Must Have Wedding Photography Lens from Canon - a totally biased review
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"The First Waltz" captured using EF 70 to 200 mm f 2.8 L IS II USM lens in low light, no flash
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I have been asked this question hundreds of times by people who either are genuinely interested about wedding photography or by people who just love to troll. "which lens do u use for weddings? whats your fav lens for candid shoots?" etc etc, so i have finally decided to write a small review on wedding photography and also my fav choice of lens by Canon which is a "Must Have" if u are seriously considering to take up Wedding Photography as a profession.
Wedding Photography and why its a big deal : The most important day for any couple anywhere in the world if u finally decide to "take the plunge". and what better way to relive those memories than taking good photos. i stress on the word "good" coz a lot of people prefer the dead pan , boring , traditional photos taken at weddings. those fake smiles and constipated faces have always been my worst enemy. it looks like the people who pose for photos are facing a 'firing squad' rather than a photographer. (oh well, a different kind of shooter). the same poses, the same group pics.
and thats why i decided if i was going to shoot at weddings (which i do now), i will stress on taking photos that capture emotions which are found in abundance at weddings.
My style of photography has always been "A Photo journalistic approach" where each and every pic must convey a story. and thats why i always preferred taking candid pics rather than asking people to pose for the camera.
and off course, so how much do u charge for freezing moments in time? honestly , even i cant answer that question coz they are "priceless" but a pat on my shoulder wont put food on the table or pay for my bills. and more importantly , a professional set up costs several thousand dollars (lakhs of Rupees) and the photographer needs to recover the costs. I dont believe in exorbitant prices but one must remember the photos taken at weddings need to last for several generations and looking back at the photos 50 years down the line , i would rather have my 'clients' thank me for those precious moments which i have captured rather than say "haha we got him so such a cheap ass price"
No one's really going to remember what food was served or the glitzy decorations or which band played or the amount of money spent on booze unless its all photographed. and it tickles my funny bone when people boast of spending several lakhs of Rupees on a wedding but bargain with photographers to pay 1 percent of it as photography fee. Or is this just a problem in India? hmm
Enough of my rambling... now read on.....
Here is a list of 6 lens i always carry with me on Wedding and Portrait assignments.
6. EF 8 to 15 mm f 4 L Fisheye USM : the most fun lens ever made by Canon , the sky is the limit when it comes to getting creative using this tiny but potent glass. one might just take 2 or 3 photos using this lens but the impact it leaves i pretty incredible.
the first photo was taken in a room, indoors and i managed to get everyone to fit in the frame comfortable. while the second photo was an outdoor shoot and i was more interested in getting the massive background along with the married couple.
5. EF 100 mm f 2.8 L IS Macro USM : - why in the world would anyone need macro lens at a wedding? well if u dont know yet , here's why. weddings are all about detail. and nothing beats getting a crystal clear and sharp image of the brides jewellery, wedding rings, flowers and in case u didnt know already , 100 mm macro lens also double up as fantastic 'portrait lens'.
Macro shot , hand held, of the brides ear ring.
4. EF 24 to 105 mm f 4 L IS USM :- this wide angle zoom lens is the standard kit lens when u buy the 5D mark II and Mark III. Most people would prefer the 24 to 70 mm f 2.8 L lens as it helps in low light conditions but the 24 105 has few advantages. its cheaper, lighter, has Image Stabilisation and gives u more focal length which comes handy.
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| the massive crowd at a wedding function in Mangalore captured with ease using the 24 to 105 lens |
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| the grooms sister leads the bride and the grooms brother in law leads him. just one of the rituals followed at Bunt weddings in Mangalore. |
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| zoomed at 105 mm to get even close to the action. |
the first shows the massive crowd at the indoor hall, while the second and third pic shows the stage where the wedding rituals take place. i had maintained a safe working distance and managed to get 3 different kind of shots with just the one lens.
and if u want great detail, then use an external speedlite like i have done in the above photo. i used 580 EX II and bounced the light off the ceiling. end result, great portrait and detail. this was off course an indoor shot (the ceiling should have given the clue) and if one needs to use a flash in the outdoors, i would suggest using a simple diffuser.
3. EF 50 mm f 1.2 L USM - the most expensive 50 mm prime lens in the market with the widest aperture and another great walk around lens. being a prime lens, its fixed focal length does hav an advantage over zoom lens. its ultra sharp. and the 1.2 aperture sucks in a lot of light and hence its a fantastic lens to use indoors under low light conditions. its also a great lens for street photography as images from a 50 mm lens is considered to be similar to what the human eye reproduces. did i forget to mention, excellent for portraits!
