So today we’re going to be reviewing which Nikon lenses work best for wedding photography. Of course along with a tradition portrait lens, you’ll also be taking wide-angle group shots.
Whether you’re a professional, hobbyist, or thinking of making a new career move and starting to work as a wedding photographer you’ll need the right lenses to make sure that the bride and groom look the part on their special day.
So wedding photographs are a huge part of anyone’s wedding. They form the physical representation of a day that often is one of the biggest in peoples lives. So its hugely important that the photos are taken well, and come out great.
There’s no one “correct” lens to shoot with at a wedding. In fact, we normally recommend taking between 2-3 lenses for all the different shots you’ll be expected to capture throughout the day.
So in this list we will go through all the best options that cover every shot that a wedding photography gig might require from you. Whether your daughter is getting married, or you want to change a pace of your career, this list will help you shoot fantastic wedding shots whoever you are.
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G ED Fixed Zoom Lens
The Nikon 35mm f/1.8 is a basic lens that offers great shooting quality at a very low price. We started with this lens to give you a feel of the types of lenses that you should consider when purchasing for wedding photography.
So this is a 35mm f/1.8 primed lens. Perfect portraits and framing shots. You’ll get great bokeh effects without having to do too much. This lens is great for shooting close up portraits shots of the bride and groom, as well as guests and other family members and friends throughout the day.
The small depth of field means you can create great bokeh when shooting close by. The lens also has the added benefit of being extremely sharp so you can be sure that you won’t miss any details when shooting the happy couple. At under 500 dollars this lens is a great reliable option that we highly recommend you check out.
Pros
- Great value for money
- Really reliable portrait lens
- Well built
- Ergonomic design
- Lightweight and compact, perfect for putting in your gear bag
- Crisp, clear and sharp image quality
- Small depth of field creates great bokeh effects effortlessly
- Attractive amount of vignetting (for portraits)
- Picks up every small detail
- Silent motor to shoot seamless shots without disturbing the big day
- Perfect for hobbyist’s, beginners, or those just making the career move into wedding photography
Cons
- Does not shoot well in low level light
- Autofocus can be a little slower than more expensive models
- Noticeable distorting occurs in some shots
Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 105mm f/1.4E ED Lens with Auto Focus for Nikon DSLR Cameras
In a bid to cover the best lenses for everyone regardless of skill level, budget and intentions we are also going to include the Nikkor 105mm f/1.4 lens.
If money is not an issue or you’re a professional looking for the right lens to shoot the best portraits of happy couples and get yourself the biggest clients – then this is your lens.
This lens is the ultimate Nikon portrait lens that will shoot amazing shots. This lens works for you and with your camera it is capable of capturing some truly amazing portrait style shots. Happy couples will be overjoyed when they see how shots come out thanks to this amazing lens.
Pros
- Great for portraits anywhere
- Perfect for all conditions
- So high definition it even picks up skin creases
- Great effortless bokeh
- Precise and sharp
- Professional standard portrait lens
- High speed autofocus is great for shooting portraits whilst people are in motion
- Performs really well even when the aperture is wide open (there’s little to no distortion)
- Durable, compact, hermetic case
- Very good quality at the edge of the frame
- No problems with geometric distortion
- Good blurring in the unsharp area
- Nano Crystal Coating rounded 9-Blade Diaphragm
- Super fast
- Silent motor for undisturbed snapping
- Lightweight
Cons
- No stabalizer included which means shooting in low level light can be tricky to set up
- This lens is expensive
- Vignetting when shot in full frame can be difficult to control
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR Lens Base Bundle
Its worth thinking outside the box when you’re shooting at a wedding. The bride, groom and guests won’t want you continuously lurking around with a portrait lens standing 5 feet away from them slyly trying to sneak shots!
So when it seems like you’ve meddled enough but there’s still work to be done a good option that you might consider turning toward is a zoom lens.
Few photographers consider a zoom lens for wedding photography but we have received rave reviews when we have used them to shoot at weddings. Couples won’t even know you’re taking a shot.
Obviously you still want to retain as much detail as possible when you shoot these shots – that’s why we’ve added the Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 lens to our list.
Pros
- Fantastic zoom lens
- Captures detail vividly
- Professional quality lens
- Clear and sharp
- Reduces blur
- Autofocus is outstanding
- Image stablzaition makes shooting in any setting effortless
- Great in low level light
- High definition
- Silent motor
- Enhanced glass to reduce glare, flare and ghosting in images
- Great texture in shots
- Updated version of an older lens – this version has much better image clarity
- Vivid colors
- Saturated shots that capture every detail
- Great for later in the day at weddings
Cons
- This lens is extremely expensive
- This lens weighs a lot and can be heavy to carry around in your gear bag all day
Nikon AF S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G Fixed Lens with Auto Focus for Nikon DSLR Cameras
So the Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 is another one of those lenses that we just had to include on the list.
Regardless of whether you’re an amateur or professional, the softness that this lens captures is truly special. For shooting portrait style shots on a wedding day we think that its important that the bride and groom are captured in the essence of the day.
This lens is truly built for wedding photography. The way it catches light, details and evokes the mood of the day in the image make this a go-to favourite for those who are shooting at weddings. What’s more, this lens is available at a bargain price.
Pros
- Outstanding value for money
- Gorgeous image quality
- Compact and lightweight
- Perfect carry around lens for wedding shooting
- Outstanding build quality
- Silent motor
- Perfect for portraits
- Shoots really well in all level lighting
- Our favourite prime lens by Nikon for wedding shots
- Soft images
- Able to capture the true feeling of a shot
- Ergonomically designed
- Coated lens for reduced ghosting in portrait shots
Cons
- Autofocus is slow
- Light and dark backdrops significantly affect image quality
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 20mm f/1.8G ED Lens Base Bundle
Another lens consideration that you’ll need to think about if you’re shooting at weddings is a wide-angle.
Yes that’s right when group photos occur every photographer shooting at a wedding needs a good wide-angle lens in their camera bag to ensure that they don’t miss an aunts stunning dress, hair-do, or uncles John’s freshly whitened teeth.
Its vital that you’re able to capture the entire family and friends at the wedding in great detail. Some weddings have tremendous amounts of guests. With this lens you will never be unable to match the guest count. We recommend this lens highly to any wedding photographer! Don’t miss out on this.
Pros
- Great value for money
- Wedding shooter essential
- Reliable and consistent
- Fantastic build quality
- Great for group photos
- Extremely lightweight for a wide-angle lens
- Excellent bokeh effects
- Great color range
- Captures contrast superbly
- Rons out chromatic abbreviations and distortions
- This lens will work for you if set up in automatic mode
- Works effectively in any conditions
Cons
- Doesn’t shoot well when not set on automatic settings
- Manual override is difficult to use
Final Thoughts
We’ve given you a great list of every lens a Nikon user should consider when starting out shooting wedding photography. Our carefully curated list will make sure that you have no surprises when you get your next job snapping pictures at someone’s wedding.
