[Bui]

... as main lens? A friend asked me to do photography for his wedding in 2 weeks. Since he doesn’t hire any pro, I will be the main one, if not the only one who take care of photos.

On wide to short tele side, I have the set of DA limited lenses (15, 21, 40, 70 and the 20-40 zoom that I use a lot while traveling). However wedding is definitely different and I’m thinking squirming with a set of primes might not be a good idea. The 20–40 is in my plan, just wondering whether it’s a bit limited in terms of range and speed for such different needs of photos in a wedding. I also have the Tamron 17-50 which is more versatile, but I always prefer the look from the limited zoom. Or shouldn’t I?

Your thought? :-)

[BigMackCam]

You could do quite a lot with the 20-40, but my concern would be you'd need to work quite close in to your subjects for more intimate shots... probably closer than is practical, and the results may not be as flattering (I'm thinking one and two person head-and-shoulders portraiture, for example).

I don't shoot weddings, but if I did, I'd want to cover wide angle through tele to cover most eventualities, with a reasonably fast aperture to allow for lower light shooting without a flash while keeping the ISO at decent levels. As such, from my own lenses I'd probably go with my Sigma 17-50 f/2.8 and Pentax DA*60-250 f/4.

Personally, without previous experience of a wedding shoot, I'd run a mile if I was asked

[Pentax Syntax]

Shot quite a few weddings in my youth and I always got by with a fast 50, 28-70 and 80-200 2.8 lenses on two 35 mm film bodies. ~ 75 % of wedding photography is done with that pairing in my experience. My concern would be the long end of the 20-40 zoom range is a bit short for the kind of subject isolation that is optimal. Of course you can get by with what you have but may not be the best. You don’t want to be changing lenses in that setting. Most importantly, have fun at the wedding. Not sure I ever had a lot of fun at weddings I shot for friends. Most of my shoots were as a paid wedding photographer.

[photoptimist]

Assuming you are on APS-C, the 20-40 would work for a lot of basic social shots. But the 40 end is probably way too short for some parts such as getting shots during the ceremony without being on the altar with the bride & groom. And the 20-end might be a little long if you need a larger group shot or good wide venue shot and can't back-up.

Why not plan to use the 20-40 for most of the shots but bring the 15 and the 77 just in case you really need a wider angle or more telephoto view?

[Gianclaudio]

I did a friend's wedding (small & intimate) and used 20-40 and 50-135.
I ended using the 20-40 much more, as you are going to take more group shots than headshots.
Bring a flash and you'll be fine. (A macro lens will be useful for details like rings and cake)

Pd: it will be quite tiring, so go ahead well rested.

[richandfleur]

Me, I'd plan as much as I could, and that would help guide the discussion.
If you can get access to the venue in advance, then definitely do that, and test lighting / flash aspects and/or natural light aspects if indoor.
Also determine the distance you'll need to be from the subject - to remain somewhat hidden but still get the angles and shots you need.

I wouldn't muck around with primes for the none posed section of the day. You need to be able to react quickly, as certain aspects are only happening once and you need to get them.
Don't expect to be intimately involved in the wedding either, that's the unfortunate side effect of taking on one of the duties. It quickly moves into high pressure work at times.

Later on, when you've got a period alone you can switch to the wide aperture primes and do the fancy stuff, but get the core shots under your belt first.
Getting a solid shot at f8, so everythings in focus, is better than a missed focus f2.8 that has creamy background bokeh etc.

Have someone else, one from each family, heard the groups of people for group shots.
Don't forget the likes of memory cards, batteries, clean lenses, clean sensors etc. Lots of prep to be done in advnace, and have a system where you switch some of the cards during the day, to ensure you don't have all your eggs in one basket.

And have fun

[RGlasel]

But the 40 end is probably way too short for some parts such as getting shots during the ceremony without being on the altar with the bride & groom.

I went to a wedding once like that. Unless the OP has some zooms not listed in the first post, my suggestion is to leave the 17-50, DA 15 and DA 21 at home. Wider than 20/21mm isn't great for group shots (the people on the ends will be stretched unnaturally) and 70mm on APS-C will allow you to move back to the first row for shots of only the couple, making the photographer much less intrusive. The DA 70 is a pretty decent portrait lens and it should be obvious when 40mm isn't long enough, so lens swapping should be manageable.

[clackers]

You could shoot the whole thing - preparation, ceremony, group shots, reception- with that 17-50, Bui!

