Need advice on lenses for Prep and Detail work. Wedding Sat!

[sdsviet]

my friend who is the groom is plannign on renting me some lenses to shoot for his wedding. his first photog was a douche so within the last week he went ahead and got a new one. that story is for another time. the wedding is this sat. he's plannig to rent me the lens friday afternoon. the new photog will be shooting the ceremony and on.

i was ask to shot the prep stuff for them since the photog was last min and he said he cant do since he's already doing 10 hrs starting at the ceremony. i was wondering what lens to use for prep and detail work. the groom initially wanted to rent me a 85 1.2 and 70-200 2.8 is since the first photog might have been a problem. i still want to shoot some at the ceremony but i really dont want to walk around with a big white lens distracting people since im not even the main photog. im only shooting as a guest. i was thinking of maybe some primes to go with my 24-70. i was thinking something that was good for portraits and then with some reach on my 40d for ceremony. i know the great white lens is ideal but i dont know if i am able to move around discreetly with it at the ceremony. any help is appreciated.

[tim]

The 24-70 will be fine. Lenses won't be your problem. Stay out of the way of the pro, try not to spoil the main photog's photos.

Wedding FAQ (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=255604).

[Mike]

The 135L is a bit more discreet I think as it is black. A lot of people like that lens.
The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 is a nice little prime which I use quite a bit.
Don't forget to have fun too - if you are a guest you'll want to get a balance between taking pics and enjoying your friends' special day.

[jonwhite]

Depending on where the prep is taking place I use my 70-200 quite a lot during it to keep out of the way and get details shots, very useful lens for prep. A prime with more reach than the 24-70 would also be useful for this though if you dont want to lug the 70-200 f2.8 IS around.

24-70 is a nice lens for most things on the 5D.

30mm Sigma suggested by Mike is a nice lens on a crop body but the 50mm f1.4 would be better for you imo as you can use it on your 5D and crop body. The 30mm Sigma on a full frame camera results in a very strong vignette, its not pretty.

http://www.boundlessphotos.com/wip/5dmkiiand30mm.jpg

[Mike]

Ah yes...I saw he had a 40D but I didn't see the 5D on his list! :oops:

[tim]

Depending on where the prep is taking place I use my 70-200 quite a lot during it to keep out of the way and get details shots, very useful lens for prep. A prime with more reach than the 24-70 would also be useful for this though if you dont want to lug the 70-200 f2.8 IS around.

24-70 is a nice lens for most things on the 5D.

30mm Sigma suggested by Mike is a nice lens on a crop body but the 50mm f1.4 would be better for you imo as you can use it on your 5D and crop body. The 30mm Sigma on a full frame camera results in a very strong vignette, its not pretty.

70-200 for prep shots? Do your brides get dressed on football fields?! I guess things are different in the UK. 17-55 or 30 F1.4 for me - on full frame that's about 24-70/50mm.

The 30 F1.4 is advertised as a lens for crop bodies, not full frame.

[jonwhite]

70-200 for prep shots? Do your brides get dressed on football fields?! I guess things are different in the UK. 17-55 or 30 F1.4 for me - on full frame that's about 24-70/50mm.

The 30 F1.4 is advertised as a lens for crop bodies, not full frame.

I am pretty sure rooms on our small Island are generally smaller than most places :) but even then in small rooms if you want to get close or give the bride some room the 70-200 comes in handy. Yup I probably use my 24-70 and 50mm the most for prep, but I also cant remember one wedding where I didn't also use my 70-200 for some prep shots, sometimes even on a cropped body.

This sort of thing >
http://boundlessphotos.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/sutton-coldfield-wedding-photography-bp073-001.jpg

[tim]

Interesting. I don't take photos quite like that, and plus full frame changes things a bit.

[jonwhite]

Interesting. I don't take photos quite like that, and plus full frame changes things a bit.

Yup FF definitely gives the 70-200 a different feel, that was actually shot on a 40D though which is what I tend to have my 70-200 on a lot of the time.

[tim]

Call me crazy, but if I want things bigger I just stand closer!

[jonwhite]

Call me crazy, but if I want things bigger I just stand closer!

Yup always an option, but its also sometimes nice to give brides plenty of room when doing prep if you want shots to look nice and natural so the 70-200 is good for that.

[Mike]

Call me crazy, but if I want things bigger I just stand closer!
You're crazy.



:p

[sdsviet]

thanks for all the suggestions guys. i know i will definitely be staying out of the photogs way. that's another reason why i dont want to walk around with that great white lens. hehe. how would shooting with a 135L on a crop sound for the reach i need? maybe 35L for the details? or am i better off getting the 85L for details and nice portraits on the 5d. i can get both as money isnt a big deal. i personally am not that fond of the 50mm FL especially on the 5d. i dont like how it is for portraits. i dont know how it does for details tho.

oh yea i forgot to tell u guys that the prep will be done in a salon and straight there to the church. the groom bridesmaids and moms will all be there. i will have all of that to myself since the main photog wont start til the ceremony.

[sdsviet]

The 24-70 will be fine. Lenses won't be your problem. Stay out of the way of the pro, try not to spoil the main photog's photos.

Wedding FAQ (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=255604).


thanks for that tim. i have read it but i will be rereading it before tomorrow morning.

[sdsviet]

so my friend only rented me the 85L. it was too late to ask for the 135L. now i need to start researching the 85L archives for some cool wedding shots. any other info on this 85L is greatly appreciated.

[PMCphotography]

I'm with tim. I always stick with a wider angle lens for the getting ready pictures. With the 70-200 the minimum focus distance is 5ft or so. That's not close at all, especially if she's in the bathroom and you can't physically get farther back...if there's a wall, hallway, or even other people in the way.

If you've never used the 85L before, MAKE SURE YOU TAKE SOME PRACTICE SHOTS! It's a strange lens to use. It's super front heavy and not easy to balance since it's so short. It's not great for action shots, it takes a long time to focus since there is so much glass. Manual focus is weird as well, you have to half-press the shutter and then rotate the focus ring, all while balancing a lens that's the size of a large grapefruit and weighs about 2 pounds. And If you plan to use it at f/1.2 you will need to manual focus more than you think.

[sdsviet]

man u were so true about this beast. the mfd on this thing was at least 3ft and i could barely take a portrait shot without being about 10 ft away. action shots does not work at all since the af was too slow for it. altho when i do get the shot i want, its simply amazing and the color and sharpness on this thing is ridiculous. bokeh is amazing but it seems this copy has a stuck blade something cuz the bokeh is kinda chopped at the bottom. all my detail stuff ended being shot with my 24-70. i wished i had the 35l for some of the shots since the salon was cramped. i dont know what the mfd on the 35l was but it couldnt have been as long as this one. i will post up some pics for CC once i get some editing done on it. i dont know if i can do it in this thread tho.