Nikkor Lens for Wedding - Pls Advise
Hi!
I am thinking of buying these lens as my top priority:
- Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor
- Nikon 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED AF-S Nikkor
- Nikon 85mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor
If my budget permits, i will also go for:
- Nikon 135mm f/2D AF DC-Nikkor
- Nikon 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor
Currently I have D50 and will soon purchase D300 as an upgrade. I love to have D3 due to its ISO performance but it is beyond my budget limit. Prevously thinking about converting to Canon because of its ISO performance but i think it is no longer necessary because the Nikon technology is already there.
Another question i would like to ask is, how do i know which lenses are compatible with FF sensor? Is abbr. DX means for AP-C sensor?
Your recommendation and advice is highly appreciated.
I am thinking of buying these lens as my top priority:
- Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor
- Nikon 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED AF-S Nikkor
- Nikon 85mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor
If my budget permits, i will also go for:
- Nikon 135mm f/2D AF DC-Nikkor
- Nikon 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor
Currently I have D50 and will soon purchase D300 as an upgrade. I love to have D3 due to its ISO performance but it is beyond my budget limit. Prevously thinking about converting to Canon because of its ISO performance but i think it is no longer necessary because the Nikon technology is already there.
Another question i would like to ask is, how do i know which lenses are compatible with FF sensor? Is abbr. DX means for AP-C sensor?
Your recommendation and advice is highly appreciated.
0
Comments
Welcome to dgrin!
You are certainly looking at some big time gear and mentioning budget in the same token.
This lens is awesome! It gives you the ability to shoot a BROAD range of shots w/o changing glass. Eventually you'll want both a wider and longer lens if youend up doing weddings professinally. This lens is so versatile though, you'll get great use out of it even if you decide to shoot other things.
Total price 750USD.
Good luck inyour search.
-Jon
As far as the 18-200... I feel it would not serve you well in low light situations, and I suspect you'd be seeing many of those at wedding. But your 85/1.8 is great in those situation. You should not need flash and could render shots similar to this wide open. And don't forget the SB-800 if you need a flash. The most versatile of Nikons iTTL units. It'll do it all...
The 135 DC is more of a specialized lens and I would also suggest you try to find a place local to you to rent this before forking out the cash. This is a very pricey lens for its limited/selective use.
DX IS for crop sensors and would give you vignetting on the D3, in FF mode (I understand the D3 can act as a crop sensor), or any FF sensor. If you have plans to head that way, you may want to re-think DX lenses to avoid confusion.
HTH and have phun shooting your events...
- Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8
- Nikon 17-35mm f/2.8D
- Nikon 85mm f/1.8D
that's some serious glass there... my .02 if you're going to stick to cameras that have APS-c sensors is, drop the Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8 and get the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 and Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8. Take the few hundred bucks left over and pickup a couple extra 4GB or 8GB CF cards.
i have 2 of the 18-200mm VR lenses that SloYerRoll referred to. if it's an outdoor wedding, i can shoot the whole day with just that one lens stopped down to about f/8. that rarely happens though. i find the two aforementioned Tamrons to be indispensable however.
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As far as i know, lenses with high zoom range sacrifice optical quality. That's always discussed in many forums. So, i have skip 18-200mm and btw i have 28-200 which serve me well but i could see significance difference in IQ with my friend's image who uses f2.8 lens and primes. I am planning to stick with Nikkor FAST lenses and FF compatibility for future use.
Seymore, i will check with 28-70/f2.8 (excellent glass) to fill up the gap. What if i buy another prime 50/f1.8?? and i'll use my feet to fill the remaining gap
Any other advise pls ...
You have to be mobile at a wedding. :rambo
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Rajul:
I shot my first wedding using a D80 with a AF-S 18-70mm 1:3.5•4.5 GED lens, and considered it nearly perfect for the job. The wedding was outdoors with reception inside. Here's why it worked well for me:
1. at wide angle, I could take in the entire scene easily.
2. the zoom was perfect for close ups of people.
