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Home >> Learning >> e-Book on Wedding Photography Table of Contents Wedding Photography e-Book - Equipment Considerations 35mm
35mm is a convenience medium. The size allows one to pack in a tremendous amount of technology into a compact package that can produce very nice looking enlargements in the 11x14 to 16x20 range, but this requires using the best lenses with exemplary technique and custom printing, not handheld shots with a consumer grade lens and cheap supermarket film and processing. 35mm is also the most affordable format to build a solid kit for event photography. While I and many others prefer using as good as we can afford, I have also heard of and seen others using equipment that is mid-level or lower in the 35mm food chain and their photos are praised as being wonderful. It just goes to show that it isn’t the expensive hammer that builds the house, but the carpenter using the hammer and the hammer chosen could be a cheap dollar store special or a Craftsman, but in the end your house is still going to be built. BUT, being the equipment geeks that we are, we would clarify the carpenter and hammer analogy by bringing in some basic economics and state that while a carpenter could certainly build a house with a dollar store hammer, the dollar store hammer is likely to be of poor quality and perhaps only last the carpenter about one-third of the way into the house construction. Whereas if we purchased the Craftsman right off, it has the potential to last through the whole project and perhaps several more houses afterwards. You may pay double or triple for that Craftsman hammer, but you end up saving money in the long run by not purchasing and using cheaply made tools on an ongoing basis.
There is no right and wrong because we must use the tool that feels right in our hands and of the 35mm photographers using mid and lower level cameras and lenses, these have tended to be female pros wanting to use a lighter kit that does not overwhelm their hands and weigh them down like boat anchors. Even for male photographers, carrying two pro camera systems with attendant pro lenses wears after a few hours of lugging them around your neck and near the end of the 2003 season, I was taking to lugging around three cameras off of my neck as I played around with infrared film in a dedicated body. After 6-8 hours, whew!
Lenses Without a camera, there are no pictures, but the lenses really make the system. All the major brands offer a large selection of quality optics in single focal length prime or zoom lenses. While prime lenses still offer the last word in ultimate quality, I prefer the convenience of zoom lenses. As mentioned earlier, 35mm is a convenience format and what could be more convenient than a good zoom lens? While I would love a super range zoom lens from 20mm to 200mm at f2.8 with AF-S and VR, all in a coke can size package, it ain’t gonna happen. With zoom lenses, most camera brands have settled on three lenses that cater to the professional market. They are the ultra-wide, the normal range, and moderate telephoto lenses.
Wide-angle zoom
While a wide-angle zoom lens is not a high percentage use lens for my own style of photography, it is used enough that it is definitely worthwhile to have. The regular use of trying to cram as wide a view into a 35mm frame of film is not why these lenses are considered must haves in a photographer’s bag. It is their ability to provide a wider perspective while getting close to your subject that makes them valuable. The ability to show your subjects in context with the surrounding environment is what can make a photo and is a classic photojournalist technique. The Normal zoom Normal range zoom lenses are a definite workhorse lens in a wedding photographer’s kit. While the modern day photojournalist may carry two bodies around, one with a wide-angle zoom and the other with moderate telephoto lens, a huge amount of the typical wedding day action happens in the range from 24/28mm to 70/85mm.
Most photographers can work effectively with two cameras in order to minimize changing lenses constantly and to allow for using color and B&W at the same time. Two cameras also means two different lenses, with one typically being dedicated to the moderate telephoto zoom and the other for a wide-angle or normal range zoom lens. In my experience, I have used the normal range zoom for at least 50 percent of a wedding with the telephoto zoom getting in about 35-40 percent and the wide and other lenses with the remaining time.
