# What is you wedding kit?



## KreutzerPhotography (Jun 5, 2012)

I am getting ready to start revamping my kit for weddings and as i was thinking about my kit I was just thinking how different photographers can get completely different results from similar gear. As i thought about it more I got curious what you all find as your faithful setup. I am thinking of investing in more primes for low light but not sure if I can completely rid myself of zooms. 

What are your faithful kits and why does it make the difference to you?


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## RLPhoto (Jun 5, 2012)

I Shoot 3 Primes On two Bodies. I rarely Miss photos.


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## dericcainphoto (Jun 5, 2012)

100mm 2.8 for macro stuff - details
24-70mm 2.8L for wide stuff
50mm 1.4 for reception details and short DOF
70-200mm 2.8L IS II for make the bride look beautiful (this is my favorite, hands down)


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## KreutzerPhotography (Jun 5, 2012)

dericcainphoto said:


> 100mm 2.8 for macro stuff - details
> 24-70mm 2.8L for wide stuff
> 50mm 1.4 for reception details and short DOF
> 70-200mm 2.8L IS II for make the bride look beautiful (this is my favorite, hands down)



Are you thinking of upgrading your 24-70 when the II comes out? I have been thinking of getting a 24-70 (I've rented one and liked it) since the used price is so good. I have heard enough people say that I might not love it tho so it has me a little "scared" to make the plunge. How often is this on your camera at a wedding?


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## Dnd (Jun 5, 2012)

Just did our first wedding.. Brought the 70-200 II IS 2.8L, 50 1.2 L, 24-70 I 2.8L, 8-15 f4 L, and the 85 1.8, along with the 580EXII and used the 7d and 5dII... the only lens not used.. 85 1.8....
I used the 24-70 for a majority of the shots.. I will have to agree that the 70-200 does have some great impact on the images too..amazing piece of glass!


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## KreutzerPhotography (Jun 5, 2012)

Dnd said:


> Just did our first wedding.. Brought the 70-200 II IS 2.8L, 50 1.2 L, 24-70 I 2.8L, 8-15 f4 L, and the 85 1.8, along with the 580EXII and used the 7d and 5dII... the only lens not used.. 85 1.8....
> I used the 24-70 for a majority of the shots.. I will have to agree that the 70-200 does have some great impact on the images too..amazing piece of glass!



"1st Wedding" are you a wedding photographer or do you "normally" do other work? Having that kind of glass makes me gealous if you are not a working photographer


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## Dylan777 (Jun 5, 2012)

I'm not a wedding photographer, but I do have friends, who do this for living.

*3 of them carry these lenses and 1 without 35L:*
35-L
50-L
24-70 
70-200 f2.8 IS II


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## preppyak (Jun 5, 2012)

Dylan777 said:


> 24-70
> 70-200 f2.8 IS II


Yep, that's about as common a kit as you'll see for a wedding photog, simply for its ability to cover a huge focal range and handle low-light relatively well (especially now with the 5dIII). And then they'll have their preferred portrait lens (50, 85, etc) to when they have time to change a lens and pose a shot.


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## dericcainphoto (Jun 5, 2012)

KreutzerPhotography said:


> dericcainphoto said:
> 
> 
> > 100mm 2.8 for macro stuff - details
> ...



I may upgrade in the future, but not anytime soon. I am very pleased with my 24-70mm and I use it for about 50% of the wedding shots. I use my 70-200mm about 45% of the time and the other two lenses the remaining 5%. The 24-70mm is sharp enough at all apertures and renders colors excellently.


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## jaayres20 (Jun 5, 2012)

I have two 5D3 bodies on me with a 70-200 f/2.8L IS and the other with a 50mm f/1.2L. I also keep a 28mm 1.8 in a little waist shooter bag that I can swap out with the 50mm when I need a wider angle. I can do almost anything with those lenses. I am not a big fan of the 24-70 because even though it is a well rounded lens it is boring in my opinion. I also have a 100 f/2.8L IS Macro for shots of the rings.


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## Chris Geiger (Jun 5, 2012)

I've shot 132 weddings to date. My current kit is 2 5D3's, 70-200 f/2.8 IS, 24-105 f4, 50mm f/1.2. I use a 12mm spacer for detail shots.