2. EF 85 mm f 1.2 L II USM - considered the "gold standard lens" for portrait photography, i regret not getting my hands on this incredible chunk of glass earlier. i had borrowed a friends lens for a portrait assignment and the jaw dropping images it produced left me completely gobsmacked! this one's the ultimate choice for portraits and it destroys everything in its sight. the only down side is the massive price tag but then again its a "L" lens and you get what you pay for. this is also the big brother of the previously mentioned 50 mm 1.2 L prime lens
both the above pics were taken with the 85 mm 1.2 L lens and week later i picked up the lens for myself. totally worth it.
1. EF 70 to 200 mm f 2.8 L IS II USM - "The world's sharpest zoom lens" according to Ken Rockwell who does brutal reviews of cameras and lens and is a self confessed Nikon Fan boy. "The canon 70 to 200 L II lens poops on the sigma 70 to 200 lens" says Kai, presenter at Digitalrev who is also a self confessed Nikon Fan boy. in general i have not heard a single bad review of this 'beast' of a lens apart from the jealous guys who either dont own this coz they dont have the money or coz they decided to go for the more affordable 70 to 200 f 4 L lens.
and why do i like this lens? coz it can literally do everything. from candid moments to portrait photography and everything thrown in between. getting close to the action without getting in your face! that pretty much says everything about this lens. the older 70 to 200 mm f 2.8 L was a fav among photo journalists but this newer version is way better in almost every aspect from build quality to performance. a total win.
example of a group photo. off course its not a wide angle lens but all i had to do to capture this was move a few meters back and get everyone to fit the frame.
another of my fav shots, the gorgeous bride gets candid during exchanging of the garlands. i clicked this pic at its max focal length of 200 mm.
another candid moment when i click the brides pic when she was not even aware of my presence. she was posing for the cameras while i got 3 peoples different expressions in one pic. the flower girl to the left seems bored, the bride happy and the bridesmaid looking out for her friend.
the bride and groom enter the hall. the presence of the brides best friend totally lightened up her face and i managed to capture this from far.
a nervous moment for the bride just a few minutes before her wedding. captured this portrait again working from a safe distance.
No wedding in India in complete unless the bride cries. someone 'has to' cry. it gets very emotional especially at the end of the wedding ceremony when the bride is given away to the grooms family. this pic above shows the caring husband consoling his wife. candid moment win
and another of my fav pics captured in remote village in Mangalore. i was several meters away from the spotlight and thankfully i had an uninterrupted view of the first waltz.
so this is easily my all time fav lens. capturing candids at weddings is the easiest now thanks to this lens. as i write this, i have covered over 20 weddings and functions and i am happy to say, the 70 to 200 mm f 2.8 L IS II USM has been with me from day one.
So there u have it. my list of "Must Have" lens to shoot weddings and Portraits. i have over 50000 photos clicked till date and have over 1100 albums on picasa but i decided to use these more recent images coz it seemed relevant to this post.
and off course many might say i have missed out on another 'must have' lens, the Ultra Wide EF 16 to 35 mm f 2.8 L II USM lens which i hope to purchase sometime in the near future , but till then the above mentioned 6 lens is what i always carry with me.
what camera do i use? full frames please. i use the Canon EOS 5D mark II and Canon EOS 5D Mark III. i carry 2 cameras always coz its a pain to keep changing lens if there's only one body present.
and how did i pay for all these lens? i Saved! i didnt get all these over night or pester my dad to buy me lens. i broke my savings to pick up the 70 200 f 2.8 L IS II lens and have been purchasing lens every 3 months after doing shoots and assignments. so i earn from my shoots and i spend on expensive gear. its a vicious cycle and i have decided to stop buying lens when Canon stops making L lens :)
cheers and happy clicking
PS: i have to confess i am a bit biased when it comes to fast aperture lens. having said that its all about capturing the moment and expensive gear doesnt necessarily mean excellent photos. its all bout having a keen watchful eye and my gear helps me capture those 'blink and you miss' moments. having said that even the standard EF-S lens on crop sensor DSLR's work just fine. but if u want to go pro then there's absolutely no compromise on image quality and there is nothing better than the "L" series lens in canon and full frame cameras.
Pritham Denzil D'Souza
www.facebook.com/metalfarmerphotography
