What is the best camera lens when shooting a wedding that will be in a church and at the reception?

Question

I have been asked to take the photographs at my friends wedding. Which lenses are usually used? I have a canon digital rebel xt. I already have an 18-55 lens and a telephoto lens. The wedding will be at a church, and the reception will be at a hotel hall. Which ones will be suitable for shooting the wedding and reception?

Answer 1

If you can get your hands on one, buy, borrow or rent a Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 ($1050 retail). On a budget, get a Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 ($450). These lenses provide much better image quality than the 18-55 kit lens, they are considerably faster than the 18-55 kit lens, and they are made to be used at f/2.8 (unlike the kit lens, which needs to be stopped down to around f/8 for best image quality). You'll use this zoom range for 80+ percent of you shots.

If you can't afford these, consider a Canon 50mm f/1.8 for the church ceremony. Used copies cost peanuts and they're under $100 retail. This is NOT the right lens for the job, but it WILL let you do available light photography.

Use your current tele lens for some candids. Or if money is no object, upgrade to a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8.

If you don't already have an external flash, strongly consider one and learn how to use it for fill-flash. The flash of choice is the Canon 580EX ($380). You probably won't be allowed to use it inside the church, but it will be very useful for the formals and at the reception.

Also stock up on memory cards and get an extra battery. Carry spare batteries for your flash as well.

Answer 2

If you can't use the flash in the church, the stock lens is faster and will get lower light. You might need to up your ISO to 400 for better results, Don't go to 800 or 1000 without testing it to see the quality.

That lens will give you an extra stop or two of light, which is the difference between 1/15th of second and 1/60th of a second exposure time!

YOu won't however, be able to get close shots from large distances with that lens.

You didn't say which telephoto. If it's a portrait lens (85-105 range of 35mm eqivalent, which is close to what your stock lens can also do) it might work well for the reception with flash as it's a flat field lense. If it's a long telephoto it probably won't work well for you at all, since the flash range is 15 feet, 18 maximum and most telelphotos are low, rated at f/3.5 to f/4

The stock lense is more like an f/2.8 or 3.0

Using a unipod might help at times, but it can also be cumbersome.

Answer 3

All I can say is...if you have no experience whatsoever with wedding photography (you're asking about which lenses to use, so this tells me you don't), then I hope that if you do get a new lens, that you get in plenty of practice first. And you definitely don't want to be using AUTO on your camera. You will also need to buy an external flash (if you already haven't), because the camera flash is not good enough.
It's always a good idea to check out the location prior to the wedding (bride's house before the wedding, inside church, outdoors, reception etc), so you can get an idea of what the lighting will be like so you can select the appropriate lens.

And...I hope you are confident that your photos will be very good to excellent...because if you don't provide your friend with wonderful photos of her once in a lifetime occasion...then she may never forgive you.
good luck...

Answer 4

I'd stay away rom the 18-55 unless you want large views.

For portraits and the like, you want longer focal lengths -- 80-100 mm. Wide angle lenses tend to distort facial features.

And, in the church, you won't likely be able to get up close during the ceremony, so you need the telephoto to fill the frame and compose well from a distance.

the 18-55 would be ok for taking pictures of people at the tables (if you're doing to do that).