Wedding lens hep

[Shelley66]

My Dad (who is 65) is getting married again in April He is just having a low key afternoon garden wedding and has asked me to do the photos. Now, I am no pro and have told him so - although I can take a reasonable picture - however he has said that what I take will be good enough for him. I have a 7D with 50mm 1.4 and 100mm that I will definitely take with me. I also have the very basic kit lens 18-55 and a 70-300 F4 (normal one). I am going to hire a lens and thought of the 70-200 F2.8. Is this my best option or should I go with something like the 24-70? I will also have a flash. Thanks!

[kiwi]

I'd also go the 70-200 and also an additional camera body

[LJG]

I'd also go the 70-200 and also an additional camera body

Yep, agree with Kiwi, nothing like trying to capture a great moment and having to swap lenses to do it justice.

[MarkChap]

Seriously, Shelley if your dad is happy with the photos you take and is happy to accept what you produce for him just keep doing what you have been doing.

Shoot with your 50 f1.4 and if you want a bit more length then use your 100mm

Rent/hiring a lens is maybe a good idea, but you will be shooting with unfamiliar equipment, are you going to get the best out of it ??

If you must have another lens for the day then yes a 70-200 would be a good choice, yes in a perfect world a second body would be ideal, I don't however think either are going to be critical to you doing your dads day justice

[Shelley66]

Thanks everyone for your replies! I do have a 30D I can take as well.
What you say makes sense Mark as I would only get the hire lens the day before and not be familiar with it. Thanks!

[Arg]

I did a wedding on Saturday with a 7D and only one lens (my 17-55 f2.8 IS) and EX 430 II flash (with a diffuser sometimes added). Perfect! I promise you I had no need for any longer lens.

I am bemused by the suggestion of a 70-200 for a wedding, that's 112-320m equivalent on your 7D! Did I miss where you said you will be taking the shots from an apartment block across the road?

I wonder if 50mm (80mm equiv) is sufficiently wide for group photos. You don't want to stand back at a wedding; too many snapshooters get between your camera and the subject, and the subject can't hear you and can't even see you at a distance! I know my post is at odds to the majority here, but I think you need more width not more length.

Just my 2c.

P.S. Canon's Highlight Tone Priority setting is a great idea for shooting a white wedding dress: essential if you shoot in jpeg, desirable but not essential if you shoot raw. Raw is very helpful if you find yourself shooting a white wedding dress outdoors on a sunny day, sometimes in dappled shade, which can lead to challenges in the ol' digital darkroom.....

[kiwi]

Actually i cant think of a better lens than a 70-200 for a garden wedding ceremony. You can snipe from the sidelines and the back without getting in the way of the guests and being too distracting (noise wise and obstruction wise).

I am talking about the ceremony, not the group shots.

[MarkChap]

I love my 70-200 on my 7D for weddings

This is a low key, once off, family affair, I am sure you will do well with what ever option you choose

[kiwi]

hey arg - have you posted any pics from that wedding ? would love to see some

[Bercy]

I agree with Arg, regarding the wide angle. Trying to get the group shot when you are at the back fence just doesn't work. Once you home in on faces you need portrait focal lght so you don't have facial distrotion; both the 50 and 100mm can handle this. One tip if I may, is - that if you are the authorised photographer, then the other snap shooters should kindly get the hell out of your way! You should conduct yourself with courtesy of course, but also have the carriage of authority. Wear a cap saying "Ausphotography" if that helps! You also have to plan your shots and positions well in advance, so you have pole position! That's much better than any lens combination.

[old dog]

I reckon the 24-70 on your 7D and the 50 on your 30D. I`m shooting my step sons wedding sometime this year and will have the 17-55 on the new camera (D7000) and my 35f2 on my D80. I think that will work.

[kiwi]

Lol, your MAIN role is DAUGHTER not pro photographer

[Dylan & Marianne]

I did a wedding on Saturday with a 7D and only one lens (my 17-55 f2.8 IS) and EX 430 II flash (with a diffuser sometimes added). Perfect! I promise you I had no need for any longer lens.

I am bemused by the suggestion of a 70-200 for a wedding, that's 112-320m equivalent on your 7D! Did I miss where you said you will be taking the shots from an apartment block across the road?

I wonder if 50mm (80mm equiv) is sufficiently wide for group photos. You don't want to stand back at a wedding; too many snapshooters get between your camera and the subject, and the subject can't hear you and can't even see you at a distance! I know my post is at odds to the majority here, but I think you need more width not more length.

Just my 2c.

