Rob_L1664876404 Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 I have searched the archives and, though several threads come close, I did not find one related to my specific needs, so here goes. Although I've been a serious amateur for 35years (35mm/MF), I acquired my first digital SLR last year (Digital Rebel/300D). I bought the kit with the EF-S 18-55 and also have a 24-70 f/2.8L and a 50mm f/1.8 II. Have two on-camera flashes and a set of Novatron lights (1200WS/3 heads) with a radio slave setup. Lately, I've been accepting more requests to shoot weddings and social events for friends (mostly their kids for weddings!) and church members. I have a T90 with lots of very good glass and a flash for backup if the 300D were to conk out... My question is this: I have found the 24-70 and the 50mm to be an excellent combination for almost all the shots I need in these situations, but I'm giving thought to a telephoto (zoom?) for those shots from the back of the sanctuary during the ceremony (and for other general telephoto use). Based on the 1.6 crop factor, two lenses from Canon's line-up that cought my attention are the EF 28- 135 f/3.5-5.6 IS USM (equivalent to 45-216 on this camera) and the EF 70-200 f/4L USM (about 112-320 on the 300D). What are your thoughts on these two lenses and would you have other EF recommendations (under $700)? I've heard nothing but good about the 70-200; some good and not-so-good about the 28-135. It will be several years before I can afford (or justify) a 1.3 or full-frame dSLR, so that's not at the top of the list of concerns right now. Any suggestions for changes in shooting approaches that would negate the need for a telephoto lens? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_macman Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 Get the 70-200 and use it whenever the 24-70 is not enough. 28-135 could be practical because it has a larger range passed 70... but chances are you won't like the results in comparison with the 24-70 so you might as well get the 70-200 to have a consistency of results. It isn't that difficult to swap lenses whenever necessary :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suman Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 My suggestion is 200mm f2.8 prime. A fast lens is nothing but excellent for natural light photography where you have no control over lighting conditions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg M Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 That last two weddings I've shot were the first two I've done that were totally digital. 95% of the images taken were with my 17-40 f4L lens, meaning I was toting around my 70-200 f4L alot of the time for nothing. Shots at the back of the church are what I've found the 200mm end useful for. The rest of the time I find everything beyond the 100mm end too long with the 1.6x factor. I've been planning to buy the 28mm f1.8 to have a faster lens with a somewhat "normal" to slightly wide perspective, but I'm now thinking I might be better served with an 85mm f1.8 for both digital and film shooting for this type work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck_dowling Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 I have shot dozens of digital weddings, and my favorite lens is my Tamron 28-105 2.8 (around $800 or less). It seems the perfect focal range for all kinds of situations. The 200mm prime mentioned above would be terrible in certain locations, you would not be wide enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmeister Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 With the 1.6x crop factor, go with the 200/f2.8 prime. It's light and small enough to fit in a pocket and it is sharper (and faster by 1 stop) than the 70-200 zoom. A 135/f2 would be my next pick although the reach is not quite "there" for back of a church/temple shots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WM Posted May 26, 2004 Share Posted May 26, 2004 Rob, I shot a wedding recently and I ended up using the 70-200mm a lot, because there are times when you don't want to be in the path of people's views and be intrusive for other friends and family and that's when the 70-200mm shines. Since you have the 24-70L, the natural thing is to go for the 70-200 range, not the 28-135IS as the 70-200 is in a different league optically. f2.8 is good at about $1000-1100 but the IS 2.8 is great, though the cost is about $1500-1600 I think. A cheaper and fast option would be the Sigma 70-200 APO-HSM........I heard good things about it. Keep on shootin'.......Wee-Ming Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexdi Posted May 26, 2004 Share Posted May 26, 2004 A ~320mm prime lens for wedding photography? Just how far away do you intend to stand? DI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_kurian Posted May 26, 2004 Share Posted May 26, 2004 I can recommend 85mm/ 1.8 without any confusion. Sharp and very good bokeh are the basic qualities for this lens. Also I am using this to take details of ring, cake etc. by attaching a double element canon close up filter. Prime lenses are always sharper than zoom lens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yakim_peled1 Posted May 29, 2004 Share Posted May 29, 2004 I think that 85/1.8 (~136/1.8) + 135/2 (~216/2) will serve you better than the 70-200/4 or the 28-135 IS. They will allow you to get shots with minimum use of flash and shallower DoF. Happy shooting , Yakim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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