Lens for wedding at DVinfo.net

Gianni Paolella · March 26th, 2011, 01:21 AM

Hy guys,
I need yu important suggestion.
I have 2 DSLR, one Canon 550d with Magic Latern and one 60D
I have the steady nano and the Igus slide.
I have also the follow lens:

Canon 50mm 1.8
Tokina11-16 2.8
Canon 18-135 3.5-5.6
Tamron 28-75 2.8
Canon 18-55 3.5-56

I need your suggest about wich lend you suggest to use in this situation:

Girl and man preparation at home
Church (Low light as usual
Restaurant and park for external shooting

I also have one Canon Legria HF20 that I put with the wide lens in the curch so I have another point of view Due that I work alone and I have not time to change lens quick what I need also to know is wich lens is good that I put in every camera in the 4 situations a wrote up
Thanks
Gianni

Dave Partington · March 26th, 2011, 03:01 AM

The problem with answering a question like this is that we don't know the exact surroundings you will be shooting in. Videography is about getting it right on the day, and if that means changing the plan to suit the situation you need to be ready to react quickly.

Two different videographers would produce two very different films of the same wedding because they could easily shoot different angles or focal lengths and yet still produce amazing (or equally bad) results. Too many people worry about having the perfect lens when in reality you just need to shoot what looks good at the time.

Will you be attending the rehearsal in the church? I recommend you do, that way you'll know exactly where you can stand and which lens to use.

You've got two crop bodies, which makes it tough to get anything other than very close shots during the Bride & Groom preparations with the 50/1.8, unless they are very large rooms ;)

It would seem like your Tokina 11-16 and Tamron 28-75 will be the two most likely used lenses in those situations. We tend to use more 24mm and 35mm on full frame (5D2), but it really does depend on the size of the room and what you are trying to shoot. It's almost impossible to answer a hypothetical question without exact specifications of the environment, including room size, furniture, number of people in the room, exact room layout, amount and direction of light etc. You have to make decisions on the fly.

Your church is likely to be completely different to the church I am shooting today, so carry some options with you, and be ready to change lenses if the one you have on is not the right one! It's really as simple as that. The 28-75 would be a good starting point and go longer or wider when needed.

In terms of the park, it really depends where you want to stand (how close or far away). You have enough coverage to not worry about which lens you have on at the start. Change lenses as required to get the effect you want.

Sorry it's so vague, but every wedding is unique. I may use lens 'A' at one church and lens 'B' at the next and maybe even lens 'C' at the next one. There is no one lens to recommend here without standing in the church and looking at things in real time.

Good luck.

Gianni Paolella · March 26th, 2011, 02:13 PM

Thanks Dave,
I understand and I agree for your suggest.
I try to explane...normally here the room for the preparation are small and low light.
Also the Churh are dark.Normally I put one camera with Wide in front and with the other camera I shoot the paricular.
In the restaurant and Park I shoo sometimes in wide and in close.
After that are u able to tell me how you could use the lens I have, includineg the Steady and the Glidetrack?

Stephen J. Williams · March 28th, 2011, 07:40 PM

Gianni...

Dave makes great points although I would differ a little from him on the bride and groom prep.

I would most likely use the 50mm. Even though it's going to give you a tighter picture then the other above mentioned lens's. I feel that it would give me a that "artsy look" that I normally strive for during the prep. The 50 would make it easy (IMO) for those close up Make up shots and with a few steps back wide enough for the action. You can always keep the wider lens on your slider and just switch camera's when needed. This would alleviate the time of having to throw on another lens with the fear of missing something.

