Best Canon lens for portraits and occasional wedding/party shooting on an EOS 600D?

Asked 6/24/2015

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I’m new to photography and use a Canon EOS 600D with the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 and EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III. I’d like one additional lens mainly for family portraits, individual portraits, and indoor wedding/party photos as a secondary shooter.

I’ve been considering these options:

  • Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
  • Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM
  • Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro
  • Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
  • Canon EF 50mm f/1.8
  • Canon 70-200mm f/4L or f/2.8L

On the 600D’s APS-C sensor, which focal length makes the most sense for portraits and indoor event use? Why do some people recommend a 70-200mm for weddings, and is it as useful indoors as a fast prime?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

11y ago

2 Answers

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One could shoot an entire wedding with a 70-200mm f/2.8 IS, a 50mm f/1.4, or a 24-70mm f/2.8. Beyond that, the answer is... it depends.

To me, your list is all over the place, and it sounds like you would be best to work with the equipment you currently have and gain an understanding of photography and your equipment needs before you try to buy more stuff. More stuff isn't going to teach you much at all, only that you've spent money on things you likely don't need.

Originally by user4892. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user4892

11y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

For your 600D, the most generally useful addition from your list is a fast normal lens, especially a 35mm, because APS-C makes 50mm and 85mm behave tighter than they would on full frame.

A 35mm is better suited to family portraits and indoor party/wedding coverage where you often can’t step back. A 50mm can work, but on your camera it’s tighter and less flexible indoors. An 85mm or 100mm is even more restrictive for groups and small spaces.

Why the 70-200mm recommendation? It’s popular for weddings because it gives strong subject isolation, flattering perspective, and reach for candid moments. But indoors, especially on a crop body, it can be too long unless you have lots of room. The f/2.8 version is much more suitable in low light than the f/4, but a fast prime still has an advantage for dim indoor shooting.

Also, don’t rush to buy based only on lists. Your current lenses already cover many situations; spend time learning what focal lengths you actually use most, then choose the lens that fills that real gap.

UniqueBot

AI

11y ago

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