85L is not great … it’s magical…
135L should be mentionned … much sharper than the 70-200f2.8

but for me the number one lens is the 35L….35mm is just perfect, so close to natural vision and at 1.4 beeing abble to isolate a subject with the narrow dof with a wide angle lens is amazing

Great short article on wedding lens recommendation.
I would tend to agree with most suggestions, however,
in my opinion the Cann 85 1.2L is just too slow for
weddings, you miss 90% of the shots. It’s great to
impress people with, but the 85 1.8 is far more
practical and gives you a far higher keeper rate.
And it can double duty for the telescopic compression
effect of the 70-200 2.8 with a far faster aperture.
The 70-200 2.8 is a brick to carry around during an
8 hour plus all day wedding event. Just my thoughts.

I’m a Nikon shooter so I’ll have to mention the 14-24 2.8. It’s costly but I opted for this instead of a fisheye to use on my D700. It’s incredibly sharp and I don’t have to worry about any edge distortion. I love that I’m able to get some pretty dramatic images due to how wide it is.
Thanks for the article. Very informative. :o)

I recently added a 200mm f/2.8 L series to my arsenal. I found that when I was using a 70-200, I was always shooting at 200.

Nice article though all Nikon, we get the picture
I have to agree with Goodson, the 14-24 2.8 is a great addition for Nikon shooters. Yet to get one though but am working towards it

Ten? Ten lenses? Non sense. I shoot with a 17mm, 50mm and 180mm. 90% of my images are with the 50.

Great! Now all I need is $7,000 and I’ll be a successful wedding photog! Dx

In my experience, the 70-200 is great, but doesn’t work well in small chapels, as it just can’t back out far enough. The 24-70 is ideal, but the 24-105 is far more versatile in situations where a little extra zoom compression is necessary.

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.

And Mike, I also think everyone has their own style of shooting. Some of my best weddings were shot on only 3 lenses (16-35mm, 50mm, and 70-200mm). But, I would definitely have to agree with the authors picks on these lenses.

The lenses listed are quite standard and staple lenses. Though I would have to say I hate shooting on the 24-70mm. I would rather use a wide and a 50mm prime to cover that range. I don’t really like the look and feel of the bokeh on the 24-70mm, I feel like everything comes out looking too standard.

I would have to say that anyone that doesn’t think a fisheye is an amazing lens, hasn’t shot enough weddings =). It creates some of the coolest effects for wide angle shots and dance floor shots.

Here are my favorites (in order):
1) 70-200mm F2.8 IS
2) 50mm F1.4
3) 16-35mm F2.8
4) 15mm F2.8 fisheye
5) 100mm F2.8 macro
6) 24mm F1.4

The 50mm F1.2 is nice, but I find that it’s impossible to shoot anything moving at F1.2, and around F1.8+ I can’t really tell the difference between the 50mm F1.4. So, might as well stick with the cheaper lens.

Kudos to the author, loved the article.

Brandon, I would have to agree that I love the additional range on the 24-105mm. But, to be honest, we bought one to try out, then ended up selling it because it simply just wasn’t fast enough in low light, and it seems like we are always shooting low light. Do you typically use your 24-105mm during the day or in well lit areas? I am curious, what would be your 5 or 6 staple lenses?

70-200 2.8 L IS is definetly my baby!!

I love my 50 mm L 1.2 but it is an artistic extra equipment in my pack.

My 24-70 2.8 L is used only in small rooms or where 70-200 is impossible to use.
(my hus uses it more than i do)

I agree with the authors about large apertures..

Nice article!

2.8 is my smallest choice!

Been a while since I’ve used my film camera. I have a fantastic 35-200 that covers mostly everything. I have a 28mm wide angle and a 500mm fixed for anything else. Enjoyed your article, some really great pics!

For me the best wedding lens ever is Nikon’s 14-24 f/2.8! Sometimes I shoot all wedding from start till end just with that one lens. That’s how much I love it!

Thanks for this small lens roundup to have at weddings. I think this is the lens collection you should have now only for weddings, but for all kinda events. I myself just started to get the real stuff together, have the 70-200mm f/4L. I had to get something better than I had before and I couldn’t wait got get enough money for the f/2.8 version. Now I see I should have waited because I often take photos in low light condition where a flash is unwanted.
My next lens on the buy list is the 50mm f1.4 and then the 24-70mm f2.8. These three lenses are enough to do the important thing done. Like stated here, with a fisheye and a wide angle zoom lens you can have some photos with the special touch, so these two lenses will be one day mine as well ( I hope ).

Quite a good article. I believe you’ve got your choices right on. I used to use a 70-200mm f/2.8 for every wedding I shot, but for the last two I used my 85mm f/1.8 and the results were surprising. I’ve always heard that prime lenses are the best way to go, and I’ve definitely got to agree. Very nice article. Thank you.

Good choices with the exception of the 50f/1.4 . That lens is poor at focusing in low lighting conditions. The 35f/1.4 is the one to get.

Great article. I tend to rely on my 24-70 f2.8 for a lot of the work. I like the 70-200 VRII for the close ups, placing of the rings etc. I’ve been able to get some great shots with a 50mm and pro mist filter for bride portraits.

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You got quite a list there. For the most part, we have similar taste. Have you tried the 35L & 135L as a combo though? Beside having most of the lens you mentioned w/ me on my last assignment, I found myself shooting w/ the 35 & 135 80% of the time.

35L & 135L will help you a lot in weddings

I have a 90mm Macro 2.8 Tamron and a 11-18mm 5.6 Tamron Canon mounts and a 18-135mm Canon lenses. I learn to work with what I have. My goal is to get the 70-200 Canon and the 50 1.4 Canon. However since the earthquake who knows when the prices will go down and the availability :(

You write amazing article ,You capture nice wedding photographs.I use 24-70mm  f2.8 lens for capture wedding photographs.Thanks for sharing information.
wedding photographers bristol

I don’t like 70-200.. it is bulky. I think everything is a question of equilibrium.. I don’t wanna run around loaded with equipment. I keep one body at hands, 16-35 for any case, 35 1.4 60% of time, 85 1.2 30% of time. I live macro lens and fish-eye in a trolley. You can see the results  http://www.fotoarcadia.com
I think there could be drawn a line between those who use tele and those who use 35sh lenses. I think the last breed of fols love more people and love being inside of action.

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. Great work and great article, Good luck in being unique in your way.