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## Chewngum (Jun 5, 2012)

Sigma 12-24 (5%)
Canon 24-70L or 24-105L(40%)
Sigma 85 f1.4(40%)
Canon 70-200 2.8 IS mkI(15%)
2 Canon 5d1's
Flashes

The 85 f1.4 is my favoured lens out of all of them. Its means some manual zooming(foot work) though the results are rarely beaten. The 12-24 is the widest rectilinear lens available and produces some startling shot not otherwise possible. My combo is usually 24-105L on one body and 85 1.4 on the other, it gives amazing quality and versatility, which means i dont(well rarely) have to worry about the amount of light changing or distance/framing while still providing sharp and in focus photos.


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## wickidwombat (Jun 6, 2012)

16-35 f2.8L II
sigma 85 f1.4

and canon 50mm f1.4

2 FF bodies and a buch of flashes

seriously looking at a 35 f1.4 though, the 50 can still be a bit tight for the reception and its quality is no where near that of the 85


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## SuperCrazySamurai (Jun 6, 2012)

KreutzerPhotography said:


> I am getting ready to start revamping my kit for weddings and as i was thinking about my kit I was just thinking how different photographers can get completely different results from similar gear. As i thought about it more I got curious what you all find as your faithful setup. I am thinking of investing in more primes for low light but not sure if I can completely rid myself of zooms.
> 
> What are your faithful kits and why does it make the difference to you?



2-Bodies 
1-1dmk3 and 1-5dmk2

4 Lenses
50mm 1.2L (when things get dark)
16-35mm F2.8L (wide group pictures at the church and reception)
24-70mm F2.8L (flexibility)
70-200mm F2.8L IS (more flexibility).

And of course flashes 

Cheers!


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## unkbob (Jun 6, 2012)

5D3 + 7D

16-35 II L
24-70 L
35L
50 1.4 Sigma
100 L

580 EXII flash + Newton flash bracket.

I have a 135L and 70-200 Sigma OS but I don't use them much for photography. 35L is my favourite lens but I also love the 100L, as it's good for macro, portraits and turns into a 160 on the 7D during the ceremony. I use the 24-70 for prep, 35L / 100L for reception. I stick the 50 on the 7D for a tighter angle during speeches. The 16-35 is for wide shots of venues.


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## Marsu42 (Jun 15, 2012)

unkbob said:


> 16-35 II L



How often do you guys use the 16-35L?

I'm assembling a wedding kit, too, but if the uwa below 24mm is only used for close quarters I'd like to save some money here - and given the wide angle, isn't a 17-40L with f4 min. aperture sufficient for starters, too?


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## KreutzerPhotography (Jun 18, 2012)

I recently sold my 70-200 f/4 IS so my 16-35 is my best piece of glass... So I tend to use it alot. I had a wedding yesterday and used two lenses... (16-35 II and 28-135 [for a few closer shots]) I think I need to get a 135mm L and I can shoot an entire wedding with a 16-35 and 135... 

I love my 16-35 but I shoot with a crop body and 80% of my shots are at 35...

When I get a FF I am sure I'll need somthing longer (24-70/70-200 probly) but I am happy with the results I get from my 16-35 on Crop.


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## bdunbar79 (Jun 18, 2012)

KreutzerPhotography said:


> I recently sold my 70-200 f/4 IS so my 16-35 is my best piece of glass... So I tend to use it alot. I had a wedding yesterday and used two lenses... (16-35 II and 28-135 [for a few closer shots]) I think I need to get a 135mm L and I can shoot an entire wedding with a 16-35 and 135...
> 
> I love my 16-35 but I shoot with a crop body and 80% of my shots are at 35...
> 
> When I get a FF I am sure I'll need somthing longer (24-70/70-200 probly) but I am happy with the results I get from my 16-35 on Crop.



16-35L is GREAT with a crop body, but I agree in FF it's useless at a wedding IMO. If you are even remotely serious about wedding photography with a FF camera, I don't know how you cannot have the 24-70L lens. My kit with a 5D Mark II was 24-70L, 70-200L, 50 f/1.4, 85 f/1.2L, and 135 f/2L, with a backup 1D Mark III (I know, so weird calling this camera a "backup") and it worked absolutely fantastic. 5 lenses, 2 cameras, and a flash and tripod and I got everything I needed and then some. If you go the wedding route, consider those focal lengths and pick up about $3k/weekend


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## ramon123 (Jun 25, 2012)

A nice kit:

24-105mm f4 IS or 24-70mm f2.8 II
70-200mm f2.8 IS II
85mm f1.2 II
8-15mm f4 fisheye


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## unkbob (Jul 9, 2012)

Marsu42 said:


> unkbob said:
> 
> 
> > 16-35 II L
> ...



