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One Lens Choice


Guest welshkc

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Guest welshkc

Someone has asked me to shoot their wedding.  Photography is a hobby and not how I make a living.

 

Right now my bag does not have anything in it that would work well for a ceremony.  It includes the 18-135mm, but that is a slow lens for inside a church.  The 35mmF2 is fine for the party and portraits, but will not get me the ceremony.

 

 

A plan was in place to pickup another lens in March, but I can move that up for this event.  The question is, which should I get.  

 

My preference up to now was to get the 56mmF1.2, but this wedding has me looking at the 50-140mmF2.8 for the reach during the ceremony, but with the option being for a single lens, it means the 50-140mm would also become my portrait lens and put a hold on getting the 56mm.

 

I have to decide soon to get the shipping in before the ceremony.

 

If reach were not an issue, it would be the 56mm without question as most of my personal stuff would be great at that length.

 

Can I get where needed with the 56mm during a ceremony?

 

 

Any thoughts or tips from folks that have done weddings with an XT-1 and either of those lenses would be welcome.  

 

Ed

 

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the best and cheapest lens for covering something like that is the 18-55, alternatively the 16-55. The 56 is too long for most pictures that you will be asked to take.

 

If you are the only photographer they will miss many shots if you only ave  the 56 and if they are friends they will hate you for that. Using a (bounce) flash, by the way, is not a luxury here.

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Guest welshkc

the best and cheapest lens for covering something like that is the 18-55, alternatively the 16-55. The 56 is too long for most pictures that you will be asked to take.

 

If you are the only photographer they will miss many shots if you only ave  the 56 and if they are friends they will hate you for that. Using a (bounce) flash, by the way, is not a luxury here.

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

I have the 18mmF2 and 35mmF2 for the wider needs like party and dance etc.  The ceremony is what has me stressed.  Can't exactly stand next to the preacher for the best shot...

 

It is not a friend.  More of an acquaintance of an acquaintance who can't pay for a pro and would be stuck with family phone pics otherwise.  They get better wedding pics and I get some practice as well as a lift from a good deed done.  Win/Win

 

The question here is what is the technically best lens for ceremony shots.  Some reading in other areas has told me it is the 50-140mm.  The stabilization will get me close to the speed of the 56mm while maintaining the reach of the zoom and it isn't bad for portraits.

 

No flash will be used during the ceremony.  I will have two speedlights and umbrellas with me for opportunity portraits and stills.

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I'd go for the 18mm f2 for indoors and wide shots, 35mm f2 for portraits and the new 50mm f2 for long shots. But I reckon you could do the whole wedding with the 18 and 35. As Milandro says, the 56mm is too long for most of the shots you'll be asked to take

 

But if you prefer a zoom, I'd get the 18-55. It covers all the lengths you need

 

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Edited by Warwick
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Are you able to rent a lens? I haven't shot any weddings for the past few years due to lack of time. When I was doing weddings, I was shooting Canon and the 24-70mm F/2.8L and the 70-200mm F/2.8L were the primary lenses used. I actually preferred to shoot the recetption with primes, but you need some flexibility with the ceremony. You cannot risk missing the shot. Given your situation, it may not be as important if you miss a key shot. Do you have a chance to check out the inside of the church to determine what focal length will work? Do you know if they will have any restrictions on where you can stand? The 50-140mm is a fantastic lens and really impressed me when I used it. I don't own it yet, but it is one I would like to buy when I have more of a need for it. You may Consider going with the 90mm F/2 if you want a great portrait lens and a longer focal length to capture the wedding from a bit further distance. In the end, it comes down to covering the focal lengths you need. As others mentioned, the 18-55 is a decent enough lens. I'm not sure it is fast enough to shoot inside a church so it wouldn't be my first choice.

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I recently also did my first wedding. Here's a little of advice/my experience.

 

I went with two bodies. If at all possible, I would see if you could get your hands on a second body. I used my X-T2 with the vertical grip and the 50-140mm, and my X-T10 with the 23mm f/1.4. The 23mm was perfect, as 18mm was just a little too wide, and anything closer to 35mm or above just feels too tight.

 

For most of the wedding, 90% of the shots were with the XT2 + 50-140. I shot most of the ceremony with it because of course you can't be too close. I got good reaction shots of the audience as well. The only time I used the XT10 + 23mm at this part was to get wider shots of the whole audience or bridal party/groomsmen, etc.

 

For the reception, most of the dances (Newlyweds, Father/bride, Mother/groom) I used the 50-140 principally because once again, you can't really get too close. The ensuing party where everyone is dancing and partying is where I used the 23mm as I was able to get into the crowds and be creative with angles (down low, up high, etc.) I also used the 23mm for all those "Hey can you get a picture of me and this person?!" moments.

