Any professional photographer will tell you that wedding photography is a combination of almost every type of photography out there—from outdoor and indoor photography, event photography, portrait photography, to even still-life photography. As a wedding photographer, not only do you have to have the versatility and skills to adapt to every situation, but you will also need the right gear that will yield exceptional and creative results. One shouldn’t dare cover an event as momentous as a wedding without having ample experience, a shot checklist, a reliable, professional-level DSLR camera, and of course, the best lens for wedding photography that you can possibly get your hands on.
Features to look for in a wedding photography lens
As you research the best lens for wedding photography, it’s important to keep a few key features in mind:
Focal length
You need a different focal length depending on the wedding-day scenes — think a 50 or 55mm for portraits, a telephoto for the reception, and a wider-angle lens for more scene-setting shots. If you are making a career out of this craft, and you want the best lens for wedding photography, you’ll need to invest in several lenses with these different focal lengths to get the job done.
Aperture
Aperture is another critical component when it comes to the best lens for wedding photography. The faster the aperture (as in, the lower the f-stop number), the more potential for bokeh and blurred backgrounds. Additionally, apertures like an f/2.8-f/1.8 helps you direct the viewer’s eye, while eliminating distracting backgrounds.
What f stop to use for weddings?
Wide apertures from f/2 to f/4 are ideal for weddings because you can ensure the important subjects, be it the couple or the family VIPs, stand out. Apertures in this range let you blur out the background. Staying around an f/4 for most of the day will help you achieve that bokeh while ensuring the subjects stay focused. F/2 is great for lower-light scenarios or scenes where you really want the ultimate blur or bokeh.
Prime vs zoom
Sometimes you’ll want a prime lens—think the Canon RF 50mm, one of the best Canon wedding lens options. Prime lenses deliver pop-off-the-page results, and they work particularly well for portraits, couple shots, prep, and even late-night dancing. (They often have wider apertures, too.) Zoom lenses are ideal, particularly for capturing candids and elements like the speeches or vows. These help you blend in with the crowd—ultimately letting the day unfold naturally.
Image stabilization
If you’re shooting handheld at any part of the day, make sure to explore a lens’ image-stabilization features. Image stabilization helps to keep the photos sharp and clear. If your hands shake naturally, that can make the image blurry or soft. That’s why the best lens for wedding photography always includes built-in stabilization.
What are the best lenses for wedding photography?
Covering a once-in-a-lifetime event requires you to be equipped with fast, bright, and high-resolution lenses so that you don’t miss the priceless moments. Therefore, you will need a wide-angle lens, zoom lens, macro lens, or one that offers a combination of those.
Walk-around, wide-angle, and zoom lenses are also a must in order to capture group shots, landscape shots, as well as the ceremony, without the need to move in too close. Macro and prime lenses are now considered must-haves rather than optional trendy picks for taking dramatic shots of the bride, the wedding rings, or even of the crowd, to add a beautiful out-of-focus blur.
Canon is well-known for developing lenses for every photographer’s need. Here’s a list of not only some of the best Canon lenses (particularly from their superior, top-of-the-line L-series) of the bunch, but also some of the best lenses for wedding photography.
Each delivers optical excellence and superb image resolution, and ought to be part of any serious wedding photographer’s arsenal.
Best Canon Lenses for Wedding Photography
Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens
Canon’s EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L series lens has been a go-to for wedding photographers for years. Now, with the RF mount equivalent, wedding photographers using Canon’s mirrorless cameras have the ability to take advantage of this useful and versatile lens.
This is the lightest and shortest 70-200mm f/2.8 lens ever offered, so it’s a great addition to your wedding photography kit that doesn’t sacrifice valued features like optical image stabilization, high-speed focus, and a rugged build.
With a silent autofocus motor, you can confidently capture the most important wedding day moments without worrying about drawing attention to yourself or creating a noisy distraction. A full feature list and an unobtrusive setup make this the perfect lens for every wedding photographer.