I
did have an interest in the Tokina 28-80mm f2.8 lens at one point and
while considered excellent with film, was considered less so with digital
capture and given my desire for lenses that can easily straddle both
worlds I took a pass on it. The lack of availability of the Tokina lens
in
Currently, the newish Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 lens has garnered some very good comments from users as being a very high quality lens with a price that puts it in consumer grade territory, but with professional results. Very intriguing and a lens to keep one’s eye on because it apparently does not suffer from the sloppiness of Tamron build quality from the past. It has also been designed with digital capture in mind and performs with stellar results with film too. Sigma also has fast f2.8 lenses available that have been designed with digital capture needs. Both 24-70 and 28-70 lenses are available and the people that actually buy and use Sigma lenses seem happy with the performance offered for the price paid. While good, these Sigma lenses have not generated the “rave” standing of the Tamron lens that seems to punch well above its weight. The Telephoto zoom
The focal length of 70/80-200mm is a range that is very nearly perfect for so many applications. One could get away with doing a tight full body shot at the wide end (from a modest distance) to a very pleasing tight headshot with a completely blown out background at the long end. A fast aperture helps to blur out the background and also provides the needed speed when shooting in dark conditions. In these conditions, having IS/VR available is a fantastic tool to increase the percentage of keepers. Alas, only Canon and Nikon have such fast aperture technological marvels in their lens lineups, but Minolta is making some interesting moves and may be headed towards implementing IS in the camera instead of the lens to avoid Canon/Nikon patent issues. They already have this in-camera IS in the A1 and A2 prosumer class digital cameras and are apparently readying the same feature for their future D-SLR.
Personally, I’ve gone through three versions myself, improving and upgrading as I could afford to do so and thankfully, Nikon has been kind enough to produce two versions of the lens in the past five or so years. They had the AF-S and now the AF-S/VR version that pros, rich, and stupid photographers could happily hand over between CAN $2500 to $3000, depending on version desired and where and when it was purchased from. But, there is also a non-AFS version that can still focus quickly enough with a good camera and offers excellent, fast f2.8 optics in a package that is more than CAN $1000 cheaper than the AF-S/VR version. Few would consider $1400 for anything a bargain, but in the world of professional grade lenses, the Nikon 80-200mm f2.8 ED-IF lens is a bargain compared to its similar class competitors. This lens also holds its value on the used market, so one wouldn’t have to lose much if upgrading at a later date. Other Lenses With three zoom lenses, a photographer can easily cover a wedding from start to finish and everything else in between. So long as the lenses are of good pedigree and the photographer has the skills, there should be nothing wanting in the photographs. BUT! (You knew there had to be one coming along). But, sometimes what makes the photograph and photographer is the use of lenses outside of the regular and mainstream and certain lenses can be very handy to have when the moment arises. To be sure, such lenses may seldom be used, but when the moment arises, the photograph can really sing. Fisheye Lenses
Because this is very much a limited use lens, I’d suggest saving a few bucks and buying used or a third party lens such as Sigma’s 15mm f2.8 lens rather than paying full price for a new prime brand lens. Not that I see many of these lenses come up on the used market, so you may not have a choice, but the Sigma brand new is a few hundred cheaper than the Nikon 16mm f2.8 or Canon 15mm version.
Fast Lenses There are many occasions where the use of a fast lens is preferred to using a slower lens with flash. Catholic ceremonies are a classic in that at a certain moment in the ceremony, when the priest says “Holy, holy, holy”, flash photography is forbidden until the end of the ceremony. Anglican ceremonies are also similarly restrictive of flash photography when the ceremony reaches a certain point in time and a good photographer not wanting to be banned from the church should follow the rules with regard to flash. However, flash does not mean the end of the ceremony because with an IS/VR or fast prime lens, the photographer can continue to photograph the ceremony unobtrusively. If a photographer covers enough restrictive weddings, perhaps an investment in an ultra quiet rangefinder system, such as from Leica, could prove wise. I’ve never taken to rangefinder viewing, so my choice would be to supplement my modern 35mm system with a fast lens.
