To which I practice both crafts. No matter if its about covering a local event or a full-fledged wedding ceremony, Nikon D3500 is a camera that has proved its prowess in every aspect of photography. I agree with Fotorumba. I do not charge thousands. I will be shooting my first wedding next month! 2- canon 580 People use 70-200 f2.8 zoom lens in wedding bcos some times u r restricted from taking photos too close. You need something wide, something medium and something long. I cant afford to buy all lenses at once so which one do you think is the most inportant one to buy? Canon 24-105 f4 IS L Funny how quickly trends can change! I always place the primary use lens on the 5DIII and then a specialty lens on the 6D. 2nd body: Conon 100d (with 50 1.8 constantly on it) I will replace the 135 with the Canon 100mmL Macro Lens for detail shots and even for portraits. Eventually save up and buy yourself one. I believe Ive taken really good portraits (especially for only an 18-55mm kit lens). Main body: Canon 70D Wonderful article . Do you have one bag or multiple? Shooting in RAW is just as important as having the right gear. Hi Nasim Great advice about shooting weddings and relative camera to use. 24-70 is the better lense but is having the versatility of the 120 better? In the real wedding photography world, youre stuck with more lighting scenarios than youd encounter in a year of studio shooting. I then remembered watching videos of photographers getting sued by couples for failing to deliver images, getting their gear stolen after photographing many weddings and failing to properly backup images and many other problems encountered by newbie photographers. What you say about the camera being the tool is so right. If you cant afford them, rent them. 
25% of the shots were unrecoverable. 
The wedding is a one time event in the life, and is very important for the photographer catch the moments. make sure its fast enough / sharp enough / accurate enough to get the shots you need. For me the best wedding lens ever is Nikons 14-24 f/2.8! I own 5 Canon 600-RT flashes. Just one small thought on the Canon 24-70 F2.8: It weighs a ton. Some pro gear indeed. Nowadays ISO 3200+ is usable, especially with grain reduction programs. In a perfect world, wed have the finances and manpower to haul every available lens to the venue; in reality, were limited to a handful of lenses, each of which needs to beaccessible, high-quality, and versatile. Not weather sealed though but for half the price of the canon version, ill buy a shooting bag if in the rain. I dont shoot weddings but I intend to do in future. Great article! Tilt-Shift Lens f/1.4 is more for creative purposes. Some photographers will shoot an entire wedding just wth 2 lenses others 4 or mo. Canon EF 35mm f/2 (1.4) IS USM Lens AED 2000 Costly for me, so until it have great value, I will not go for it Wedding photography is uniquein that it encompasses several genres of photography: fashion, portrait, architectural, product, macro, family, and sometimes even travel photography. Sorry Scotty, I missed the sarcasm till now. and lastly, sigma art 35mm or Nikon/canon 35mm? Thanks, Most pros dont want to use off brand glass. Seriously, these guys just recently within the last year or so finally advocated that people stop doing train track shots not because its corny and awful and boring but because its not safe and someone might get hurt. You cannot shoot a wedding without one. The 70-200 is great for portraits when you want great compression. You can rent a 100mm macro when you have weddings, just work it into the price. just for personal purpose as secondary photogph. Nope. CREDITS: All photographs by Lin and Jirsa Photographyare copyrighted and have been used with permission for SLR Lounge. Whats best for you depends only on you and no one can say which lenses should be used for wedding photography. Thank you for this piece. In short, am looking for just one more lens that I can use to shoot entire wedding/party/group/portrait as secondary photogph. Thanks for share this blog. Yet to get one though but am working towards it. When I shoot weddings or other events I shoot with 2 bodies, one with 24-70 and the other with 70-200 both with flashes on I case they are needed. Good vs Great | Free 1 Hour Training by Pye [Watch Free]. Now I own a 7D and the 24-70L. hope someone may find it useful! LOL) , LENS Pimp (No am not joking :-) Google them! Good vs Great | Free 1 Hour Training by Pye, 6 Must-Have Lenses For Wedding Photography, 6 Must-Have Lenses for Wedding Photography - Digital Scrapbooking Community - DesignerDigitals, Copyright 2019 SLR Lounge. New sigma line up will possibly change some of my lenses around. That lens is poor at focusing in low lighting conditions. W-SE regularly updates cyber attacks, hacking and events that provide IT security professionals with information throughout the world. I think that I would agree with a lot of the choices here. Great article about the lenses.I have Canon 24-70mm F/2.8 ,Canon 50mm F/1.8 & Canon 70-200 F/2.8 IS II.I photograph mostly chinese wedding and found 70% of the image are at 24mm.I see you have 24mm F/1.4 on your equipment list.How you guys make use of it?The bokeh from 24-70 F/2.8 dont seems to be very pleasing. 50 1.2 Check out this list of the best Nikon wedding photography lenses. Or, should I rent a 70-300 L series lense for the day? fotograf nuna, cameraman nunta, fotograf de nunta, videograf nunta, Simple Nikon CLS Wireless Flash - How We Shot It, Simple Nikon CLS Wireless Flash How We Shot It | Photography Tutorials and Lightroom Tutorials by SLR Lounge, iPhone Photography Tutorials (And Other Smartphones). I just entered the Wedding photography business, last engagment i used a 18-55 EF-S lens, my pictures keep out pretty good but these six lens just makes it 100 times better. I have a 50, and the L series kit lense. Thats how much I love it! However, there are certain factors that have a direct impact on images, such as lenses and the skill of the photographer. If you want to go pro with your wedding photography the 3 wedding lenses below would be the best pair with your Nikon D3500. Scotty, I think most successful wedding photogs would say it takes so much more than just lenses, cameras, and equipment to be good at what you do. The same value will go higher. Thanks a lot! I guess thats why im behind the camera and not in front of it! This article always makes me cringe. However, for event photography, I noticed some drawbacks. I plan on buying the 50mm 1.8g soon as well as the sigma 18-50 2.8. With this in mind I am not going to invest in such an exspense being mainly at this time into Lanscape SO(and Im supprised no one has mentioned this? ) Hank. I think the last breed of fols love more people and love being inside of action. 
