Did you ever want to have the best lens for wedding photography so that you can capture the most memorable moments of someone’s life, whether as a guest or a professional photographer?
Wedding photography is one of the most important, not to mention beautiful niches in the digital world, and capturing those moments is a great experience.
On the other hand, the internet still doesn’t offer many helpful guides on what type of lenses would fit the bill to shoot wedding photos at the highest level.
With that idea in mind, I have decided to make a buying guide to help photographers make the right purchase of the optics they need to create fantastic wedding photo albums.
Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 Lens | Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L Lens | Nikon 70-200mm f/4G Lens |
Unmatched versatility and stunning image quality in a powerful zoom lens. The ultimate tool for professional photographers. | Exceptional performance and reliability in a versatile lens. Capture the perfect shot with outstanding clarity and sharpness. | Affordable excellence with impressive image quality. A lightweight and reliable lens for capturing your photography dreams without breaking the bank. |
5.0 | 4.9 | 4.8 |
Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 Lens
Unmatched versatility and stunning image quality in a powerful zoom lens. The ultimate tool for professional photographers.
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L Lens
Exceptional performance and reliability in a versatile lens. Capture the perfect shot with outstanding clarity and sharpness.
Nikon 70-200mm f/4G Lens
Affordable excellence with impressive image quality. A lightweight and reliable lens for capturing your photography dreams without breaking the bank.
This a telephoto lens with excellent quality as it has superb performance, it has high contrast and autofocus is responsive and fast in all conditions.
The draft’s first pick comes with 20 elements in 14 groups, along with nine rounded diaphragm blades. It also has an angle of view of 34° 20′ to 12° 20′ with a minimum focus distance of 3.28 inches. It also sports optical image stabilization, and the aperture ranges from an f/4 to an f/32. The incredible versatility of these optics is why I included the best lens for wedding photography.
The focal length is suitable for capturing different angles and offers an insanely good zoom range. Another critical point is the focus speed, in combination with incredible accuracy. It underwent many difficult situations during the testing, and it never disappointed me.
I have never missed shots or had problems with focus jamming. It is also reasonably quiet, so it can be used as a video lens, which is extremely important in wedding photography since many people like to video record their weddings. One of the best Nikon lenses for weddings is Nikon 70-200mm f/4.
Optical image stabilization and a relatively fast aperture ensure maximum photographic quality even under low light. The general image quality is quite good, although I noticed specific issues with focus shift, which translates as an inability to capture the finest details; since it is not a fast prime lens, it is not a big deal. Another point worth mentioning is the design. Although rugged and sturdy, the Nikon 70-200mm f/4 lens is big and heavy.
Pros
- Incredible versatility
- OIS
- Image quality
- Design
Cons
- Weight
Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 an telephoto lens that produces incredibly sharp images and the bokeh effect is beautiful while offering many other cool features.
Sony’s best lenses for wedding photography have an optical design of 17 elements in 14 groups. They have 11 diaphragm blades and a minimum focus distance of 15.7 inches. The angle of the view is 34° to 12° 30′, and the lenses offer a powerful combination of an f/2.8 aperture and optical image stabilization. They have a dual floating focus system that ensures high autofocus speed and precision, along with a direct-coupled mechanical focus system which translates as an excellent manual focus solution.
Another reason:
Why these high-end optics earned their place on the wedding photography lenses list is the rigid construction that offers dust and moisture-resistant body. Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 performs exceptionally well under difficult situations, and I captured people moving around quite fast without blur. It is paramount for wedding scenarios where people dance and have a good time, so it can be tricky not to miss the moment.
The photos I have taken with this lens are incredible, and the bokeh effect is mesmerizing and very soft, with a sharp focus on the subject. The overall image quality is excellent, and the constant focus distance is great when zooming in on the subject. I noticed minor issues with light fringing and chromatic aberrations in high-contrast scenes when I was shooting RAW. However, it is easily mitigated in post-production. Design-wise, the lens is of the highest build quality, although quite big.
Pros
- Outstanding Image Quality
- OIS
- Fast focus
- Bokeh
Cons
- Size
Powerful, versatile, and delivers stunning image quality with a wide aperture for beautiful portraits and low-light shooting.