For the church I would use the 18-135 in the center isle. with the tamron on the side shooting over the grooms shoulder onto the brides face.
The 18-135 would give you enough options to go wide, and close when needed (ie rings, vows).
One thing I normally do when working with zoom lens's is to set the aperture as open as I can when fully zoomed in. This way your exposure wont change when you zoom in and out.
You already said that you had the HV20 for your safety shot (although this will most likely be difficult to match in post).
I would recommend also looking into neat video. which is a filter that will remove unwanted noise. This has allowed me not to worry about having to bump my ISO up. I just shot a wedding where I had to bump my ISO up to 1600 (which on the 550D isn't the cleanest). With the neat video plugin I'm pleased with the results.

Hope this helps...
Bouna fortuna e ricordati di divertirti
Steve

Gianni Paolella · March 29th, 2011, 01:22 AM

Hi Stephen,
thanks for you suggest that it's very good...yes I also have the Neat Video, and I understand your point of view about, I will follow your and the other suggest.
Can I see your wedding with the 550?Wich Camera and Lens you have?
Thanks a lot
Gianni

PS: Good Italian, Google translator or do you speak italian?:-))

Kelly Langerak · March 29th, 2011, 09:57 AM

Girl and man preparation at home Your 50 could work here as well as your wide angle on your slider.
Church (Low light as usual Your longest lens. If you had the 17-55 2.8 or 24-105 L Canon that would be ideal.
Restaurant and park for external shooting Your 50mm and your sharpest zoom lens.

Gianni Paolella · March 29th, 2011, 10:18 AM

Girl and man preparation at home Your 50 could work here as well as your wide angle on your slider.
Church (Low light as usual Your longest lens. If you had the 17-55 2.8 or 24-105 L Canon that would be ideal.
Restaurant and park for external shooting Your 50mm and your sharpest zoom lens.

Thanks Kelly for you reply and suggest.
I have the 50mm 1.8, ok I can use it in the room and on the slide.
I can use also the Tokina 11-16 2.8 on the Steady also in the Church,but I have not as I told at the begining of the message the lens you suggest but 18-135 3.5-5.6, or 28-75 Tamron 2.8.
So wich one?
Remember that I have the cropping camera 550D and 60D, not full frame.

Kelly Langerak · March 29th, 2011, 12:23 PM

I've never used these Canon 18-135 3.5-5.6 or the Tamron 28-75 2.8

But do a test in your house and see which one will take in the most light. Then once you know that then you can decide on the wedding day if the longer lens or shorter lens will work best. Your main concern should be quality first then distance.

My guess is the Canon would be a better option and turn the shutter speed down to 30 you should be OK with the lighting. Don't put your ISO above 1600 if you can and never go above 2000 if at all possible.

But if it means seeing the image. I would take a bit of grainy footage over a dark image any day.

Stephen J. Williams · March 29th, 2011, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gianni Paolella

Hi Stephen,
thanks for you suggest that it's very good...yes I also have the Neat Video, and I understand your point of view about, I will follow your and the other suggest.
Can I see your wedding with the 550?Wich Camera and Lens you have?
Thanks a lot
Gianni

PS: Good Italian, Google translator or do you speak italian?:-))

Hey Gianni...

I'll be working on the trailer for the wedding I just shot today and tomorrow. So it should be up pretty soon on this forum board. I used three T2i's so it should give you a good idea as to the image quality of your video.
I used the following lens's in this order 85mm 1.8, 18 - 200mm, 50mm 1.8, and a 14mm 2.8

Sidenote: I used to live in Catania a few years ago... I met my wife while I was over there. She spoke English when we met... But while we were dating I made it a goal to learn Italian. You know, to impress her parents and all :-)

Gianni Paolella · March 29th, 2011, 01:03 PM

Nice Steve,
I can teach you italian words to impress your wife and parents, and in the same time you tech to me best use for the T2i and 60d.
Unfortunately I don't have all the lens you have like the 85, 18-200 and 14, and for the moment I only want to shoot with the lens I have.
Wich editing software u use to edit and have u got also a norma videocamera or do you dhoot only with DSLR
In every camera do you have Magic Lantern?

