I need a prime. Canon EF 85mm 1.8 or Sigma 30mm 1.4

[ultimachi]

A good friend of mine invited me to his wedding. I told him as a wedding gift I will photograph his wedding. He already has hired a primary photographer, so I will just be taking the candid photos. No stress here. And it's my first wedding shoot.

I have been looking at picking up the Sigma 30mm 1.4 because I like to do car photography, and more often than not when I take detailed shots, my 50mm 1.8 is just too close for me to compose a picture. So I often find myself taking steps back to compose. I figured the Sigma 30mm would be perfect in this case.

But now that I'm going to this wedding, I feel the 30mm just won't cut it and wouldn't be close enough for some good shots as I will probably not be standing near him and his bride during the ceremony.

I don't have an external flash so I need a fast prime to capture this event inside the wedding chapel.

So what are your thoughts? Will my nifty fifty suffice? Will I be able to get close enough with it? Therefore I can buy the Sigma 30mm I crave, or should I spring for the Canon 85mm 1.8? In the future I plan on getting into wedding photography, but after I can buy a Canon 60D....

[Sirrith]

If you want the 30 for your normal use, and only want the 85 for the wedding, go for the 30. Especially since your friend has already hired a photographer, so your photos won't be as important as they otherwise would be if you were the primary photographer, I don't see any point in buying a lens JUST to take photos of that particular wedding. The 50 1.8 will do just fine for that.

[atlrus]

Buy the 30mm, no need to spend money on one-time no-pay event. Bring the 70-300 if you want to get close without being close.

[mikeassk]

Just get a point n shoot and have a great time at the wedding. Drink, eat and mingle.

There is someone hired to take images, they will be most successful if there are not any others doing that.

I dont mean to discourage your progression, just notice that at weddings there are always hobbyists (myself included) focused on getting great images when they could just be having a great time.

[fpu2010]

agree with Sirrith. go get 30 for your own. use 50 for the wedding, or borrow/rent 85 for this wedding.

[gonzogolf]

If you want the 30 get the 30. As a guest, dont start snapping during the ceremony, leave that to the pro. Knock yourself out at the reception with the 30 which will be great on your xs anyway.

[mikeca42]

An 85 mm is a good outdoor portrait lens or indoors when you have space. I would think that at wedding reception you would have the room for the 85 mm, but your 50 mm should work fine too. I use both a 85 mm and 50 mm lenses as portrait lens depending on the situation. The 85 mm would be more of head and shoulder shots and 50 mm for full length portraits.

I would get the 30 mm. That seems to be the lens you need for most of your photography. You should do fine with just the 50 mm at the wedding.

[amfoto1]

If you insist on shooting the wedding, be sure to check with the paid photographer in advance. When I contract to do an event it includes a clause that the wannabes and amateurs will be held in check... They can be a major pain in the ass when I'm trying to get a job done well for a client. In a couple really extreme situations I've walked away from jobs when the client wouldn't cooperate and enforce the terms of the contract they signed, the wannabes just told me to stuff it and wouldn't back down when I asked them to keep out of the way. (Neither case was a wedding, which I'd be more inclined to finish no matter what).

To look at it another way, if I were getting married, I'd tell everyone other than the hired photographer to leave their cameras at home and their camera phones in their pocket or purse. Last thing I'd want is a bunch of amateurs running around the ceremony snapping pics and ruining the day!

[Bleufire]

Originally Posted by amfoto1

To look at it another way, if I were getting married, I'd tell everyone other than the hired photographer to leave their cameras at home and their camera phones in their pocket or purse. Last thing I'd want is a bunch of amateurs running around the ceremony snapping pics and ruining the day!

As jerk-ish as that may sound, it isn't more right. I had a ton of people getting in the way of the real photog at mine and my father in law was urging my wife's (if it were by marriage) sister-in-law to get shots in the way of the real photog. In the end, my father in law did this all to get some shots with some POS 4-5 year old P&S. My wife and I ended up having to tell the sister in law to "BUG OFF" in a much firmer way!

[Stir Fry A Lot]

Leave the portraits to the pro and get the 30mm to get small group shots of friends and family.

[ultimachi]

Good advice everyone. I definitely can see how annoying that would be to the photographer. I'll snap away at the reception. And MAYBE way in the back of the ceremony with my 70-300 if there is ample light for it.

I'll ask the photographer some questions after he's done to get some pointers, and to see what lenses he uses during weddings.

[mikeassk]

Originally Posted by ultimachi

Good advice everyone. I definitely can see how annoying that would be to the photographer. I'll snap away at the reception. And MAYBE way in the back of the ceremony with my 70-300 if there is ample light for it.

I'll ask the photographer some questions after he's done to get some pointers, and to see what lenses he uses during weddings.

love your attitude, have fun at the party.

[RPCrowe]

I recommend getting a flash: 430EX ii or 580EX ii and an off camera bracket + a diffuser/reflector (IMO, the Joe Demb Flash Diffuser pro is one of the best out there). You will also need a Canon Off-Camera Flash Cord unless you are shooting with a camera such as the 7D which allows wireless indoor flash triggering - outdoor triggering is a fairly chancy situation with Canon wireless control on the 7D if the flash is not in a direct line of sight with the on-board flash trigger.

Use your 70-300mm lens and you can get some very nice looking portrait-type shots with the above mentioned rig. Here are some shot with my 70-200mm f/4L IS lens, on a 7D camera, with a 550EX flash on a Stroboframe bracket, bounced off the ceiling and modified with a Joe Demb Flash Diffuser Pro... (www.dembflashproducts.com)

[ultimachi]

Originally Posted by RPCrowe

I recommend getting a flash: 430EX ii or 580EX ii and an off camera bracket + a diffuser/reflector (IMO, the Joe Demb Flash Diffuser pro is one of the best out there). You will also need a Canon Off-Camera Flash Cord unless you are shooting with a camera such as the 7D which allows wireless indoor flash triggering - outdoor triggering is a fairly chancy situation with Canon wireless control on the 7D if the flash is not in a direct line of sight with the on-board flash trigger.

Use your 70-300mm lens and you can get some very nice looking portrait-type shots with the above mentioned rig. Here are some shot with my 70-200mm f/4L IS lens, on a 7D camera, with a 550EX flash on a Stroboframe bracket, bounced off the ceiling and modified with a Joe Demb Flash Diffuser Pro... (www.dembflashproducts.com)

I'm sure you meant to post this in a different thread. A little bit extreme for a wedding....

[Blurr Cube]

Originally Posted by ultimachi

I have been looking at picking up the Sigma 30mm 1.4 because I like to do car photography, and more often than not when I take detailed shots, my 50mm 1.8 is just too close for me to compose a picture. So I often find myself taking steps back to compose. I figured the Sigma 30mm would be perfect in this case.

The Canon 85mm 1.8 is a great lens with great low-light capabilities. Rent it and a flash if you really want to get shots as a wedding gift.

Get the Sigma 30mm 1.4 and use it for group/candid shots. Added bonus: you get to use it for your car photography.