Deliberating on kit for event and portraiture. 16-55, or others?

Haha! Not a dismissal by any means, just trying to stay balanced. And yes, I hate it when people opine on something they don't have. That's why I only suggest something that should be checked out - flash, tripod, camera body, lens, food, wine, places to travel, cars, boats, castles, I could go on....

atalwar wrote:

Erik Baumgartner wrote:

The ideal event/portrait setup for me is the 16-55 (super versatile and good for portraits) and the 50-140 (versatile, excellent for portraits, excellent OIS for longer focal lengths) on two bodies. Using primes, most folks go the the 16 or 23 with the 56 route, but 35/56 will work too, less versatile though. At an indoor event I’d rather go 16/35 than 35/56. The 90, while great, is a bit long and not stabilized which limits its indoor usefulness somewhat. If I could only have one lens/one body it would be the 16-55, hands down.

+1, 16-55 + 50-140 is the most practical kit.

In good light, yes. Knowing the light conditions OP will be shooting in is crucial to being able to say with confidence that a pair of 2.8 zooms will be their best bet. I'd say 75% of the events I shoot I'd be sunk like the Titanic if I was stuck with those two zooms.

Add one or two special fast primes and you have more or less a workhorse kit. (You already own one).

I take the 16, 23, 35, 56 and occasionally the 90 to about 95% of my events and weddings and end up using them for most.

I suppose it depends what one means by 'events'. I'm a documentary event photographer at birthdays, weddings, luxury parties, etc, and almost all in very dark venues. Last week I was at an event that was so dimly lit that I was getting 1/50th second, ISO 12800, on my 1.2 and 1.4 primes.

Yes, I take a flash. But I will never use it unless I'm asked for a quick-n-dirty group shot by guests as I pass by. Otherwise I'm killing the mood and the ambient light by firing my flash all day long.

There's nothing worse than an event with flashes going off every 10 seconds in your peripheral vision... Besides the look, part of the reason I don't like using flash is I know how jarring the experience is to me. A lot of people are sensitive to flash photography, strobe type stuff.

ViMa wrote:

hotaruhikari wrote:

That's good to hear. Heaviness was a slight concern, but as it has very similar weight to the 24-105 which I've used in the past, I should be able to handle it.

Regarding flashes, I suppose I should get a few in case I need them. I personally dislike the artificial look they create, but in some particularly dark venues I could see them being particularly useful.

How do you find hand-holding the 16-55 in dark conditions? I find that anything less than 1/125th often causes motion blur in people (thus why I don't prioritise stabilization), but I've only used stabilised zooms in the past.

I wanted to get the TT685F because I had read somewhere that the TT350F is too weak a flash. Folks in this forum kindly suggested that I go for the TT350F instead. Apparently the bigger one is a bit too big for the X-T2 and they say that the TT350F is good enough a first flash. There is also the V350F option with a rechargeable battery. At the moment they cost about 120 quid.

I have the TT350F and the X1TF trigger which makes for a great Godox off-camera starter which produces results with customized, subtle, and unique lighting without overpowering the subject. However, I primarily shoot worth available light.

I was fortunate to get myself a used 16-55mm in superb condition for $749 and it currently lives on my X-T3. I was not disappointed with the all of the reputation of this lens, including low light performance.  My great low light performer the 16mm f/1.4 has moved to the X-E3, and my 35mm f/1.4 & 23/2.0 standby.

hotaruhikari wrote:

Regarding flashes (...). I personally dislike the artificial look they create

Only if used incorrectly.

Regarding lenses, in any dynamic situation when changing lenses is not practical a zoom is the answer. I would recommend the 16-55 as the first lens to get for pretty much anything unless an ultra-light setup is the goal. Unless you need the razor thin DoF that the primes deliver it is an excellent and versatile lens, including portraiture.