24mm 1.4L II as a landscape/general purpose lens

I'm trying to sort out my Canon System of hopefully mostly/all primes. This is for wedding shooting I've definitely got the 85L and 135L in the bag but the wider lenses are a big more difficult to lock down.

The 85L will be on one body 95% of the time, i'm looking for my other 95% lens.

Obviously 35mm is the standard compliment. I have the 35mm f2 IS which is always going to be there but I honestly find 35mm is starting to feel a bit stale, boring and just not wide enough for most of my uses.

I'm hoping to be able to fill that slot with the 24mm 1.4 LII and get myself a lens capable of both general purpose shots (preparation shots, dance shots, group shots etc.) as well as doubling as my on tripod landscape lens. I feel confident with regards to dealing with the distortion that you get when @ 24mm. That sounds more preferable to me than having a 35mm and then needing a 16-35 for landscapes.

I'll keep a 14mm Samyang in my kit in case I need something super wide too, but that will be fairly rare.

Will a 24 1.4 serve my needs well?

I don't see anything in the above post about what format camera(s) are used by Peter.....

Full frame!

Everyone's style is different, but I would find 24mm a bit too wide for a general purpose wedding lens on full frame (I prefer 35 for bride getting ready, full length shots).

If you don't need f/1.4, you could consider a zoom or even the 24 f/2.8 IS. When I need something wider than 35, I reach for my 24-70 f4 IS, which also has a macro function which could be useful for ring shots without changing lenses.

jrscls wrote in post #17269151
Everyone's style is different, but I would find 24mm a bit too wide for a general purpose wedding lens on full frame (I prefer 35 for bride getting ready, full length shots).

If you don't need f/1.4, you could consider a zoom or even the 24 f/2.8 IS. When I need something wider than 35, I reach for my 24-70 f4 IS, which also has a macro function which could be useful for ring shots without changing lenses.

I agree with the above.

When I used to shoot weddings with 35mm film, I almost never used my 28mm lens because it was too wide and I'd have to be too close to the subjects. That would result in perspective distortion. 35mm is as wide as I would care to go for most wedding style work on a "full-frame" camera.

There's a local newspaper photographer who insists on using a very short focal length most of the time he's on assignment. His photos are often absolutely horrible due to perspective distortion.

Ultra-wide is definitely not a requirement for "landscape" photography. I'll use my entire range of focal lengths for that depending on the scene and my vision for an image.

For general purposes, the 24 may be a bit too wide, but for getting ready and prep, it's good. I used it quite a lot when shooting the guys getting ready. For the girls, I some time use it but I take out the 35 more often. If you like a bit wide angle perspective, the 24 is great.

sonnyc wrote in post #17269555
For general purposes, the 24 may be a bit too wide, but for getting ready and prep, it's good. I used it quite a lot when shooting the guys getting ready. For the girls, I some time use it but I take out the 35 more often. If you like a bit wide angle perspective, the 24 is great.

Yea I'll still have a 35mm but I find it way too tight for preparation shots which is why I am leaning toward the 24. I still want f1.4 for it definitely.

draculr wrote in post #17270970
Yea I'll still have a 35mm but I find it way too tight for preparation shots which is why I am leaning toward the 24. I still want f1.4 for it definitely.

In that case, I think you will like the 24. Depends on the room and space, I some time pair it with the 50 or the 85. I really like the color and the overall quality it renders.

sonnyc wrote in post #17271049
In that case, I think you will like the 24. Depends on the room and space, I some time pair it with the 50 or the 85. I really like the color and the overall quality it renders.

Yea I'll definitely have the 85mm 1.2 on the other camera. Hopefully the gap between 24 and 85 isn't too great but I just find normal focal lengths a little bit boring these days so it'll be interesting to see what happens as I skip over them completely!

I'd use a 24Lmk2 before using my 35L. You can crop an image in a matter of seconds. If you have a semi wide 35mm and miss things in the frame......well you know.....can recover what is not there I toot the word "boring" when it comes to the 35mm FL but sometimes you may find it suitable for what your shooting.

I use my 24Lmk2 heck of alot more than my 35L. I also use my 16-35 alot more than my 24-70Lmk2. So I buy a brand new 24-70Lmk2 and do not use it for weddings or seldom touch it at all !! go figure :O

If the light is acceptable I like to use a 16-35Lmk2 on the primary body and a 70-200 or 85L on the other. I can comfortably use a 24L as well but sometimes I prefer using the ultra wide to keep things interesting and if I must I'll crop and use LR to reduce the distortion. I do like the capabilities of shooting 16mm and then shoot instantly at 24-35mm range for less distortion.

24mm and 85mm prime isn't a large gap for me. I foot zoom alot so 24mm is not too wide if I own the floor to document an event. If I was just a guest I'll take a hit on my desired style of perspective and zoom in just to land casual shots.

Keep in mind your style of shooting. You can shoot with a 35 to 50mm and get great photos but depending on your area/room you may miss the expressions of guests as they react with happy cries/tears etc. I often find when I used a 35mm I miss out on some story telling. It just really depends on alot of factors.

Personally I'd rather have the 16-35 for landscapes. 24mm is a bit too limiting for me.