Event Photography: Zoom vs Primes- What's your preference

[jdsilvaphotography]

Hey everyone!

I just got offered to be a contract event photographer for a commercial marketing agency. I just got one of their events with a 35/85mm combo. I loved the images and crispness and isolation look the primes gave. Changing the lenses was not convenient during the event though.

Event Photographers, what is your lens choice and how do you carry your camera and gear while shooting?

 

[richiebee]

Usually zooms for me (24-70 on one body, 70-200 on another). However, if its a long event, and I have spells of downtime, I sometimes bring out a prime (35 or 85) for candids. It depends on the nature of the event.

All my events are on campus, and usually have a sound system with engineer. I'll leave my bag with them most times, but where that isn't possible, I carry it on my back.

 

[jdsilvaphotography]

Do you find that the 24-70 zoom is as sharp as the primes? I have a 28-75 tamron that is just hit and miss in the sharpness and in no way can compete with my 35/85 primes

 

[hotdog321]

Hey everyone!

I just got offered to be a contract event photographer for a commercial marketing agency. I just got one of their events with a 35/85mm combo. I loved the images and crispness and isolation look the primes gave. Changing the lenses was not convenient during the event though.

Event Photographers, what is your lens choice and how do you carry your camera and gear while shooting?

I carry two full frame cameras (Canon 5D IV these days). The 24-70 f/2.8II is absolutely key for events, IMO. My second body has a 70-200 f/2.8L II on it, which allows me to isolate scenes and shoot speakers. Two bodies, two zooms, one flash and I'm set to cover just about any event.

--
photojournalist
http://craighartley.zenfolio.com/

 

[MediaArchivist]

Most of my events are low light concerts, where most of the photos are of performers and not attendees. As a matter of principle (for these events) I don't use a flash. This necessitates fast primes (and VR). My kit usually consists of four lenses; 24, 35, 50, and 85mm. I've had years of practice and can swap lenses pretty quickly.

The AF on my 24/2 and 50/1.4 work better than the other lenses do in low light, so if I decide to get crowd shots that's what I'll pick. Anything longer means the distance between me and my subject is long enough that someone will walk in front of me as I line up the shot.

This has also served me well when I am at a wedding and want to avoid being "Uncle Sal"(if you are a wedding photographer you know who uncle Sal is, there is one at every wedding with a bag of birding lenses and over-the-top flash assemblies).

I know many photographers that use a similar setup for these and other types of events, as well as still more photographers that use zooms. Everyone seems to get results that satisfy expectations. It just depends.

 

[Smaug01]

Hey everyone!

I just got offered to be a contract event photographer for a commercial marketing agency. I just got one of their events with a 35/85mm combo. I loved the images and crispness and isolation look the primes gave. Changing the lenses was not convenient during the event though.

Event Photographers, what is your lens choice and how do you carry your camera and gear while shooting?

That's what the pros used to do when zooms were bad. Maybe they still do...

 

[richj20]

Hey everyone!

I just got offered to be a contract event photographer for a commercial marketing agency. I just got one of their events with a 35/85mm combo. I loved the images and crispness and isolation look the primes gave. Changing the lenses was not convenient during the event though.

Event Photographers, what is your lens choice

I also use a 35/85mm combo but with two bodies.

and how do you carry your camera and gear while shooting?

I carry the camera + 35mm on a neck strap.

The other camera with wrist strap attached, carried in a small shoulder bag.

- Richard

 

[richiebee]

Do you find that the 24-70 zoom is as sharp as the primes? I have a 28-75 tamron that is just hit and miss in the sharpness and in no way can compete with my 35/85 primes

No problem with sharpness on my Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 G2. I don't have a lens that is as sharp as my Sigma 35mm f/1.4 ART, but it's a compromise. When I do events, I have to get certain shots, and I can't guarantee where I'm going to be in relation to the person I have to photograph at the time I have to photograph them. So, it has to be zooms. I couldn't do it without. My 24-70 is as sharp as my Nikon 85mm f/1.8, and is just a billion times more reliable than my Nikon 50mm f/1.4 which I find very hit and miss. My new Sigma 135mm f/1.8 is fabulous - I haven't used it on an event yet, since that COVID thing came along just about as it was being delivered, but still, it's not a versatile lens. That said, if we ever get events back, I will try one with the 24-70 on one camera and the 135 on another. That may well turn out to be an epic combination.

R.

 

[Smaug01]

Do you find that the 24-70 zoom is as sharp as the primes? I have a 28-75 tamron that is just hit and miss in the sharpness and in no way can compete with my 35/85 primes

No problem with sharpness on my Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 G2. I don't have a lens that is as sharp as my Sigma 35mm f/1.4 ART, but it's a compromise.

Sharpness isn't everything, especially in people pictures.

But if we compare a Nikkor prime to any zoom, even a 2.8 pro, the zoom can't keep up. With both at f/2.8, the prime is stopped down = sharper. If both are wide open, the prime benefits from being able to use a lower ISO. So not as sharp, but less noise.

