superia400_junkie Posted May 5, 2005 Share Posted May 5, 2005 I just broke down and added to my gear bag. I bought the Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 and the Nikkor 135mm f/2 to go along with my 50mm f/1.4... Other purchases was a sekonic light meter and the SB800. I know I need a wide angle lense. Price wise,my wallett and wife would thank me for purchasing the 35mm f/2 or something wider at f/2.8. Breaking the bank further would be the 28mm f/1.4, but the money saved could go into a second F5 or a mamiya medium format, and other backup equipment. I guess I have three questions... Is the 35mm wide enough for most wedding work? Quality of build and optics vs the 28mm f/1.4? What percentage of wide shots do you take during a wedding without flash? I crave the f/1.4 and working without a flash, yet I think a wide angle lense with flash and faster film my be the cheaper, wiser solution... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric friedemann Posted May 5, 2005 Share Posted May 5, 2005 "Is the 35mm wide enough for most wedding work?" Assuming you are shooting film and not a Nikon DSLR, a 35mm lens is wide enough for probably 95% of wedding images. However, there may be some group shots in confined spaces where you'll need a 28mm. This is why I eventually bought a 28-70mm f/2.8 AFS lens. "Quality of build and optics vs the 28mm f/1.4?" The build quality of the 28mm f/1.4 AFD is waaaaaaaaay better than the build quality of the 35mm f/2.0 AFD. The 28mm f/1.4 is optically better than the 35mm f/2.0 AFD lens at and close to maximum aperture, but the 35mm lens is decent wide open and is excellent stoppde down 2-4 stops. "What percentage of wide shots do you take during a wedding without flash?" If I'm shooting available light during a wedding service, I'm generally using my 85mm f/1.4 AFD at f/2.8. I may take a few shots with a wide angle lens. "I think a wide angle lense with flash and faster film my be the cheaper, wiser solution." The 28mm f/2.8 AFD Nikkor is a very good lens and I almost always have enough light during a service to shoot at f/2.8. If you don't absolutely need the speed, the 28mm f/1.4 is an unnecessary luxury. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walterh Posted May 5, 2005 Share Posted May 5, 2005 if you shoot film then consider the 28/F2MF a great lens - cheap if you can find one. almost as fast as the F1.4 and good rendition and scharp as they get. Is 35mm wide enough? Only you know - 28 is where WA for film starts- my 12-24 sometimes is not wide enough (with 1.5 crop factor) - well i do no weddings ^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren Posted May 5, 2005 Share Posted May 5, 2005 I find the 35mm isn't different enough from 50mm for my liking. I'd go for the 28mm to get a very different angle/perspective. You can always crop back to 35mm if it suits a particular image. If you get a fast 35mm, you'll sometimes wish you had a wider lens. If you get a slower 35mm, you'll wish for both wider and faster. If you get the 28mm f/1.4, you won't be wishing for a slightly longer and slower lens, but you might wish for more money :-). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ_butner___portland__or Posted May 5, 2005 Share Posted May 5, 2005 400 Junkie I have on occasion, needed either my Nikkor 24mm f/2, or my Kiron 24mm f/2. The Kiron 24mm & 28mm f/2 lenses are very good, and much more affordable than the Nikon equivalents. Russ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_bradtke Posted May 5, 2005 Share Posted May 5, 2005 If you can live without the AF what about a 35mm f1.4? I have one and use it on my D2h as well as my F3's It is a great lens and can be found at a good price used. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografz Posted May 5, 2005 Share Posted May 5, 2005 Your wife will hate me. If you're dead serious about making photos then hold out for the best or at least what you want to shoot with. If you don't get the 28/1.4, it'll haunt you, and you'll get it later anyway. The 28/1.4 has aspheric elements if I recall correctly and, IMO, is in a class of it's own... performance and price wise. You don't see them come up used very often for good reason. That lens and the 85/1.4 were my favorites when shooting Nikon... followed closely by the 135/2 DC. It's value isn't just in available light work, but it's great even with fill flash in darker circumstances ... hand holdable at 1/25th with a f/1.4 aperture... and you get lots of ambient light background. Go for it, you only live once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartMoxham Posted May 6, 2005 Share Posted May 6, 2005 I see that you are going the route of prime lenses. I would assume that you are going to work with two bodies and you may well find that an 85mm on one body and a 35mm on the other would work very well together. Some have said that they could shoot pretty much everything with this combo. You may then want to consider a 24mm for when things get really tight. It depends alot on how you shoot many find it easier to work with a 28-70/80 2.8 zoom on their main body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmarkpainter Posted May 6, 2005 Share Posted May 6, 2005 You might be 'allergic' to third party lenses (I am) but the Sigma 28/1.8 apsh II is a really good lens. jmp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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