Your wedding is bound to be one of the best and most memorable times in your life. A wedding is the one day every bride gets to wear the dress of her dreams, doll up as much as her heart pleases, and walk down the aisle looking like a true masterpiece.
If you happen to be the photographer at a wedding, you have to be well equipped with the best lenses to capture these beautiful moments. If the pictures are not up to par, it can be very upsetting for the happy couple. To avoid such unfortunate circumstances, we suggest making a sound investment in the lenses you buy.
Here are some of the best lenses for wedding photography available on the market that will help you capture the event seamlessly.
1. Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art (Overall Winner)
The Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens is a professional, top quality lens that can give a more expensive lens a run for its money. Some of its best features include sharp pictures, great accuracy in focus, and a durable design that will last for years to come.
The Sigma Art Lens can focus on your subject accurately, even in low light conditions, and shoots pictures quickly so that the chances of getting distorted photographs are greatly reduced.
One of the most important features when it comes to shooting portraits is getting beautiful bokeh. We have yet to come across a lens that produces a bokeh as incredible as that of the Sigma 85mm f/1.4. This lens has great contrast and saturation and shoots wonderfully in both indoor and outdoor conditions. Unlike most lenses, the Sigma is very resistant to backlighting.
You would think such a lens would definitely break your bank, but surprisingly the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 lens is actually quite reasonably priced. This is, therefore, a great investment for anyone looking to enter the world of wedding photography.
2. Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR
The new Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 is one of the most ideal lenses for wedding photography. Its best feature is its optimized view angle that can capture beautiful photographs from different angles, both indoors and outdoors.
This lens is equipped with a noiseless ultrasonic motor that can focus and shoot at lightning speed. The Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 also produces a mild bokeh effect as well as stable, well-focused images.
This lens is ideal for evening events since it produces a flare from strong backlights. Low backlight resistance is a drawback of this lens, But, if used properly, this issue can be avoided quite easily.
Though the design of the lens is exquisite, it lacks weather protection. However, this shouldn’t be much of a problem since most wedding photoshoots are painstakingly planned around great weather and optimal lighting.
3. Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM
The Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 is one of the top of the line lenses for wedding photography. Though a bit pricey, it produces exquisite images. If you want one all-rounder lens for wedding photography, then this is the one to buy.
This lens produces sharp pictures thanks to its f/2.8 aperture. It also has an autofocus system that is both precise and super-fast, even in low light situations. Blurry pictures are a thing of the past with this lens.
This Sony lens is one of those rare lenses that can capture stunning details even with speed zoom. Another great feature of this lens is the near-total omission of chromatic aberrations. It produces beautiful bokeh and is resistant to any backlight. It is also weather and dust resistant and won’t be damaged easily by random weather changes.
4. Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM
The Canon 50mm f/1.2 lens is an ingenious lens for shooting one-of-a-kind wedding portraits. It has a soft blurring effect with an open aperture, but it can also produce some stunningly sharp pictures with a low aperture.
The unique feature of this lens, and the reason why it’s so popular with wedding photographers is its background blurring effect. This effect creates a interesting and stunning background with a soft bokeh that can’t be achieved with any other lens.
The Canon 50mm f/1.2 is a high-speed lens that focuses quickly and accurately to create exquisite portraits. It is, however, heavy, and the autofocus is relatively slow when compared to other lenses for wedding photography.
5. Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 Art DG OS HSM
The Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 Art DG OS HSM may be a bit on the heavier side, but it performs remarkably. It has a well-developed optical design for better image clarity and spherical aberrations, which is a rarity in most lenses. The built-in stabilizer in this camera is one of the best and produces razor-sharp images.
This lens has the perfect aperture range for low light environments. It also provides sharp images, even when using techniques such as shallow depth of field. It is well resistant to any backlights and can, therefore, be used in a variety of conditions. The chromatic aberration levels are quite low on this lens, and it produces an accurate rendering of color as well as high contrast.
6. Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G
This lens is a do-it-all type lens. It can be used in a variety of settings for different purposes. The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8 is one of the best outdoor lenses for wedding photography.
This lens is built to work in various light settings and weather conditions to yield exquisite photographs. It is easy to carry since it is lightweight and compact, but it is also made of high-quality, durable material so it won’t break easily.
The autofocus motor within the lens works like a charm, and it can give you a beautiful background blur. It also has relatively low distortions levels, but the images get less sharp with an open aperture. Its low cost, coupled with its brilliant features, makes this lens a steal!
7. Sony Sonnar T FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA
The Sony 55mm f/1.8 lens is made for mirrorless full-frame Sony cameras. It produces sharp photographs all across the frame, even with an open aperture. The lens doesn’t contain a stabilizer, but it has an autofocus that is silent, fast, and accurate. However, the lens may have some trouble finding the object in low light conditions.
The Sony 55mm f/1.8 lens captures details beautifully all across the frame. It also produces a soft bokeh effect. The only drawbacks of this lens are some chromatic aberrations and some slight vignette. Other than this, the lens is great for capturing beautiful wedding photographs.
8. Tamron SP 45mm f/1.8 (Budget Winner)
This is a wonderful lightweight and compact lens that has unmatched sharpness all across the frame. It has a high resolution and captures details stunningly. This lens has an in-built stabilizer to eliminate image distortion and produce well-focused photographs.
The vignette in the Tamron SP 45mm f/1.8 is well adjusted, but there are slight chromatic aberrations at f/2.8 apertures. Overall this is a well-built lens with effective weather-protection that works well in the hands of both amateurs and professionals alike. Considering its low price point, this is an excellent lens to invest in if you’re just starting out.
9. Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art
This Sigma lens is one of the top contenders for the best lenses for wedding photography. It produces images with superior sharpness even at open apertures. The image resolution is high in every picture taken with this lens, and the color contrast remains unmatched.
This lens has a fast and accurate autofocus that almost entirely eliminates image distortion and blurriness. The pictures produced have great detailing with the same sharpness found all over, from the center to the edges.
The Sigma 50mm f/1.4 produces a unique individual sort of bokeh that is quite soft at times but can also be sharp. This lens has almost negligible chromatic aberrations and vignette. It photographs beautifully even in the hands of amateurs. It handles backlighting and low lighting issues excellently and is great for both indoor and outdoor photography.
The lens is quite bulky, though, and there are some issues with white balance. However, overall, this is one of the great lenses for wedding photography that has a few small problems that can easily be eliminated with proper use.
Choosing Lenses for Wedding Photography
Wedding photography can be a breeze if you have the right camera and lens. There are numerous lenses in the market for you to choose from, and our list contains all top of the line lenses for wedding photography. Select one that best suits your budget and needs. Consider the price, image quality, sharpness, and focusing abilities before purchasing any lenses for wedding photography.
