Shooting First Wedding Alone...

Next month I'll be shooting my first wedding alone and I'm confused as to whether I should shoot with zooms to make it easier or primes to get the most IQ in low light. I prefer primes for everyday shooting in a controlled environment but weddings are unpredictable (esp with 200 guests).

So for you wedding photogs. What do you usually lean towards?

P.S. I'm shooting Canon 5dm ii and 550D with access to any and all lenses because I'm renting lenses.

I usually have a combo of primes and zooms. there are alot of variables, can you give some details on the venue?

Renting lenses? 5d2? Hide your 550d and use it only if the 5d fails.

In that case...
16-35II for UWA
24-70 for group shots etc
100L for details
85 1.2 for portraits
70-200 II for reach
580exII on camera for fill

2x580exII on stands for reception (with CP-E4's)
Gels for correction
RadioPopper PX for triggers

Personally I'd put a 50 1.4 on the 5D and a 10-22 on the 550. It'd be nice to have a long lens too, but not paramount in my opinion.

I'm more comfortable with primes, so I typically just use primes. Use what you're comfortable with.

First wedding - zooms.

I just shot my first wedding last weekend (edit: alone), and if I do a sum of all lenses I used I ended up with my 70-200mm II and 24mm II prime on the camera the most (would be ~38mm on a full frame, so basically the "magical" 35mm wedding lens). 580 EX-II flash was on the camera almost all the time, manually at 1/128th to 1/16th of strength and diffused+bounced.

The EF-S 17-55mm and EF-S 10-22mm also got used. My 50mm never got on the camera at all (I wish I had the 1.2 now, the 1.4's zoom is just too slow/crazy), and my 85mm perhaps once or twice for some select shots. The wedding itself was in a very small mayor's office (civil wedding) and without that I'd have to either stitch a panorama or do something else to cover everyone. Great lens when needed. For full-frame I guess the 16-35mm would do the job there.

iamchanel wrote in post #12559415
Next month I'll be shooting my first wedding alone and I'm confused as to whether I should shoot with zooms to make it easier or primes to get the most IQ in low light. I prefer primes for everyday shooting in a controlled environment but weddings are unpredictable (esp with 200 guests).

So for you wedding photogs. What do you usually lean towards?

P.S. I'm shooting Canon 5dm ii and 550D with access to any and all lenses because I'm renting lenses.

5DM2 + 24-70
550D + 70-200
Fill in with your favorite primes. (24, 35, 50, 85, 135, etc)
Flashes on both bodies.

tim wrote in post #12561685
First wedding - zooms.

nicksan wrote in post #12563703
5DM2 + 24-70
550D + 70-200
Fill in with your favorite primes. (24, 35, 50, 85, 135, etc)
Flashes on both bodies.

This is my advice.

keep it simple
24-70 on 5D (the only time I'm not shooting 24-70 with a 5D is when I shoot 17-40)
everything else on the 2nd body

and good luck

OMG thank you every for all your lovely responses. I will definitely be using the 24-70mm and 70-200mm mostly and probably take along the 35mm 1.4 and 50mm 1.2 for fill ins.

Last question: why did most of you suggest the bigger lens (70-200mm ) on the smaller body (550D) and the smaller lens (24-70mm) on the bigger body (5d mii)? Just curious...

Sorry but it sounds like you need to pay and have a second shooter with you.

iamchanel wrote in post #12565631
Last question: why did most of you suggest the bigger lens (70-200mm ) on the smaller body (550D) and the smaller lens (24-70mm) on the bigger body (5d mii)? Just curious...

The multiplier of the 550D is less of an issue on the big white as it's already a long zoom (on a 1.6x crop the 70-200mm is basically a 112-320mm lens). On a wide-angle lens you will want the full frame body as it will then be the actual 24mm (instead of 38.4mm on the 1.6x crop), so you'll get more into the picture and it will actually be wide.

With the 24-70mm on the FF body you have a gap between 70-112mm (easily covered by a step forward or back), and in reverse you have a gap between 24-38.4mm. In essence, you're covered either way as you can switch the lenses around, but the wide angle on FF makes more sense.

Rainlord wrote in post #12565791
The multiplier of the 550D is less of an issue on the big white as it's already a long zoom (on a 1.6x crop the 70-200mm is basically a 112-320mm lens). On a wide-angle lens you will want the full frame body as it will then be the actual 24mm (instead of 38.4mm on the 1.6x crop), so you'll get more into the picture and it will actually be wide.

With the 24-70mm on the FF body you have a gap between 70-112mm (easily covered by a step forward or back), and in reverse you have a gap between 24-38.4mm. In essence, you're covered either way as you can switch the lenses around, but the wide angle on FF makes more sense.

Okay I get it. Sorry had a brain fart. Lol Makes sense.

The words "First wedding" and "alone" being together is not good...

IMHO.