Event Photography: Lenses

Event Photography Lenses!

This video is all about lens choices available as an event photographer. I get into what different lenses are best used for, what I personally use, using primes vs zoom lenses, etc.
0:00
0:07 24-70mm
01:22 17-40mm
04:04 16mm
04:59 70-200mm
08:15 Prime lenses
10:36 85mm
12:05 135mm
12:13 135mm vs 70-200mm
13:36 50mm
15:48 200mm

OUTLINE OF VIDEO:

24-70

One of the least glamorous, but most widely used lenses, the 24-70 should likely be your first professional grade lens purchase. Does it need to be f2.8 or even Canon’s 28-70 f2 lens? Nope. But in most situations f2.8 is a plenty wide enough aperture for the job.

Most versatile zoom lens because of its focal range
Good for
Establishing shots
Detail shots
Close candids
Candid interactions
And even speakers on stage if you’re able to get close enough

This lens could easily be your one lens owned if you’re shooting in areas in which you can physically move your body as close or far aways as you need to get the shot

Other options

24-105 or Nikon’s 24-120

More versatile than a 24-70, but if I were choosing between a 24-70 f2.8 vs one of these lenses, I would prefer the versatility of a wider maximum F Stop.

17-40

Somewhere around 75% of the time I am using this lens at 17mm for my establishing shots
But also great for:
Large groups
Much lighter than any 24-70 (great for weight conscious people or for the end of a long long day) (especially if you don't need to shoot wider than f2.8

Other Options

RF 14-35 F4
RF 15-35 F2.8
EF 16-35 F2.8

Why I am happy with an f4 / usually when shooting wide, multiple subjects or establishing, having more depth is a good thing.

RF 16 f2.8

Because I have found that I am so often not using my 17-40 at any focal length other than 17mm, the RF 16mm has been an excellent lens for the distinct jobs in which I can shoot an entire event with one lens minus a small handful of wide shots. I can simply throw this in my bag- taking up nearly no space and contributing barely any weight.

70-200

great for close up candids
Can be less obtrusive, but I think a stealthy photographer that knows how to move can easily go unnoticed with something as “wide” as a 50mm.
BUT Typically used for reach when you CAN NOT physically move in closer
People on stage, etc.
A kids birthday party photographer could probably go their whole career without one, but for large corporate events, this lens is a MUST

Anything with more reach than 200mm

Shooting with just primes:

Sacrificing versatility for less weight (in most cases) and wider apertures
Why positioning matters
Memorizing / seeing in focal lengths / pre visualization
This really forces you to engage with your work, having physical, creative benefits
Can be lighter, but not necessarily
Especially great on a two body setup!

Prime Lenses I own:

RF 50mm f1.2

Currently my favorite lens
Unloved by some, I find the normal range to be exceptionally versatile. With it I can shoot:
wide scenes if I can backup enough
Candid interactions
Detail shots
Even close candids
Huge maximum aperture
Light weight
Incredible auto focus in low light
Max aperture, auto focus ability in low light, and my r6 IS allows me to shoot in light I would not be able to with any other lens I own

EF 85mm f1.8

Hard to beat for event photographers that may need to shoot impromptu portraits or set up a headshot station at a conference, for example
Classic portrait lens, but turns out to be a pretty great lens for shooting candids.
However, when shooting with two cameras, one with the 50mm, i find that the 135mm to be a better companion

EF 135 f2

Known for its excellent character (canon)
If that matters for events is another story
Also great for portraits
Can be used to shoot headshots
Becomes mostly impractical for anything but close up candids
F2 advantage to a 70-200 is somewhat offset by the 70-200 (IS), but shooting with a wider aperture with a faster shutter can be an advantage too.

EF 200 F2.8

Light but no IS
Also, not a pixel peeper, but likely somewhat dated optics
Not much lighter than the most modern 70-200 lenses (plastics)
In the end of the day, unless on a budget, prob not worth it

Honorable mentions

Fisheye lens

Fisheye lens: You dont need it, but
doesn't mean its useless or you can't have fun with it.
Great for dynamic dance photos
Wedding: how I learned and the one shot we used it for.

Vintage lenses

Fun, full of character, but not practical.
I really hope you enjoy this one! Thanks for watching!

#eventphotography #eventphotographer #eventphotographytips #photographylenses #eventphotographylenses #eventphotographyrates #settingyourphotographyrates #photographyrates

[MikMilman]

0:00
0:07 24-70mm
01:22 17-40mm
04:04 16mm
04:59 70-200mm
08:15 Prime lenses
10:36 85mm
12:05 135mm
12:13 135mm vs 70-200mm
13:36 50mm
15:48 200mm

[snrl]

@3:08 - I cried. hope it was all good. You cannot just leave us hanging.

[deanzat]

50 years in, this shouldn't be true, but I still make better photos with primes than with zooms. With a zoom, my brain defaults to framing the subject rather than framing the scene. With a prime, I can't change the framing without changing the perspective, and I guess it just triggers me to explore perspectives because I'm moving anyway...

