7 Must-Have Wedding Photography Lenses

What are the best wedding photography lenses?

 

Weddings are the most important days in our lives. So people capture this day’s activities on camera to retain this moment forever. They always try to find the best wedding photographer for their wedding. And for the best lenses are very important. 

There are lots of choices when it comes to lenses, companies are always coming out with new products. Many photographers are attracted to these bright and shiny things and end up with a huge collection of lenses, many of which rarely see the light of day.

Based on my experience I want to share a list of what I found most useful lenses for a wedding day. I do use Sony lenses but I will also share Canon’s equivalents and some third-party replacements that can usually be bought at better prices (slightly lower quality).

The list is given below:

• 70-200mm f/2.8
• 24-70mm f/2.8
• 85mm prime f/1.4
• 50mm prime f/1.4
• 35mm prime f/1.4
• 90mm f/2.8, a macro lens
• 14mm f/1.8, super wide angle

70-200mm f/2.8

 

It’s a versatile lens that creates beautiful bokeh, especially with 200mm and even stopped-down apertures. It gives you amazing sharpness at all focal lengths. This is the best long lens for outdoor portraits. 

A 70-200mm f/2.8 camera lens is especially useful during wedding ceremonies when you’d rather be far away and out of sight. The camera lens lets you capture candids from tears at the wedding ceremony to smiles at the wedding reception. It allows you to discreetly capture ring exchanges, vows, and kisses. 

Sony 70-200mm f/2.8
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8
Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8

24-70mm f/2.8

 

The 24-70mm f/2.8 offers focal length versatility when you’re shooting on the go, which wedding photographers need for most of the day. You can use this lens for wide-ranging location shots, candid shots of people, guests arriving, people mingling and chatting while waiting for the ceremony to begin or at the wedding breakfast, and so on. 

The 24-70mm f/2.8 camera lens can capture wide enough positions. If you need to take a wider photograph, you can take several photos and stitch them together as a panorama in Photoshop. Setting the exposure for a series of shots is the same, it’s easy enough to do by standing at a fixed point, and then capturing a set of images while adjusting your composition slightly. You can also do the same for a photo of all the guests. 

Sony 24-70mm f/2.8
Canon 24-70mm f/2.8
Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8

85mm f/1.4 prime

 

I use this camera lens for portraits of the bride and groom, bridesmaids and groomsmen, individual guests, small groups, and so on. The best thing about this lens is that it is tack-sharp from the sweet spot. Accurate, light-sensitive, with great results; It’s my go-to lens, and it never leaves my bag. As a prime lens, the 85mm is fast, small, and extremely reliable.

As a fixed lens, an 85mm prime requires more work on your part; Zoom in and out with your feet. But the extra effort is worth it. Portraits are clearer, backgrounds are creamier and it’s a great lens in very low-light situations.

Sony 85mm f/1.4
Canon 85mm f/1.4
Sigma 85mm f/1.4

50mm f/1.4 prime

 

This is another one of my favorite lenses. The 50mm focal length is great for portraits, and it can save the day when the light starts to fade. The wide aperture allows you to rely less on your flash, and it creates a softer and more natural look for your subjects.

Sony 50mm f/1.4
Canon 50mm f/1.8
Sigma 50mm f/1.4

35mm f/1.4 prime

 

If there’s one lens I can always count on, it’s this one, the 35mm prime. It’s an ultra-versatile lens that you can use to photograph the bride getting ready, a time when wedding photographers are usually under pressure to capture everything. This includes the location, lots of accessories, any small details, candid shots, dresses, natural interactions between the bride and her loved ones, and group portraits. 

This lens is super fast and sharp. With this lens, you can get closer, which is very convenient when you are in a crowded place.

Sony 35mm f/1.4
Canon 35mm f/1.4
Tamron 35mm f/1.4

Macro lens

 

A macro lens is absolutely important if you want to capture detailed images of the rings You can use your macro lens to photograph jewelry and other accessories while the bride is getting ready. If the bride’s dress is embellished with jewels, a macro lens will also be ideal for capturing detailed images.

Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro
Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro
Sigma 105mm f/2.8

Wide angle lens

 

Very useful lens when you want to capture the “environment”. If it is a ceremony in a beautiful church or you want to have your couple in a landscape, that lens will help you have a great visualization of the environment. Also can be used on the dance floor or and other tight places with a cool effect of “fish-eye”.

Sony 14mm f/1.8 or Sony 16-35mm f/2.8
Canon 11-24mm f/4 or Canon 16-35mm f/2.8
Tamron 17-28 f/2.8

Summary

 

From this blog, you will get details information about the best wedding camera lenses. After getting the information, you can now decide which one is right to capture the beautiful photographs of your big day.

The first lens I would buy if I start building my set again would be 24-70mm f/2.8, it is the most versatile lens and can be used for almost everything. The second one would be 70-200mm f/2.8, those 2 lenses would give you a range from 24-200mm which is basically all you need!

After that start putting together your “prime” set, depending on your style of photography 85mm for classic portraits and 35mm for more environmental portraits.

Lastly Macro and wide-angle lenses. Let me know in the comments what is in your bag! If you looking for ideas about wedding poses, check out this article, and this one for a wedding timeline, to stay organized and make it a less stressful day!