Key Features & Specs:
- Focal Length: 70–200mm
- Lens Mount: Canon RF
- Aperture Range: f/2.8 – f/32
- Five stops of Optical Image Stabilization
- Dual NANO USM focus motors
- Dust and weather resistant build
- Manual Focus Override
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Zoom Lens
This is arguably the best lens for wedding event coverage. It’s a good walk-around lens that allows you to take many photos—from group shots to close-up portraits—without having to change lenses and waste precious seconds. With its wide angle of 24mm and bright aperture of f/2.8, shooting intimate ceremonies in smaller spaces or low-lit areas is made easier. It’s not better than prime lenses, but it definitely offers more versatility and can offer pretty much the same stunning, magazine-quality photos.
Key Features & Specs:
- Focal Length: 24-70mm
- Aperture Range: f/2.8 – f/22
- Ultrasonic Focus Motor
- Aspherical, UD and Super UD Glass Elements
- Manual Focus Override
- Zoom Lock Lever
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM
While the bride and the groom are always the main focus at weddings, they will definitely want to remember more than just how great they looked.
A good wedding album includes the setting and atmosphere of the ceremony and reception, and this lens allows the shooter to beautifully capture the environment. At 16mm, you can photograph the church’s façade and the crowd from a relatively close distance and give them a beautiful background bokeh.
Key Features & Specs:
- Focal Length: 16-35mm
- Aperture Range: f/2.8L – f/22
- Two UD and Three Aspherical Glass Elements
- Ring-Type Ultrasonic Focus Motor
- Full-Time Manual Focus Override
Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM Lens
A 50mm lens is a must have for wedding photographers. Whether you’re shooting portraits or details like floral bouquets, rings, and the wedding cake, shooting at f/1.2 will provide beautiful bokeh and impressive, professional-quality images.
As the RF equivalent of their popular EF 50mm f/1.2L lens, this Canon product proves that wedding photographers can comfortably make the switch to a mirrorless camera body without sacrificing lens availability or quality.
This is the perfect prime lens to add to your wedding photography kit, with exceptional low light performance, fantastic clarity, reliable image stabilization, and a quality build that feels good in the hand.
Key Features & Specs:
- Fixed Focal Length: 50mm
- Aperture Range: f/1.2 – f/16
- Fastest UltraSonic AF Motor
- Aspherical Lens Element
- Control ring for direct setting changes
- Focus mode switch
- Focal plane adjustment switch
- Dust and water resistance front element coating
Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM
This advanced 35mm lens from Canon is another common choice for many wedding photographers for its ability to shoot natural-looking photos. It is widely used for taking sharp couple portraits with ample background bokeh, as well as striking landscape photos. At 35mm, its focal length is equivalent to the human eye. If the couple wants realistic snapshots that will best remind them of how the wedding looked in person, this is the lens to use.
Key Features & Specs:
- Fixed Focal Length: 35mm
- Aperture Range: f/1.4 – 16
- Ultrasonic AF Motor
- Two Aspherical and Two UD Glass Elements
- Full-time Manual Focus Override
- Weather-Sealed
Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L USM Lens
Canon keeps adding impressive prime lenses to its mirrorless lens lineup, and the RF 85mm is a fantastic addition to the collection. It may come with a higher price tag than many other lenses on this list, but photographers who invest in it will quickly agree it’s their favorite lens for wedding day portraits.
A wide f/1.2 aperture is hard to beat for low light performance and luxurious bokeh. You’ll find yourself using this lens for all of the most important wedding day moments.
Designed to work flawlessly with Canon’s mirrorless Eye Detection Autofocus systems, this lens delivers an impressively fast autofocus speed and unparalleled accuracy and sharpness. Blue Spectrum Refractive Optics significantly reduce chromatic aberration, elevating image quality and requiring less post-processing time.
Key Features & Specs:
- Fixed Focal Length: 85mm
- Aperture Range: f/1.2 – f/16
- Ultrasonic AF Motor
- High Precision Aspherical Lens Element
- Manual Focus Override
- Dust & Moisture Resistant Seal
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L is a must have lens for wedding photography, thanks to its ability to capture dramatic photos of jewelry and wedding dress details. What wedding photographers love about this particular photography accessory is its focal length, which allows them to take macro shots that make their subjects appear more than five times larger without distorting them, while minimizing blurring with its image stabilization feature.
