Best lens for wedding photography

<p>Hi Everyone,</p>

<p>I have been doing numerous courses on photography for the last 12 months and I have been asked by a family friend to photograph there wedding as they are on such a strick budget that it doesnt allow any money for a photographer. I am not a professional but would like to do the best job I can. I am happy to do it to build up my portfoilio. It is an outside wedding in summer.<br>

Id like your oopinion on the best lens for wedding photography at the moment i have a D7000 with a Nikon 1.4 50mm, Nikon 1.8 35mm and the 55-200mm 18-55mm standard lens that comes with the kit. I am on a budget of about $1000 and am open to Sigma or Tameron lens options. Any suggestions would be great! Thank you :)</p>

<p>Do you have a flash ?<br>

Even outside you may need to use flash. Perhaps SB700 would not have power to support range needed for balanced flash lighting and FP, but SB900 or SB800 could serve you well.<br>

You could use reflective panels, if you get a helper to hold it for you.<br>

I think your lenses are fine.</p>

<p>I have a SB600 at the moment, Thanks for your advice</p>

<p>Brooke, I think you're reasonably well covered on lenses. If you were going to shoot weddings professionally I would recommend the same basic lens kit that covers virtually everything from weddings to newspaper assignmens -- 12-24, 24-70 and 70-200 all in 2.8. Your two zooms aren't fast but they cover all the focal lengths you're going to need, and the two primes are fast and will work for either low light or good bokeh. If I were going to add something it would probably be a Strobframe bracket (or your favoriate brand) to get the flash up above the camera to make shadows fall out of sight and reduce red eye. Maybe a Sto-Fen Omnibouce or a Lumiquest or other brand mini-softbox -- not as good a a full size softbox or umbrella but better than bare flash and easy to handle while mounted on the camera. If you are going to shoot formal portraits beside just candids (and you should) I would get at least one light stand and umbrella to put your SB-600 into, and mabye a second flash with umbrella and stand especially if you're going to do groups. Second flash ideally would be another SB Nikon but could be as simple as a $90 Vivitar 285HV. Go read up on <a href="http://www.strobist.com">www.strobist.com</a> about how to get the most out of shoe mount flashes. Most important thing to buy since you have time is a copy of Wedding Photography -- Art Business and Style by Steve Sint. Get the new edition that has digital in the title. It's basically the Bible of wedding photography. Memorize it, then do what it says.</p>

<p>I agree your lenses are fine, especially for outdoors in the summer. I also concur that if you plan on making this a business, then some 2.8 glass would serve you well and bail you out of many a dark situation. Nikon's 2.8s are all out of your budget, and I've never used Sigma's or Tamron's so I'll let other users advise you there. If you eventually plan on making the most out of your flash, then you need to get it off camera, maybe for now a long hot-shoe extension cable? Pocketwizards and Nikon's SU-800 are expensive options. Some various softeners would also serve you well. Try and find a wedding photographer in your area to shoot with. That's valuable experience that you can't learn from a book or a video and no piece of equipment can substitute for. I shoot my 70-200 and my 24mm prime mostly at events. Be careful about using primes, as you can get stuck with the wrong lens and 5 seconds to switch, not a pleasant situation to be in (the wider the prime, the less of an issue since a few feet backwards or forwards can dramatically change the frame).<br>

I heard a great phrase from a book I read once; "You will only be successful if you are lucky, and luck favors the prepared". Not that it entirely applies to your situation, but its food for thought as you prepare.</p>

<p>Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 VC or not VC. Add an 85mm f1.8.</p>

<p>my favorite wedding lens is 24-70mm 2.8, my favorite portrait lens is the 50mm 1.4 those are the only lenses i use and you can check out my work here :) </p>

<p><strong>Moderator Note:</strong> Julie--please check posting guidelines. It is against guidelines to post frequent links to your website. Also, check posting guidelines for images. They must be 700 x 700 pixels or less, and about 100 Kbytes or less, and you must attach a caption for the image to show up in the thread. I removed your large image--if you would like to re-post it as an example of an image shot with one of the lenses you mentioned, you may do so--at the recommended size, and with a caption. Please also identify the lens used. You should also post a link to your website on your member page.</p>

<p>For an outside, daytime wedding, I would stick with the lenses you have. Of course there are better lenses, but you really should concentrate on two things instead.</p>

<p>1. Making sure you know how to deal with direct sunlight if there is no alternative. Fill flash is probably the best option.</p>

