First Wedding, which prime?

Hey.

Well i'm shooting my first wedding in about a month, since now i've been mainly doing family portraits and small events.

My line up is as follows

5d Mark II
40d (never used for portraits)

24-70 2.8
70-200 2.8IS
50mm 1.4
100 2.8 Macro.

Looking at hiring a nice fast wide angle prime lens for the wedding. What do you think i should get?

Looking at the 24 1.4, 35 1.4 50 1.2 or the 85 1.2. I'm thinking about keeping a wide angle prime on the 5d, then the 70-200 on the 40d for the telephoto stuff.

Suggestions?

Thanks

well the 85 isnt a WA.... so i wouold say the 35... but i mean the 85 is just amazing...

Toss Up between the 35 or the 85.

The 85 is amazing.. but, it's REALLY slow to focus, just thought I'd point that out.. and when I mean slow, it's slow.. like.. turtle slow.. but the pictures are phenomenal!!

Not that I have any experience, but is it really wise to shoot your first wedding with a wide prime on FF and a telephoto on crop? Huge coverage gap and no way to zoom in the normal range.

czeglin wrote in post #8357636
Not that I have any experience, but is it really wise to shoot your first wedding with a wide prime on FF and a telephoto on crop? Huge coverage gap and no way to zoom in the normal range.

I'd tend to agree. If you're not experienced then at the very least you should have a standard zoom on one camera. There are times where you just don't know what angle you're going to be able to get, how close you can stand, e.t.c. and you won't get another chance if you don't have the right focal length to cover it. With the high-iso of the 5DII, the aperture you get with a zoom shouldn't be a problem. There's also a good chance you'll need a focal length wider than that of the prime you choose.

Prime-wise, I'd take a 50mm equivalent - versatile enough to shoot most things in low-light. Anything longer and space will probably be an issue. Anything wider and you'll get noticeable perspective distortion if you get in close with it for people shots.

I think you already have all the bases covered. The 24-70 2.8 on the full frame and the 70-200 on the crop would be perfect! Macro for the special stuff like the ring shots and the 50 1.4 if you really need a low light/shallow depth of field shot.

35mm is far too close to the 50mm range, imo. I know it offers a wider shooting ability - but I can't tell a difference between most 35mm and 50mm images. Since you have the 50 f/1.4, I'd say go with the 24L - it will offer you the most diverse look out of the 35 and 85 compared to your 50

As much as I like the 85 f/1.2, to me it is way to slow to shoot during the actual ceremony. I like slinging the 24-70 and the 70-200 2.8 with a 16-35 close by. I will say, I would love to have the 24L.....

Are you being paid? Are they footing the bill? I love trying out new gear, but make sure that the wedding doesn't end up costing you money...
I would take the 24...or even a 16-35...

I think you are fine with what you have. That's almost the exact lens line-up I have. I used to love my 85mm and use it all the time... until I got the 70-200. I think with the 24-70 on the 5dMk2 and the 70-200 on the 40D you are covered. Use the macro for your detail shots and the 50mm f1.4 if you need something for really low light.

Or is there a no-flash situation here and you need another focal length besides 50mm for that? Is it going to be really dark? Your zooms should be fast enough, I'd think, unless it's really dark and you have no flash or can't use flash.

As others have mentioned, you've got a good arsenal of lenses already. So I don't think you "need" another lens. However, if you "want" another lens, specifically at the wide end, then I would offer two suggestions:

1) 24L - If you can get a good copy of this, it's a terrific wedding lens. I use it quite a bit as it's fast (f/1.4) and it's really nice for tight spaces. It also will have less barrel distortion than your 24-70 @ 24mm.

2) 16-35L - With the 5D MkII, I've found that my f/2.8 lenses are much more usable in low light because of the excellent quality at higher ISO's. This lens, although not as fast, will give you more flexibility and creativity since there's quite a difference between 16mm and 24mm. The other thing to remember with this lens is that at these focal lengths you can drop your shutter speed a bit more and get away with hand holding it. Your only concern would be motion blur.

The 16-35 is my go-to lens for dancing at a reception. I prefer the f/2.8 aperture to get a little more depth of field, and since it's typically dark, I've got off camera (and on-camera) flash going.

At any rate, both are good choices. The 35L is another great performer; however, based on your lens list, the 50 is pretty close, and the 24-70 will also cover this range.

A word of caution -- once you start using prime "L"enses, your zoom lenses might start getting lonely.