Here's how I see it going down: two bodies, each with one of the aforementioned lenses fitted, each on a long, sliding cross-shoulder strap. Perfect.

 

[Michael Benveniste]

That's what the pros used to do when zooms were bad. Maybe they still do...

Pros still bring more than one body to a shoot, but for events, they often have a 24-70mm f/2.8 on at least one of them. From what I can tell, at least as many 24-70mm f/2.8 lenses are sold as 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 40mm, and 58/60mm lenses combined.

 

[Smaug01]

That's what the pros used to do when zooms were bad. Maybe they still do...

Pros still bring more than one body to a shoot, but for events, they often have a 24-70mm f/2.8 on at least one of them. From what I can tell, at least as many 24-70mm f/2.8 lenses are sold as 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 40mm, and 58/60mm lenses combined.

 

[Michael Benveniste]

70mm is just too short. Can't they make a good 24-105 yet?

The 24-105mm and 24-120mm are fine for what they are — the minivans of lenses. But for event shooting, f/4 sometimes doesn’t allow you to restrict DOF sufficiently.

Tamron once made a 28-105mm f/2.8. It was not particularly well received. Their current 35-150 f/2.8~4 is getting better reviews, but looking at my EXIF from events I can see it wouldn’t work for me.

 

[jdsilvaphotography]

1. richj20 wrote:

Hey everyone!

I just got offered to be a contract event photographer for a commercial marketing agency. I just got one of their events with a 35/85mm combo. I loved the images and crispness and isolation look the primes gave. Changing the lenses was not convenient during the event though.

Event Photographers, what is your lens choice

I also use a 35/85mm combo but with two bodies.

and how do you carry your camera and gear while shooting?

I carry the camera + 35mm on a neck strap.

The other camera with wrist strap attached, carried in a small shoulder bag.

- Richard

 

[Hugocerna]

Usually zooms for me (24-70 on one body, 70-200 on another). However, if its a long event, and I have spells of downtime, I sometimes bring out a prime (35 or 85) for candids. It depends on the nature of the event.

 

[tex]

[No message]

 

[richj20]

1. richj20 wrote:

Hey everyone!

I just got offered to be a contract event photographer for a commercial marketing agency. I just got one of their events with a 35/85mm combo. I loved the images and crispness and isolation look the primes gave. Changing the lenses was not convenient during the event though.

Event Photographers, what is your lens choice

I also use a 35/85mm combo but with two bodies.

and how do you carry your camera and gear while shooting?

I carry the camera + 35mm on a neck strap.

The other camera with wrist strap attached, carried in a small shoulder bag.

- Richard

I'm glad I'm not alone! Why do you use this setup instead of one zoom?

I do not have a mid-range zoom.

It's easy using the two primes for the events I attend.

At a Dia de Muertos celebration a couple of years ago, many of the people in costumes "posed" for the public to admire and photograph.





At this year's Lunar celebration, for the entertainment stage, I positioned myself for some wide views of the stage, then moved around for closer views of the performers from different angles.







- Richard

--
http://www.rsjphoto.net

 

[C Sean]

Hey everyone!

I just got offered to be a contract event photographer for a commercial marketing agency. I just got one of their events with a 35/85mm combo. I loved the images and crispness and isolation look the primes gave. Changing the lenses was not convenient during the event though.

Event Photographers, what is your lens choice and how do you carry your camera and gear while shooting?

It’s hard to answer your question because you haven’t said what this event is and what you are tasked to photograph.

Can’t you rent another camera so you can your primes instead of testing and trying a lens you might not like to use in the long term?

 

[threw the lens]

Do you find that the 24-70 zoom is as sharp as the primes? I have a 28-75 tamron that is just hit and miss in the sharpness and in no way can compete with my 35/85 primes

I don't know what the new version of the 28-75 is like, but the old version was not a good example to use. Not good on the edges and not good autofocus. It's like complaining about a stone age lens, the design has been around forever. So long that Minolta did a rebadged version, and I think they quit in 2006.

Sometimes it's not so inconvenient to carry a couple of primes on bodies without grips, but I can't often make use of the shallow depth of field that the top primes offer at a group event. f2.8 suits me fine. I'd prefer to be able to snatch a shot as quickly as possible compared to fumbling around changing the aperture and moving around all the time on a prime setup.

 

[jdsilvaphotography]

That's really good to know. Ive been seriously debating on selling that lens and funding a sigma art 24-70. It looks like a much better lens.

The marketing agency loved the look I produced with my 35/85 setup. She has two other photographers that I'm pretty sure use a 24-70. I'm a little afraid to use the zoom now that she liked my work so much. I think the primes may set me apart from the others in the agency.

 

[jdsilvaphotography]

The agency does all kinds of events. Before the stay at home order they shot a snoop dog concert. The event I shot was a walk around neighborhood art festival.

I have a 28-75 Tamron zoom. It isn't nearly as sharp as the primes. The bokeh is busy and nervous. From my research a lot of people say that if I went with a sony GM or sigma lens I would only get marginally better results and still would not match the quality of the primes.