Is F2.8 enough?

Guyz,
I will have my first sure ever wedding gig. The fastest lens that I have are as seen in my Sig... the Sigma 17-50 and my Canon 60mm macro.

Do you think it's enough for a church wedding without flash?

If not, i wanna give up my 60mm macro to fund the Canon 50mm F1.4... do you think it will be a good move?

Please help.

The last wedding I did I was lucky enough to get to shoot the rehearsal the night before and discovered that even my 5d2 and 50mm f/1.4 were not enough. I ended up spending most of that night learning how to really use my flash and shot the bulk of the wedding with my 40d with a 17-50mm f/2.8 with the 580exii flash. I used the 5d2 and 50/1.4 and the 70-200/2.8 for more intimate and portrait style shots.

thanks but very few church allow flash in the ceremony. i'll probably visit the church before the wedding but i can't do it now.

Realize that every church is gonna be different. I suggest going to the church with what you have- and figure out if you are going to need flash or not. take some shots at f/2.8 - using a stand in subject- shooting at the highest ISO you are comfortable with. With some test shots and knowing that f/1.4 is 2 stops faster than 2.8- you should be able to predict shutter speed with your proposed f/1.4 lens. Double the shutter speed twice of your f/2.8 shots- and you should have about what the f/1.4 lens will net you. If you need to stop down the 50mm f/1.4- well there goes some of that speed. Of course, you will be shooting a much narrower DOF with the f/1.4- so plan that in too.

Of course, you could go the other way too- go with a better body- like a 5D III- which would help more than the f/1.4 lens will. You'd be safer to find out if you can use flash- and use it.

Edit: You should need to get about 1/20th sec for shutter speed using your f/2.8 lens - say at 50mm, to say that the 50mm f/1.4 will be fast enough . If you can hit that- then moving to a 50mm f/1.4 should net you speeds at about 1/80th.. This is based upon crop shutter speed should be about 50mm * crop (1.6) or 1/80th ideally. Without flash to freeze- you probably won't want any slower anyways. I suggested trying it at 50mm- but it really depends upon how you are metering the exposures and which modes you are using.

^ really... buy a $3500 body for the wedding?
+ a ff compatible lens(s)?

Just rent the lens. Pass off the cost of the rental to your client.

buying a 5D III is not an option. This wedding is free because it's for my niece but I wanna make it good with what I have because this could be a good addition to my portfolio.

thanks for the tips though Wayne.Robbins. I will check now with the church if i can use flash.

This was my last church event job i did with my Sigma 17-50 F2.8. But it has a large window with the sun shining on it in one side of the church.

Which is helpful for static shots, but not if anyone so much as moves. I don't know what you use for PP, but maybe invest in a good NR plug-in(if you use PS).

Is NR in lightroom 4 not enough?

what NR plugin can you suggest?

vinmunoz wrote in post #14685185
Guyz,
I will have my first sure ever wedding gig. The fastest lens that I have are as seen in my Sig... the Sigma 17-50 and my Canon 60mm macro.

Do you think it's enough for a church wedding without flash?

If not, i wanna give up my 60mm macro to fund the Canon 50mm F1.4... do you think it will be a good move?

Please help.

Do you think it's enough for a church wedding without flash?

maybe if you shoot at iso 3200 or 6400. if you can't use flash i would want a faster lens.

ed

Is NR in lightroom 4 not enough?


it's enough.

ed

Sir Ed, i know it's not enough. That's why i'm asking here for tips. You don't have to make it in red color like you're yelling at me.

Many churches don't allow flash.

2.8 is enough. 60mm isn't.

Get a long lens before you think about getting a faster lens.

Good to know about the 2.8... i question answered.

Long lens? you meant zoom lens like my tamron 18-270(3.5-6.3 slow)?

I also have a Sigma 17-50mm F.2.8