McGrattan wrote:
I used both last year at weddings and preferred the 24-105 for the extra range + IS, and plainly preferred the files it produced vs the 24-70L. For the times when f/4 won't cut it on a 5D2 (that gets decent files up to ISO 3200+) I'm going to a prime anyways so f/2.8 won't twist my nipples.
Hmm... great points. See all these debates are killing me I know search can yield some great results but back in '06 bodies like the 5d2 didnt exist so opinions change about 1 stop of aperture.
drew.bowser wrote:
Ellery...exactly. Brides and grooms dont tend to move a whole lot during the ceremony. I do not EVER shoot anything sports related I have quite a few primes so. Will IS or 2.8 benefit me more. I suppose I could pick one off the B&S board and if I dont like it sell it at almost no loss...
I did shoot a family portrait once with about 18 people on it. I chose a slower aperture (around 1/25s) to get more ambient light in... big mistake! Even though they were "stationary" the ambient light was strong enough to register the minute movements of their arms and heads. Suffice to say, the images were not sharp because of blurriness due to subject motion. In hindsight I should have underexposed the background about 2-stops. The f/2.8 aperture wouldn't help much because of the narrow DoF it would produce.
So, B&G shots will require a decent shutter speed IMHO. If using a flash then f/4 would work just as well. If your camera can bump up to ISO 3200/6400 then you can get away with the f/4 lens which is a lot more versatile.
This may not be relevant to your needs - but for me, the lens hood on the 24-70 is a big plus (I know some hate it) - I love the fact it becomes a decent tele hood at the longer end and that, generally speaking, it gives pretty good protection in poor weather.
Hopefully not an issue for weddings but I was using it in a snow shower recently and it gives great protection in these situations meaning your glass doesn't immediately get covered in snow/water...
My experience of the 2 lenses would suggest the 24-70 is also a bit better IQ, certainly at the wide end - although there are times when it would be nice to have a little less weight and a bit more reach. In an ideal world I'd own both but I can only justify owning a certain number of lenses at any one time so that's never going to happen.
I know search can yield some great results but back in '06 bodies like the 5d2 didnt exist so opinions change about 1 stop of aperture.