Telephoto lens for wedding?

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Evan Bourcier

Hey, just thought I'd peek back in and say that though the 70-200 was awesome, I wish I had gotten the IS version. Just my 0.2. If you're tight on the budget the non-is 70-200 2.8 is great too, but even if it means renting I'd say the IS is worth it. Also depends how much you're actually gonna use it.. It's easy enough to cut a little shake in post if it's just 1-2 shots, 20 on the other hand..

A cheaper option is to use a monopod or tripod. Even with IS you really don't want to hand hold at 200mm. The IS is designed for taking still photographs.

[Bill Grant]

Nigel, I don't think Evan was insinuating that he was handholding the 70-200. I borrowed a non is version before I bought mine and I can tell you the jitters even on a tripod are difficult...

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Bill Grant

Nigel, I don't think Evan was insinuating that he was handholding the 70-200. I borrowed a non is version before I bought mine and I can tell you the jitters even on a tripod are difficult...

You normally turn off IS if using a tripod as otherwise the IS will be fighting the motion & actually causing jitters.

[Mark Von Lanken]

Originally Posted by Victor Nguyen

I just found some old nikkor lenses on ebay like 180 f2.8 and 135 f 2.8 ais lenses. Do you guys think it's good?

Those lenses will work, but the problem is that they are primes. For a long ceremony lens at an affordable price I would get a vintage Vivitar Series 1 70-210 3.5. You can find them on eBay for $100 or less.
Vivitar Series 1 VMC 70-210mm f 3.5 Lens | eBay

Get one in the Nikon, Yashica or Olympus mount. Stay away from the Minolta and Canon FD mount. I have a couple of these lenses. They are sharp and the color rendition is beautiful. I also have a Canon 70-200 2.8 IS. It's a great lens and the IS is incredible, but it better be at $2200 more than a Vivitar Series 1, it better be incredible.

We used the Vivitar Series 1 70-210 for our first year of shooting DSLR. The lack of IS is the only disadvantage. It shows up the most when max zoom and you need to make a usable movement or when shooting outside on a windy day.

Let me know if you have any additional questions about vintage lenses.

[Mark Von Lanken]

Originally Posted by Nigel Barker

You normally turn off IS if using a tripod as otherwise the IS will be fighting the motion & actually causing jitters.

When shooting on a tripod with a traditional video camera I turn the IS off, but when shooting with the Canon 70-200 I get better results with the IS on. I have tried it both ways and IS on the tripod gives me the best results. Your mileage may vary. ;-)

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Mark Von Lanken

When shooting on a tripod with a traditional video camera I turn the IS off, but when shooting with the Canon 70-200 I get better results with the IS on. I have tried it both ways and IS on the tripod gives me the best results. Your mileage may vary. ;-)

The Canon 70-200mm F/2.8L II is a special case as the on-board image stabilisation has two modes. Mode 1 stabilises in both the horizontal and vertical directions while Mode 2 is used when panning the lens and turns off stabilisation in the direction in which the lens is being panned. Other lenses with IS may not have the second mode e.g. Canon 24-105mm F/4L IS.

[Evan Bourcier]

Quick note- I was almost always on a tripod with the 70-200 and found it really shaky on the tripod out at 200mm.

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Evan Bourcier

Quick note- I was almost always on a tripod with the 70-200 and found it really shaky on the tripod out at 200mm.

In which case you need a better tripod.

[Victor Nguyen]

Originally Posted by Mark Von Lanken

Those lenses will work, but the problem is that they are primes. For a long ceremony lens at an affordable price I would get a vintage Vivitar Series 1 70-210 3.5. You can find them on eBay for $100 or less.
Vivitar Series 1 VMC 70-210mm f 3.5 Lens | eBay

Get one in the Nikon, Yashica or Olympus mount. Stay away from the Minolta and Canon FD mount. I have a couple of these lenses. They are sharp and the color rendition is beautiful. I also have a Canon 70-200 2.8 IS. It's a great lens and the IS is incredible, but it better be at $2200 more than a Vivitar Series 1, it better be incredible.

We used the Vivitar Series 1 70-210 for our first year of shooting DSLR. The lack of IS is the only disadvantage. It shows up the most when max zoom and you need to make a usable movement or when shooting outside on a windy day.

Let me know if you have any additional questions about vintage lenses.

The only problem I have with the vivitar 70-210 is that I prefer lenses to be at least 2.8. f 3.5 don't seem to be very fast. Also is it f 3.5 constant or variable at maximum zoom?

[Mark Von Lanken]

Originally Posted by Victor Nguyen

The only problem I have with the vivitar 70-210 is that I prefer lenses to be at least 2.8. f 3.5 don't seem to be very fast. Also is it f 3.5 constant or variable at maximum zoom?

The 3.5 version is a constant 3.5. They also made a 2.8-4 version which of course closes down as you zoom.

Either version of the Vivitar Series 1 at $100 or less is a bargain. If a constant 2.8 over a constant 3.5 is worth the extra $400-500, then go for it. Another option is a vintage Tokina AT-X 80-200 2.8. They are hard to find, but are a constant 2.8, not sure how much they sell for.

[Bill Grant]

I can verify that with the IS version 1, I can get away with not as nice of a tripod :)

[Victor Nguyen]

mark I'm looking for the vivitar on ebay and it's not showing up as constant f3.5. Anyway, do you know any good wide angle vintage lens? I want to get rid of my tokina, I want to move from autofocus lens into manual focus and manual apeture lens.

[Mark Von Lanken]

Originally Posted by Bill Grant

I can verify that with the IS version 1, I can get away with not as nice of a tripod :)

Hi Bill,

I have version 1 as well. I'm using Manfrotto 503 tripod heads and get great results with version 1. The 503 isn't the cheapest head but it's far from being "high end".

[Mark Von Lanken]

Originally Posted by Victor Nguyen

mark I'm looking for the vivitar on ebay and it's not showing up as constant f3.5. Anyway, do you know any good wide angle vintage lens? I want to get rid of my tokina, I want to move from autofocus lens into manual focus and manual apeture lens.

Hi Victor,
The eBay link I posted was for the constant 3.5 version. They came in two flavors, 2.8-4 and 3.5. I randomly clicked on one of the auctions and it looks pretty good, but there may be better deals if you go through all of the links.
VIVITAR SERIES 1 VMC 70-210mm f/3.5 MACRO FOCUSING ZOOM LENS FOR NIKON | eBay

Do you have the Tokina 11-16? If so, that's about the best option out there. The only alternatives that I know of are not as wide...Zenitar 16mm 2.8, manual focus and aperture, but it's not as sharp as the Tokina and I believe Nikon made a 20mm but I'm not sure how fast or expensive it is.

I keep about 6 lenses in my bag and only two of them have an electronic aperture, so I'm like you, I do prefer a manual aperture over an electronic aperture.

[Long Truong]

Instead of buying a cheaper version of your desired lens, have you considered simply renting every time you need it? Depending on the number of projects where you'll absolutely need a given lens, you could find yourself saving a lot of money by going the rental way.