Im looking for an inexpensive lens for Nikon d50. My brother is getting married and asked me to take the pics

Question

Any suggestions on lens will be great I have already 3 but I am thinking I need a good wide lens for the church ...also anybody with any lighting information. The church they are looking into is very dark so I have a flash but not sure if it will carry the church so if any suggestion on that would be great too thanks!!

Answer 1

You're getting a lot of flames for shooting your brother's wedding but I just wanted to let you know that it's not all horror stories. I shot for my sister in law's and my mom shot her sister's wedding. And both pictures came out great.

Not all weddings are elaborate affairs that require $4,000 photographers. Not everyone can or wants to pay thousands of dollars either. I am guessing that your brother knows your skill and accepts the risks.

Do bring back up equipment. My friend went with me and took pictures too. Do you have someone to back you up?

Can you go to the church ahead of time and practice in the lighting?

I'm not answering your question. Sorry. I just wanted to give you some support.

Answer 2

Wow. Are you sure your brother will be OK if nothing much turns out?

Inexpensive lenses and weddings don't go together. I don't have the D50, so you might want to research compatibility with older 20mm lenses. It may be possible to use them, you might lose autofocus or metering, depending on the lens. But you should be able to find a WA film lens at www.keh.com for a reasonable price. 20mm still isn't terribly WA on a crop sensor, but you can probably make do and zoom with your feet.

You don't mention which lenses you have. If they are slow consumer zooms, then you will need some fast glass for the dark ceremony. I suggest a 50mm f/1.8, big bang for the bucks. On the D50, it will be like a 75mm, though, so you won't be able to use it for the group shots. But it will make a killer portrait lens and usable for the ceremony from the balcony or back of the aisle on a tripod.

Most churches do not allow flash for the ceremony. So better plan on a tripod. Usually you use the flash through the processional until the hand off. Then it's no flash until the first kiss. If the ceiling is white and somewhat low, you can bounce your flash, or use a lightsphere. Get there and practice this beforehand. Take note of what works and what doesn't. Research a technique called "dragging the shutter" so you can use what ambient light is available with your flash. Otherwise you are going to have deer in headlight type shots with blown faces and black backgrounds. If you have a bracket, use it.

Try to get some portrait shots outside in open, even shade. Remember to pose people at an angle to the lens, never shoot straight on. People should always have a front shoulder and back, never a right and left. Watch your backgrounds. Don't amputate feet in the long shots or fingers in the closer ones.

You should also try to get a backup camera, hopefully another Nikon SLR, if not digital film will do. Things go wrong at the worst moments, and you don't want to be fumbling with a stubborn camera malfunction while the vows are being said. So get a backup of some sort.

I have no idea of your skill level or willingness to shoot your brother's wedding. Some people don't put as much emphasis on the photography as others, and that's all right.
But if great photography is important to the groom, or especially the bride, I would strongly suggest they hire a professional. An amateur, even one with a good camera, just isn't going to get the images that a seasoned pro would,
And shooting good landscapes does not equal being able to shoot good wedding images.

Good luck to you, if you decide to give it a try, I hope you do well and the couple is pleased.

Answer 3

I am not here to lecture you about not shooting the wedding if your brother asked and you said yes then I hope you can produce the results.

If you can go over to the church prior to the ceremony at the same time the wedding will take place and see how the light is take a few practice shots to see how it is.

The only suggestion I will add to this is consider using either a tripod or monopod while the ceremony is going on and you will be able to do it without a flash. If you bump up your ISO (400-800), open up your aperture (f~2.8, f~3.5, f~4.5) go to a low shutter speed and you should produce good images. Most weddings do not have that much movement at certain times so shoot during these time frames, this will help reduce blurred images.

When the official ceremony is over and you want to shoot some of the group photos in the church take charge. Organize the shots and allow other members of the family to shoot. Use your tripod or monopod and set your shutter speed a little lower (1/30~1/50) this will allow some of the ambient light in the room to help light your pictures. Use your flash but be warned it is not strong enough to light big groups so either keep them small and tight. Make sure you tell people to hold still and "count to 3".

As for lenses here are a couple of links you can look at that will work on your camera.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/324190-GREY/Nikon_2149_18_70mm_f_3_5_4_5_G_AFS_ED_IF.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/449087-GREY/Nikon_2162_18_135mm_f_3_5_5_6_ED_IF_AF_S.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/381796-GREY/Nikon_2158_18_55mm_f_3_5_5_6G_ED_AF_S.html

Also make sure you have enough batteries for your flash, memory cards (SD) and if you have to purchase another Nikon EN-EL3 Lithium-Ion battery and take your charger with you, so that you can keep on shooting.

If you have other questions e-mail me.

Hope this helps,
Kevin

Answer 4

My best advice is to be careful: I've seen many problems caused among family and friends when an amateur photographer is asked to shoot a wedding. This is no ding on your abilities: if you haven't shot a wedding before, its a very challenging and fast paced environment, shooting under typically difficult lighting conditions, and you seldom get second chances on important shots. They may say now that they understand your lack of experience, but if there is a problem with the pictures later then it can lead to heartache for all of you. I'd really counsel you and your brother to have a heart-to-heart and see if the family can find the money for a professional.

If you are absolutely set on shooting the wedding, read this for starters:
http://www.aljacobs.com/NEW%20WEDDING.pdf

You should have backups for everything (bodies/lenses/flashes), even if you have to rent. Your lenses should ideally all be f/2.8 or faster. Look at sites like ziplens.com or lensrentals.com if you don't have a local rental source.

Answer 5

enjoy your relationship with your brother now!!

edit in what lenses you have then we wont tell you to get those ones and will know what to answer

if you already have 3 lenses, whats the widest you have now?

a cheap wide angle is a bit of a enigma - you want cheap and good - something not right there

i also recommend people to hire pros as its so easy to destroy relationships (ive seen it) by messing up their special day pix,

lights i use film lighting because of my TV background so 2 2000w (blondes) and 1 or 2 800w (redheads) light up most things for me, for you whatever you can get and bounce or difuss it.


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