Two Prime Setup for Wedding?

Hey all -

Has anyone shot a wedding utilizing only two prime lenses on two different bodies? I was thinking of attempting 24mm f1.4 and 135L. If I was desperate, I might pull out the 24-120mm for group photos, but I'm thinking I could get by with just the two prime lenses.

Obviously this would require me to be very aware of the framing, but it seems feasible.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks!

35+50

I know a couple cool Guys here and had shot weddings with them ,they love their 35mm & 85mm.
24 & 135 could be a bit too wide (not much of a problem) and too tight (could be a problem).

35/135. 85 doesn't focus close enough for tighter crops of details, hands, and facial expeessions for my taste.

Why would you want to do that? Why would you compromise a couples cover? On a typical wedding day I shoot at the extreme range of all of my lenses, 16-35, 24-70, 70-200, and the 50. Though the extreme ends of the 50 are both 50.

A professional has appropriate equipment and uses it as necessary. Wedding photography is not a hobby or something to be done on the cheap.

You should shoot with whatever lenses and focal lengths suit your style. Be it one or more multiple lenses it doesn't really matter. So long as you have backup kit (if you are being paid) it doesn't matter what you choose to use, be your own photographer with your own style and to hell with what any other photographers think. If what you do works for you and your clients are happy nothing else matters.

Something that gives the effective focal length of 24-70 zoom and lots of pixels so you can crop tight later.
A wide fixed focal length risk turning the event into an Imp wedding- big noses. Not cool.

If you do use two lenses make sure they have a body each- changing lenses on digital cameras is risking getting stuff onto the sensor and potentially ruining the rest of that days shooting. Not Cool spending a day per shot rubbing out a hair on each and every image.

You can hire kit quite easily if you dont like the investment in a rarely used $$$£££ lense.

Like, Tim, I'm all over the place. More than half of my images pass through a 24-70. However, I take a fair amount of shots at 16mm and sometimes even a 10mm FE. On the long end, I'm frequently 200mm on a crop body which essentially translates it into a 320. And I go that wide and long because there's a purpose.

So I can't imagine doing personally doing what you're suggesting. That said, when I do engagement portriat sessions, I go out with a 35 and an 85 coupled with a FF and 1.6 bodies. Swapping the lenses back and forth, that essentially gives me a 35, 50, 85, and 135. But I still wouldn't take that approach for a wedding.

bberg wrote in post #17052077
I was thinking of attempting 24mm f1.4 and 135L. If I was desperate, I might pull out the 24-120mm for group photos, but I'm thinking I could get by with just the two prime lenses.

That sounds risky. Way back when I shot weddings, my primes were; 28, 35, 50, 135

Sibil wrote in post #17052686
That sounds risky.

It is only risky if the OP doesn't have backup lenses.

I did 35+135 and 35+85 all the time as a Canon shooter. Now that I am Nikon and the 135 isn't as good, I mainly do 35+85 .

Wouldn't work for me. I definitely need to go wider & longer.

The 24 - 70L 2.8 II will do all that and nearly as good. The only people that notice the marginal edge primes give are photographers.

35+85 is easily doable.

Add in a 14mm and you'd be set.

Hi Brandon. I think you would get easily by with the 24mm f1.4L II and 135mm f2L -primes, as you have the 24-120 zoom as a backup and for those in between focal lengths. I suggest to get at some point a 50 mm –lens (start with a EF 50 1.4) with those primes and you would be set.

Generally I prefer to shoot weddings, funerals etc. with a zoom combo of 24-70 + 70-200, even though I have the 14+24+50+135 primes. Sometimes I use the primes on those occasions as well. I had the 16-35L, 35L and 85L –lenses, but I did not use them at the church, receptions or for the portraits, so I´m for a 50 mm prime together with the 24 and 135 mm -primes. For me that is a great solution, but it´s not for all. Basically I would say, what everybody else has said, get to know what your style is and go for it.

most of the time, I'm 35/85
that's what I prefer to work with, but sometimes the church or venue layout will dictate the need for something different...