Buying the best lens for wedding photography can be a challenge. The wide range of digital SLR and DSLR cameras available today means that there is some great choice. But, you need to make sure that you don’t get blinded by the multitude of choices that are out there.
Don’t ignore details, you can find many that will give you a detailed review of each lens on offer. Also, consider using common sense when deciding on which one to buy. If it’s been years since you’ve used a camera before, it’s a good idea to take some time to familiarise yourself with what works best with your particular preferences.
Aperture
Most people feel that for the very best results with a lens for wedding photography, the widest aperture is most important. This is a huge mistake. You should avoid using a wide aperture with a prime lens if you want to get the best results.
The reason is that these are designed to create small background blurriness for portraits. They are not particularly suited to wedding photography where you need to create foreground detail. If you use a wide aperture with these lenses, they won’t help you create the depth you need to get great shots at your wedding.
These lenses are made with higher contrast as opposed to the average ultra-wide, which also have high megapixels, but are built on smaller and more compact bodies. These models also tend to be cheaper than their more expensive counterparts. However, the micro primes are by far the best to use for wedding photography.
Focal Length
Be careful with the choice of focal length for your wedding photography. If you choose to use a long lens, the background won’t be blurred and if you use a wide lens, the background will have a lot of depth to it. The longer lens will allow you to capture distant scenery that the average lens can’t capture.
As with the focal length, the aperture can help blur the background or foreground, depending on the situation. At any one moment, you should choose a lens for wedding photography that is best for the situation. Too many lenses for one shot can cause blurring and you end up with a picture that is mostly the same color as the background.
Telephoto
You also need to think about whether to use a telephoto lens for close-ups and ultra-wide lenses for far away shots. Both of these types of lenses can be used for both photography and still life. The distance that needs to be covered will influence the best lens for wedding photography that you choose. Ultra-wide lenses allow you to capture larger objects but will cause foreground elements to get blurred.
Full-frame
For a full-frame lens, if you are choosing one with a large aperture, you might find it helpful to choose one with the depth of field control. Again, this will depend on the situation and the subject. Of course, if you have the full-frame digital SLR, this is possible. It may be beneficial to read more about how to control depth of field.
However, if you are going to use a full-frame camera for photography, such as the Sony A6000, you can turn the depth of field option off. This will save battery power and enable you to create a shallow depth of field that will make objects look sharper.
For portraits, you should avoid using a wide lens, but in still life, you may want to use one. While the depth of field will cause some blurring, you will still be able to create contrast and soften the image. If you do use a wide lens, make sure that you have a tripod so that you can get the right exposure for your subject.
If you are interested in a further in learning more about selecting the right pair of lenses for wedding photography, do check out the websites below. Many of the photos in these sites are sourced from weddings that were taken at the same time and location.