Last Updated on May 12, 2023 by cameraconsumer
With wedding season upon us, let’s take a look at some of the options that you have, in terms of choosing the right camera lens for you.
For the purposes of this article, let’s assume that you already own some type of camera capable of mounting a lens. Let’s also assume that you either don’t currently own a lens, or you have a lens that isn’t ideal for wedding photography.
On a side note, you might not already own a camera, or you might be in the market for a new one. If that’s the case, then consider buying a camera and lens bundle.
Finally, let’s make one more assumption – that you’re not a professional.
You may not even be a photography enthusiast. This might just be the only lens you will ever purchase. Ideally, you’ll want something that can both properly handle a wedding, but future photography settings as well.
This isn’t so much a brand vs brand comparison, but more of a platform comparison to find the ideal lens for you.
On a side note, if you’re open to purchasing a few lenses, it doesn’t make sense to go overboard. Having ten camera lenses will end up doing more harm than good. Master a few lenses (2-3 should do the trick), and know the ideal time, place, and purpose for each.
If you’re interested, this video will give you a bit more info:
Factors To Consider
What is ideal for me, may not be so ideal for you. Every photographer will have his or her opinion on what lens they would use. But they’re not you. They don’t have the specific set of needs and resources that you do.
Here are some factors to consider:
- Setting of the wedding
- Your budget
- Your camera
- Future photography opportunities
- The scope of your photography
Setting Of The Wedding
Where will the wedding be held? Is it a traditional wedding, at a church, and maybe with a reception at a banquet hall after? Maybe a wedding at the beach?
Or perhaps it’s an outdoor wedding, but somewhere smaller than a beach – like a garden, a backyard, a ranch, etc.
One type of lens will work better for an indoor wedding, and another type will be best for outdoor use.
And even for outdoor settings, you’ll find different options given the size of the overall backdrop – one focal length for a perfect portrait, another for scenery.
Your Budget
Like with everything else in life, your budget matters. It’s pointless to consider $1000 camera lenses when you only have $150 to spend.
Likewise, it wouldn’t make much financial sense to spend $1000 on a lens you might only use once.
Your Camera
What kind of camera do you have? Is your Nikon camera FX format, or DX format? Is your Canon camera APS-C, or full-frame?
Future Photography Opportunities
Do you like taking pictures? Are you into capturing memories, or beautiful landscapes? If you are, then you need to consider where your photography will take place.
Will you be snapping pictures at other events like birthdays, parties, etc? Will you be capturing the perfect sunset at the beach, or your favorite hiking trail?
The scope of your future photography should have a say on today’s purchase – again, assuming this might be the only lens you ever purchase.
The Scope Of Your Photography
In terms of the wedding – what is the scope of your photography?
Did the bride ask you to snap some candid photos to document the event, or do you just want some portraits for your own personal photo album?
In conjunction with the format of your camera, the scope of your photography will also play a factor in deciding whats ideal.
Prime vs Zoom
With that said, you’ll generally find that two types of lens formats are ideal for wedding photography: Standard prime lenses, and standard zoom lenses.
Each type has advantages over the other, but disadvantages as well. Let’s take a look.
Standard Prime Lenses
For general wedding photography, your options will most likely be in the following focal lengths: 35, 50, 85, and possibly 105.
A standard prime lens has a fixed focal length.
Focal length has a much more complicated scientific explanation, but it basically translates into how zoomed in you are on your target. The larger the number gets, the closer you have to be for your target to be in focus.
This image should make sense of things:
Whereas the 18mm focal length captures the entire bay area, and its surrounding buildings, the 100m focal length has just that orangish portion of the building in its focus.
Here is one more example of individual snapshots just in case the image above didn’t clear things up.
In the first box, it looks like we’re focusing in on a prairie or a field of some kind. As the focal lengths increase, a red barn comes into focus.
Each focal length is fixed – in other words, each of those 9 images would have to be taken with a separate lens if you stayed in one position. If you only had a 35mm lens for example, you would have to physically get closer to the barn for your image to look like the 200mm or the 300mm image.
With that in mind, it makes sense why you would need to consider the scope of your photography when making a lens choice.
For scenery and landscape, 35mm or 50mm is ideal; whereas with a portrait, you might opt for an 85mm lens.