Here are my favorites (in order): For this reason I went out an purchased a two slot FF Canon. 
If I bump up my ISO how will it fair indoors? I can see almost everyones point of view all with merit. No, it would be professionally irresponsible to have such a limited coverage and no backup. If you know what the heck youre doing, you can accomplish quite a lot with almost any gear. take a lot of test short again to find the sweet spot of ur lens from f3.5 to say f11 in between after zooming in ur photo u will at certain f/stop notice the picture is at its sharpestbingo! They are great lenses, but are they a must have? But its not always suitable to get in some positions with it. It is the operator who works the tool, and the tail doesnt wag the dog. All I have to do is use a monopod / tripod, and/or bump up my ISO a little bit. and keep a good quality close up filter in your jacket pocket for the closeup shot of ring. Can cheap cameras create great photographs? Now, being a wedding photographer, with the space and resources offered, you can not complain much and have to show your best. If canon made a super Lens i.e. would you say I am good to go in a small church with flash allowed? How can you call the author of the article overPRed and say no offense in the same response? I have a 6D and my first camera which is a rebel t3. The new EOS 6D which has such a stunning low light capability (Hence a HUGE fav for low light and Astronomy Photographers ) as well as the 5mk iii of course if you have an lens that is stop or two slower than you like tbut your camera body with the latest sensors would that not help at least ? I had to get something better than I had before and I couldnt wait got get enough money for the f/2.8 version. I use the 17-40 f4, why? This allows me to spend less time figuring out where I put the lens cap and more time on the moments I was hired to capture. in general if u use ur current lens u will need a flash for indoors unless ur able to live wth hi ISO. Mike, thats probably because youve been shooting for a while and you know your style very well. * a lot of skill in organizing people and adapting to different personalities. I use the f/1.4 version. I like my 18-200 for most things even though I get a little bummed out with soft corners). the standard professionals set-up) will do the job. This is assuming that you already have a camera and know what you are doing. The 35f/1.4 is the one to get. I am considering changing the 75 1.8 for the 50-150 2.8 zoom, but I am not sure whether it is the right move, so for the time being, it stays the way it is. When this article was first published in 2009, the 85mm f/1.2 was in our honorable mention category, but weve since fallen in love with this focal length. Ask your customers, by looking at this photo, can you please tell me what lens did i use and model and while your guessing, please also give me the brand. As long as I have enough light I prefer the f/4 and if shot wide open is as solid as the f/2.8 at f/4. It is a smart idea to invest in a tripod while talking about stability. Accsesories: Excellent and detail article. You write amazing article ,You capture nice wedding photographs.I use 24-70mm f2.8 lens for capture wedding photographs.Thanks for sharing information. Now, I am an advanced amateur taking impressive pictures with a pro body. The tea ceremony in the article is not a Chinese wedding but a Vietnamese wedding. Sometimes the 24-70mm lens just isnt wide enough to capture everything you want. center focus point is regarded as the most accurate so i only use the center focus point. Now I see I should have waited because I often take photos in low light condition where a flash is unwanted. I live macro lens and fish-eye in a trolley. 2 speedlite 430 ex ii. I also have an old T2i body on my camera bag just in case. One lens to rule them all, great bokeh, sharpness, focusing and build quality. Unless you are doing this for fun or just helping out a friend. During Nikon D3500 wedding photography, talking about shutter speed, all depends on the topic you concentrate on during the wedding shoot. I dont know. I find that in this business theres just too many different style of photography to predetermine that a specific lens is a MUST have per say and reading this article confirms just that although many hold the same lens me included. Beyond that, shoot with what you have, and make the equipment you have work for you. What I am looking for is one lens for family / individual portraits and wedding / party/ group pics. practical and gives you a far higher keeper rate. Now all I need is $7,000 and Ill be a successful wedding photog! I bought some video editing software and I had no idea how to use that. Plenty of amazing weddings were shot with a D200/D2x where ISO 400 was the max. Hi, nice comment do you have here. example 70-200 hv f2.8 model n f4. Would appreciate if you can pls help me select the best lens for me which complement my above collection of lenses. Wedding photography with Nikon D3500-shutter EF 24-70mm F/2.8L II