Shooting Wedding in 6 wks, Recommend Great Lens to use, pls

[PerfectPicture]

Hi All,

In Late August going to Darwin and shooting my cousins wedding :)
Looking forward to the warm weather and the experience of it all, including the shoots on the day :)

Can anybody please recommend any Great Lenses for either the Canon 50D & 350D for shooting a Wedding with and in low light like inside a Church, indoors, etc.
that is a Great portrait and people lens to capture the event sharply and
Also that compliments my existing Gear (as in sig).

Was looking at Canon 16-35L F2.8, but too expensive. and any good on 50D?
then the Canon 17-40L F4 lens (but is it good in low-light and portrait/People shots?).
again any good for 50d or 350D?

then l saw the Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f2.8 XR Di-II VC LD Aspherical (IF) Lenses for $474 > HERE (http://www.dwidigitalcameras.com.au/store/product.asp?idProduct=2416) and looks Great! can anybody recommend this Lens and is it Great Sharp lens for Weddings, church, indoor and portrait/people lens?
Is it good at 17mm as 50mm?
Any photos or help on this lens or other recommendations would be appreciated?

Thanks Alot


Robert

[PerfectPicture]

ohh .. nearly forgot what is the best way to transport my Kit (as shown below in my Sig) on the plane to Darwin for the week's Trip?

any advise or pre-cautions l should do for the camera/lenses, filters, etc within my bag.
Also can l take my camera gear as carry on luggage on-board? as l don't really want to check it in.
Does the aircraft's pressure do anything to any of the gear?
l heard before in threads of broken filters on-camera breaking!@? not know if that's true or not?

Or recommendation to places to visit in Darwin for some great picture taking opportunities would be greatfully appreciated.

Thank you

Robert

[PerfectPicture]

:umm: Any help at all ....

Thanks :o :)

[kiwi]

50 1.2

[Ray Heath]

G'day Robert

I've done many weddings with nothing more than Canon EF 24, 50 and 85mm prime lenses of mid range price.

[kiwi]

not wanting to sound pedantic at all, but, ive never seen you post any people pics, are you OK with shooting a wedding ? Need any other help ?

[Alpal]

G'day Robert
You can take your camera gear on as carry on luggage as long as it does not exceed the size limit but tripods will have to go in your baggage. Some great places to see are Kakadu wetlands, Ubirr at sunset, Mindill markets with sunset over the beach, Litchfield NP is a definite must see. The list goes on.
Alan

[TOM]

you're going to need a faster lens than a 2.8. if you don't want to fork out the cash, then look to hire a couple of really nice primes.

[joele]

I haven't shot a wedding as the 'official' photographer but have taken shots as requested (to get some extra shots / different perspective) and I agree hire some 1.4/1.2 primes for the weekend.. As Ray suggests 24/50/85 would be a great combo.. I'm borrowing a friends 24/1.4 at the moment, and its fantastic ;-)

[Ray Heath]

you're going to need a faster lens than a 2.8.

Why?

Nuh, I still disagree guys.

I use primes and greatly prefer them to zooms, but the reality is that an over priced and way expensive 1.2/1.4 is not in practice noticeably "better" than a 1.8/2.8.

Bootom line for me; avoid zooms, but don't get suckered in about the advantages of 1.2, fancy glass, better build quality, bokeh, blah, blah etc.

[joele]

-deleted-

[Scotty72]

<duck>

[PerfectPicture]

not wanting to sound pedantic at all, but, ive never seen you post any people pics, are you OK with shooting a wedding ? Need any other help ?

Thanks Kiwi, l have, most of them OK , just for family, friends, volunteer organisations, etc and the like. l wasn't sure if l should publish those pictures, without maybe letting the parties know.
(not that's its a big deal, but have them listed on other websites or that particular organisations site, etc as well).

There's never enough experience in capturing people and thier hobbies, jobs roles, etc to Their Liking as well. So .. ANY HELP IS GREATFULLY APPRECIATED!



G'day Robert

I've done many weddings with nothing more than Canon EF 24, 50 and 85mm prime lenses of mid range price.