The 16-35 is for establishing shots of venues, mostly. Great for the dining hall. I use it maybe 5% of the day and could totally live without it, but it adds a different perspective. The 17-40 would be fine I'm sure, but I've never used one.


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## SandyP (Jul 9, 2012)

5D Mark 2 + 5D Mark 3


35mm f/1.4 
45mm TS-E f/2.8
50mm f/1.2
100mm f/2.8 Macro
135mm f/2


I use the 35L and the 50L for the majority of the day, the Macro only gets used for some ring shots, and the 135L only gets used for some occasions during the day. I like to stay close to the people I'm shooting, as I feel it puts you "right there" with them. I do not like removing myself/the viewer from the photos by using longer lenses too often. But the 135L is indeed a magic lens, and it's very nice to have at the wedding.


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## bdunbar79 (Jul 9, 2012)

SandyP said:


> 5D Mark 2 + 5D Mark 3
> 
> 
> 35mm f/1.4
> ...



I like your lens choices. The only difference I have from yours is I bring my 85L lens (don't really use my 100, only for indoor sports now). It has worked well for me when the bride comes up the aisle. The other difference is that back at first, I didn't have lower primes, so I used my 24-70L version I. I agree, I don't like going beyond my 135L, although just in case I'll throw a 70-200L lens in the bag. It's neat to read through this thread and see what everybody else is doing.


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## Bosman (Jul 13, 2012)

My 24-70 is amazing and it focusses lightning fast. It has been my most used lens. I even use it for sports hence how i know it is very fast focussing. It is as fast as my 70-200LII without a doubt. You really can't go wrong, its epic!
I have been shooting more primes these days however so i don't know if i will keep it or not. It hasnt failed me other than it needed a new barrel a year ago and it has been rebuilt. It wasnt moving freely. I think a friend i lent it to may have dropped it since it had to be done after that.
For weddings i recommend a good prime and the 24-70 / 70-200. 80% of my images taken were using the 24-70 on a 1dm3.
I am doing things a little differently this year with lenses for weddings
24L on 1dm3
50F1.2L on 5DM3
i sometimes swap the lenses between the bodies but mostly this way.
I use the 70-200LII for portraits of the bride and groom as well as ceremony & reception where you shoot the toasts. I don't like lugging it else and i don't really need the range either.


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## briansquibb (Jul 13, 2012)

I find that the 24-105 and the 70-200 are the lens that get most use, hanging on ff bodies

Speed is not an issue as I use a lot of flash.

I have the 135 f/2, 85 f/1.8, 50 f/1.4 should I need the extra speed (hardly ever used)


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## Deleted member 32755 (Jul 14, 2012)

5D3 & 7D

17-55 2.8 IS (on 7D) 
70-200 2.8 L IS MkI (on 5d3)
35 f/2 (5d3)
50 1.8 MkII (5D3)
speedlite 580 EXII (always bounced and diffused) on either camera, 7D mostly

We work as a team of two.When I cover groom preps I use the 5D3 with both primes and the 70-200 as I usually have the time to swap lenses.
When we are at the church the 70-200 stays on my FF all of the time as I mostly take portrait shots from a distance and tight cropped details.The 7D is used for wide shots only.
At the reception I start off with the same setup but when everybody starts dancing I usually mount the 35 f/2 on my MkIII for a wider view of the venue and lots of group dances (I live and work in Athens-Greece).
Ideally I 'd have 2 5D3's and 16-35 & 24-70.But as you can guess from the cheap primes I have, money is really an issue right now and I 'll just have to work with what I have.
I couldn't work however without the 70-200, it became indispensable for me since I got it !
I rarely shoot wide open (especially the primes) as I like to get the sharpest results from my lenses (usually around f/5.6-f/8) and the 5D3 really helped me do this (I get usable shots at ISO 12800 and even 25600 on a couple of occasions)


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## Marsu42 (Jul 14, 2012)

Jimmy L said:


> I couldn't work however without the 70-200, it became indispensable for me since I got it ! I rarely shoot wide open (especially the primes) as I like to get the sharpest results from my lenses (usually around f/5.6-f/8) and the 5D3 really helped me do this (I get usable shots at ISO 12800 and even 25600 on a couple of occasions)



So you want the f2.8 of the 70-200 for faster af or a few wide open aperture shots? Else, it sounds like you might save some $$$ and weight and use a 70-200/4.


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