Lens for 7dMarkII opinions

Hi,

I am looking to pickup a lens for shooting a wedding event and was thinking the Sigma 18-35mm would fit the bill. I shoot only with a crop body (7d Mark II). Can I get some opinions from people using this combo? Or other lens choice opinions? I mainly shoot wildlife/Landscape with the occasional portrait so this is stepping out of my norm a bit and i'm wanting to make the best choice. The current lens line up I have is as follows.

Sigma 8-16mm
canon 10-22mm
canon 50mm 1.8 II
canon 85mm- 1.8
canon 100mmL 2.8 macro
canon 100-400
Sigma 150-600mm

I've used the 18-35 on a Nikon body and been extremely pleased with it. Really sharp lens.

I was tossed 18-35 or 17-55.....went 17-55. Glad i did but the 1.8 on that 18-35 is killer. In the end i settled on

17-55
11-16 Tokina
and I have 35,50 L Primes already

happy with the set up
17-55 is killer sharp

So overall you like IQ on the 17-55? Do you have some examples shot with that lens, say at a wedding party with tough lighting conditions? Do you wish you got the 18-35 instead? I am so on the fence between these two choices.

17-55 is a good lens optically, but it's relatively fragile - before I went Nikon I broke two or three of them, and I'm a reasonably careful person. I wouldn't use anything other than Canon lenses with Canon cameras after my experience, due to focus performance, but even then it's not always great. Nikon lenses on Nikon bodies works great.

In terms of length, it looks like you need a standard zoom, the 24-70 equivalent. 17-55 is a better range - 18-35 only gives you something like 25 - 56mm, which is better than nothing, but I would want more length without having to change bodies - and I shoot with two bodies.

Ok, I aso want to throw another question into the mix. If you could only take one prime lens into a wedding reception and you are shooting with a crop body what would your lens of choice be?

Also thanks for the feedback so far.

jlstan wrote in post #17781634
Ok, I aso want to throw another question into the mix. If you could only take one prime lens into a wedding reception and you are shooting with a crop body what would your lens of choice be?

Also thanks for the feedback so far.

In this hypothetical situation that will never eventuate I would ride a flaming purple dragon up to Hogwarts and consult with Hagrid, who's opinion would be about as useful as the replies you will get to this completely pointless question.

Let me rephrase, If you had two crop bodies at a wedding reception which prime lens would you have on each body. Would this be still a pointless question if the photographer only preferred shooting with primes?

jlstan wrote in post #17781719
Let me rephrase, If you had two crop bodies at a wedding reception which prime lens would you have on each body. Would this be still a pointless question if the photographer only preferred shooting with primes?

Yes, it'd still be pointless, because if the photographer was experienced and confident enough to limit their options with primes they should have the experience and confidence to choose their own lenses.

24-70 F2.8 is the bread and butter lens of many wedding photographers, myself included. I use primes occasionally, but not much.

I am a confident photographer shooting wildlife and feel I know my game in that arena quite well. I devote hours daily shooting it which is why I'm all about reach and shoot with a crop. However I was asked to shoot at a wedding event to which yes you are correct I am not confident in that area. I am only asking the questions above to get an average consensus as to what the confident wedding photographer uses whether primes or zooms.

Use what you're comfortable and confident with. Weddings are pretty fast moving, that's why most people recommend beginners use zooms. Like I said, 24-70 range on FF, so 17-55 or so on crop.

Just saw this.The 17-55 is as good the current 24-70 optically. Extremely sharp lens so yes im very happy with it. You can get a canon refirb for 800.00 v/s 1800.00 for a 24-70.

wasnt a hard decision for me. I use the 7D2 and 17-55 in my wedding workflow

Another vote for the 17-55. It's a great lens. Tack-sharp wide open, a useful range, and IS. It doesn't have the build quality of an L lens, but I wouldn't call it fragile by any means. It's still a pretty sturdy piece of kit. I had mine for a few years before moving to full frame and never had a problem with it (other than lens creep, but my 24-105 L does that). Took it backpacking, traveling all over, etc and it always worked great. I've heard good things about the 18-35, but I don't have any experience using it.

I've only shot a couple of weddings, so I'm by no means an expert. That being said, if I was to pick two primes for a wedding reception, I'd want something at 35mm and 85mm. So on a crop body you'd be looking around 24mm and 50mm. But really, even with a second body, you're going to miss moments that you wouldn't if you had a zoom in that range. A 17-55 and either your 85mm f1.8 or 100mm L would be a pretty nice kit for a wedding reception. The macro's abilities to get close-ups of the wedding rings, flowers, and place settings would come in handy. But the extra stop of light in dark reception halls would be an advantage of the 85.

Thanks all for the input. I decided on the 17-55