3. I tried a 55-200 1:4.5-6 zoom but it was difficult to stop motion blur.
4. I consider 70mm to be the maximum end of "portrait lenses".
5. Using this lens means I didn't have to change glass in a hurry or lug around anything more than a speedlight.
I wouldn't be happy with any one of your picks, as I'd see myself changing lenses too often instead of looking for photo opps.
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I am thinking of buying these lens as my top priority:
- Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor
- Nikon 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED AF-S Nikkor
- Nikon 85mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor
If my budget permits, i will also go for:
- Nikon 135mm f/2D AF DC-Nikkor
- Nikon 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor
Currently I have D50 and will soon purchase D300 as an upgrade. I love to have D3 due to its ISO performance but it is beyond my budget limit. Prevously thinking about converting to Canon because of its ISO performance but i think it is no longer necessary because the Nikon technology is already there.
Another question i would like to ask is, how do i know which lenses are compatible with FF sensor? Is abbr. DX means for AP-C sensor?
Your recommendation and advice is highly appreciated.
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I disagree in regards to the 18-200. You need the pro grade lenses for sure, but for receptions and candid shots, the 18-200 could be your best friend. You can get more shots because of how versatile the lens is. I would put the pro grade lenses on for the critical and formal shots, and the 18-200 for everything else.
You can get some intresting shots with the VR as it allows for hand held shooting at low shutterspeed. Because of this, you can get some great experimental shots playing with motion blur etc at the reception, dance etc. Plus, if you get a flash, you can bounce the light off the ceiling for softer light.
I have been doing a lot of in-door shooting lately. I have tried to use the 18-200 but gave up on it. It's just too slow for in-door shooting unless hte room is going to be very lit-up. The VR is effective for "camera shake" but unless your subjects are going to be standing stock still you're going to get motion blur.
I have been using the 17-35 2.8, the 28-70 2.8, and the 85mm 1.4 with good results. The 85mm 1.4 is amazing. It just soaks up the light and does very well wide open.
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How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Diverjohn, for the last 6 or more weddings that i shot, i only used kit lens 18-55 and my 28-200 which serve me well in terms of photo ops. But i have problem with their optical quality esp 28-200 and also poor performance in low light. That's why i am looking for F2.8 glass. I am glad that you are happy with your current lenses. As for me, for competitve reason, it is time for me to invest top-end glasses. I don't mind changing lens btw.
John68, i'm glad that you like your versatile 18-200vr but as Harryb said it will dissapoint you in low light. In many cases, i found that using available light rather than flash light, are more natural and pleasing to my eyes. That's one of the reason of going f2.8 lens.
Harryb, it is good to hear that you are happy with your lenses
You do need the f 2.8. What I am saying is the 18-200 is great for candid shots and using bounce lighting makes for great candid pictures. First is bounce lighting and second is available.
The 18-200 is a fine lens and I use it a lot as my all purpose carry around lens especially when I'm travelling light. Its strong suit however is not low light shooting. They are other lenses out there that do better in low light.
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
For the D300, the 17-55, 70-200 VR and the 85 1.4 make a great combo.
I love the 28-70, and use it with the 17-35, though this range can be covered by the 17-55. I used the 17-55 at a wedding recently and was surprised by the performance, though wedding photographers had raved about it.
Good luck and enjoy the great glass
Stephanie
I would say you are on the right track.
The 70-200VR is a must have ... but I would suggest the 17-55 f/2.8 for indoor work. I find the 55 end of this lens to be used more often than the 17 end. I was at 2 weddings this summer and both the 'pros' were using this lens as well as the 70-200VR on second bodies.
Avoid the consumer lenses (as you appear to be anyway) such as the 18-200. If you are doing weddings, you don't want to be sacrificing the quality and speed of the pro lenses.
I chose the 105 as a portrait lens - because I wanted the flexibility of also using it for macro work. As it turns out - I am now using it almost exclusively for macros.
