Wedding Photographer Lens Choice

[once2work]

I'm in the crossroad of selecting my main lens for wedding photography job.

At the present, my Canon 17-40 F4 working with my 5Dmk2 as main camera on the wedding assignments, and the 50D as backup pair with 50mm(80mm in FF) or 85mm(135mm in FF) it depend on the environments. Work under high speed (ISO 1600-3200) almost the standard, that's why I need the 5Dmk2 to hold the noise.

I'm thinking of adding on a mid-range zoom, and in the cross road between Canon 24-70 F2.8 or 24-105 F4, I don't know which lens IQ is better, I'll shoot with full open most of the time.

Please share your actual experience with these lenses in order to help me decide on one of them.

Thank you
Paul

[Plekto]

You want a very soft bokeh prime lens for those shots of the people getting ready and the closeups - so that they have that nice "wedding photo" dreamy look to them.

[Ben Rubinstein]

As a 24-105L wedding photographer, I'd say take the 24-70L. It's hard to get a good 24-105 (I have one but it took 2 tries and I've heard some nasty stories), it has bad distortion at the wide end. I personally enjoy the vignetting but it might be an issue for you. More to the point it's slower focusing and less accurate in low light than the f2.8 lens and the bokeh is not great. For wedding work you will want cream bokeh and a nice f2.8, neither of which the 24-105 has.

I don't have steady hands (hence the need for IS) and I appreciate the extra length for my uses. I use primes however for anything where resolution and bokeh is required...

[Jonathan Wienke]

I vote for the 24-70/2.8L also. Weddings are often done in dim caves, and f/4 isn't always good enough to get decent AF performance or a fast enough shutter speed to prevent camera shake.

[brianrybolt]

I vote for the 24-70/2.8L also. Weddings are often done in dim caves, and f/4 isn't always good enough to get decent AF performance or a fast enough shutter speed to prevent camera shake.

I'm with Jonathan also.  I have used a 24-105 for a couple years.  I like the zoom range and am not so worried about camera shake but it is the 'subject movement' at slow shutter speeds that is a real pain.  I'll be getting the f2.8 soon.

Brian

[NoahJackson]

I used to photograph weddings, now I work with people in sensitive forest - farm environments. I vote for the 24-70 f2.8 L; my copy paired with the 5D2 is as good as most of the primes I've used.  If a version of the 24-70 comes out with IS, there will be a whole batch of us that will pounce on it!!

However, if you do already have the 50D, why not get a 17-55 2.8 IS EFS lens? I used to have that lens and the resolution was exceptional; even for 24 inch prints.  You'll have to stick with ISO 800 and below, perhaps, but you can always use a flash on very low-power settings. Good luck with your decision and your work.

Remember you can always try and rent equipment too.

Noah

[once2work]

However, if you do already have the 50D, why not get a 17-55 2.8 IS EFS lens? I used to have that lens and the resolution was exceptional; even for 24 inch prints.  You'll have to stick with ISO 800 and below, perhaps, but you can always use a flash on very low-power settings. Good luck with your decision and your work.

Remember you can always try and rent equipment too.

Noah

Hi Noah,
Thanks for your suggestion, I'm stepping forward to FF system, especialy for wide angel or mid range tele, may having a 7D for fast action shoot or telephoto use after I sold my 50D, APSC always have the noise problem under high ISO that we can't avoid. I tried not to use flash as much as possible that's I have deal with dim lighting most of my assignments, the FF is the answer to noise control on high ISO.

Paul

[zlatko-b]

My impressions:
The 24-70 has better bokeh and better usability in low light; it is the better choice if you want to avoid flash or use less flash.
The 24-105 seems to have more reliable autofocus and be less likely to go out of alignment.
The 17-55 EF-S offers comparable image quality; but I feel that it's not built as well as either of the L lenses.

[michaelnotar]

i will add a vote for the 24-105, i love it! had a 28-70/2.8, and its a bit heavy. i work at high iso on a 1d3, 1/60-125 at f5.6 (thats all i shoot at anyways) at iso 1600 is enough for me. i break out a 50/1.4. 28/1.8 for the super low light.

[Ben Rubinstein]

Michael, the 1D3 focuses f4 lenses incredibly fast, trying it on a non 1 series camera side by side is a real eye opener, especially in wedding type low light.

[NoahJackson]

Nice work, Paul. I too moved up to a FF setup for assignment work. I miss my 40D for fast action stuff; a 7D may be what you need for your action assignments. My strategy will be to purchase a S90 as a backup and less conspicuous camera to pair with my 5d2. When I can afford it purchase one of the 1Dxxs for faster autofocus and movement.... Given that we both work in low light environments, I really miss good wide angle IS. It's such an issue that in sensitive situations, when I cannot use a tripod, I recently purchased a 100 f2.8 in addition to the 50 1.4.

If you travel through Singapore you can always rent extra equipment. My studio is currently based in Malaysia. Let me know if you need a hand; I'm always open for assignments that resonate with my values and work. I'm leaving for the Philippines and Africa soon (back to back projects). There will be much more light there than the forests of Malaysia!

Best,
Noah

www.hopeinlight.com

Hi Noah,
Thanks for your suggestion, I'm stepping forward to FF system, especialy for wide angel or mid range tele, may having a 7D for fast action shoot or telephoto use after I sold my 50D, APSC always have the noise problem under high ISO that we can't avoid. I tried not to use flash as much as possible that's I have deal with dim lighting most of my assignments, the FF is the answer to noise control on high ISO.

Paul