9 years ago I was asking some friends to answering my question about what is the best wide lens that I could buy for shooting wedding. I don’t believe in coincidence so everything that I got in my life is all about cause and effect, just read The Secret if you don’t believe in me, so what I’m going to say, you finally found my blog is definitely due to cause and effect, you may stumble upon Google and looking for what is the best wide lens that you probably will buy as an investment of your business or something that you love for the most.
Dear friends, my name is Bima and thank you for visiting my blog. I was shooting wedding and portrait since 2009 so generally I tried various of lenses and today I wanna share to you about one cool lens that you might really need especially if you are a wide range lover. Since wedding is all about moment and story but I can’t split this niche from other supporting part like journalism or landscape, in other words I can’t close my eyes with any potentials chance, like learn more about the benefit of having wide lens during my photo session. By the way I love wedding journalism so shooting the moment it self in a fast way is belong to my style, rather than got sharp and clean image I will negotiate for perfect moment and here because I work in a business that gonna talk moment better than any kind of great images.
Why You Have to Use This Canon Wide Lens?
1 – Unique Eye Sight
It’s all about eye sight perspective, and…
That’s matter in wedding photo journalism!
When I shoot in wedding session which is could be full wedding procession, engagement, or pre wedding than having a nice perspective in a story will be important. When you work in wedding industry than it is really meaningful to deliver unique angle that consist of moment to your couple because once the wedding is done than they will only able to see their glorious moment through that images that you deliver in an album.
Before I shoot on Ben and Terri wedding in Bali Indonesia I will make sure that I bring my best wide lens 16-35mm f2.8 L series lens is packed in my bag. This lens is awesome is you use Canon system and in personal recommendation than any of you who love to shoot in wide range than you definitely have to invest your money for it even you have an APSC camera, surely you will get better wide experience if you put it on full frame camera too.
While you use any kind of best wide lens at any camera brand than you can improve your creativity to get outstanding final image and that’s gonna be your masterpiece that will win your couple’s heart. At this time you can use any kind of reflection effect, continues light, or any other unique idea for capturing moments.
2 – Best Friend in Super Tight Space
Next thing why you must consider about this lens is about how it can help you to capturing moment in super tight space like preparation room, small chapel, and crazy hectic wedding situation.
I shoot Dickie Ma’s portrait back in Lux* Maldives and can you guest where I shoot this scene?
Yes, it’s a bathroom!
Even we stay in water villa resort which is have a huge bathroom but surely sit on the bath tub and shoot her moment in this space is impossible without any wide lens like what I have here, it’s 16-35mm f2.8 L series lens. Here you definitely able to see the aluminium tap water that place right in front of me. When I did it I ask my bride to sit on the bath tub and make a little pose and I capture it with a LED dimmable continuous light on my left hand.
In the real wedding you may find any ridiculous space like chapel or room but there is no excuse on your business right so you must keep shooting and delivery great story to your couple at the end. Once again due to my experience having such best wide lens like this will gonna help you so much, so after this let me recommend with some references that will suit on your Canon camera and it will start from the most expensive one till some cool lens that rely to buy since it still in affordable price.
Canon 16-35mm f2.8 L series lens
It’s my favourite lens for over than 7 years and surely I could buy it once I got better paid on my business, another option to use it is by rent it on your friend or any camera rental nearby your house.
Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 for Canon – BEST in low budget
I use this Tokina 11-16 too back when I still using an old 60D and since it comes with f2.8 than it still rely to shoot on low light condition. Since it’s cheaper than the genuine 16-35mm for Canon so you may be concern about it’s focus which slower than the better one for sure.
This Nikon Best Wide Lens are Insane!
I’m so blessed to use 2 camera system for shooting wedding, after my first 5 years of using Canon than now I use Nikon for all wedding session that I had and as the the main topic of today, here I’m gonna share to you Nikon best wide lens that you can use for shooting wedding and hell yeah if you expecting for creating stunning landscape image too.
Comparing to Canon, this gear is an insane photography gears that I ever see. Not only because of its shape that looks as convex lens but the range is quite extreme but if you bet it for stunning images than this why I’m gonna talk about. Down here I will show you again this Nikon best wide lens review with my real wedding and engagement images that could inspire you as well on your business.
1 – Sharp and Fast Focus, What’s Better than This!
When you are using some lens that gonna provide you with sharp and fast focus especially if you working as moment hunter than what’s better than this! I extremely love this lens because it helps me a lot to deliver best images to my couple and this what I’m talking about in wedding photography business.
I was shooting under the cloudy sky during this session and I know that I bring this insane Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED on my hand so what I’m doing there is posing my couple in so tight than cover all their head with the lovely veil so I can create this beautiful moment for them. It was millions for me while seeing the final result, it’s amazing and I sure that I can deliver priceless moment for my couple for the next decades when they already have a kids or grand child.
2 – It’s Powerful in Low Light
It was in another wedding when I woke up at 4 and drive my car to Grand Hyatt hotel for shooting 16 hours of Kaisar and Marcia’s wedding procession. This situation bring me to stand by on Marcia’s make up session that start at 5 am and surely I still see some relative still sleep on their smooth pillow so what I’m doing here is shooting in silent and must have wow images for them.