P.S. Canon's Highlight Tone Priority setting is a great idea for shooting a white wedding dress: essential if you shoot in jpeg, desirable but not essential if you shoot raw. Raw is very helpful if you find yourself shooting a white wedding dress outdoors on a sunny day, sometimes in dappled shade, which can lead to challenges in the ol' digital darkroom.....

I'd like to see the assortment of pictures with that set up - the reason being that the 70-200 is what I mainly shoot with at the ceremony and reception.
I have the wider angle on another body but use it far less until it comes to formal group shot time.
If you're interested in what a 70-200 on a 7D can do , you can take a look at the Katie & Trent wedding I did recently (not top class photos but for alot of them, I would have had to have been very intrusive to get a similar shot)

[Roosta]

Shelley, Have you been to the area (low key afternoon garden wedding) If so, how far from the wedding would you be, will you be behind the celebrant for the most part of the wedding per sa, if the 70-200mm may be to long, it would deffently come in handy for the longer needs, but if this more an informal affair and you can mingle easily without being obtrusive, you dont want 12 inchs of lens and cap of the front of your camera.

A 24 - 70mm on the 7D would be a perfect fit, leave it in Tv mode if not to sure on sweat spot of the lens, you'll get close enough and also be at 112mm at the long end. Your 50 and or the 24 (@ 38) should easily cover the wide shots, the lens is half the weight and length.

Just ask your self the lay out requirements first. Below is a great blurb on the 24-70 mentions min and max focal lengths.

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/R...ns-Review.aspx

Against (Check the weight and think about your neck as-well, two bodies and a 70-200 weights in around 1.4 kGs. alone.

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/R...ns-Review.aspx

Have a great day and post some snaps.

[Shelley66]

Thanks everyone for your replies! I haven't been to where they are getting married. I FIFO out of Brisbane to either Darwin or Broome for work and my dad lives in Maryborough (Qld) so I probably won't get to see it until a few days before. I am not too sure on any other details at this stage. Thanks again!

[Arg]

Re post #6, my comments were not meant to say a 70-200 is useless. The OP already has a 70-300, she doesn't have anything wider than a 50mm (80mm equiv) except her kit zoom, and asked what one lens should she hire. I feel that, as the main photographer, she is not going to be sniping from the sidelines, and will need to be constantly close to the party and able to direct the shoot. Some of those who have posted in this thread obviously have the skill and experience to do it with a long zoom, but as a less experienced wedding photographer the OP will, I think, be best served by a 'standard' wide-tele zoom of good quality.

Some further comments on long tele wedding photography: http://tinyurl.com/mskgtn

And a cautionary note no matter what lens you use: http://tinyurl.com/2w8g5ys

[bnkstr]

If you already have a 50mm lens then I'd say that the 70-200 is going to be much more useful for you than the 24-70 will be. Especially for the ceremony, you don't want to get too close to the proceedings and block the view of the other guests too much so you'd probably end up using the 70-200 quite a bit. You shouldn't really need to go below 50mm unless you want to do some dancing shots at the reception or you want a wide shot of a venue. 24-70 is a good lens but it kinda overlaps with the lens you already have in a way that the 70-200 doesn't

[Woody08]

This is a seemingly contentious issue. But the reality is that the ceremony usually lasts but a few minutes. Most of the wedding is the less formal celebration afterwards. This is where you need a versatile lens that will allow a variety of poses. If you can afford it, the 24-70 F20.8L is a brillaiant lens for a walk aroound at a wedding. I have a EFS 18-135 and its also a great walk around lens. Theres no doubt you need something more than 50mm for weddings.

Cheers,

John W

[JM Tran]

This is a seemingly contentious issue. But the reality is that the ceremony usually lasts but a few minutes. Most of the wedding is the less formal celebration afterwards. This is where you need a versatile lens that will allow a variety of poses. If you can afford it, the 24-70 F20.8L is a brillaiant lens for a walk aroound at a wedding. I have a EFS 18-135 and its also a great walk around lens. Theres no doubt you need something more than 50mm for weddings.

Cheers,

John W

not sure what type of weddings you go to but all the wedding ceremonies I shoot generally last an average of half an hour and more - be it Greek Orthodox, modern Australian, Vietnamese etc, where both the telephoto and wides come into play, and I do a lot of weddings per year.....

[jrgdesign]

I'd say ideally 24-70 f2.8 and 70-200 f2.8 (with IS would be nice!) on those camera bodies for the event coverage, and get your 50mm for capturing details such as the rings, flowers, shoes..but if you're thinking of just hiring 1 lens 24-105 IS f/4 will do the job considering that you'll use the flash so low light condition may not be an issue.