lens for weddings and portraits

**ksweets8** · 04-22-2009, 03:31 PM

Hi all,

I"m pretty new to photograpy and went through a series of classes. I love photography and will be doing some weddings and family portraits o the side. I have the cannon xsi with the kit lens, however I would like to invest in a better lens for the wedding mostly. I was thinking of getting the 70-200L IS f/2.8 however it is a bit pricy. Does anyone have any suggestions or a better lens that i should buy?

Thanks for all you help!

**Joel Bookhammer** · 04-22-2009, 04:08 PM

Even though I dont own it the 24-105 f4 is a great lens, if you havent already, read Bryans reviews about it. Its a great lenz.

thanks

joel

**devsalvi** · 04-22-2009, 04:15 PM

One of my friend does weddings. He carries 3 cameras to any event. He has 16-35 attached to one and 70-200 f2.8 IS attached to another. The third camera he usually keeps the 50 f1.4 attached. I have noticed he uses the 70-200 the most (70% of the times).

Hope that helps!

**Fred Doane** · 04-22-2009, 05:00 PM

Youmight look into the non IS version of the 70-200 f2.8. That will save you $550 and still give you the wide aperature. I also own the 24-105 f4butwouldn't use it for portraits. I prefer the 85 f1.2L II but would choose the 70-200 f2.8 as a relatively close second. I'm sure you'll be happy with whatever you end up buying.

Fred~

**Dallasphotog** · 04-22-2009, 05:29 PM

I use two lenses at most weddings; the EF24-70mm F/2.8 L USM and the EF70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM.

The 24-70 is a good lens for medium size groups and the 70-200 is excellent from the back of the church. The 50mm primes are popular as are some of the wider angle 17-40 size lenses.

**Groundfault** · 04-22-2009, 05:47 PM

I was very impressed with the 100mm f2.8 macro from Canon. Bryan likes it a lot too for portraits ! Not too expansive either.

**alexniedra** · 04-22-2009, 07:32 PM

I can easily the recommend the 24-70 L. It's the lens for wedding photography. Plus, the versitality will help you out greatly. It will also complement your 70-200 2.8 IS nicely when the time comes.

In terms of primes, I would suggest the 50 1.4 - which is dirt cheap (relatively speaking) - or the 85 L. The bokeh of the 85 L will blow you away. And although I don't own the lens, I can say that if you do your part right, you'll have images that will stand out nicely from the others.

Be careful though, and do plenty of research before the purchase. You might find 85mm a bit long for your needs. Maybe not - Think about it...

All in all I would highly recommend the 24-70 L. I think you'll like the versitality and love the images.

**clemmb** · 04-22-2009, 09:07 PM

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When I switched to digital from film I started with an XT then moved up to
an XTi which are the same sensor size as your XSi. A 70-200 will be great for
portraits and from the back/balcony shots but not very useful otherwise for
weddings. I use a 24-105L IS f4 for weddings and love it. With my
XTi it was not wide enough for some shots in the dressing room but otherwise
great. Before the 24-105 I used the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II.
For the price this is a great lens and you will find it on Bryan's recommended
list. At the price of the Tamron you may have enough money left for a
70-200L nonIS f4.

Mark
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**Colin** · 04-23-2009, 01:44 AM

I did some supporting shots at a friend's wedding. I had a 70-200 f/2.8 IS on my 30D, and an 85 f/1.2 on my 5D during the actual wedding. For the reception, I went 50 f/1.2 on the 5D. I was pretty happy with the results. My fiance got some pretty nice pieces on her 50 f/1.4 with her XSi.

If I was making money on it, I'd get a 24-70 f/2.8 for versatility, though, particularly if I didn't need the really wide apertures of a prime to deal with low light sans flash. I love the 85 f/1.2, but sometimes to get the shot, you'll need to back up, and you can't.

**ShutterbugJohan** · 04-23-2009, 05:48 PM

If you are on a tight budget, I'd recommend the Canon 50/1.8 and Tamron 70-200/2.8. Otherwise, I'd recommend the Tamron 17-50/2.8, Canon 50/1.4 or Canon 85/1.8, and Canon 70-200/2.8 (IS or non-IS). I don't own any of these lenses, but when I photograph at weddings or do portraits, I take my 16-35/2.8L, 50/1.8, 100/2.8 Macro, and Speedlite 580EX II. Hopefully I'll be able to get a 70-200/2.8 (maybe IS) within a year. :-)

One other thing you'll need for weddings is a flash. If you don't already have one, I'd recommend the 580EX II.

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