She was so beautiful during that day and I’m so proud to see her still in ordinary pyjamas but in superb make up and hair style, does she sleep enough during that night? What I had here is get my eyes on and follow where she goes till I found her standing next to the door while talking to her fiancee who sit for make up session. It was super dark but using this Nikon best wide lens in f2.8 really help me to execute this gorgeous moment. Down here I’m gonna share to you Nikon best wide lens that you can consider in two different kind of levels, I will show you the genuine one from Nikon and other lens brand that will suit on your Nikon camera too.
Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED – BEST for Nikon Maniac
It’s a convex insane lens if you expecting to use Nikon high-end wide lens, all final images are sharp and you don’t need a hard work just to have a clear focus and surely it is fast. Combining this lens with other full frame Nikon camera will take you into heavy gears but it will make your hand steady for the whole procession.
Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 for Nikon – BEST in low Budget
Just like his rival, Tokina also produce best wide lens in 11-16mm and still in big aperture of 2.8 that will help you on photo session. When I use this lens on my hand than everything looks perfect except its focus if comparing with the genuine Nikon but after all I’ve been tested this lens for 10 hours up wedding and it still rock so far
How to Choose Your Best Wide Lens for Business and NOT Just for a Hobby
Running photography business without determination is like burning your money even I think it’s applicable in every business too, all I want is you know that photography is ain’t cheap business. Here you will buy cameras, lenses, accessories, lighting, and bla…bla…bla and when you got it all together than it costs for thousand of dollars. The most common mistake of newbie photographers in this industry are they compete to have brand new and the latest series of photography gears and they will spend the whole time just to compare each other.
All I want through this topic is helping you as well about how to choose the best wide lens that you can use to optimize your business and not just to fulfil your show-off desire in a hobby, hope you ready with this:
1 – Remind Your Whole Budget
When you want to start photography business than take this into real business and not for just emotion so make sure you calculate your fund capitol over and over again till you finally know how much budget that you have at this beginning journey. In other side if you just looking for the best wide lens for your hobby than still calculate your budget because if you still have plenty of money than you may buy some accessories like filter or even come basic cleaning kit.
2 – Ask Your Self About Your Goal
If you want to buy these best wide lens for business than you might thinking about long investment period so you may buy some lenses that might be more expensive because if you calculate for the next 5 years than some high-end lens that costs thousand of dollars will seems to be cheap. But if you do this just for fun than you may thinking to buy some lower budget lens like what I suggest you above. Just a little inspiration about what I had back in 10 years ago I was bought a cheap lens like Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens that costs less than $150 because I was starting my business and following that time I continue to upgrade it.
3 – Buying a Third Part Brand will Just Fine
If you see my best wide lens review above than I gave suggestion to but Tokina brand that built for Canon and Nikon and trust me those lens is worth it to buy. If you want to buy like other brand that not same with your camera just to make sure that you looking for Tokina for Canon, Tamron for Nikon and etc because they definitely built in different models
How to Clean Up Your Lens
Taking care for your lens and other photography gears that you already buy is really important because I know that you bought it with love and it costs thousand of dollars so here I will give you the step by step guidance about how to clean up your lens once you’re done with it.
1 – Blow the Dust
Once you’re done your photo session than don’t ever touch your lens surface with hand because no matter you use it at outdoor or indoor area than there is always a dust that stick on it. First thing that you need to do is taking your air blower out from your bag and use it to blow all dust that stick on your lens’s surface. Do it precisely till you sure that all the lens’s body is already clean from any dust.
2 – Put 1 to 2 Drop Liquid Cleaning Fluid
Once you are done with blowing out the dust than the next thing that you must do is put up to 2 drop of liquid cleaning fluid on your lens’s surface. Please remember to not put too many liquid on the surface so you can easily wipe and clean the surface out of the liquid
3 – Wipe the Lens’s Surface
Your third things to do is wipe your lens’s surface from the outer part first than by moving it circular than just go the centre precisely. Don’t push your lens’s surface too hard because it is a fragile materials so make sure you wipe the lens smoothly and tidy till you found there is no dust and any your finger prints. Down here I will give you some reliable recommendation that I could buy especially when we got no option to complaint, so check this sort lists:
Altura Cleaning Kit
SANHOOII Cleaning Kit
Camkix Cleaning Kit
Short Lists of Best Wide Lens That You May Consider
To make you easier remind for what I wrote in this page than down here I’m gonna give you the short lists of best wide lens that you can consider to buy while running your photography business.
For Canon User
- 16-35mm f2.8 L series lens – BEST in Canon
- Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 for Canon – BEST for cheaper price
For Nikon User
- Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED – BEST in Nikon
- Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 for Nikon – BEST for cheaper price
Best Lens Cleaning Kit
Conclusion Before I go to Bed
Investing at least one best wide lens on your photography business is something that really cool to be concern, no matter in what kind of photography or videography niche than you better to own them one in your bag. If you have an enough money to spend than buying the genuine lens which is the same brand with your camera will be better, but if you want to spend more your budget for marketing and branding than buy the cheaper will be the best decision.
If you wanna still read more some information about photography today than I will welcoming you to check my previous article about 6 best lens for wedding photography on Canon, Nikon, and Sony system. I will be in touch with you next week and bring another awesome information that could inspire you to work more in your business. Once again thanks in advance for appreciating my article and I hope I can answering your question as well today.