cons no zoom - maybe not wide enought for groups- slightly obtrusive

Canon 18-55 kit lens
pros slight longer range than the 17-40 - not fixed at 50mm
cons not good in low light - not sharp enough for my liking

thats my whole arsenal there

please let me know which one you would take and why

p.s. i only have one body also

 

[Samiad]

Will you be wanting to take group photos, or perhaps more candid shots?

If group photos, I'd take a wider lens to make sure you get everyone in no problem. Otherwise I'd choose a longer fast zoom for nice candids.

Also depends on the location. At one wedding my 50mm was useless because with the crop factor it was 80mm and it was too long to fit more than two people in the photo (due to lack of space).

 

[MrCake]

I shot my sisters wedding as a favour and my 50mm 1.8 stayed on the camera 90% of the time. Made for some amazing natural shots in the evening with the iso whacked up.

 

[TheBigCheese]

Personally I would take two lenses...I know I know, you said one...but you have bought them and there's never a better time to use all that glass!

You say you have the 18-55, so you are obviously on an EF-S mount so have the 1.6x multiplier.

I'd use the 17-40 for general purpose. Because of the 1.6x crop factor it will cover 50mm that you get from a 'documentary' lens and will be a good all rounder.

I'l also keep the 50mm in my pocket (as it's so small and lightweight) for the reception and portraits - it'll be perfect then and you will be kicking yourself if your reception shots aren't so hot due to camera shake from longer shutter speeds or the effects of a high ISO.

 

[ElDude]

Take 2 lenses

 

[Johnny|lucidcomposure]

The 17 - 40 L & 50mm prime.

If your at a wedding and you want to get close to someones face.. Then using the 70 - 300 is lower light in going to be so hard to capture as a sharp and steady shot. You would be much better to get close up with the person/persons with the 50mm Prime and by that you have a lot more control over your light sources.

The 17 - 40 L will prove to be a great lens for your group'd shots. There really is no point at all to taking the kit lens as (okay it offers 15mm more range) but the 17 - 40 has the 1mm + at the wide end. I would be supprised if you used either of the two lens to their maximum focal range.

If you feel your alone without your zoom (70 - 300) then I would try n take that aswel. Dont forget that the 50mm prime is a very small lens and it can be carried very easily in comparasion to the other 3.

 

[SDK^]

If you absolutely have to take one lens then the 50mm 1.8 has to be it - It's the perfect general purpose lens.

 

[Sleepyd]

If you absolutely have to take one lens then the 50mm 1.8 has to be it - It's the perfect general purpose lens.

Agree

 

[AndyBorzi]

I would take the 17-40L & 50mm but if you insist on one lens and need to take groups and informals then the 17-40. If individuals/pairs/informals only then go for the 50mm, which will be good for indoor shots as well.

 

[JBuk]

thanks for the replies so far

I`m starting to sway towards the 50mm
I think ill be taking more candid shots than groups. I might end up taking the 17-40 too and use it after the service but ill have to get a small kit bag as all i have atm is a backpack and it will be a bit awkward heh

 

[Dfhaii]

The 17-40 is too slow for this really, if I was choosing from that lot it would be the 50mm no question, and if you wanted to invest in something else then a 35mm f2 or 85mm f1.8 would be my choices.

 

[DizMatt]

went to a wedding recently
took all my kit and hit it under a table

my 20-40mm sigma EX was really handy
the 105mm prime was alright for somethings
but in retrospect, I would have taken the 20-40mm f2.8 for close shots
group stuff and low light in the church
and the 28-105mm USM was handy as a general purpose item along with the flash unit
the prime? didn't really use it apart from as a last resort when the photograhers flash units persisted with syncing with my camera flash
however, the prime is great much of the time for close group shots it's not handy, which is the main thing for weddings I find but if you want those fast candid portraits, take the 50mm prime and a good wide angle (low light potential if possible)

 

[JBuk]

i actually have a 20-40ex sitting at home, i sold it tonight on the well known auction site, would i be naughty if i held back sending it till next week? heh

most of the shots i`ll take will be outdoors i think, before and after the service, i wont be taking any at the reception or the night doo- (i`ll probably end up wasted )

 

[philio16]

i actually have a 20-40ex sitting at home, i sold it tonight on the well known auction site, would i be naughty if i held back sending it till next week? heh

most of the shots i`ll take will be outdoors i think, before and after the service, i wont be taking any at the reception or the night doo- (i`ll probably end up wasted )

Hope you got insurance then

 

[Johnny|lucidcomposure]

i actually have a 20-40ex sitting at home, i sold it tonight on the well known auction site, would i be naughty if i held back sending it till next week? heh

You'd be in trouble if you broke it while out once someone has already bought it.

 

[JBuk]

You'd be in trouble if you broke it while out once someone has already bought it.

knowing my luck I probably would break it

Honestly though , I wouldnt seriously consider using it, thats why i didnt list it its all packaged ready to go to its new home

 

[Johnny|lucidcomposure]

knowing my luck I probably would break it

Honestly though , I wouldnt seriously consider using it, thats why i didnt list it its all packaged ready to go to its new home

cute

 

[Deleted member 11679]

Nifty 50 all the way.

The rest are just to obtrusive in my opinion, or just not fit for the purpose. Use the prime as an excuse to move around the wedding, see whats going on and go for the interesting shots. The zooms will mean you just stand there and don't get into the emotion of the day.

 

[aztechnology]

THe last wedding I went to my most used lens was an EF 70-200 F4. THe separation between subject and me let me get lots of candid shots. Though the flash was a giveaway after it fired.

The other lens used was a 24-85, though I always seemd to have the wrong lens on when I needed the extremes.

Personally I think the choice is up to wether you like to get close, or whether you want to stand back. All ranges will give you some good shots, just get it into your mindset which lens you have on, and where you will need to be when looking for shots. You will miss some, but you would if you took all your kit.

 

[JBuk]

heres some of the pics i took,
none that i took were anything stunning but im happy with a few that turned out ok

all in all i enjoyed the experience but i found it hard to get any really good shots with people constantly getting in the way/ moving about, etc

i ended up taking 2 lenses, the 50mm 1.8 & the 17-40L
i used the 50mm for about 75% of the shots then changed to the 17-40 after the service

any criticism welcome

edit: PS. as you can see the offical photographer stuck to the bride like glue