ok, so here i go again with some pre-wedding lens questions--

warriormom

Senior Member
first of all, am i the only one who likes and/or uses an 18-55mm? i bought my d90 body only. my first lens was the 18-55 that came as the kit lens for my cousin's d80. she never used it so she passed it on to me. i love this lens for its versatility and the ability to get SUPER close to things (flowers and such) and it is the lens i keep on more than any other. so here i am in the throes of trying to gear up (pun not so much intended, but i'll take it anyway) for this wedding in march-- watching tutorials, looking at pros' shots, seeking advice here and there and just generally trying to prepare myself to shoot this wedding. k, so... i have a 55-200. i think that might be good enough and i won't need to get the 70-300 (even though i want it someday...). and i am thinking this because i am thinking i probably want to instead get a 35mm prime (1.8 is the best i can afford, sadly). i have a 50mm (1.8 also) which i love, but i don't think it will give me much breathing room, say for the pre-wedding, getting ready type shots. and since we are on the subject of that 50mm--i got it used. it doesn't seem to focus as smoothly as say, my 18-55. i think this might be normal, since my larger lenses have the built in motor. it just kind of feels a little 'rough'er than those other lenses. is that normal? i don't want to burn out the af motor in my camera....
anyway, back to the wedding--isn't a 35mm something you pretty much want to have for shooting in a small area, like the room the bride and maids will be getting ready in? if not that, then what?
thanks again, y'all
 

Eye-level

Banned
35 in DX is equal to to 52.5 so it is like a standard FL. Now I am no pro and the only wedding stuff I have done was done more as a spectator than a photog but I have been told long ago that if you are going to shoot weddings the one indispensable lens to have is a fast fifty (or 35 in the case of DX).

Now I know from real world experience that with my DX camera shooting in a room that I have to use my 28. 35 is not that much more so it will probably work.

Looking at your kit I think I would use the 18-55 and the 55-200. Or the other option is to use the 35 and get you a 85 if you were going with primes. AND the ideal thing would be to have two cameras. Last wedding I went to the "photographer's" camera went bust and she ended up borrowing my sister in laws camera and erased her card without asking so she could fill it up with wedding pics...p!ssed off said sister in law something fierce!

What about the guest book and the rings and the detail shots? You will need some type of macro shooting lens or a close up filter or a reversal ring or something but remember you are going to be around sand so you probably don't want to fiddle around with changing stuff.

When and if I do a wedding in the future I will use my standard kit which is a 24 or 28, a 85, and the 105 plus one DSLR and my F2. I can get the detail shots, the crowd, and the group portraits with the wide angles, the full body and half body portraits with the 85, and the head and shoulder shots with the 105.
 
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Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
For shooting in a small area, I don't think that the 35 is wide enough on a cropped sensor (DX). You'd better use your 18-55 being careful not to put people too much on the side or in the corners when fully wide (18). This would cause major distortion to their heads, faces and they won't look so good.

Depending on how far you will be, the 35 might be OK for some shots, but if I was you, I'd pretty well stay with the zoom just for the ease of framing shots without having to move too much. You see, in a wedding situation, you can't always get as close or as far as you'd wish. The zoom allows you to do this. That's why most pro wedding shooters will use the 24-70 on a body and the 70-200 on another. Where they would have the advantage over you is that they have constant 2.8 lenses that create beautiful bokeh. But since your wedding will be outside on a beach, you should be OK. Learning how to use the flash as a fill-in is probably what you should practice the most in the meantime. I think this is what you'll use the most.
 

emoxley

Senior Member
If you're wanting to learn something about wedding photography, go to KelbyTraining.com | The Leading Provider of Education for Photography and Creative Professionals Worldwide and use the free 24 hr. trial period. In that time, you can do several lessons on doing weddings. Learn from the top pros. The lessons average just over an hour, and I've really enjoyed the ones I've done. I've had 3-4 lessons on using a flash, by Joe McNally, who is one of the best. They have lessons on just about anything to do with photography, including Lightroom and Photoshop. 24 hrs. for free, is a great chance to learn something to help you. Good luck! :)
 

warriormom

Senior Member
i am mostly concerned with which prime to use in the pre-wedding, getting ready type shots of the bride and groom and such. the ones where i will be right there with them. i am pretty much settled on using the 55-200 for the wedding itself. it is really my only option as it provides the most versatility and reach. when i am indoors, during the pre-wedding stuff, i can readily change lenses, so i will be able to throw on the 50 or use the 18-55 if i have plenty of light (i guess this could all change when i get the flash and get warmed up to the idea of using it--but still, there is the bokeh factor). i have never used a 35, but i know what 35mm looks like through the 18-55, so i am really just trying to figure out if that is the portrait lens i want. i could use the 18-55 but the bokeh factor is very important--the obvious difference between f5.6 and 1.8 is a big one, (but i'm not telling anyone here anything they don't know....lol).
 

Iansky

Senior Member
I have noticed some wedding photographers of late using the superb 24-120 f4 lens, it has a great bokeh and the amazing IS equates to around 3 stops making it a very viable option for weddings when equipment load is a consideration.
 
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