35L wide enough for weddings?

Quick question, I am gearing up to do some second shooting for a few weddings in the first quarter of next year. I feel I have a decent selection of lenses to start with, 85 1.2, 70-200f4is, and a 35L. I have a few lenses on my list to add to my bag, but would prefer to add them when I can afford them. However I don't want to be completely unprepared for the first few weddings. So my question for you wedding photographers, is my 35L going to be wide enough to start? Ideally I would like a 16-35L, but plan to get at least a 17-40L for sure for those couple wide/group shots. I am just debating on whether I should pick one up now or wait until I can really afford one, at which time I may find a better deal.....thanks in advance....

Personally, it's somewhat of a difficult question to answer. If you are shooting people then I find it wide enough for group shots and wide artsy shots. If you are trying to capture the grandness of a cathedral then you may be disappointed. For my wide angle shots I use the 17-40. However, I wouldn't shoot that wide for general people work (too much distortion). I like the 35 and 85 combination and many photographers can shoot a great wedding with just those lenses.

Thanks for the quick response, that's pretty much what I was thinking, and hoping to hear. I am thinking that the 17-40 is more like the fisheye and macro. I would probably use all three of those in most weddings, but only for a couple specialized shots. While I plan to add those and a 135L to my bag in the future, I am trying to avoid too much debt to begin with, and was hoping to hear that the 35L would be good for the group shots. I can wait on the grand overall wide shots, but I certainly don't want to miss the group/people shots.

I think on full frame you will find the 35 L will be your most used lens. Wide enough for group shots, great for full body shots, handles low light well for receptions, nice for bride getting ready, etc. I only use my 17-40 to take shots of the venue or church. If you really want a zoom, you could get a 24-70 or 24-105 for more versatility, but keep that 35 L.

It depends on your style. I absolutely hate 35mm on full frame. I almost never use that length. I find it too wide for any kind of decent closeup, and too long for any kind of grand environmental portrait. But that's just my style. Others have differing opinions.

But really, as a second shooter, you don't need to be fully equipped, and probably won't be taking many posed group shots.

picturecrazy wrote in post #11522216
It depends on your style. I absolutely hate 35mm on full frame. I almost never use that length. I find it too wide for any kind of decent closeup, and too long for any kind of grand environmental portrait. But that's just my style. Others have differing opinions.

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I have felt the same way and have to swallow my tongue everytime I see a thread on how the 35L is a must have lens for full frame. I just dont get it.

gonzogolf wrote in post #11522231
I have felt the say way and have to swallow my tongue everytime I see a thread on how the 35L is a must have lens for full frame. I just dont get it.

I guess everyone is different. I love the 35L on a full frame for indoor home shooting and walk around outings. I will be purchasing a 24Lmk2 in the very near future to have a prime for my 1d3.

On a full frame I find a 50mm to be too long for some situations. For outdoor ventures it seems to work in most cases though.

Sheesh in good light I guess I should just slap on a zoom

I just picked up the 35L (sold the 17-40L for it) and couldn't be happier. It takes awhile to get used to the FL but I definitely find it wide enough for what I shoot and I won't be worried about it at my next wedding. I think anything wider will cause too much distortion for my liking. Some prefer the 24L but that just seems way too restrictive for my tastes.

It depends on the wedding . As a 2nd shooter , probably at least 100 people will be there .
How formal is it ? By that I mean - does invitation say no children ?
The last wedding I went to [not as photographer] my 10-22 was used about 25 % - people were like ants .
The poor gal and her assistant showed up with an 85 , 70-200 , 24-105 and a 50 1.4 . Their cameras were a 5D and a 50D .
Anyway after the wedding I got my group shots with the 10-22 and switched to 17-55 for close ups of couples .
Then the bride and groom went driving around , blowing the horns etc .
I get to reception early to get a table in front of bride and groom . I then slap on the 10-22 start focusing so I can get at least a foot after both ends of table , write down like 14 mm turn around and count steps to my table .
I got to talk to the 2nd camera at the reception - Showed him what I was doing and told him why . Explained about the 10-22 being level or line at edge start bending - plan on cropping . The upshot was I told him after the toast , he could borrow the 10-22 till the dance started , but I needed back for the money dance .
He has since bought one [10-22]
Anyway- rent a 16 or 17 -35 - it's nice to have 2.8 . I have not heard of either of them " bending " if not level .
Oh - if interested , neither of them like filters where I don't own a lens without one .
Good luck

jakeg1999 wrote in post #11522034
Quick question, I am gearing up to do some second shooting for a few weddings in the first quarter of next year. I feel I have a decent selection of lenses to start with, 85 1.2, 70-200f4is, and a 35L. I have a few lenses on my list to add to my bag, but would prefer to add them when I can afford them. However I don't want to be completely unprepared for the first few weddings. So my question for you wedding photographers, is my 35L going to be wide enough to start? Ideally I would like a 16-35L, but plan to get at least a 17-40L for sure for those couple wide/group shots. I am just debating on whether I should pick one up now or wait until I can really afford one, at which time I may find a better deal.....thanks in advance....

on FF i'd have at least 24mm.

ed rader

I did some pretty darn good shooting with...

I did some fine wedding shooting (if referral business is any indicator of customer satisfaction) shooting with only one lens - 80mm on a 6x6cm Hasselblad. later on, I added a 50mm lens to my equipment...

A lot of ultra wide angle lens need is eliminated if the photographer knows how to form groups effectively...

Same here - I found myself using wides and ultra-wides quite a bit more than expected at weddings. If you use flash, you distance matters so I found I needed to get close. Small rooms, large groups ALL require wide shots. I'd go wide, 24mm minimum.

ed rader wrote in post #11523082
on FF i'd have at least 24mm.

ed rader

Why a 35mm? It is basically a remnant of the days when rangefinder 35mm camera were king. They are/were pretty easy to design, allow a bit more coverage of the subject without adding noticeable distortion at the edges, and they give one a bit more "slop" from focusing errors due the larger dof than a traditional 50mm "normal" lens.

The FL carried over when SLR's overtook rangefinders in popularity in the 1960's. And they still have the same virtues now as they did then. The problem these days-they don't present an "exciting" fov when peering through a viewfinder, compared to say a 21mm lens, and they seem now to be converted into being a "normal" lens on a 1.6 crop camera.

I am very happy with my 35L. It has been my most used lens to date. I guess you could say it's the focal length I prefer. I did however just get the 85L, so I plan to really put some time into it. I have always been lead to believe that the 35L would be plenty wide for most everything I am looking to accomplish at a wedding. While I realize a UWA would be nice to have and would get used, my intentions of this thread were to merely find out if I would be ok with the 35L as my widest, until I can really afford the right UWA. I feel like after the responses above, that indeed the 35L will get me through some weddings, however I may be challenged with some UWA shots of the whole congregation or ceremony. I really enjoy primes, and like to keep my feet moving so I am sure I can make the best out of my 35l for now. My plan is to use my 5dii/70-200, and my 5dc/35L for the ceremony. Then swap the 70-200 for the 85L for the reception/portraits...​.

Check how many brides maids there are . Figure 3 feet per person
Dinner table mother of bride , Father of bride , mother mother of , father of groom 5 brides maids and their dates = 50 feet of table , how far back can you get ? Are you planning on stitching ? Rent the 16 or 17