Thanks Ray for sharing that beautiful picture :) .. l saw on this alot of people using the 50mm f1.8 II Lens and it's very sharp, so might get this one to take up as well.

[PerfectPicture]

G'day Robert
You can take your camera gear on as carry on luggage as long as it does not exceed

the size limit but tripods will have to go in your baggage. Some great places to see

are Kakadu wetlands, Ubirr at sunset, Mindill markets with sunset over the beach,

Litchfield NP is a definite must see. The list goes on.
Alan

Thanks for the heads up mate and the places to visit. l have to google them tomm.
any other locations suggested .. would be great ! :)



you're going to need a faster lens than a 2.8. if you don't want

to fork out the cash, then look to hire a couple of really nice primes.

thanks Tom, money is a bit constrained at the moment, but hopefully can pick up the canon 50mm f1.8 II lens



I haven't shot a wedding as the 'official' photographer but have

taken shots as requested (to get some extra shots / different perspective) and I

agree hire some 1.4/1.2 primes for the weekend.. As Ray suggests 24/50/85 would be a

great combo.. I'm borrowing a friends 24/1.4 at the moment, and its fantastic ;-)




thanks for the tips and lenses to use. maybe a bit out of my price range (for the

moment) but was looking at getting the canon 50mm 1.8 II Lens as well, l hear it's

great for low-light and portrait work as well.



-deleted-


<duck>

can l ask Please why l see both of these (above) .. l'm not stepping on anybody's toes, it's my Cousins Wedding l'm shooting and NOT even as the offical photogrpher. In fact she doesnt even know that l'm into photography as l'm am ... so anything produced .. would be a BONUS for her and Husband and Families attending as well :)


EDIT : l couldn't reply to all for some reason, had to maunally copy & Paste each reply into notepad to Reply to that post, if l missed any, just let me know :)

[PerfectPicture]

Can l Please add : l'm just trying to capture some great pictures for her special day .. that's it! l'm not getting paid for it, (i won't even accept it, either!) it's just a special gift from the heart for my Cousin in Darwin (whom l haven't seen in ages) .. In FACT .. she doesn't even know how much l'm into photography as l am! .. l just hope l can capture some half decent shots for her, her husband, families and friends, etc to enjoy the experiences of the day!

Thank you for any tips or techniques involved to help me (and others whom read this) to learn! :D

Regards,
Robert

[joele]

sorry, i made a post and then deleted it. Nothing to do with you and off topic really, I didn't want to argue about the qualities of various lenses..

[PerfectPicture]

sorry, i made a post and then deleted it. Nothing to do with you and off topic really, I didn't want to argue about the qualities of various lenses..

no probs Joel, l value any input you give. even on how to capture Great Portrait Shots as well.
any help is beneficial :)

[virgal_tracy]

In terms of lenses I agree with the prime option of 50mm and possibly 85mm also. Not knowing what type of photogrpahy you are really into I would also suggest the sigma 10-20 especially if you plan on doing some sightseeing while you are in NT.

Have a great time.

[kiwi]

Do they have an official photographer - makes a big difference

If they do, dont waste money on new lenses you dont actually possibly need

If they don't, and youre not getting paid (and I think that you shouldnt charge anyway if this is new to you) then I still wouldnt waste mney on lenses you dont possibly need

[james derek]

I did a wedding with a D40 and 18-200. The people loved the shots. I did another wedding with a d300 , 1:4 prime lens's and a 70 - 200 2:8 VR. ...... Get the best gear you can lay your hands on and be very well prepared for ANYTHING!!

[PerfectPicture]

In terms of lenses I agree with the prime option of 50mm and possibly 85mm also. Not knowing what type of photogrpahy you are really into I would also suggest the sigma 10-20 especially if you plan on doing some sightseeing while you are in NT.

Have a great time.