[onlineflyer]

I did my son's wedding with the DA 20-40mm as my primary lens and a Sigma 70/2.8 as the secondary lens. The following are a couple of pics. I was not allowed to use a flash in the church, so the f2.8 was instrumental in getting indoor photos.

[Jonathan Mac]

I would expect you'd need the flexibility of the 17-50mm, not just for the zoom range but also for the constant f/2.8. Primes are largely a no-go for weddings because you can't be switching lenses all the time, though a fast zoom on one camera and a prime on another would be fine. Light levels are what you really need to know, and that depends on the venue and possibly the weather on the day, but flexibility is the key - the fastest aperture possible over the largest possible focal range.

If I were you I'd take both but would expect to use the 17-50mm mostly, but have the 20-40mm on hand for times when there's no hurry and light levels are sufficient. The DA 70mm might be handy for longer shots or shallower depth of field, and the 15mm might be good for more dramatic wide shots.

[mikesbike]

I would say the 20-40mm would be doable, but the 17-50mm f/2.8 most useful- and take both to the rehearsal, along with a tele lens, to get the best idea of your needs.

[Bui]

You could do quite a lot with the 20-40, but my concern would be you'd need to work quite close in to your subjects for more intimate shots... probably closer than is practical, and the results may not be as flattering (I'm thinking one and two person head-and-shoulders portraiture, for example).

I don't shoot weddings, but if I did, I'd want to cover wide angle through tele to cover most eventualities, with a reasonably fast aperture to allow for lower light shooting without a flash while keeping the ISO at decent levels. As such, from my own lenses I'd probably go with my Sigma 17-50 f/2.8 and Pentax DA*60-250 f/4.

Personally, without previous experience of a wedding shoot, I'd run a mile if I was asked

I wish I could, but this is really a good friend, plus he already did me a similar favour (he was the interpreter in my wedding), so I guess I have no option than trying my best

---------- Post added 05-07-19 at 03:00 PM ----------

Assuming you are on APS-C, the 20-40 would work for a lot of basic social shots. But the 40 end is probably way too short for some parts such as getting shots during the ceremony without being on the altar with the bride & groom. And the 20-end might be a little long if you need a larger group shot or good wide venue shot and can't back-up.

Why not plan to use the 20-40 for most of the shots but bring the 15 and the 77 just in case you really need a wider angle or more telephoto view?

I agree. I will use the 20-40 as the main lens during the ceremony, with occasional switches to either of the 15 or 70, hopefully I don't miss something important in between though.

[BigMackCam]

I wish I could, but this is really a good friend, plus he already did me a similar favour (he was the interpreter in my wedding), so I guess I have no option than trying my best

...

I agree. I will use the 20-40 as the main lens during the ceremony, with occasional switches to either of the 15 or 70, hopefully I don't miss something important in between though.

I understand you wanting to support your friend. That's very good of you Given that, I think you'll do just fine with the 20-40 and 70 (personally, I think the 15 is overkill, but no harm in taking it since it's so compact ).

I would, however, cut yourself a little slack and avoid any uncomfortable situations afterwards by being straight with your friend that you're working with limited (not "Limited" ) glass, and will be shooting accordingly. I'd hate for you to feel pressured by unrealistic expectations

Do you, perchance, own a P-TTL flash? If so, it could be very useful to take that with you for internal and backlit shots... If not, let TAv do the work, making sure you use shutter speed and aperture effectively

[Bui]

I did my son's wedding with the DA 20-40mm as my primary lens and a Sigma 70/2.8 as the secondary lens. The following are a couple of pics. I was not allowed to use a flash in the church, so the f2.8 was instrumental in getting indoor photos.

Thank you, very nice photos indeed.

[TwoUptons]

I wish I could, but this is really a good friend, plus he already did me a similar favour (he was the interpreter in my wedding), so I guess I have no option than trying my best

---------- Post added 05-07-19 at 03:00 PM ----------



I agree. I will use the 20-40 as the main lens during the ceremony, with occasional switches to either of the 15 or 70, hopefully I don't miss something important in between though.

Can you borrow or rent a second body?
That would give you the security of a backup and the flexibility of always having two lenses ready to go.

Back when all I had was a K10, I rented a K5 to shoot a cousin's wedding. It did the trick, with the DA* 16-50.

Hilariously, some of the photos from the K1000 I also brought (loaded with black and white film) were just as popular, especially the fisheyes for some reason...

-Eric