 

I at no time felt like I needed any focal length that I didn't have in this combo. I actually had my 18-55mm in my bag, but didn't use it.

 

I own the XF 56mm, and while a TON of my shots were were in that 50mm range, I couldn't recommend using that because the AF speed just isn't up to par for anything but someone sitting still for a portrait.. especially in comparison to the 50-140. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love this lens, but if you do try to use it at f/1.2, the depth of field is razor thin and you WILL end up missing shots than you need to.

 

The only other advice I can offer you is to consider the EF-42 or other TTL capable (with Fuji) flash and bounce it off the ceiling. This was absolutely crucial in the dimly lit reception room with scant amounts of horrible fluorescent lighting. That, and I would bracket for exposure. And don't forget to carry enough memory as basic as that sounds. If you're anything like me (The nervous noob =D), you'll overshoot, because you can always delete.. you can't go back and do it again! And when you begin bracketing, especially if you're shooting raw, the files pile up quick! I had almost 70gb of files at the end of the night!

 

Good luck..!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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I asked myself very similar questions when I started photographing weddings (Started with a Nikon kit, but switched to shoot wedding with my Fujis).

But there are more aspects to cover in your decision.

A wedding differs from a normal shoot in the those aspects:

  • No, no, no tolerance for faults. Broken lens, broken body, broken sd card, broken whatever kills you. 
  • No time to change lenses in critical situations --> Working with primes (which I personally prefer) means carrying around multiple bodies.
  • You'll need a wider length for covering context as well as the possibility to go very tight for portraits

So you definitely need some backup gear, whether a second body or a second system. 

 

To answer your question: I solved those needs with an additional X100s camera including the tele and wide converter. This gives you great flexibility, even in low light for a relatively small price (if you consider to buy it used). Having your 18-135 attached on your right and a X100(s/t/f) on the left, TCL and WCL in a pocket would be my choice. 

My personally most preferred setup for wedding stuff has been a 35mm 1.4 on a X-T1 combined with the X100s+WCL.

 

Hope this helps. Cheers, Philip

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Guest welshkc

I recently also did my first wedding. Here's a little of advice/my experience.

 

I went with two bodies. If at all possible, I would see if you could get your hands on a second body. I used my X-T2 with the vertical grip and the 50-140mm, and my X-T10 with the 23mm f/1.4. The 23mm was perfect, as 18mm was just a little too wide, and anything closer to 35mm or above just feels too tight.

 

For most of the wedding, 90% of the shots were with the XT2 + 50-140. I shot most of the ceremony with it because of course you can't be too close. I got good reaction shots of the audience as well. The only time I used the XT10 + 23mm at this part was to get wider shots of the whole audience or bridal party/groomsmen, etc.

 

For the reception, most of the dances (Newlyweds, Father/bride, Mother/groom) I used the 50-140 principally because once again, you can't really get too close. The ensuing party where everyone is dancing and partying is where I used the 23mm as I was able to get into the crowds and be creative with angles (down low, up high, etc.) I also used the 23mm for all those "Hey can you get a picture of me and this person?!" moments.

 

I at no time felt like I needed any focal length that I didn't have in this combo. I actually had my 18-55mm in my bag, but didn't use it.

 

I own the XF 56mm, and while a TON of my shots were were in that 50mm range, I couldn't recommend using that because the AF speed just isn't up to par for anything but someone sitting still for a portrait.. especially in comparison to the 50-140. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love this lens, but if you do try to use it at f/1.2, the depth of field is razor thin and you WILL end up missing shots than you need to.

 

The only other advice I can offer you is to consider the EF-42 or other TTL capable (with Fuji) flash and bounce it off the ceiling. This was absolutely crucial in the dimly lit reception room with scant amounts of horrible fluorescent lighting. That, and I would bracket for exposure. And don't forget to carry enough memory as basic as that sounds. If you're anything like me (The nervous noob =D), you'll overshoot, because you can always delete.. you can't go back and do it again! And when you begin bracketing, especially if you're shooting raw, the files pile up quick! I had almost 70gb of files at the end of the night!

 

Good luck..!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

Great info.  Thanks everyone.

 

I have pulled the trigger on the 50-140mm.

 

Agree with everything said about a second body.  This shoot does not warrant the pay out for it now.  My plan was to get the X-T2 in April and I'm sticking with that and just taking the risk.  My X-T1 has been rock solid even when tossed into the snow for a low-angle timed selfie in -6F weather...   It should be fine for this.

 

One thing this event will do is give me a better understanding of what I want for future in a low risk engagement.  Even if every shot gets tanked, I can shrug and walk away.  I'm there because the other free option couldn't make it.

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