[svig]

Hi people!
Just bought a Nikon D200 Please tell me what lens should I get for wedding photography. I prefer Nikkor. Thank you guys!

[stepheno]

Hi svig - and welcome to Pixalo. I'll move this thread into Cameras and Lenses Forum where you'll get a better response.

I don't use Nikor but I would suggest the fastest lenses you can afford. have a look at this thread- it's got some good advice in there.

[Dave]

Hi Svig & welcome to Pixalo. I also have the D200 & money permitting the Nikon AF-S 17-55mm DX f/2.8 G lens will make the most of your camera's ability, plus offer a decent zoom range for wedding photography. If you have more time to compose shots etc at the weddings, then a set of decent primes will always be best. Your spoilt for choice here with Nikon lenses , so your better off waiting for someone who shoots weddings to advise on best focal ranges

[svig]

Hi Dave! Thank you, I was thinking about 17-55 or 28-70 f/2.8, Yeah I gonna buy Nikkor 17-55. Thats for sure.

[VikingPhotography]

Svig.

Welcome to the forums - I'm sure you'll get a wealth of advice for any questions you might have.

Regarding wedding photography: there isn't really anything standard regarding the focal lengths you should use - instead, you should think about what you might need in terms of what you'll be shooting subjectwise.

You'll need a lens or lenses to cover:

1. Full length, head to toe shots
2. Medium to large group shots
3. Traditional portrait and 3/4 length shots
4. Head shots and closeup shots

Now, there are two schools of thought when it comes to choosing lenses for weddings

a) Get one or more zoom lenses that will cover the majority of the above scenarios
b) Get two or three prime (fixed focal length) lenses for the same

Option a) is certainly very popular and, if you could afford only one lens to pair up with your D200, I would recommend the Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8 DX lens. This will give you an effective focal range from 25.5mm up to 82.5mm, allowing you to shoot around 90% of the subject matter at wedding without needing to move around too much.

Option b) isn't as far-fetched as it sounds; photographers who shoot with medium and large format cameras tend to use fixed focal length prime lenses and frame/compose shots the old-fashioned way: moving around with their feet!

Prime lenses normally produce much sharper images than zoom lenses do and are usually a lot cheaper too. Nikon produce several prime lenses but the ones I'd suggest you look at are:

10.5mm f/2.8 DX ~ £500

28mm f/2.8 ~ £180
50mm f/1.4 or f/1.8 ~ £90 (f/1.8) to £250 (f/1.4)
85mm f/1.4 or f/1.8 ~ £330 (f/1.8) to £800 (f/1.4)
105mm f/2.8 VR micro ~ £500

Kitting yourself out with the 28mm, 50 f/1.8 and 85 f/1.8 would set you back about £600. The 17-55mm DX lens currently retails for around £900.

So - you pays your money and takes your choice

[Soupdragon]

People rave about the 18-200 vr and it's focal range does cover almost all the situations I can think of for a wedding.
The vr would be handy if the light is less than brilliant.
I was crankin the handle on a Hasselbad last time I did a wedding (never again, with a Blad)

[Dave]

Well seeing as the 17-55mm , 50mm & now 18-200mm have been mentioned, I did do a rough comparison of lenses as I had them all for a while (sold the 18-200) :- Budget prime vs Premium Zoom vs Pro Zoom lens

If doing pro photography I'm not sure the 18-200 is quite up to scratch in image quality vs the other 2 lenses, but fine if doing it for a hobby ?

[VikingPhotography]

I'd recommend against the 18-200VR for general use; although the overall image quality isn't bad, the fact that it slows down to f/5.6 at the telephoto end makes it more challenging to get captures without flash in lower light situations such as church interiors and reception venues.

Shooting at f/5.6 in these circumstances will lead you to either

a) upping your ISO setting and introducing noise to the image
b) slowing your shutter speed and introducing subject motion blur, or
c) both of the above

In properly lit situations, wether flash or natural light, the 18-200VR is more than adequate... but you oftentimes don't have that luxury when shooting weddings, which is why I would advise against using anything less than a lens which has a constant f/2.8 aperture throughout it's range.

On a personal level I'd love to get my hands on an 18-200 to give it a whirl, since I think it would be a great general walkabout lens for me outside of work related photography. I guess a lot of people feel the same since it's easier to get a winning lottery ticket than one of these lenses

[Soupdragon]

50mm 1.4 it is then!

[svig]

Thank to every one who have replyed to my messege. Just ordered Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 from B&H store (NY). Paid $1200. I hope it will arrive soon.
Later after I'll post new pictures and short review on Nikon D200 + 17-55!

[stepheno]

Glad your sorted, svig. We await your photos and reviews