Zoom or Prime for Wedding photography?

[Nick Cartwright]

Is the Sigma 30mm F1.4 a usable lens for wedding photography?

I’m looking at a faster lens for my Olympus E-500, and like the idea of a fast Prime (EFL on Oly will be 60mm). I am planning on photographing a friend wedding next year and this is giving me a good excuse to treat myself to a lens.

I am certain the lens will be ideal for portraits (4 month old baby means loads of portraits!!), but will it be useful for other stuff? I am very keen on its strong light capturing ability.

My other option is the Sigma 18-50mm F/2.8, probably more versatile, but slower!

Thanks

[SSB]

The 30mm won't be nearly flexible enough to shoot a whole wedding with. That said, it would have its uses in church (for example) or at an evening do when the light is low. If I had to take one lens for a wedding it would be a fast (f2.8) mid-range zoom, something like 24-85 ... looking at the Oly range, it'd be something like the 14-54mm

[barongreenback]

I'd go for primes in low light. I did some shots inside Wells Cathedral earlier this week - strong sunlight outside but inside I found the f/4 max aperture of my Canon 24-105 not quite enough and the 50mm wasn't long enough for some of the abstracts I was shooting. Most cameras though seem to work ok up to ISO 800 so that may be an option should you go for something like the Sigma 18-50 (which is a superb lens btw - why don't they make it for FF sensors!!! grrr...)

[Nick Cartwright]

Thanks, I suspected it might not be flexible enough, but it's still a tempting proposition as a nice fast prime with a useful EFL on the Oly.

The 14-54 would be my ideal lens, but a compromide might have to be the Sigma 18-50 (EFL 26-100), not quite as long as the 24-85 but it is quite significantly cheaper than the 14-54.

Is f/2.8 ok for shooting in church?

Thanks

[Nick Cartwright]

Originally Posted by barongreenback

Most cameras though seem to work ok up to ISO 800 so that may be an option should you go for something like the Sigma 18-50 (which is a superb lens btw - why don't they make it for FF sensors!!! grrr...)

It is a tempting proposition. I got the SE kit, with the 17.5 - 45 Lens, so I wouldn't miss the loss of a few mm's at the wide end. But the f/2.8 throughout the range would be pretty good.

I recently heared that Sigma were to release all their lenses in the 4/3rds (oly) mount by the end of next year, so I could suplement the wide end with the 10-20mm.

Still like the idea of a fast prime as well!

Thansk

[SSB]

Originally Posted by Nick Cartwright

Is f/2.8 ok for shooting in church?

Erm, depends on a number of things ...

How steady with a camera are you? ... are you Shaky McParkinson or Ye Olde Man of Stone?

How far you're happy pushing the Oly ISO? ... it looks OK at 800, 1600 from what I've seen in reviews.

Fancy carrying a monopod? .... a monopod can help reduce shake and allow you to shoot at slower speeds, but it's a bit conspicuous

Could you get away with using a flash? ... again, conspicuous, but what a pro would probably be doing

I do like the Sigma 30mm though ... I took these shots with mine at Carlisle Cathedral, which isn't especially bright.

[Nick Cartwright]

Not too steady, but not overly shaky either. I could get away with ISO 400-800, 1600 exibits a little too much noise (although a lot of reviews claim it is quite film grain like).

It seem like every descision I need to make in this new hobby of mine open up a can of worms! Thanks goodness for the forums to bounce ideas/thoughts off more experienced users!

EDIT : Just seen the pitures, missed them before. The lens loks very sharp and picked up a fair bit of light. What sort of shutter speeds? Were they hand held?

EDIT2 : I suppose it might be an idea to do a recce on the church and see how light it actually is!

[Radiohead]

Originally Posted by Nick Cartwright

Not too steady, but not overly shaky either. I could get away with ISO 400-800, 1600 exibits a little too much noise (although a lot of reviews claim it is quite film grain like).

It seem like every descision I need to make in this new hobby of mine open up a can of worms! Thanks goodness for the forums to bounce ideas/thoughts off more experienced users!

EDIT : Just seen the pitures, missed them before. The lens loks very sharp and picked up a fair bit of light. What sort of shutter speeds? Were they hand held?

I'll echo what SSB has said here. 2.8's are great but IME aren't fast enough in real low-light when shooting moving subjects. That's where ultra-fast glass like 1.4's come into their own.

The Sigma is a great lens and good value. Combine that with a decent mid-range 2.8 zoom and you should be ok.

[SSB]

Originally Posted by Nick Cartwright

EDIT : Just seen the pitures, missed them before. The lens loks very sharp and picked up a fair bit of light. What sort of shutter speeds? Were they hand held?

Both shots were hand held. The pipes were at f2.2, 1/30s, ISO 400 and the second was at f4, 1/30s, ISO 640.

The problem comes when you start using longer lenses and need to get nearer 1/100s ... that requires a wider aperture and / or higher ISOs. Like you say, a recce of the church might help you decide.

One piece of advice would be to always ensure you've got enough shutter speed ... sometimes the little screen on the back lies and says a picture is sharp when it isn't. It's far better to up the ISO than to miss a shot entirely, or waste it due to camera shake.

[Nick Cartwright]

If only I could afford both, it's an 'either/or' situation at the moment!


I think I need to try a few experiments with ISO and see what the noise is like, It could be that I notice it, but no one else does, in whioch case I might be best getting the 18-50 f2.8 and upping the ISO for inside the church.

[paulwIre]

I've shot indoors at ISO 1600. Mostly I try to use ISO 800 or lower, but with the Canon 20D you can get away with the higher ISO.

I use the 24-70 f/2.8 L lens. I've also photographed weddings with that lens, but using the flash and ISO 400/800.

An example of an indoor image without flash, f/2.8, 1/25 seconds at ISO 1600 is

[Nick Cartwright]

Can't see image, but thanks for the advice.

I may end up using flash and getting the 18-50 as it offers more versatility!

[QuietRiot1983]

I hate to bring the total amateur into this thread, but would a noise reduction software be an option for you if you were to use ISO 1600?

[tomson]

i tend to shoot most of my weddings with 2.8 zooms. One this weekend was particularly dark so I did resort to using a 1.8 at 1600 iso for a few shots.
I don't like using a flash in churches if i can help it as you invariably get unconvincing dark areas. especially in larger venues. And it can really kill the atmosphere.

[T0MAT01]

Originally Posted by QuietRiot1983

I hate to bring the total amateur into this thread, but would a noise reduction software be an option for you if you were to use ISO 1600?

It's always an option, but it does tend to soften the whole image a little.

There really is no substitute for fast glass.