Key Features & Specs:
- Fixed Focal Length: 100mm
- Aperture Range: f/2.8 – f/32
- Hybrid Optical Image Stabilization
- Ultrasonic Focus Motor
- 1:1 Macro Magnification
- Ultra-Low Dispersion Lens Elements
- Dust & Moisture Resistant Seal
Does the Choice of Lens Really Matter?
Many wedding photographers rely on extensive collections of lenses to help them capture all the special moments of their clients’ wedding days. But how much does lens choice really matter?
When you’re new to wedding photography and budget is a concern, you can get all the shots you need with a little creativity and a few versatile lenses. But as you grow your business, it’s a good idea to invest in specialized lenses and fast glass.
Wide maximum apertures are important, especially at long focal lengths like 200mm, 300mm, or more. If you’re shooting an indoor wedding, like in a ballroom or a cathedral, you may not have enough light to shoot at faster shutter speeds. Rather than relying on expanded ISOs that may result in grain, a fast lens will help you get clean shots.
As you build your wedding kit, make sure you have a large focal length range available. This will help you capture moments like the first kiss but also photograph large wedding parties that require a wide-angle lens.
Can you shoot a wedding with one lens?
You technically could shoot a wedding with one lens, such as a wide-range zoom lens. But the best lens for wedding photography isn’t usually the widest-range zoom lens, as these options don’t generate the highest-quality images. If you can, invest in a versatile zoom like the Canon RF 70-200mm with a prime like the Canon RF 50mm for prep. Having at least two solid lenses will ensure you meet the client’s expectations, while impressing potential future clients as well.
Types of Canon Lenses for Shooting Weddings
Canon lovers have an impressive and exciting range of lenses available to them for shooting weddings. If you’re a Canon purist, selecting one of their own lenses — rather than a lens created by a third party — is worth the investment.
Canon designs their lenses to work seamlessly with Canon cameras, so you can rely on your autofocus to perform exactly as expected. Also, while some third-party lenses don’t feel as tight or secure when mounted to your camera, Canon lenses offer a perfect, snug, and secure mount that’s free from light leaks, and protected from the elements.
As you build your wedding photography kit with Canon lenses, you’ll have many options available, from impressive prime lenses and versatile zoom lenses, to sharp, highly detailed macro lenses perfect for capturing wedding rings and floral bouquets.
Prime Lenses
Many wedding photographers prefer prime lenses. They find them to be more reliable and consistent, plus wide aperture prime lenses are typically more affordable than their zoom counterparts.
If you’re building a kit composed mainly of prime lenses, it’s a good idea to carry a range of focal lengths so you can capture a greater range of subjects. A 50mm prime lens or an 85mm prime lens are both great portrait lenses, while a 200mm prime lens is helpful for capturing important moments during the ceremony when you need to shoot from afar.
If you’re trying to select the perfect prime wedding lens, consider the unique situations you’ll need to photograph.
Zoom Lenses
When you need to invest in one or two lenses that will perform a variety of tasks in your wedding photography kit, a zoom lens is a great option. If you’re mainly an outdoor wedding photographer, you can get away with slightly smaller maximum apertures for your wedding lenses.
A zoom lens makes it easy to capture the most important details as you frame and crop your images in-camera. This will also help save you time in post-production. For this reason, many photographers believe that zoom lenses are the best Canon lenses for wedding photography.
Macro Lenses
Wedding photography is filled with macro subjects. From sparkly engagement rings and shiny new wedding bands, to details on the bridal gown or the cake topper, a quality macro lens is a must have for wedding photographers.
Some photography lenses like the Canon 100mm f/2.8L can perform double duty, working just as well for capturing macro wedding details as they do for photographing portraits.
Regardless of which lens for wedding photography you select, make sure you have at least one lens that will take beautiful macro photographs.
Featured Image by Wedding Dreamz on Unsplash