Pros of a prime lens
- Images are sharper
- Lens is smaller and lighter
- Works faster
- Generally less expensive
- Better for interior photography
Cons of a prime lens
- Less convenient
- One fixed focal length
- Can not zoom in unless you physically get closer
One thing to keep in mind with respect to the cons of a prime fixed lens: Ideally, you would have multiple fixed lenses of various focal lengths.
That’s why you’ll usually see the wedding photographer reaching into a bag around his/her waist to change lenses between shots.
And if you wish to do so, then there isn’t much of a choice to make; just get as many as you can afford. But for the purposes of this article, we’re trying to decide which lens is best, if we’re only going to purchase one lens.
Prime zoom lenses
A zoom lens offers the convenience of multiple standard prime lenses. Its focal lengths are variable.
For example, you might have a zoom lens described as 24-70mm, meaning that its focal length will go as low as 24mm, and as high as 70mm.
And by now you’re probably wondering, “Well why not just get a zoom lens and be done with it?”
Well, zoom lenses have their pros and cons as well.
Pros Of A Zoom Lens
- Variable focal lengths
- Great for a range of applications (Weddings, outdoors, nature, etc.)
Cons Of A Zoom Lens
- Generally more expensive
- Heavier
- Images are not as sharp
On a prime lens, you also typically get a larger maximum aperture, than with a zoom lens. This offers much better image quality when shooting indoors.
Also, while both types of lenses will generally turn out well for the subject of a portrait, a zoom lens will tend to blur the surrounding area a bit more.
To sum it up, what you lose in convenience with a prime standard lens, you make up for with better image quality.
So Which Type Of Lens Should You Choose?
If you can afford it, and you plan to shoot often (at least once a month or so), get the best zoom lens that you can afford.
Something like a 24-105mm lens should satisfy most photographers. With a Canon lens, like an EF 24–105mm f/3.5–5.6 IS STM – that’s going to set you back around $600 or so.
But a lot of people can’t afford that, and some people don’t plan on shooting as often. So let’s look at a few more options.
If You’re Planning On Shooting Close-Up Portraits
Get a standard prime lens in the 85mm range. Something like a Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 AS IF UMC Lens.
This type of lens is ideal for shooting from about 3-5 feet away from the subject.
Shots from a distance might not work as well with an 85mm lens – but if you’re mostly shooting close portraits – then it won’t really matter.
The standard 85mm lens has been around forever. Even a discontinued 85mm lens can still get the job done for a bargain.
If You Need Landscape Or Scenery Shots For An Outdoor Wedding
Or some casual portraits – as well as various photography subjects in the future, consider two options:
Option #1 – A 50mm Prime Lens.
This is the most versatile focal length, and should satisfy most imaging needs. If you asked a professional photographer to choose only one lens, it would most likely be the 50mm.
Before zoom lenses were developed, DSLR cameras routinely came fitted with a 50mm lens.
This focal length will provide great pictures from casual portraits, to a sunset on the beach, and everything in between. Here is a beach image taken with a 50mm lens:
A 50mm lens will also work fabulously for close-up portraits – you just may get a bit of distortion when compared with the 85mm (depending on the subject, and the situation).
I would also have recommended a 50mm lens for the first scenario, but if close-up portraits are all you’re going to do, you might as well opt for the 85mm.
Option #2 – A General Use Zoom Lens
If you can’t afford a zoom lens from a major manufacturer like Canon, Nikon, etc., then consider a zoom lens from a 2nd tier brand like Sigma, Tamron, Rokinon, etc.
An 18-55mm, or 24-70mm lens should work just fine. These types of brands are quite affordable – and can usually be found in the $200-350 range.
You’ll just have to consider the trade-offs of the superior image quality with the prime lens, vs the zooming capabilities of the zoom lens.
Aftermarket Lenses
Advancements in image quality have come a long way with respect to the 2nd tier brands. Lenses from manufacturers like Tokina, Sigma, Rokinon, Samyang, etc., produce great images.
It wasn’t always like that.
You were pretty much stuck with a lens from Canon or Nikon if you wanted superior image quality. These days, for the average user, these 2nd tier brands produce images that are just as good.
You get what you pay for obviously, and while the lens itself functions almost as well, they just aren’t built as well. If you take the parts from a Canon lens and compare them with the parts from say, a Rokinon lens, you’ll find that some of the small individual parts in the Canon are made of metal, whereas they are made of plastic in the Rokinon version.
Is that necessarily a bad thing?
Unless you’re a professional photographer, shooting daily or even weekly, you’ll most likely never even know the difference.