USM Zoom Lens Hi, I have a Canon Rebel Eos SL1 with the standard lens (18-55mm) and picked up a Tamron AF70-300mm F/4-5.6 , Was asked to do someones Weddings, Got any tips? 6D: Apologies for the type errors, bloody smart phone tablet LOL! Lowepro backpack, Lowepro lens pouch, Lowepro belt with spider pro clamp. I would tend to agree with most suggestions, however, First, I dont know anyone who uses 6 lenses when shooting a wedding4 tops. hahaha dude thats my setup for weddings, i used to shoot with the 24-70mm f2.8 and never be happy and it is heavy as hell, now i change it for the 24mm f1.4L ii and its other world to me, with these 6 lenses i shoot a wedding very well and they pure quality. Wedding photography requires backup. I own D3300 since 2 years and i planned to upgrade my gear since i face some constraints like focus points. A lot of focus in, focus out, not to hard. Hey, I shoot with primes 90% of the time and I dont miss moments. However we certainly cant encourage new photographers to show up to a wedding with nothing but a 50mm, of course. During Nikon D3500 wedding photography, ISO settings play a key role in adding a whole new touch to your capture shots. Few genres demand more from photographers and their gear. My goal is to get the 70-200 Canon and the 50 1.4 Canon. The 85mm f1.8 comes out only when the guests are seated and the 50mm and 17-40mm come out only when the guests are on the dance floor. 90% of my images are with the 50. In DJ-ing world, to be acknowledged as a pro- dj, you have to have that angelic glow in the dark apple logo. I am looking for specific brands and models. Even DX (Just incase you get trapped in an elevator or something) 5% some of the stuff on SLR Lounge is REALLY REALLY helpful but they always seem to be trying to push this cookie-cutter wedding/couple brand with the same posed images and corny concepts. And anything slower than F/2.8 is mediocre. Absolutely. I will post results here and I am honest 100% when I say I havent owned a camera my mobile aside for 10 years and never edited in my life. 
Have gone thru your articles and some others and shortlisted the followings in descending order (again, its based on what I read from your and few other articles ). Thats it! Canon EF 70-200mm F/2.8 L IS II USM Lens currently just starting to learn my MKIII with Sigma Art 35/1.4, and the Zeiss Makro Planar 100/2.0, sharpness all over!! f/4-5.6Macro, a 50mm F/1.8, and a 28-90mm f/3.5-5.6, but, weird as it may be, I get beautiful shots, and, they love the shots as well (The families). *. I was wondering what you keep your lenses stored in when working with these lenses? 
EF S 18-55 mm 1:3.5-5.6 and EF S 75-300 mm 1:4-5.6. The camera is way cheaper and lighter than its predecessor D3400 and further sports a longer battery life. After that I upgraded to 6d and added a 70-300 IS. Your business will target certain customers based on your style of shooting and the use of lighting and naturally the choice of lenses. setup the camera to its optimum or to your preference. So I believe I need to go for a good wide angle prime for indoor and even group pics. Ill take a look at that. As for the camera, if you can afford a full-frame camera, get one, as it will give you amazing image quality, even when photographing in low-light conditions (which is what often happens when photographing weddings indoors). Judging by the comments Im not the only one whos friend has said, you must photograph my wedding! Quite apart from feeling nervous about whether I would be able to do it well enough, I felt disappointment. This article was updated in April 2014. I love my 50 mm L 1.2 but it is an artistic extra equipment in my pack. I want to choose either 80D/D750. Thanks for sharing. Awesome article here, I agree withFotograf Profesionist Nunta. You got quite a list there. (no the collapsable one). People can get amazing pictures with any camera/lens setup. good suggestions. I wonder, would the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art be a better choice or Canon 50mm f/1.2 L? Pablo: Great article. Then add the primes as you go. $7K is a drop in the bucket considering that if you book your first few years in earnest and charge a fair rate, you could be bringing in $100K or more per year with minimal overall experience, and just sheer talent plus $7-10K worth of gear. I have a 28mm wide angle and a 500mm fixed for anything else. Thanks a lot, Pye, for the extensive review about the perfect lenses for portrait photography. My point is unless you are getting to the point where you are doing a half a dozen or more weddings a year, and/or other work (Or play photography wise) you do warrants investing in the optics required , Why not Hire ? But making these types of decisions is more difficult for anyone who hasnt been shooting weddings for ~10 years, lol. Fast primes give you the best bang for the buck, the supposed versatility of a zoom for the same price is just an illusion which dies quickly when it comes down to the results. Everything else is extra and not necessary. 