My plan to pay for an expensive wideangle was changed after using the 17-55 and realizing that the 17 is wide enough for anything I have wanted to shoot.
Enjoy.
==========================================
Steve
I am not arguing that and I would never use it for the actual wedding unless the lighting is superb. However, for the candid shots, it is a handy lens to have. Zoom in,zoom out, whatever you need. Candid shots at the reception don't wait for the photographer to change lenses. If the lighting is really bad, bounce ligthing with the flash makes for great diffused ligthing that is not harsh on skin tones.
Plus, the VR will keep the lens steady and it can make for some great isolation shots if the subject is stationary and people are moving around it. You can work it's weakeneses and make it an advantage.
I certainly agree with you john68. That was what i did with my 28-200mm ... really useful for candids.
I am planning to do this, for my first body i will use 17-35mm and for second body i will use 70-200mm which can be used for candids. But i need to experience them first.
More advices are welcome. Thanks to all again.
Two respected professional photographers discuss the comparison here. (This is an audio file).
As far as 17-35mm is concerned, i have seen a lot of positive reviews on this lens. Some review, in fact, have mix conclusion on both lenses but i guess the difference should be minor, may be.
Thanks to all again for being helpful
- Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor
- Nikon 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED AF-S Nikkor
- Nikon 85mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor
- Nikor 50mm f/1.8
- Speedlight SB800
- D300 with vertical grip (pre-order, no price yet)
The following will be my new accesscories:
- 4 lens Lowepro pouches
- Lowepro card wallet
- 5X2gb sandisk extreme III
- Lowepro vest and harness system
- Digital Cabinet 0.85 litre
Hopefully this will cure my Nikon Acquisition Syndrome (NAS) for few years time
Thanks to all again for your kind advice.
Outstanding glass selection.
But there is known cure for NAS. I give you 3 months before the lust sets in again. :ivar
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
What, marriage? I've heard many talk about this as one of the cures, but my DW has no affect on my MF NAS. And if he were to "donate" all the gear to someone else (mainly me) he would then have to start at ground zero again. That's no cure.
Honestly, I think the only 2 real cures are homelessness and death...
One of the things you want to capture at a wedding/reception is the sense of the ambient lighting, because that is what your clients are going to remember. If you shoot with a slower lens (3.5 or less), you will be limited in this area. Regardless of the amount of flash you use, only fast glass will allow you to capture the warmth of the ambient light and still maintain fast enough shutter speeds to, some-what, stop action (motion blur can be a good thing at times).
Here's an example of what I'm talking about.
These were both taken at ISO 800, 1/30s, f/2.8. It would have been nearly impossible to capture the warmth of the reception hall with a slower lens.
Get the fastest glass you can afford - offers you much better flexibility.
Note: These were done with off-camera lighting, but that doesn't invalidate what I'm saying - it applies whether you are shooting with on- or off-camera lighting.
Please - if you don't have one, find yourself a second body. It is just tempting fate too much to show up at a wedding with only one camera. That's when your one body will look at you, laugh in a demonic sort of fashion, and refuse to make an image for you. You need to have a backup/overlap for everything in your bag! Even you lenses - Your favorite work-horse lens may decide to quit talking to your camera body. I always arrive at a shoot with my two work-horse zooms (15-55 f/2.8 IS and 70-200 f/2.8 IS), but I also have 5 primes that will cover 90% of the useful range of the above (30 f/1.4, 50 f/1.4, 85 f/1.8, 100 f/2.8). I now shoot with off-camera lighting, but I also bring 2 Canon Speedlights - just in case.
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Thanks scott for your useful advice. My previous setup was very basic i.e. D50 + kit lens, 28-200 and SB600. But now i am getting committed and that's why i purchase the above-mentioned lens to achieve shots using ambience light as many as possible. I am also ordering for D300, therefore, i can use my D50 as backup
After all my priority buying-list have been settle, i will check my budget again so that i can consider buying another body and sell my D50. I am thinking of buying D80 ... aaahhhhh NAS again
Thanks to all again for your kind input.