Sigma 85mm f/1.4 has 14 elements in 12 groups, with nine rounded diaphragm blades. The minimum focus distance is 33.46 inches with an angle of view of 28.6°. The maximum magnification sets at 0,12x. Although the lens doesn’t come with optical image stabilization, it has a powerful f/1.4 aperture that lets enough light enter the sensor. It is pretty enjoyable and easy to capture images under low light.
One of the reasons why it made its way to the best lens for the wedding photography list is the HSM for an extraordinary autofocus control that is responsive, accurate, and nearly completely silent. Another great thing is the creamy bokeh effect, with sharp subject-focused precision. The overall image quality is excellent, and even if you are a pixel-peeper, you will have a hard time finding a flaw in the pictures this lens produces.
Color rendering is also quite good, with the natural representation of what the human eye catches on the scene. Because many weddings take place inside, under dim lighting, you rest assured that this Sigma will deliver excellent results since it operates well in low light situations. In the design compartment, the lens deserves praise for the high-quality build and materials manufacturers have used in the making process. On the other hand, it is pretty bulky and heavy.
Pros
- Wide aperture
- Great focus
- Color rendering
- Robust design
Cons
- Lack of OIS
Capture life's beauty with Rokinon's 50mm f/1.4 lens; offering stunning detail, superior low-light performance, and beautiful bokeh in every shot.
The unusual guest on the list is a Rokinon 50mm f/1.4, designed with nine elements in eight groups, with nine rounded diaphragm blades. It sets the minimum focus distance at 1,48 inches and offers a maximum magnification of 0,15x. The angle of the view is 47 °, and the lens doesn’t come with optical image stabilization. However, it offers an f/1.4 aperture which does a fantastic job of allowing the sensor to take in a lot of light to compensate for the lack of OIS.
Rokinon made the best lens for the wedding photography list mainly because of its incredible bokeh effect, which showcases excellent subject separation and delightful, soft backgrounds. It is one of the best candidates to take stunning artistic and dreamy wedding portraits since it is a complete portrait lens.
The focus system is relatively fast, with an occasional jamming issue, but it is pretty accurate and relatively silent. The aim of the lens is not to take videos, so the motor noise isn’t much of an issue. The overall build quality is decent, the lens feels good in hands, and it is very light and compact.
Pros
- Wide aperture,
- Solid focus
- Price
- Compact design
Cons
- Lack of OIS
Color rendering and contrasts are excellent, and in terms of responsiveness, this lens outperformed many primes.
The last pick on the list has an optical design of 21 elements in 15 groups, along with nine rounded diaphragm blades. It has an angle of view of 84° to 34° and a minimum focus distance of 8,27 inches. The maximum magnification is 0,13x, and this “L” grade lens offers optical image stabilization and a control ring for direct setting changes.
The overall image quality, and fast focus, are why I included it on the lens for the wedding photography list. The image quality is outstanding, with many details across the frame and no distortion or vignetting issues in the corners. I had the luck to get the firmware update, and it offers an incredible eye detection feature, which is like a dream come true for photographers who want to take glorious wedding images.
The optical image stabilization feature operates solidly, although I like to turn it off when I shoot videos since I get a better handheld shot when it is off. I believe it is because IS enables the camera to capture unusual movements (which are caused by the IS). The powerful f/2.8 aperture lets enough light hit the sensor, so the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 operates quite well under low light.
The design of these best lenses for wedding photography Canon is excellent, which is expected from the “L” quality lens.
Pros
- Exquisite design
- Wide aperture
- OIS
- Overall image quality
Cons
- Price
Verdict
Getting the best camera lenses for wedding photography is one of the best moves a photographer can make.
Since we all tend to like different brands and manufacturers, I tried to conduct a test of lenses to satisfy the needs of a variety of photographers to help as many people as I could.
If you buy any lenses from the list, your portfolio will increase.
On our website, you can find many more interesting articles, such as lenses guide for event photography and family portraits.
We hope you enjoyed and learned something new; if you are still unsure which lens is best for you, our recommendation is the Sigma 85mm f/1.4.
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