I agree with you 100%! The forth lens would be a fast 50mm. That being said, people have to start somewhere. If your bride and groom are spending thousands of dollars on the details of a wedding, they are sure to appreciate you capturing the event in detail. The 5th lens I purchased was a 85mm f/1.8. Protein bar Personally, Id definitely rather have a good 35 and 85 instead of a 24-70, and a good 135 instead of a 70-200. They just love your style of photography. if u hv the $ than hell why not buy the best otherwise there are many too choose from I shoot with an entry level canon and have gotten some awesome images out of it. PL provides various digital photography news, reviews, articles, tips, tutorials and guides to photographers of all levels, By Nasim Mansurov 63 CommentsLast Updated On February 11, 2018. I started weddings this year. Im currently shooting with a Sigma 70-300mm Great! Does that make you a pro-dj? Oh this is SO perfectly written.Nice captures. 
Just one opinion for a starter in this business, its a better option to start with a 17-50mm or buy a 28mm to join with a 50mm 1.8 that I already have? Red bull 70-200mm F2.8L Mark II IS is an amazing lens, I always use it in the reception, it is like a sniper. (Im a Nikon wedding photographer, looking to use my 25-70 2.8 less in order to gain sharpness and better bokeh). Once my favorite lenses as a nature photographer- the 100mm macro gets used for only about 5 frames for the ring shot. Beautiful creamy backgrounds and again a great lens when you need light. besides the obviously larger aperture, the focus of the 1.4 is much faster. Not really. If you havent done so already, check out our Lens Wars series,the ultimate visual guide to real world differences between a whole host of Canon professional zoom lenses and primes. It creates beautiful bokeh (blur) at f/2.8, and the compression you get when youre zoomed in from 150-200mm gives your image a look thats hard to achieve with any other lens. Focal length will depend on ur shooting style. I shoot weddings professionally every weekend. I thought about buy a 7th lens which would be a 16-35 f/2.8 II. I love that Im able to get some pretty dramatic images due to how wide it is. Ive lost a lots of catches because a I dont have a 2.8 prime. Thank you all, enjoyed reading all the discussion here and have learnt a lot! Some fringing but nothing that cant be fixed in post. . Without much thinking, I responded to the query by saying that he/she should not photograph the wedding and perhaps leave the task to someone who knows what equipment to use and more importantly, how to use it. I use a 24-70 2.8 L and 70-200 2.8 IS L on a canon 6D. Overall this lens will be much more useful for me compared to 16-35mm F/4 lens. I have many hours on my Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 DI VC USD and its held up fantastic. I tend to rely on my 24-70 f2.8 for a lot of the work. Not because it gives you the best look, but because it gives you the necessary versatility for any situation. These are all tools, and they do as they are told (within their limits). However, I KNOW how to use it in my short time with it. 
Wait until you can afford the L glass except get the 50mm 1.8 for $125 right away. Lets say if you film an indoor wedding with all the natural lights in the surrounding area, it will make it work for you to keep the ISO setting to ISO 400. Very nice article. 
On the other hand, it is strongly recommended to keep the ISO sensitivity to ISO 100 if the atmosphere is fairly bright and harsh. Now, before you go out and buy a high-quality external flash, remember to check its Nikon D3500 wedding photography compatibility and features. presumably this is targeted at the pro and not amateur otherwise its open to a variety of lenses. If I could add a fourth lens it would be the 20mm 1.4 Art by Sigma. I believe the 135 (candid shots), the 24-70 (group flash shots), and the 100 Macro (wedding details) are all the lens you need for a wedding. As I am new and have only 18-55 and 75-300, my understanding is that these are not good enough for e.g. A pre-requisite for every wedding shoot is the use of a flash, since most wedding venues have uneven lighting conditions. This year 2016 I purchased my first L lens 24-70 2.8!and results made a huge leap. I only use my 70-200VRII at 200mm 2.8 for portraits and 16-35VR for wide shots (few shots) other than that, I have my 28G and 85G/58G on both sides. I think youre point is that investing in the lenses wont make you a professional without the talent, skill and experience to match the investment. there4 always try to use the lowest ISO i.e 100 I often used my friends Canon 70D and Nikon D5300 as well. Add your touch of lighting and creativity, and you get ring shots like the one below. Just my thoughts. 70- 200 F2.8 VRII is the best that you can use even for Landscape Photography. I know those locations. The 50mm also allows you to create stunning portraits, as the low aperture creates the shallow depth of field that softens your subjects skin and makes them pop off the page. 18-55 f3.5-5.6 is your standard kit lens which came with the camera wen u purchased it (correct me if im wrong). You gained one view of your article but I guarantee you that I will never read your articles again. Login to access your dashboard, watch tutorials, submit photos for critiques and and get recognized for awards. There are no good zooms around for less than $1500. How Do I Connect 2 Monitors To My Lenovo Laptop? You answer this as a photographer which is usually a critic and a perfectionist in a world where perfection is in the eye of the beholder. Some people have to take out a business loan for a quarter-million dollars in order to get their business going! 8 x Canon LP E6N Rechargeable Battery I noticed you posted this article in 2009. I might go with an 85mm 1.4 and then a 24-70 f2.8. 