[TsvetanVR]

I've been looking at the Tamron 35-150mm f2-2.8 for Sony for awhile and wondering if one of these, paired with a 16-35 2.8 and a super fast prime for really low-light scenarios, would cover pretty much everything. I'm just starting to build my "normal" lens collection (I do have a 150-600mm for birding and a 50mm 1.8) and am really torn between going the standard route (24-70 + 70-200 + something sub-20) or opt for the 16-35 plus one of those new 35-150s. Living in a small town where you can't rent anything certainly doesn't help. I'd be okay with adapting older second-hand EF L glass to save some money but I've heard AF performance can drop significantly with adapters.

[natedagreat]

Doing my first event this friday, im just starting out i have kit lenses that cam with my camera but i just picked up a 40mm f2 probably will shoot with that since ill have plenty space to move around im not really nervous as i was a last second replaced and i know my abilities but i do wish i had better lenses i do have a flash tho to help get better shots they also want video soo wish me luck

[MWB_logic_reason_respect]

Thank you, Using a older Tamron 24-70 2.8 SP bought for £200 used. does the job. I never understand why low light is often mentioned with crazy low aperture, in that anything below f2 just their eye ball is going to be in focus so why do I need anything lower other than for artic purposes??

[PeterSodhi]

My M50 with 18-150mm with 1.6 crop factor looks amazing value for money. One camera system to rule them all :)

[MiaC-qg]

love all your videos! Very informative and insightful! 👏

[sampiyu]

My heart literally dropped with the lens 😅

[kenhuang]

I struggle with lens selection for event photography (I have event shoot coming up bat mitzvah) I got canon R and R7, lens I can't choose canon EF 16-35 f4, RF 24-105 f4, sigma 18-35 f1.8, sigma 24-70 f2.8, canon EF 70-200 f2.8 version 2


My first thought is on R7 24-105 f4 and EF 16-35 f4 on the R

Second thought sigma 24-70 on r7 and 70-200mm on R

Third thought sigma 18-35mm on r7 and 24-70 f2.8 on R

Would really appreciate if anyone could help me with your suggestions pair on which camera and why

[cfsrueda]

Nothing hurts more than a lens falling!

I have use in my events the Sigma 50mm 1.4 Art lens, even tho is a heavy lens is so sharp that I don’t care about the weight.
Love the 16-35mm sharp lens at f 4 or 5.6.

As you said these are tools the important is how we used them! Cool video thanks for sharing!

[qamstel]

Love your content. I learned a lot and you helped me to up my event game a lot. Thank you!

[ScottRandall]

I have shot many events with vintage lenses. Of course I use AF when I can, but vintage are incredibly viable. For starters, vintage are compact. Vintage lenses did not cut corners and produce diameters in the 70mm range. I shot a theatre performance tonight from my lap with a Sony using focus peaking and a Nikon 105 mm prime film lens. Never could have pulled out that giant beast you showcase. I swapped back and forth with a 2x teleconverter. I agree with you on the extra time spent on the manual focus, but Sony's focus peaking is a game changer.

[LeonelTuto]

QUESTION: I'm currently using a Canon 77D with a Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 lens and am looking to upgrade to a Canon mirrorless body within a budget of $1000-$1500. I mainly want to use it for event (Corporate/Institutional) Photography in conferences, meetings, seminars, outdoor activities, and some video interviews (Corporate).

Which camera model would you recommend that would pair well with my existing lens and provide a significant upgrade in terms of features, performance and budget? Thanks!

[GreggeDemuyer]

Ik heb 16mm 1.8 van viltrox en 35-150mm 2.0-2.8

Ik twijfel om 35-150mm bij te houden voor concerten
En voor festivals en indoor dance festivals te werken met 2dehands a7cii+ 85mm of 135mm van viltrox

En nieuwe 2dehanda a7iii te kopen met 16mm 1.8 van viltrox en werken met 2 cameras

Wat denk jij ?
Denk in mijn plaats met jou ervaring

[jasonneysha]

Is a Canon 28-80mm f2.8-4L usable for event photography despite being old?

[Augnos]

I’ve been rocking a 17-35mm f/2.8-4, 50mm f/1.4, and a 24-70mm f/2.8. I had a vintage 135 that I would use because it was fast, small, had a nice character, and it was cheap! It was stolen recently, and I’m still debating which tele I should get to fill that void for small concert photography.

[ProductionsLLC]

I literally yelled at the screen for you to catch the lens @3:11 SMH lol. But seriously, I also recommend the Canon 16mm RF. I use it for RE photography. Super clean and sharp 👍

[MasterPpv]

Excited to see a video pop up in my feed! I'm just starting to book a few events here and there again after a lot of stuff got canceled during Omicron (I mainly shoot music and several tours got canceled because of the rise in it).

[joeltunnah]

Great video Mik. Surprised you didn’t mention a 35mm prime. At the couple events I’ve done (I’m not a pro), a 50 would have been a bit tight. But you’re definitely more up in everyone’s business with a 35mm, which has its plusses and minuses. The second shooter at the one event only used a 70-200, and stayed on the periphery the whole night. Reviewing the photos after, I think mine were more interesting and captured what it felt like to be there.