John Wiley · April 2nd, 2011, 08:16 AM

This has been linked to several times before but I'll post it again anyway:

March 26th, 2011, 01:21 AM	#1
Gianni Paolella Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: MILAN ITALY Posts: 82	Lens for wedding Hy guys, I need yu important suggestion. I have 2 DSLR, one Canon 550d with Magic Latern and one 60D I have the steady nano and the Igus slide. I have also the follow lens: Canon 50mm 1.8 Tokina11-16 2.8 Canon 18-135 3.5-5.6 Tamron 28-75 2.8 Canon 18-55 3.5-56 I need your suggest about wich lend you suggest to use in this situation: Girl and man preparation at home Church (Low light as usual Restaurant and park for external shooting I also have one Canon Legria HF20 that I put with the wide lens in the curch so I have another point of view Due that I work alone and I have not time to change lens quick what I need also to know is wich lens is good that I put in every camera in the 4 situations a wrote up Thanks Gianni

March 26th, 2011, 03:01 AM	#2
Dave Partington Trustee Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: York, England Posts: 1,323	Re: Lens for wedding The problem with answering a question like this is that we don't know the exact surroundings you will be shooting in. Videography is about getting it right on the day, and if that means changing the plan to suit the situation you need to be ready to react quickly. Two different videographers would produce two very different films of the same wedding because they could easily shoot different angles or focal lengths and yet still produce amazing (or equally bad) results. Too many people worry about having the perfect lens when in reality you just need to shoot what looks good at the time. Will you be attending the rehearsal in the church? I recommend you do, that way you'll know exactly where you can stand and which lens to use. You've got two crop bodies, which makes it tough to get anything other than very close shots during the Bride & Groom preparations with the 50/1.8, unless they are very large rooms ;) It would seem like your Tokina 11-16 and Tamron 28-75 will be the two most likely used lenses in those situations. We tend to use more 24mm and 35mm on full frame (5D2), but it really does depend on the size of the room and what you are trying to shoot. It's almost impossible to answer a hypothetical question without exact specifications of the environment, including room size, furniture, number of people in the room, exact room layout, amount and direction of light etc. You have to make decisions on the fly. Your church is likely to be completely different to the church I am shooting today, so carry some options with you, and be ready to change lenses if the one you have on is not the right one! It's really as simple as that. The 28-75 would be a good starting point and go longer or wider when needed. In terms of the park, it really depends where you want to stand (how close or far away). You have enough coverage to not worry about which lens you have on at the start. Change lenses as required to get the effect you want. Sorry it's so vague, but every wedding is unique. I may use lens 'A' at one church and lens 'B' at the next and maybe even lens 'C' at the next one. There is no one lens to recommend here without standing in the church and looking at things in real time. Good luck. __________________ Qualified UAV Pilot with CAA PFAW Aerial Photo / Aerial Video \| Corporate Video Production

March 26th, 2011, 02:13 PM	#3
Gianni Paolella Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: MILAN ITALY Posts: 82	Re: Lens for wedding Thanks Dave, I understand and I agree for your suggest. I try to explane...normally here the room for the preparation are small and low light. Also the Churh are dark.Normally I put one camera with Wide in front and with the other camera I shoot the paricular. In the restaurant and Park I shoo sometimes in wide and in close. After that are u able to tell me how you could use the lens I have, includineg the Steady and the Glidetrack?