25% of the shots were unrecoverable. The wedding is a one time event in the life, and is very important for the photographer catch the moments. make sure its fast enough / sharp enough / accurate enough to get the shots you need. For me the best wedding lens ever is Nikons 14-24 f/2.8! I own 5 Canon 600-RT flashes. Just one small thought on the Canon 24-70 F2.8: It weighs a ton. Some pro gear indeed. Nowadays ISO 3200+ is usable, especially with grain reduction programs. In a perfect world, wed have the finances and manpower to haul every available lens to the venue; in reality, were limited to a handful of lenses, each of which needs to beaccessible, high-quality, and versatile. Not weather sealed though but for half the price of the canon version, ill buy a shooting bag if in the rain. I dont shoot weddings but I intend to do in future. Great article! Tilt-Shift Lens f/1.4 is more for creative purposes. Some photographers will shoot an entire wedding just wth 2 lenses others 4 or mo. Canon EF 35mm f/2 (1.4) IS USM Lens AED 2000 Costly for me, so until it have great value, I will not go for it Wedding photography is uniquein that it encompasses several genres of photography: fashion, portrait, architectural, product, macro, family, and sometimes even travel photography. Sorry Scotty, I missed the sarcasm till now. and lastly, sigma art 35mm or Nikon/canon 35mm? Thanks, Most pros dont want to use off brand glass. Seriously, these guys just recently within the last year or so finally advocated that people stop doing train track shots not because its corny and awful and boring but because its not safe and someone might get hurt. You cannot shoot a wedding without one. The 70-200 is great for portraits when you want great compression. You can rent a 100mm macro when you have weddings, just work it into the price. just for personal purpose as secondary photogph. Nope. CREDITS: All photographs by Lin and Jirsa Photographyare copyrighted and have been used with permission for SLR Lounge. Whats best for you depends only on you and no one can say which lenses should be used for wedding photography. Thank you for this piece. In short, am looking for just one more lens that I can use to shoot entire wedding/party/group/portrait as secondary photogph. Thanks for share this blog. Yet to get one though but am working towards it. When I shoot weddings or other events I shoot with 2 bodies, one with 24-70 and the other with 70-200 both with flashes on I case they are needed. Good vs Great | Free 1 Hour Training by Pye [Watch Free]. Now I own a 7D and the 24-70L. hope someone may find it useful! LOL) , LENS Pimp (No am not joking :-) Google them! Good vs Great | Free 1 Hour Training by Pye, 6 Must-Have Lenses For Wedding Photography, 6 Must-Have Lenses for Wedding Photography - Digital Scrapbooking Community - DesignerDigitals, Copyright 2019 SLR Lounge. New sigma line up will possibly change some of my lenses around. That lens is poor at focusing in low lighting conditions. W-SE regularly updates cyber attacks, hacking and events that provide IT security professionals with information throughout the world. I think that I would agree with a lot of the choices here. Great article about the lenses.I have Canon 24-70mm F/2.8 ,Canon 50mm F/1.8 & Canon 70-200 F/2.8 IS II.I photograph mostly chinese wedding and found 70% of the image are at 24mm.I see you have 24mm F/1.4 on your equipment list.How you guys make use of it?The bokeh from 24-70 F/2.8 dont seems to be very pleasing. 50 1.2 Check out this list of the best Nikon wedding photography lenses. Or, should I rent a 70-300 L series lense for the day? fotograf nuna, cameraman nunta, fotograf de nunta, videograf nunta, Simple Nikon CLS Wireless Flash - How We Shot It, Simple Nikon CLS Wireless Flash How We Shot It | Photography Tutorials and Lightroom Tutorials by SLR Lounge, iPhone Photography Tutorials (And Other Smartphones). I just entered the Wedding photography business, last engagment i used a 18-55 EF-S lens, my pictures keep out pretty good but these six lens just makes it 100 times better. I have a 50, and the L series kit lense. Thats how much I love it! However, there are certain factors that have a direct impact on images, such as lenses and the skill of the photographer. If you want to go pro with your wedding photography the 3 wedding lenses below would be the best pair with your Nikon D3500. Scotty, I think most successful wedding photogs would say it takes so much more than just lenses, cameras, and equipment to be good at what you do. The same value will go higher. Thanks a lot! I guess thats why im behind the camera and not in front of it! This article always makes me cringe. However, for event photography, I noticed some drawbacks. I plan on buying the 50mm 1.8g soon as well as the sigma 18-50 2.8. With this in mind I am not going to invest in such an exspense being mainly at this time into Lanscape SO(and Im supprised no one has mentioned this? ) Hank. I think the last breed of fols love more people and love being inside of action. Here are my favorites (in order): For this reason I went out an purchased a two slot FF Canon. If I bump up my ISO how will it fair indoors? I can see almost everyones point of view all with merit. No, it would be