The (R)evolution of my Wedding Kit Bag

[david_thomas8]

Well folks, my Wedding preparations continue with haste.

 

My 18-70 Nikkor is now my backup lens as I have begun to worship at

the church of the prime lens.

 

I have purchased a Tokina 17mm F3.5 AT-X PRO for my D70 body for all

the formal wide shots. It's not that fast but it's amazingly well

built and has received excellent reviews. I have also purchased a

flip-bracket for my SB800 speedlight and a remote control so I

can 'capture the moment' more effectively. Also, a sturdy tripod. I

hope to do all my formal 'garden' shots on the tripod with this

setup.

 

On my D100 body with vertical grip I have my Nikkor 50mm f1.8, which

is as cheap as chips, but still a great great prime lens.

 

I have purchased some smaller memory cards (not putting all my eggs

in one 1GB basket) I have also bought the smaller SB 600 speedlight

as backup.

 

So I have 2 bodies, one with a 50mm f1.8 prime, the other with a

17mm wide prime f3.5

 

I am planning not to change either lens too much as to avoid dust on

the sensors in my DSLRs.

 

I feel happy that this is enough to start with as I have backup for

every major component apart from my car!! (And that's a vital

accessory!!!!)

 

I have also bought the Lowepro Steal Reporter 500 to keep all the

stuff in, which is a most worthwhile and splendid bag.

 

On a different matter, does anybody recommend having UV filters

fitted to each prime as to protect the lens?<div></div>

[johnmarkpainter]

David,

 

Shooting two bodies with Primes is nice. I prefer faster lenses myself though. I find that a

28 1.8 and an 85 1.8 are a nice pairing for me.

 

The 50 1.8 while cheap, is an excellent lens. You will get lots of 'keepers' from that one.

 

RE: Filters....don't use them unless you are in Hazardous conditions i.e.: The Sahara

Desert, hanging off of the front of a Catamaran etc. When shooting in low light conditions

with a light source in the frame with a Filter mounted, you can often get nasty refelctions

caused by the Filter.

 

jmp

[jason_t]

David,

How happy are you with that tokina lens? Is it really that good? I am looking at getting a wide lens such as that. Please tell me what you think about it.

 

Jason T

[james_ogara1]

What John said. A fast 28 and a fast 85 is the best.

[david_thomas8]

Not really true.

 

A 28 on a D100 and D70 (x1.5) equates to a 42mm. Not exactly a wide angle lens suitable for large groups.

 

The 17mm equates to a 25mm, which is superb.

 

Dave

[errol young]

Perhaps I am nuts but I am using the kit lens for most shots. I really like its look. The wide distortion is not important at a wedding. the bokh looks like my old 85mm MF from the '70's. I use the 50 1.8 for low light and some portraits.

 

I am also using a vivitar 28-80 D lens as a back up on the second D70s to be purchaced when it comes out.

 

Errol

[errol young]

The above suits my PJ style.

 

Errol

[johnmarkpainter]

<<The 17mm equates to a 25mm, which is superb.>>

 

You will find this out for yourself, but you would be better off backing up a bit for large

Groups. If anyone is close to the edge of the Frame and/or your camera isn't level, you'll

end up making "aunt Judy" look fat.

 

Guess how I know? :)

 

jmp

[johnmarkpainter]

David,

 

To clarify...I wasn't suggesting that a 28 would be your 'go-to' lens for Large Groups....just

that it is an excellent choice for a general candid lens.

 

The things that are nice about a 28.....still small. still affordable. Not so wide that Optical

quality is out the window. Can still be fast.

 

I find that the 28 when cropped (I have a D100) is just right unless I need to cram a whole

bunch of information into one shot.

[c_d5]

Dave, that is a very beautiful daughter you have.

 

If you are happy with you setup, then TRUST YOUR INSTINCT. Doing that you will create some weddings photo that is artistically unique and only can be done by you.

[kevin m.]

Jeff Ascough recommends using no filter at all because, as the poster above mentioned, in certain low light conditions you can get reflections.

 

That said, I just put a 77mm B&W MRC UV filter on the front of my new Canon L lens, because it's a big element to have so exposed! The MRC coatings are supposed to prevent reflections. Time will tell on that, but I can say the coatings are so good, it's nearly impossible to see the glass. Spooky...!

[bruce_rubenstein]

When you have large, formal groups, there are generally multiple rows of people. When you use a lens that has a wider field of view than a 35mm lens, on a 35mm full frame recording device, the relative distance between the first and the camera and the last row and the camera you run into a perspective problem. The heads of people in the front row appear quite a bit larger than the people in the rear row. If you are using a 28mm (effective FOV) or wider lens, you have to arrange people so that they are all about the same distance from the camera.