which is better? 24-70 2.8 or 24/2.8,50/1.4,85/1.8

[cactusclay]

Just curious who would choose what for a wedding set up,on 1.6 crop and why. The zoom or the primes, all canon, no substituting. :)

[SkipD]

If I were shooting a wedding, I would opt for the 24-70 f2.8 lens. The basic reason is that I wouldn't want to be changing lenses all the time to adapt to the different situations. Think about how you would carry the primes and change them on the go. Also think about getting airborne dust on the sensor of a digital SLR. You reduce that risk by minimizing the number of lens changes you make.

In the distant past, zooms were not available with the quality of today's high-end zooms and that meant that primes were always the best choice when quality was an issue.

On the other hand, if you absolutely need the fastest lenses around for available-light work, then you would lean towards choosing the primes.

[cactusclay]

what if you had two bodies?

[SkipD]

Quite honestly, if I had one body with the 24-70 f2.8 zoom, I would keep the second body in reserve as a backup.

Many moons ago I used to shoot Formula 1 auto racing in Europe using a couple of film SLR bodies with prime lenses attached. Even though those cameras were much smaller and lighter than a lot of today's equipment (they were the original Nikon F's with Nikkor lenses - and I still have them), I often found it somewhat clumsy handling two cameras around my neck at one time.

The less stuff you have to carry around while working makes it easier for you to concentrate on the job at hand instead of always having to make sure your extra equipment doesn't get banged up too much or get in the way of the job.

[cyclone]

I have this primes lens set-up (except I have the 1.8 version of the 50 instead of the 1.4). I would think for a wedding, these lenses would require too much changeover time (and sensor exposure to dust). If you were doing architectural shots or something that required low pincushion or barrel distortion, you might go with the primes, but for a wedding, I would definitely go with the zoom.

Cyclone

[ScottE]

what if you had two bodies?

Still 24-70. Put a 16-35 on the other body to use for the group shots.

Scott