professionally irresponsible to have such a limited coverage and no backup. If you know what the heck youre doing, you can accomplish quite a lot with almost any gear. take a lot of test short again to find the sweet spot of ur lens from f3.5 to say f11 in between after zooming in ur photo u will at certain f/stop notice the picture is at its sharpestbingo! They are great lenses, but are they a must have? But its not always suitable to get in some positions with it. It is the operator who works the tool, and the tail doesnt wag the dog. All I have to do is use a monopod / tripod, and/or bump up my ISO a little bit. and keep a good quality close up filter in your jacket pocket for the closeup shot of ring. Can cheap cameras create great photographs? Now, being a wedding photographer, with the space and resources offered, you can not complain much and have to show your best. If canon made a super Lens i.e. would you say I am good to go in a small church with flash allowed? How can you call the author of the article overPRed and say no offense in the same response? I have a 6D and my first camera which is a rebel t3. The new EOS 6D which has such a stunning low light capability (Hence a HUGE fav for low light and Astronomy Photographers ) as well as the 5mk iii of course if you have an lens that is stop or two slower than you like tbut your camera body with the latest sensors would that not help at least ? I had to get something better than I had before and I couldnt wait got get enough money for the f/2.8 version. I use the 17-40 f4, why? This allows me to spend less time figuring out where I put the lens cap and more time on the moments I was hired to capture. in general if u use ur current lens u will need a flash for indoors unless ur able to live wth hi ISO. Mike, thats probably because youve been shooting for a while and you know your style very well. * a lot of skill in organizing people and adapting to different personalities. I use the f/1.4 version. I like my 18-200 for most things even though I get a little bummed out with soft corners). the standard professionals set-up) will do the job. This is assuming that you already have a camera and know what you are doing. The 35f/1.4 is the one to get. I am considering changing the 75 1.8 for the 50-150 2.8 zoom, but I am not sure whether it is the right move, so for the time being, it stays the way it is. When this article was first published in 2009, the 85mm f/1.2 was in our honorable mention category, but weve since fallen in love with this focal length. Ask your customers, by looking at this photo, can you please tell me what lens did i use and model and while your guessing, please also give me the brand. As long as I have enough light I prefer the f/4 and if shot wide open is as solid as the f/2.8 at f/4. It is a smart idea to invest in a tripod while talking about stability. Accsesories: Excellent and detail article. You write amazing article ,You capture nice wedding photographs.I use 24-70mm f2.8 lens for capture wedding photographs.Thanks for sharing information. Now, I am an advanced amateur taking impressive pictures with a pro body. The tea ceremony in the article is not a Chinese wedding but a Vietnamese wedding. Sometimes the 24-70mm lens just isnt wide enough to capture everything you want. center focus point is regarded as the most accurate so i only use the center focus point. Now I see I should have waited because I often take photos in low light condition where a flash is unwanted. I live macro lens and fish-eye in a trolley. 2 speedlite 430 ex ii. I also have an old T2i body on my camera bag just in case. One lens to rule them all, great bokeh, sharpness, focusing and build quality. Unless you are doing this for fun or just helping out a friend. During Nikon D3500 wedding photography, talking about shutter speed, all depends on the topic you concentrate on during the wedding shoot. I dont know. I find that in this business theres just too many different style of photography to predetermine that a specific lens is a MUST have per say and reading this article confirms just that although many hold the same lens me included. Beyond that, shoot with what you have, and make the equipment you have work for you. What I am looking for is one lens for family / individual portraits and wedding / party/ group pics. practical and gives you a far higher keeper rate. Now all I need is $7,000 and Ill be a successful wedding photog! I bought some video editing software and I had no idea how to use that. Plenty of amazing weddings were shot with a D200/D2x where ISO 400 was the max. Hi, nice comment do you have here. example 70-200 hv f2.8 model n f4. Would appreciate if you can pls help me select the best lens for me which complement my above collection of lenses. Wedding photography with Nikon D3500-shutter EF 24-70mm F/2.8L II USM Zoom Lens Hi, I have a Canon Rebel Eos SL1 with the standard lens (18-55mm) and picked up a Tamron AF70-300mm F/4-5.6 , Was asked to do someones Weddings, Got any tips? 6D: Apologies for the type errors, bloody smart phone tablet LOL! Lowepro backpack, Lowepro lens pouch, Lowepro belt with spider pro clamp. I would tend to agree with most suggestions, however, First, I dont know anyone who uses 6 lenses when