Wedding lens and flash.. please help!

ok well i have a cannon rebel xt dlsr, kit lens, and a 70-300 f4 sigma lens, now my sisters wedding is coming up, and as a gift she wanted me to take the pictures, now im not that amazing at photos, but i know some what mostly on how to use my camera. but i need to know what lens i should get for the wedding, i would like to spend as little as possible, maybe 200-300 dollars. and for the flash im getting a 430ex speed light, what do you guys think? i need help picking something out. and tips are always welcome to help! thanks

Welcome to the forums.

I've actuallydone a wedding with a 300D, 420EX flash, 18-55kit, 75-300 USM and a 28-105 as a backup . Some of my favourite wedding pics came from that day. So imo, stick with what you have - just learn all the ins and outs of your gear.

You're doing your sis a favour and I'm sure she appreciates you helping her out - as photographers can be expensive!!!

Just let her know you'll need to use flash for pretty much the whole day, especially if the ceremony is inside a church or hall.

Not sure of your experiences with weddings, but just enjoy the day - after all, you're family too.

For $300 you can spring for the 28-105 II or the 50 1.4 if you really need something. I shot for a whole year with a 10D and 28-135. The 28-105 is better, IMO, but still not great for indoor night shooting without a flash. So practice and don't sweat it.

You may want to consider some sort of diffuser for your flash.

It will soften up the light and reduce the harsh shadows.

My .02--Your mileage may vary

And welcome to the forum!

I think it's a baaaaad idea. Weddings are a once in a lifetime event, do you really think you have the skill and experience to photograph it without making mistakes, making people look their best, capturing all the details? Your first wedding will go in a complete blur, it'll be over before you know it and you will miss things. Also i'm on the verge of saying "no more family weddings" as familiarity breeds contempt, they won't give you the time or respect they give a professional.

If you do decide to go through with it have a read of the wedding FAQ I wrote, it's linked from my sig below. You'll get a ton of bad and useless advice here in the gear forum.

Incidentally your budget is waaaay too low, and you may be better off spending the money on books and educational material rather than more equipment. Then again if you only have a kit lens maybe you need something decent. Consider renting the 17-55 F2.8 IS and a flash so you can afford books. I have a book recommendation thread in my sig too.

Re Suzy shooting indoor at night without a flash - I stopped doing that because even with the best lenses the results are generally average to poor. I use a lot of off camera flash for this, and I sometimes set up strobes to light the room, with radio triggers to activate them.

Re get some kind of diffuser - I don't use them, unless you count umbrellas with the off camera flash. Bouncing your flash is far more effective, and outside I use direct flash as the sun is usually really bright. Sometimes I use a shoot through umbrella off the camera.

well my sister knows that im not the best, and she does not really care, she just wants some nice pictures, she doesn't care if they are like amazing or anything, just some nice shots. That is why i agreed to doing it, i dont have the money to go buy anything expensive so i have to work with what i have, or what i can afford. now i know i need a flash. its just getting a lens thats decent enough to take group pictures, maybe some close ups with faces? and something for outdoor indoor?

Ack this is a tough ask. I'd look at a 28-105, a Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 or a prime.

Funny - I did my bro-inlaws wedding in Wellington start of March. From the moment we stepped off the plane, it was non-stop. Not only were we (wife and I) shooting the wedding, we were also setting up the venue, delivering this/that and the other, taxi driver, babysitter, dogsitter, keyminder, bagminder ----- argh! I'm with you on saying no more to families Tim!

haha yea i know its going to be busy busy busy, but i already told people, that i would like to have fun to, so i want to get most of the main photos over with, then after not take as many and try to have some fun. thanks for the inputs. i still not really sure what lens to choose, im guess best to go with a 2.8, its just what mm, more of a 24-70? or more up to a 135?

I shot my sisters wedding in 2006 with an XT and a Sigma 18-200 lens with a Sigma 500 DG ST flash. The ceremony itself was outside with an indoor reception. It was both her and my brother in-laws second marriages, but I was very nervous about getting good shots with my not so best equipment, so I bought the Canon 50mm 1.8 for the formal portraits. I shot the wedding and reception with the Sigma 18-200 and used the Canon 50mm 1.8 for the portraits.

I liked the formal portraits with the 50mm 1.8 better than the rest of the photos as they seemed a bit sharper and clearer, but everyone loved all the pictures. If you are on a tight budget and worried about the formals, I would recommend the Canon 50mm 1.8 and an external flash if you have plenty of room for sneaker zoom. Here is a link below to that wedding shot with that gear... and it was my first wedding shoot. They are not professional quality shots....but I am not a professional .

http://sdurbin.zenfoli​o.com/p501916292

Since then, I have been upgrading equipment....and hopefully talent and making fewer mistakes..... but experience I would say is more important than difference in levels of equipment... and boy, do I still need some more experience .

I wouldn't be confident doing a wedding unless I had 2 of:
5D/1DMkIII
17-55/24-70L
35L
85L
135L
70-200 f/2.8L IS
580EXII
multiple lighting options
Pocket Wizards
30 1GB CF cards

No pressure.

No, whilst I was serious above, best of luck to you, I tend to agree with others when they say this is a tough ask, and you're best not to do it, but if you do I'd invest in at least a quality zoom and good lighting...and lots of luck.

Are you the only photographer? For $300 I'd go with what Suzy said and get a nice prime lens. 50 1.4. 85 1.8 if you can find one used in your budget range.

Gurry wrote in post #5128623
haha yea i know its going to be busy busy busy, but i already told people, that i would like to have fun to, so i want to get most of the main photos over with, then after not take as many and try to have some fun. thanks for the inputs. i still not really sure what lens to choose, im guess best to go with a 2.8, its just what mm, more of a 24-70? or more up to a 135?

It's not going to happen, you'll be shooting and stressed all day. I still suggest renting, so you can get a decent lens like the 17-55 for the day.

hmm, not sure where to rent, but i will look into it!, if not, ill be hitting online stores and good ol e-bay, and yes i am doing this!

steve1096 i would be happy with shots like that, there nice!, for the outside shots did you use the 18-200? or the 50? what was the 50 like inside? also did you use flash?