<p>2. Learning the best place to position yourself for the various ceremony shots. And how to pose people for any formal shots.</p>

<p>I second Nadine's suggestion of the Tamron 17-50, and recommend the VC version, which is available new for around $650. </p>

<p>I wouldn't chase a 24-70 with a crop-frame sensor camera. The 17-50 is outstanding on a DX body like the D7000. So much so that you'll rarely take it off (until you get, say, a 70-200 f/2.8 or a Tokina 50-135 f/2.8). </p>

<p>Thought I might give reasons for my suggestions. These two lenses are what I always suggest for people starting out in wedding photography, with cropped sensor cameras. This is due to the high quality of the relatively fast zoom (Tamron 17-50mm f2.8). The range covered by the zoom is pretty much ideal. I also own one, so I know the quality. It isn't a premium lens, but it comes pretty close.</p>

<p>The 85mm f1.8 (Nikon or Canon) is a very good lens and will cover the longer end of the spectrum with a fast aperture. This lens is great for indoor ceremonies, particularly when you can't use flash.</p>

<p>For an outdoor, summer wedding, you may be just fine with your 55-200mm or 18-55mm, since outside in bright light, you probably won't need faster apertures. However, if you want to keep shooting weddings, you cannot depend upon these weddings being in brighter light. While your 35mm and 50mm are good lenses, a beginning wedding photographer might be hard pressed to use prime lenses in the heat of the moment, particularly without a second body.</p>

<p>So if you have the money now, and intend to shoot more weddings, you cannot go wrong with the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8. I don't have the VC version, and heard it is less sharp (don't know if this is true or not). I don't own any stabilized lenses and don't have that feature very high on my priority list. I also heard the revised Sigma 17-50mm lens is also very good.</p>

<p>Thank you everyone for your feedback you have all been so helpful, i just ordered at Tamron 17-55mm f2.8 VC version and I cant wait to try it out! Also ordered a gary fong lightsphere, the wedding isnt for another 6 weeks so I have plenty of time to get use to the lens. Thanks again!</p>

<p>Be careful about the Lightsphere--it can eat a lot of light and you may have trouble with it recycling in time for things like the Processional.</p>

<p>I completely agree with Nadine' s suggestion. Having the 85 f1.8 is a great resource for a moderate price, maybe you could add that future on. I see you ordered the Tamron, I know several people who use and really like the results. If you're responsible for the wedding shots, you should at least rent or borrow a second similar body, or coordinate maybe with another person attending who might add some shots. My son and a girl friend of his helped out at a very budget wedding last year, they used two p&s cameras and a 8mp phone, you'd be surprised at how great some of the shots were. My point is, you need some backup.</p>

<p>I third the motion for an 85mm F/1.8, its one of my favorite lenses, especially on a budget. It may not be the best for weddings, because it is very restrictive being a tele prime on a DX body. It would be great for formals where you have temporary control over the events and poses. Definitely a must for portraits.</p>

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<p> "Any suggestions would be great!"</p>

</blockquote>

<p>A second Camera Body.</p>

<p>WW</p>

<p>I use the d7k and with the lenses you already have, here is how I would organize my kit.</p>

<p>Cam 1, Buy a 17-50/2.8 VC Tamron. ( we use one and its almost as good as the Nikon but for ultimate sharpness). To that cam, add an SB700 (if you don't already have speedlight).<br>

Cam 2 (rent one if you must), use your 55-200 without flash for some sniper work.</p>

<p>I know I'm late here, but I want to say, I use the Sigma 17-50, f2.8 And I could not be more pleased. I have lots of prime lens to use, and I use them when I want to do something fancy or with available light. But I shoot hi-resolution Fine JPEG + NEF, (I have a D300), I rarely miss a shot with the Sigma. I'm sure the Tamron is also a good lens. One complaint is the bayonet mount for the lens shade. I had to tape this to the lens with gaffer tape.<br>

Good photos come from making the shot! I should mention that I have the SB-900 + Nikon Battery pack. I took advice from this forum and Neil van Niekerk. I even bought his book on flash techniques.<br>

Lastly I want to ditto Nadine's comment on the Lightsphere. A disapointing purchase.<br>

Good luck.</p>

A variety of lenses are important. You will need a portrait lens as well as a wide angle lens in order to capture the day effectively. My suggestion is also to have two camera's. Edited April 1, 2020 by William Michael