shooting a wedding4 tops. hahaha dude thats my setup for weddings, i used to shoot with the 24-70mm f2.8 and never be happy and it is heavy as hell, now i change it for the 24mm f1.4L ii and its other world to me, with these 6 lenses i shoot a wedding very well and they pure quality. Wedding photography requires backup. I own D3300 since 2 years and i planned to upgrade my gear since i face some constraints like focus points. A lot of focus in, focus out, not to hard. Hey, I shoot with primes 90% of the time and I dont miss moments. However we certainly cant encourage new photographers to show up to a wedding with nothing but a 50mm, of course. During Nikon D3500 wedding photography, ISO settings play a key role in adding a whole new touch to your capture shots. Few genres demand more from photographers and their gear. My goal is to get the 70-200 Canon and the 50 1.4 Canon. The 85mm f1.8 comes out only when the guests are seated and the 50mm and 17-40mm come out only when the guests are on the dance floor. 90% of my images are with the 50. In DJ-ing world, to be acknowledged as a pro- dj, you have to have that angelic glow in the dark apple logo. I am looking for specific brands and models. Even DX (Just incase you get trapped in an elevator or something) 5% some of the stuff on SLR Lounge is REALLY REALLY helpful but they always seem to be trying to push this cookie-cutter wedding/couple brand with the same posed images and corny concepts. And anything slower than F/2.8 is mediocre. Absolutely. I will post results here and I am honest 100% when I say I havent owned a camera my mobile aside for 10 years and never edited in my life. Have gone thru your articles and some others and shortlisted the followings in descending order (again, its based on what I read from your and few other articles ). Thats it! Canon EF 70-200mm F/2.8 L IS II USM Lens currently just starting to learn my MKIII with Sigma Art 35/1.4, and the Zeiss Makro Planar 100/2.0, sharpness all over!! f/4-5.6Macro, a 50mm F/1.8, and a 28-90mm f/3.5-5.6, but, weird as it may be, I get beautiful shots, and, they love the shots as well (The families). *. I was wondering what you keep your lenses stored in when working with these lenses? EF S 18-55 mm 1:3.5-5.6 and EF S 75-300 mm 1:4-5.6. The camera is way cheaper and lighter than its predecessor D3400 and further sports a longer battery life. After that I upgraded to 6d and added a 70-300 IS. Your business will target certain customers based on your style of shooting and the use of lighting and naturally the choice of lenses. setup the camera to its optimum or to your preference. So I believe I need to go for a good wide angle prime for indoor and even group pics. Ill take a look at that. As for the camera, if you can afford a full-frame camera, get one, as it will give you amazing image quality, even when photographing in low-light conditions (which is what often happens when photographing weddings indoors). Judging by the comments Im not the only one whos friend has said, you must photograph my wedding! Quite apart from feeling nervous about whether I would be able to do it well enough, I felt disappointment. This article was updated in April 2014. I love my 50 mm L 1.2 but it is an artistic extra equipment in my pack. I want to choose either 80D/D750. Thanks for sharing. Awesome article here, I agree withFotograf Profesionist Nunta. You got quite a list there. (no the collapsable one). People can get amazing pictures with any camera/lens setup. good suggestions. I wonder, would the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art be a better choice or Canon 50mm f/1.2 L? Pablo: Great article. Then add the primes as you go. $7K is a drop in the bucket considering that if you book your first few years in earnest and charge a fair rate, you could be bringing in $100K or more per year with minimal overall experience, and just sheer talent plus $7-10K worth of gear. I have a 28mm wide angle and a 500mm fixed for anything else. Thanks a lot, Pye, for the extensive review about the perfect lenses for portrait photography. My point is unless you are getting to the point where you are doing a half a dozen or more weddings a year, and/or other work (Or play photography wise) you do warrants investing in the optics required , Why not Hire ? But making these types of decisions is more difficult for anyone who hasnt been shooting weddings for ~10 years, lol. Fast primes give you the best bang for the buck, the supposed versatility of a zoom for the same price is just an illusion which dies quickly when it comes down to the results. Everything else is extra and not necessary. I agree with you 100%! The forth lens would be a fast 50mm. That being said, people have to start somewhere. If your bride and groom are spending thousands of dollars on the details of a wedding, they are sure to appreciate you capturing the event in detail. The 5th lens I purchased was a 85mm f/1.8. Protein bar Personally, Id definitely rather have a good 35 and 85 instead of a 24-70, and a good 135 instead of a 70-200. They just love your style of photography. if u hv the $ than hell why not buy the best otherwise there are many too choose from I shoot with an entry level canon and have gotten some awesome images out