Thanks Virgal tracy, l'll might pick up the canon 50mm f1.8 II lens, being very cheap and very sharp lens would be great :)
l have the tokina 12-24mm Lens and landscape shots are great, but when using as a walk-around lens with people moving around, l seem to get blurry shots? can't be the lens, right? must be me!? :p


Do they have an official photographer - makes a big difference

If they do, dont waste money on new lenses you dont actually possibly need

If they don't, and youre not getting paid (and I think that you shouldnt charge anyway if this is new to you) then I still wouldnt waste mney on lenses you dont possibly need

l know what your saying don't go out spending a fortune and getting no monetary funds in return. not sure if there got a pro tog attending, either way, just Happy to help out and have Fun :D



I did a wedding with a D40 and 18-200. The people loved the shots. I did another wedding with a d300 , 1:4 prime lens's and a 70 - 200 2:8 VR. ...... Get the best gear you can lay your hands on and be very well prepared for ANYTHING!!

Thanks James Derek, the 70-200 2.8 would be nice, but can't afford it right now :( but would be good to have .. one day! :D do you use 2 bodies? or one body and change the lenses? also was the 18-200 good for in the church, or just not fast enough?

Cheers Guys
Robert

[DAdeGroot]

As someone else mentioned, really look at hiring some lenses. It'll cost your around $140 per lens for a week's hire, but given you can hire fast primes or even relatively fast zooms, it's the way to go.

I've used http://www.rentalens.com.au/ before and am extremely happy with their service, prices and condition of their equipment.

For a wedding, I find the 70-200/2.8L IS is extremely handy on one of the cameras, and a fast prime on the other. The zoom gives you that added flexibility for those times when you spot something and haven't got time to run over closer with a prime, whereas the prime will give you shutter speed in low light.

Biggest tip of all - do not point your flash directly at your subject (if you're intending to use flash). They are not deer-in-the-headlights, and shouldn't be made to look like them ;-)

[Scotty72]

can l ask Please why l see both of these (above) .. l'm not stepping on anybody's toes, it's my Cousins Wedding l'm shooting and NOT even as the offical photogrpher. In fact she doesnt even know that l'm into photography as l'm am ... so anything produced .. would be a BONUS for her and Husband and Families attending as well :)



Mate, if you wanna shoot a wedding, professionally or otherwise, and the parties know about you, your experience etc. -- good on ya, go for it etc. None of anyone's business.

However, I am sure you've read countless other threads where people have sought advice on wedding photography and have been met with almost hostile repsonses that suggest the OP has no right to do it without X degrees / certificate and Y years of experience and Z $$$$$ of pro equipment.

I was just waiting for the torrents to begin :)

[jasnat]

Robert,
You can rent a Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II for $150/week

As for places in Darwin. Bicentennial Park, Darwin Botanical Gardens, East point reserve (sunset), Mindal beach (sunset) Government House.
Kakadu and Litchfield are too far way for a weeding day. Where is the wedding/reception going to be held, so I can narrow down your choices?

[james derek]

Thanks James Derek, the 70-200 2.8 would be nice, but can't afford it right now but would be good to have .. one day! do you use 2 bodies? or one body and change the lenses? also was the 18-200 good for in the church, or just not fast enough?

Hi Robert
Using two bodies is almost a must. The 18 - 200 not really good enough for church photos. I had the 18-200 on one body and 24-70 and 70-200 on the d300, sigma 10-20 for groups. I use the 24-70 most of the time but the 70-200 is the most fun lens. I don't see on your flicker any people shots. Do you have any to show?
If you can get a 50 1:8 go for it. As for simple advice, get the sharpest photos you can and 'get in close'. You say it's for your cousin as a 'gift' , then use this as a great experience.
Jim

[james derek]

Just looking at your original post. I would probably go for the 17-50 . 2:8 This is a very versatile lens.
Jim

[pod3009]

Hi! If you are thinking of the Tamron 17-50 can I suggest that you save some money and get the non VC version. It is supposed to be sharper than the VC version (I'm very happy with mine), and it will take nice pictures. I'd also suggest something longer for candid shots - a zoom telephoto, say 70-200mm.

[Wayne]

^^^^ The OP was shooting the wedding around late Aug 2010.

:rolleyes:

[kiwi]

Did we see the result ?