The major caveat for these fast lenses is that at f1.4, 50mm lenses are going to be pretty crappy for sharpness and resolution (Leica lens are probably the exception). But do you want the shot or not? To paraphrase and mangle the words of Ansel Adams, sometimes a fuzzy image of a sharp concept is preferable to no image at all – fuzzy meaning soft from shooting wide open, not fuzzy as in out of focus. There are other fast lenses besides the 50mm, but we’re reaching into some pretty high dollar amounts for these optics that require a large amount of expensive glass to obtain their quality wide open. Unlike the 50mm f1.4, fast lenses in other focal lengths are usually optimized to be their best at or very near their largest aperture. Fast super telephoto lenses are already super sharp at their wide-open f2.8 or f4 apertures (300mm and up) and we see similar performance from shorter lenses. Given my use and interest in Nikon equipment, I cannot speak with any authority of lenses from other systems, so I will use Nikon examples for the following comments. Nikon has a 28mm f1.4 lens that is considered to be exceptional for quality and build and so it should since this lens costs over CAN $2000. In fact it usually costs as much as the much heralded Nikon 17-35mm f2.8 zoom lens, considered to be amongst the best of its kind. The fast 28mm lens uses aspherical elements ground from glass instead of molded hybrid elements that have plastic elements glued to glass to accomplish the same process. Even the expensive 17-35mm lens is rumoured to use plastic elements in its design. Grinding and polishing glass is an expensive process and helps explain why the 28mm lens is so expensive, besides the obvious speed provided. Nikon
also has a 85mm f1.4 moderate telephoto lens that is also much heralded.
This lens is still very expensive, but does not require aspherical elements,
so it comes in more reasonably at around CAN $1500. Canon has a 85mm
f1.2 lens that is considered to be excellent too and having seen some
photos taken with this lens, I can attest to the striking images that
can be created with this lens wide open. Unfortunately, it retails for
close to CAN $3000 under Canon
Fast lenses aren’t for everyone though. The 85mm lenses wide open have such shallow depth of field that you can burn through many frames to get one just right. From the same stack of photos I saw taken with the Canon 85mm lens, I saw many variations and attempts to get the depth of field just right in order for one shot to work. Fast lenses are also laggard in focusing, as in the Canon lens, due to the huge elements being moved – it might also have to do with the lens being an old design not updated to current technological standards. Given how many of these lenses actually sell, photographers breathlessly awaiting for a faster USM in the Canon lens, or for AF-S to show up in the Nikon version, should start breathing into a paper bag to control their hyperventilation, because it ain’t likely to happen for years to come. Macro Lenses
I would love to have a macro lens for my own personal photography and on that basis would include such a lens in my wedding photography kit, i.e., if you already have it, include it. But if you’re strictly an event photographer, I see less need to own a real macro lens outright and you could get by with either a lens that offers a decent macro capability, such as the elderly Nikon 35-70mm f2.8 lens, or add a high-quality dual-element close-up lens attachment, such as the Canon 500D, to use with your existing lens and be able to reach macro magnifications. Photos of rings, cakes, flowers, detail shots of dress patterns, are all available for interesting macro shots, but truthfully, I find the 70-200mm lens set to its longest focal length and minimum focusing distance usually gets me close enough for a satisfying magnification ratio. The times I’ve wanted to get closer, I’ve used the 35-70mm lens set to macro magnification, but I need very good lighting in order to compensate for the very, very close focusing distances and the increased risk of handshaking due to handholding the camera. In recent times, I just screw on the Canon 500D dual-element close-up lens attachment to the 70-200 lens for quick shooting.
Next Chapter - Equipment Considerations (Digital) |
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Correspondence & About this website Copyright © 1998-2008 Edwin Leong |
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It
is sometimes suggested that just about anyone with a decent 35mm camera
can become a wedding photographer. Sure, look at me 
Fast
focusing – weddings are not usually considered fast paced, action
events, but you’d be surprised at how much can happen in a short time
frame and having a responsive camera that can focus quickly is a boon.
Even better are systems that provide high frequency motors to focus
the lens silently and quickly, as pioneered by Canon with their Ultra
Sonic Motors (USM) and later copied by Nikon with their Silent Wave
Motor (AF-S). Minolta has gotten into the act with their variant called
the Super Sonic Motor (SSM), leaving Pentax as the only major brand
without this lens technology. Even Contax is in on the action with
their version of USM for their auto focus N1 camera. The other major
benefit of USM technology is the instant override of auto focus by
simply turning the focusing ring immediately instead of having to
flick a switch or pull a clutch, as is the case with screw driven
lenses. Turning the focus ring on such lenses without disengaging
the focus screw can damage the mechanism. 