of it. PL provides various digital photography news, reviews, articles, tips, tutorials and guides to photographers of all levels, By Nasim Mansurov 63 CommentsLast Updated On February 11, 2018. I started weddings this year. Im currently shooting with a Sigma 70-300mm Great! Does that make you a pro-dj? Oh this is SO perfectly written.Nice captures. Just one opinion for a starter in this business, its a better option to start with a 17-50mm or buy a 28mm to join with a 50mm 1.8 that I already have? Red bull 70-200mm F2.8L Mark II IS is an amazing lens, I always use it in the reception, it is like a sniper. (Im a Nikon wedding photographer, looking to use my 25-70 2.8 less in order to gain sharpness and better bokeh). Once my favorite lenses as a nature photographer- the 100mm macro gets used for only about 5 frames for the ring shot. Beautiful creamy backgrounds and again a great lens when you need light. besides the obviously larger aperture, the focus of the 1.4 is much faster. Not really. If you havent done so already, check out our Lens Wars series,the ultimate visual guide to real world differences between a whole host of Canon professional zoom lenses and primes. It creates beautiful bokeh (blur) at f/2.8, and the compression you get when youre zoomed in from 150-200mm gives your image a look thats hard to achieve with any other lens. Focal length will depend on ur shooting style. I shoot weddings professionally every weekend. I thought about buy a 7th lens which would be a 16-35 f/2.8 II. I love that Im able to get some pretty dramatic images due to how wide it is. Ive lost a lots of catches because a I dont have a 2.8 prime. Thank you all, enjoyed reading all the discussion here and have learnt a lot! Some fringing but nothing that cant be fixed in post. . Without much thinking, I responded to the query by saying that he/she should not photograph the wedding and perhaps leave the task to someone who knows what equipment to use and more importantly, how to use it. I use a 24-70 2.8 L and 70-200 2.8 IS L on a canon 6D. Overall this lens will be much more useful for me compared to 16-35mm F/4 lens. I have many hours on my Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 DI VC USD and its held up fantastic. I tend to rely on my 24-70 f2.8 for a lot of the work. Not because it gives you the best look, but because it gives you the necessary versatility for any situation. These are all tools, and they do as they are told (within their limits). However, I KNOW how to use it in my short time with it. Wait until you can afford the L glass except get the 50mm 1.8 for $125 right away. Lets say if you film an indoor wedding with all the natural lights in the surrounding area, it will make it work for you to keep the ISO setting to ISO 400. Very nice article. On the other hand, it is strongly recommended to keep the ISO sensitivity to ISO 100 if the atmosphere is fairly bright and harsh. Now, before you go out and buy a high-quality external flash, remember to check its Nikon D3500 wedding photography compatibility and features. presumably this is targeted at the pro and not amateur otherwise its open to a variety of lenses. If I could add a fourth lens it would be the 20mm 1.4 Art by Sigma. I believe the 135 (candid shots), the 24-70 (group flash shots), and the 100 Macro (wedding details) are all the lens you need for a wedding. As I am new and have only 18-55 and 75-300, my understanding is that these are not good enough for e.g. A pre-requisite for every wedding shoot is the use of a flash, since most wedding venues have uneven lighting conditions. This year 2016 I purchased my first L lens 24-70 2.8!and results made a huge leap. I only use my 70-200VRII at 200mm 2.8 for portraits and 16-35VR for wide shots (few shots) other than that, I have my 28G and 85G/58G on both sides. I think youre point is that investing in the lenses wont make you a professional without the talent, skill and experience to match the investment. there4 always try to use the lowest ISO i.e 100 I often used my friends Canon 70D and Nikon D5300 as well. Add your touch of lighting and creativity, and you get ring shots like the one below. Just my thoughts. 70- 200 F2.8 VRII is the best that you can use even for Landscape Photography. I know those locations. The 50mm also allows you to create stunning portraits, as the low aperture creates the shallow depth of field that softens your subjects skin and makes them pop off the page. 18-55 f3.5-5.6 is your standard kit lens which came with the camera wen u purchased it (correct me if im wrong). You gained one view of your article but I guarantee you that I will never read your articles again. Login to access your dashboard, watch tutorials, submit photos for critiques and and get recognized for awards. There are no good zooms around for less than $1500. How Do I Connect 2 Monitors To My Lenovo Laptop? You answer this as a photographer which is usually a critic and a perfectionist in a world where perfection is in the eye of the beholder. Some people have to take out a business loan for a quarter-million dollars in order to get their business going! 8 x Canon LP E6N Rechargeable Battery I noticed you posted this article in 2009. I might go with an 85mm 1.4 and then a 24-70 f2.8.