I am looking for a telephoto lens to use for a friend's wedding. I am interested in the 70-200 f4 IS and was curious if other wedding photographers use it. I know that many use the 2.8 IS, but I am concerned about the weight of that lens. I am using a 30D. I like the versatility of the f4 IS, but I am concerned that it will be too slow for many low light situations. Would you recommend an 85/1.8 and/or 135L as an alternative, or will the f4 IS do the job? Any other suggestions? Thanks!
Some church settings are pretty dim. You definitely can't be afraid of higher ISO settings.
There have been times inside a church where 200mm/f4 on a tripod has been a bit to slow for me and picked up motion blur from my subjects (I think I was getting around 1/15 second and I was at ISO 1600 already), so IS wouldn't have helped... Heck, even with 4 stops of IS I would have still needed a tripod just to stop hand blur.
I suppose it depends on how much light you can get in the church. Some of them are pretty dim. Others aren't so bad.
It also depends on the subject. During the ceremony, people aren't moving much, but if you are getting candids of people walking around, it can be bad.
I have seen someone use a 70-200/4 (non-IS) successfully at an outdoor, afternoon wedding. I used a 135/2 at the same ceremony; I preferred the images from the 135 because I was able to attain higher shutter speeds (or completely blow backgrounds out of focus). The 85/1.8 is also a great lens for low-light events, but I'm perhaps more careful about using it in high contrast scenes because purple fringing can become an issue (if I'm making large prints). So generally speaking, I'd prefer a faster lens for low-light situations (even faster than f/2.8).
I'd definitely reccomend an 85mm, though. It's a great lens to have on hand. Shallow DOF, beautiful color/contrast/sharpness, and sometimes you've just got to have that speed.
135L is a killer lens, too, even if it is a bit slower. It produces some of the nicest colors of all "L" glass.
An f/4 lens seems a bit slow for indoor wedding work within the 70-200 zoom range. That's not to say that you can't do a good job with it at all. I'm just thinking about how many times I have used the f/2.8 version wide open at ISO 800 to get a satisfying shot that has the desired DOF, and prints well without heavy handed PP work.
I would suggest the 70-200 f/2.8 L IS as the best choice, but the f/4 version also has a large following. Weight really isn't an issue during a wedding shoot, but price can be a big factor in making the choice. That extra stop represents much more manufacturing expense. I think it's well worth it, but only you can decide how it fits in your plans.
I prefer it to the 2.8 version. It is lighter, sharper, and the IS is more advanced.
Generally F4 + ISO 800 on the 5D is fine for most indoor/low light situations. ISO 1600 is also fine, just need to be more careful to get an accurate exposure.
F2.8 does gain you that extra stop which I totally agree can be handy at times, but I carry the 85 1.8 and 50 1.4 for these situations.
I had not had any issues being limited to F4, but everyone is different so if you are happy lugging the f2.8 around all day then go for it, otherwise the F4 is fine, and a fantastic lens, image quality is stunning at all focal lengths and apertures.
