Help choosing what I should take...

[Dorman]

Hi all,

I have shot a few engagement sessions and a couple of wedding ceramonies thus far. I have a low expectation (on the clients part) this saturday and I am wanting to travel light. I had a different lineup of equipment when I did the previous shoots, here is what I'm working with now:

350D + 430EX Flash + a borrowed 2nd body for backup
Tamron 17-50 F/2.8 (expect to use this 90% of the time)
Canon 100mm F/2.8 Macro
Canon 70-200 F/4 non-IS
Canon EF 35mm F/2.0

I will be taking the camera, flash, 17-50, and 35 prime for sure. In packing light I only have room for either the 70-200 or the 100mm macro. My itinerary is as follows:

1. Bride getting ready shots indoors
2. Ceramony - indoors at a church
3. Formals and couples shots outdoors - late afternoon
4. Small amount of shooting at the reception

I won't be upgrading my equipment for this wedding but will look at additions and upgrades for my next job. Utilizing what I already have would I be wiser to take my 100mm macro because it's F/2.8, or the 70-200 F/4 for it's versatility but expect to only use it outside? I'm hoping the Tamron will cover the ceramony and reception but I keep worrying what if I'm too far back and 50mm isn't enough, in that case I'd be better off with the 100mm macro.... a little advice here wedding pros?


Now...part II ! Since I already have you in here and I have your attention, when I do upgrade it will be for something fast with a bit more reach - I won't be replacing my 70-200 F/4 with the 2.8 version as I don't shoot telephoto all that often. Would you recommend a longish prime such as the 85mm F/1.8, 100mm F/2.0, or 135mm F/2.0 as a good lens to gear up with for wedding work?

Sorry about the what gear section of this post, I'm sure you guys get sick of this question...

Thanks.

[italianfemmy]

I would take the 70-200 so you don't have to be on top of the bride and groom for the entire event. You can get some true emotions by stepping back a bit. Although you can't get as good of ring shots without a macro, you can always crop in tight and it makes them much larger. Check out my post called ," one more ring shot." I zoomed way in on it with the 17-55 and then cropped it real tight so that it would be much larger. :-) Definitely 70-200.

[tim]

Better to carry the extra lens than regret not taking it.

Re upgrading it depends on your style. I don't like shooting below F2 the DOF is too narrow, but the 85 1.8 is very sharp. Personally I use 17-55 F2.8 IS (you have that range covered) and 70-200 F2.8 IS (which you don't like). Really just see what you miss on wedding days.

[tim]

The 100mm macro's great for ring and flower shots. The 70-200's good for a bit of distance from couple. Both are useful.

[Dorman]

I'll see if I can squeeze them both in I guess - might have to resort to a sliplock case. RE: 70-200 F/2.8. Yeah, I just don't use that range enough right now to justify it, I like the lightweight of the F/4, I'd rather carry a prime along with the F/4 for when the light gets dim. I have successfully shot events with only the 100 macro, we'll see how I fare. My current 70-200 should do just fine for the outdoor stuff, I guess time will tell what I need for something longer indoors.

Thanks for the feedback, keep it coming.