Which lens for the ceremony?

[paul_sokal___dallas__tx]

Shooting ceremonies is quite a challenge given the photographer is

often at a distance and operating is low light. Which of these

Nikon lenses seems to make the most sense, keeping in mind these

will be used on a digital Nikon SLR with a 1.5 mag factor of the

focal length? 24-120 3.5 with vibration reduction ($485), 80-200

2.8D ED AF ($800), or 70-200 2.8 with vibration reduction ($1450).

I appreciate your thoughts and any experience you've had with these

lenses as far as quality of the images they capture.

[steve_levine]

50mm

[michael_bradtke]

I use the 80-200 ED IF two touch on my D100 and D2H for ceremonies. it works well for that but it can be a little long at an efective 120mm on the wide end.It is also maybe a stop slower then I would like for some of the darker churches.

if you get the 2.8 VR it might help with the low light issues.

 

I usualy put the zoom on one body and then something like my 55 1.2 or 35 1.4 on the other.

 

Michael

[kevin m.]

Does the fact that you list the prices of these lenses mean you don't own them yet? If that's the case, then I'd recommend either the 50 f1.4, ($264), 85 f1.8 ($384), 85 f1.4 ($999), or perhaps the 135 f2.0DC ($1069) in place of one of your selections, depending on your working distance. (All prices B&H U.S.A. lenses)

 

Big apertures, especially when working at any distance from the subject, give you much more flexibility to pick the shutter speed and asa that suit the subject, rather than working at whatever condition your f2.8, or slower, aperture dictates.

[john_morris4]

Remember that when you're taking pictures of people who are doing things (and moving some), Vibration Reduction in the lens doesn't help as much as you might like. You still need to keep the shutter speed high enough for the subject, even if the VR lets you use a longer exposure time. In those situations, a wider real aperture can be useful.

[tomweis]

I'll go out on a limb and assume you have two camera bodies because going to a

wedding with only one camera is too risky. So, put a 50mm 1.4 one camera and a

135mm f2 on the other. If you are willing to use AIS glass, get a 85mm f2 AIS for

cheap. I use those three lenses and a 28mm f2 AIS and I am set. I have heard great

things about the 70-200 VR from a friend. If you use one, go ahead and use a

monopod too if you can. FYI, I am still film-based so I don't have the 1.5 crop factor

issue.

[bruce_rubenstein___nyc]

The 24-120 won't go wide enough for an overview shot and it isn't good enough to shoot wide open anyway. An 80-200 needs a tripod for most indoor work. The 70-200VR is the way to go, but it is mostly a "special situation" lens for when you have to work far away, or want tight detail shots. If I was starting from scratch, I'd first get the 17-55/2.8 which would cover, maybe, 90% of what you would want for general wedding work. A 50/1.4 would cover the real low light stuff. Other reasonably priced (used) fast primes would be the 35/2 and 85/1.8. An expensive fast prime would be the 85/1.4. If you're looking at the D70 and can deal with no metering and a so-so viewfinder the following MF lenses would be worth looking into: 24/2, 28/2 & 35/1.4.

[paul_sokal___dallas__tx]

Thanks for the advice. I have the 85 1.8. I'll stick with that and look at some other fast primes.

[wedding-photography-denver]

You don't have it in your list but I liked the 135/2 for about 1100 new.

[mark feldstein]

I think you're putting the cart in front of the horse here, Paul. Before you buy anything, I'd recommend that you find a place to rent you the lenses you propose to buy, try them out, shoot a lot of exposures equivalent to a roll or two with each of them under various conditions, record which exposures go with which lens, look carefully at the results, then decide which one produces the most satisfactory results for you, which feels most comfortable to you and suits your purposes. THEN, after being a careful and informed consumer, buy it from a reputable dealer.

 

One further note: (Just in case) Don't use any equipment, rented or otherwise, that you're not completely familiar with to shoot anything of importance (particularly a wedding). And...as Henri Cartier Bresson once said: "If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't getting close enough [to the subject]". Do you really need a zoom or should you be working closer in to your subject and interacting more with them, especially for candids? ;>)

Mark

[michael_garcia]

<b><i>And...as Henri Cartier Bresson once said: "If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't getting close enough [to the subject]".</i></b>

 

<p>Wasn't that Robert Capa who said that?</p>

[fotografz]

Paul, one of the traps in photography is buying, selling and re-buying gear. You've

mentioned lenses in a pretty wide range of prices so I gather price is less of a concern

than getting the right stuff in the first place. While expensive at first, this is the wisest

course of action in the long run, and actually the most economical.

 

There are three Nikon lenses I found to be absolutely stellar in performance and versatility.

None of them are zooms, (Speed is rarely the domain of zooms)...

 

The Nikon 18/2.8 is a highly corrected wide angle that would be the equivalent of a 27mm

on your camera. 27mm is about as wide as you want to go when shooting people, and this

lens is so well corrected that distortion is minimized compared to some other wide angles.

The second lens I'd recommend is a Nikon 28/1.4 ASPH. ( 42mm on your camera). It also

is highly corrected and very crisp even wide open. 42mm is just about perfect for general

work at a wedding. This was my most used lens when I shot Nikon. The third is the

legendary Nikon 85/1.4 ( 127mm on your camera ). Ceremony shots, portraits, candids at

the reception. I would use a tripod and cable release for ceremony shots with the 85/1.4.

Eventually, you could get a 4th lens... personally, I would recommend the 135/2 DC.

 

All the above are pro level lenses, and are built like tanks to last you a lifetime, plus some.

 

But if you're a zoom guy, there's little else I can say.