March 28th, 2011, 07:40 PM	#4
Stephen J. Williams Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 768	Re: Lens for wedding Gianni... Dave makes great points although I would differ a little from him on the bride and groom prep. I would most likely use the 50mm. Even though it's going to give you a tighter picture then the other above mentioned lens's. I feel that it would give me a that "artsy look" that I normally strive for during the prep. The 50 would make it easy (IMO) for those close up Make up shots and with a few steps back wide enough for the action. You can always keep the wider lens on your slider and just switch camera's when needed. This would alleviate the time of having to throw on another lens with the fear of missing something. For the church I would use the 18-135 in the center isle. with the tamron on the side shooting over the grooms shoulder onto the brides face. The 18-135 would give you enough options to go wide, and close when needed (ie rings, vows). One thing I normally do when working with zoom lens's is to set the aperture as open as I can when fully zoomed in. This way your exposure wont change when you zoom in and out. You already said that you had the HV20 for your safety shot (although this will most likely be difficult to match in post). I would recommend also looking into neat video. which is a filter that will remove unwanted noise. This has allowed me not to worry about having to bump my ISO up. I just shot a wedding where I had to bump my ISO up to 1600 (which on the 550D isn't the cleanest). With the neat video plugin I'm pleased with the results. Hope this helps... Bouna fortuna e ricordati di divertirti Steve

March 29th, 2011, 01:22 AM	#5
Gianni Paolella Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: MILAN ITALY Posts: 82	Re: Lens for wedding Hi Stephen, thanks for you suggest that it's very good...yes I also have the Neat Video, and I understand your point of view about, I will follow your and the other suggest. Can I see your wedding with the 550?Wich Camera and Lens you have? Thanks a lot Gianni PS: Good Italian, Google translator or do you speak italian?:-))

March 29th, 2011, 09:57 AM	#6
Kelly Langerak Major Player Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Bay Area Posts: 522	Re: Lens for wedding Girl and man preparation at home Your 50 could work here as well as your wide angle on your slider. Church (Low light as usual Your longest lens. If you had the 17-55 2.8 or 24-105 L Canon that would be ideal. Restaurant and park for external shooting Your 50mm and your sharpest zoom lens.

March 29th, 2011, 10:18 AM	#7
Gianni Paolella Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: MILAN ITALY Posts: 82	Re: Lens for wedding Girl and man preparation at home Your 50 could work here as well as your wide angle on your slider. Church (Low light as usual Your longest lens. If you had the 17-55 2.8 or 24-105 L Canon that would be ideal. Restaurant and park for external shooting Your 50mm and your sharpest zoom lens. Thanks Kelly for you reply and suggest. I have the 50mm 1.8, ok I can use it in the room and on the slide. I can use also the Tokina 11-16 2.8 on the Steady also in the Church,but I have not as I told at the begining of the message the lens you suggest but 18-135 3.5-5.6, or 28-75 Tamron 2.8. So wich one? Remember that I have the cropping camera 550D and 60D, not full frame.

March 29th, 2011, 12:23 PM	#8
Kelly Langerak Major Player Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Bay Area Posts: 522	Re: Lens for wedding I've never used these Canon 18-135 3.5-5.6 or the Tamron 28-75 2.8 But do a test in your house and see which one will take in the most light. Then once you know that then you can decide on the wedding day if the longer lens or shorter lens will work best. Your main concern should be quality first then distance. My guess is the Canon would be a better option and turn the shutter speed down to 30 you should be OK with the lighting. Don't put your ISO above 1600 if you can and never go above 2000 if at all possible. But if it means seeing the image. I would take a bit of grainy footage over a dark image any day.

March 29th, 2011, 01:03 PM	#10
Gianni Paolella Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: MILAN ITALY Posts: 82	Re: Lens for wedding Nice Steve, I can teach you italian words to impress your wife and parents, and in the same time you tech to me best use for the T2i and 60d. Unfortunately I don't have all the lens you have like the 85, 18-200 and 14, and for the moment I only want to shoot with the lens I have. Wich editing software u use to edit and have u got also a norma videocamera or do you dhoot only with DSLR In every camera do you have Magic Lantern?

April 2nd, 2011, 08:16 AM	#11
John Wiley Trustee Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Byron Bay, Australia Posts: 1,155	Re: Lens for wedding This has been linked to several times before but I'll post it again anyway: stillmotion's guide to lenses for weddings and events // a cinema caravan tutorial on Vimeo