Vertical
grip and shutter release – it’s slightly faster to not use a vertical
grip when going from landscape to portrait mode, but after awhile
I tend to tire from flapping my wing around so much. A vertical grip
provides greater stability in both formats thanks to not having your
pinkie dangle in empty air, as is the case with more and more of today’s
compact 35mm SLRs. Vertical grips also usually use the common to find
AA cells, so if your camera originally took expensive and hard to
find half-sized lithiums, invest in a vertical grip and get yourself
rechargeables to recoup the cost.
Flash
units that offer tilt and swivel capabilities to bounce light off
of a white or neutral colored surface for a more pleasing quality
of light. This is demonstrated in a future lighting module, so I won’t
get into much here other than to say that unfortunately again, the
most capable flash units from a given brand are also the most expensive.
PC
Sync socket – this is only relevant if you happen to use studio style
strobes. I make use of such lighting equipment on occasion, but I’m
always using my Bronica medium format cameras for this style of photography,
which of course has a PC Sync socket given its professional target
market. I do not use the sync socket on the F100 cameras I use because
of my separation of function and duty for the different formats I
utilize. For those shooting with a single format, it is not a big
deal to not have a sync socket since an adapter can be bought for
so little; however, it does mean having another tiny accessory to
keep track of right at the time that you most need it. Having it built
into the camera saves that hassle, but then you may have a tiny little
cap to keep track of when using the built-in sync socket.
Can
start as wide as 12mm (Sigma 12-24mm) and typically zooms out to 35mm.
Canon has their lens start at 16-35mm and Nikon has the 17-35mm for
the professional f2.8 constant aperture lens offerings. Both also offer
slower and cheaper lenses for those less flush with cash, Canon with
the highly regarded 17-40mm f4 lens and Nikon with the killer 18-35mm
f3.5-4.5, a cost-to-quality champ.
In
one lens, the photographer can take satisfyingly wide-angle photos to
headshots at the telephoto end. And don’t discount that more action
happens at the “boring” 50mm focal length than many would care to acknowledge
or realize. While I would not want to restrict myself to just a 50mm
lens sandwiched in between wide and telephoto zoom lenses, having just
a 50mm might work well enough for others.
If
I could only use one lens to photograph a wedding it would be a normal
range zoom lens, preferably going wide to 24mm and going long to 85mm
with a constant f2.8 aperture. No such lens exists unfortunately and
even if it did, it would be at least a CAN $2500 lens. Canon has the
24-70mm lens, Nikon the 28-70mm lens, and the major third party brands
have their offerings that straddle similar ranges such as 24-70, 28-75mm,
and 28-80mm. Close, very close, but no cigar and thus I settled for
the “consumer” grade Nikkor 24-85mm f3.5-4.5 AF-S lens.
The
sexiest and largest of the everyday lenses used by wedding photographers
and potentially the most expensive too depending on which model one
purchases from the brand of choice.
Sexy
he-man or she-woman status aside, the 70/80-200 being the largest and
heaviest of the three major zoom lenses, coupled to a pro-sized camera,
will do not any wonders for your neck or shoulders over a long day.
These large and heavy lenses have also been known to warp the lens mounts
of less than top-tier cameras, due to swinging and swaying nature of
the camera and lens on a strap hanging off of the shoulder. Unfortunately,
the need for speed in this range of focal lengths simply cannot break
the rules of physics that require all of these lenses to be of pretty
uniform size and weight no matter what the brand. Some pretty significant
advances in composite materials and optics (Canon DO formula offers
potential) will be required to shrink these heavyweight beasts of burden.
Can
a wedding really be shot with a fisheye lens? Sure it can, just not
too often. With the right mix of herbs and spices you too can come up
with some finger licking good photos that will blow your clients away
and give you that edge in creativity to distinguish yourself from all
the other wannabes on the market.
The
most common and cost effective fast lens is the now disfavored 50mm
normal prime. A 50mm f1.8 can be had for less than $200 new and used
for about half that amount while a new f1.4 lens is under $500 (Nikon
lenses, other brands may be higher or lower, but not by much). I would
go for the f1.4 lens because when you need speed, every f-stop counts.
These
lenses would see even less action than a fast lens and like the fisheye
lens, would be more a novelty lens for certain setup shots or still
life photos. Photos taken with the macro lens are more filler material
than must haves for the album, a way to embellish the coverage. 
