A "Kit Lens" vs. a "Fast Lens"

Not to digress from actual photos, here's a post a wrote today for a Wedding Photography group I am a part of... but if you read to the end I promise a photo from the other night...

Kit Lenses vs "Fast" Lenses

Let me begin by saying, I'm a consumer, not expert on the lens market. This is merely the information that I have gathered in my career and learned from personal experience. I am also a Nikon shooter and therefore, more familiar with Nikkor Glass.

I imagine that the majority if not all of us own(ed) a "kit" lens. These lenses most typically come bundled with a SLR body. These lenses by design are made of cheaper materials... and are purposefully made for the everyday family photographer. (Get our product into everyone's hands, good strategy ;-) These lenses do their job and still are able to, in capable hands, produce quality photographs.

When a photographer speaks of a "fast" lens they are referring to the aperture on the lens. This is not just highly beneficial for wedding photography, it is most CRUCIAL! Let's first look at the effect aperture has on your photography... You are shooting a wedding and it's the brides childhood dream. There she is, in her church she grew up in, standing with her groom, the soft flicker of candlelight illuminating her face, and that of her beloved... Weddings are not about making our conditions favorable, they almost never will be for a Wedding Photographer, so we need to know how to work with horrible lighting. With people there is no option of a timed exposure... their first kiss as man and wife will bring you into a courtroom... By utilizing a fast lens and ISO you are able to reduce the amount of ISO (giving you less grain) and use a faster shutter speed so you are able to capture the moment. Another benefit of shooting "wide open" is that you are able to produce a greater depth of field, commonly known as DoF. DoF allows for a specific part (distance) of your image to be in focus while the others distances are burred, aka, bokeh and means less time post processing the image in PS to produce a selective blur, which IMO, does not even compare to the bokeh a wide open lens produces.

While there may be some debate about it, glass is mainly considered to be more important than the camera body. When you invest in your glass you are making a long term investment. When you are investing in a camera body, you are investing in technology that will need to be upgraded just like your computer or laptop. Both Canon and Nikon are known for, and excellent at producing superior quality glass. Other companies such as Tamron and Sigma have "budget" friendly glass however there is debate as to quality that is lost with these brands.

If "Kit" lenses are able to still produce quality images why should you invest in "fast" lenses? As I mentioned above, Kit lenses are typically made of a cheaper, plastic material. Fast, quality lenses are often made of metal. They are more rugged and durable. This enables them to better withstand the demands of wedding photography... which includes a very high amount of shutter actuations, changing lenses quickly, etc. The last thing you need to do is break the mount on your lens during a wedding shoot. Once again, it also allows for you to better utilize your lighting conditions, keeping your clients happy and saves you time. Not to mention that when you discover the joys of DoF I predict you will never look back on your investment.

When looking for a fast lens...
It's all about aperture. For a wedding photographer I recommend f/2.8 or less. As I am a Nikon shooter I shoot all Nikkor glass. Nikon "standard" wedding photography glass would be lenses such as
17-55mm f/2.8
70-200mm f/2.8 VR
50mm f/1.8 or f/1.4 (The f/1.8 is UNDER $100USD! No excuses! ;-)
85mm f/1.8 or f/1.4

For equipment on a budget, see this thread


Back-up equipment.
You should never go into a once in the lifetime event unprepared for the worst case scenario, which includes your camera, lens, flash, memory, all of which can malfunction... You don't need to order 2 17-55mm f/2.8 lenses, but at least have a few fast lenses and make sure you are still able to cover different focal lengths, should the ring bearer sneak into your bag and "drop" a lens...

So can you shoot a wedding with your Kit lens? If you can utilize it to the best of it's abilities, sure. However, the best of it's abilities will still limit you. So begin to invest. If you are serious about starting a business then you need to be serious about that business. ALL businesses take investments... Should you go into debt and take a second mortgage to do so? I would advise not. However, if you are not ready to put in the investment for wedding photography begin your business doing seniors/children/families. You can schedule the shoot to allow for your lens limitations and save your money made to invest in your business. This also helps you to become more familiar with the quirks of humanity and provides invaluable experience... besides... would McDonald's open without buns?

Best of luck in your Photographic endeavors.

And... here's the photo!

The other night I had an itching to watch the sunset... I grabbed Thad and my camera/tri-pod.... here's the result.