Event photographers: What is your most used prime lens?

When I was shooting "events" I used a Nikon 85mm f1.8. Great lens, always did the job for me. I used a borrowed 105 a few times, it was good too.

I imagine a Canon 85 or 100 would work just as well. I loved that 85mm, used it for everything back in the day. I'd still be using it but it was stolen. D^mn thief knew his stuff, he got a great lens!

BTW, I was shooting 35mm in them days!

I'm very comfortable with a 35/85 on full frame if the action isn't too far away. I often spruce things up with some 14 and 70-200 action if the situation calls for it.

Used to be 85L/35L but lately has been 50L/24L

18-35 1.8, 50 1.4, 85 1.8 each on their own body for no lens swapping.
Used an 18-35 and a 24-70 VC for an event once and was happy with the combination as well.

I shoot heaps of bands in local venues. They are usually small and not very well lit. I was using my Sigma 35 and 85 1.4's almost primarily to get my ISO to a respctable level. I have since become more familiar and confident with my 5D3 and now primarily use my Tamron 24-70 and Sigma 85. Simply because I have wanted to go wider and wider. I am hanging out currently for the rumored Sigma 16-20 Art 2.0 for my next purchase.

I bring all 4 lenses with me usually though. If the situation calls I use my Tamrons 24-70 & 70-200 to mix it up.. but it depends on how I feel. Sometimes I do love to use my primes alone. But I have everything with me just in case.

Sigma 35 is probably my most universal event prime....easy to work with, and pulls more of the background into the frame to capture the ambiance of the event..... but it really depends on the venue. i.e., 35mm is rarely long enough to shoot a wedding ceremony.

I don't get why people are posting in this thread saying they use zooms instead of primes. The OP specifically asked the event photographers who DO use prime lenses which ones they use. If you're an event photographer who primarily uses zooms, I don't understand how your input helps here...?

Anyway, I was using a Sigma 35 Art + Canon 85 1.8, but got a 50 Art and fell in love with it. Ended up selling the 35A but will probably buy another one later on.

slookx24 wrote in post #17092784
I don't get why people are posting in this thread saying they use zooms instead of primes. The OP specifically asked the event photographers who DO use prime lenses which ones they use. If you're an event photographer who primarily uses zooms, I don't understand how your input helps here...?

Reading comprehension or inferiority complex, choose one

For party (nightclub) photography I used exclusively the Sigma 15 2.8 Fisheye + flash (as it's so dark in clubs and I want also the faces nicely lit).
But recently I got tired of the effect and replaced it with the Tokina 17 3.5 AT-X Pro which can be used also for my other photography.

For normal events I would use Sigma 35 1.4 Art and 85 1.2L or 1.8.
135L is superb, but mostly a speciality lens where you need too much space.

I'm also a prime fan, if no prime I would recommend the Tamron 24-70 2.8 VC over all the rest.

For party photography I mostly use the S35A but also the 24-105 for those wide-angle shots
(Recently upgraded to Tokina 16-28 but didn't have the time to test that one on an event yet )

Last week i used the 85 1.2 MKII and the Canon 200 2L IS. My thoughts are that the 200 2L is a better choice because of the IS and the focal length. Especially with high ISOs it let fetches more detail and this is better material for post processing.

I really like a 35 prime for events.

Mine is the 85mm f/1.8. It's the only prime I currently own, though (although that may change this afternoon!).

Well it depends on the event. My most common lens for use is the 24-70 L II but for sports I normally use a 300mm 2.8 L (night time football) , 400mm 5.6L (daytime soccer, etc.) or 200mm 2.8 II L (for volleyball and basketball indoors).

EF 15mm f/2.8 USM fisheye is my most used prime for events (around 2-3%)
(the other lens i use at 95% for events is off topic )