Hi everyone, although I like to study the photography topic, I’m really a noob when it comes to practical terms.

I would like to take pictures at a family event which will take place in a garden in the evening/night.

Well, my gear is quite modest, and I know I don’t have what I need to take good pictures of both the place and the people there. I’m looking to rent a nice lens to carry around as I take pictures (and enjoy the party too! So I’m just taking one 😅). So I would really appreciate some advice on what to rent.

There are the four lenses I found while digging, two are primes, two are zooms:

  • Canon RF 24MM F/1.8 IS STM: it’s fast, with IS, but I’m not sure about portraits with this focal length.

  • Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L II USM: super fast, no IS, still not sure about portraits with this focal length.

  • Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM: IS, quite fast, zoom lets me take portraits, but I’ve read it’s not very sharp.

  • Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM: IS, quite fast, zoom lets me take portraits (not strongly as the one above but still).

Here’s my situation:

  • I have Canon Eos R10 with the EF adapter.
  • My hands are shaky, so without IS I need to be at least at 1/125…
  • I like to keep ISO really low (<6400) if I can.
  • I kind of pixel peep (I know I don’t have the right because I’m crap but I can’t resist) so I like to take as sharp pictures as I can.

Which lens would you reccommend? Since I’m renting them I was thinking about going all in with the expensive ones, the cost won’t increase much. The primes are so bright I feel comfortable they will be bright enough, but I don’t know if I can take good portraits at 24mm. On the other hand, zooms let me do more things, but I don’t know if I can handle f/2.8 with my crappy and shaky hands.

Of course, if you can think of other lenses that would be perfect for the job I’m all ears!

Cheers

  • e_t_
    4•8 months ago

    One thing to keep in mind is the R10 has a APS-C size sensor. That means that the effective focal length of those lenses will be higher than on a full frame camera. I believe Canon uses a 1.6 crop factor for their APS sensors. So, while a 24mm lens is very wide-angle on a full frame camera, it will be only moderately wide on your camera.

    For portraits, a moderately long lens usually produces more pleasing results than wide angle. Wide angle lets you capture more of the scene around a person, but then it’s more of a landscape that includes people, not a portrait. A portrait should focus on just one (maybe two) subjects.

    Of the lenses you mentioned, the 15-35 is probably your best bet. It’s a “L” lens, which is Canon’s top-of-the-line. It’s fairly bright.
    You might also look for Canon’s 50mm f 1.2 or f 1.4 “L” lenses. With the crop factor, 50mm is comparable to 80mm on a full frame.
    Your subjects will fill the field of view. You might have to take a step or two back, but they’ll look better than when shot with a wide angle lens close up.

    • @HKPiaxOP
      1•8 months ago

      Thanks, I feel like this a lot. I love taking pictures with my “cheap” 50mm, and if I didn’t restrict myself to one lens only I’d bring that too because I just love it.

      The 15-35 is the one tempting me the most, I’m just asking knowledgeable people if it will be enough for me with my crappy hands given the low light environment :)

      • e_t_
        3•8 months ago

        Do you already have the 50mm f1.8? That’s a good portrait lens. Not as sharp or as bright as the much bigger, much more expensive “L” 50s, but still brighter than a f2.8 lens.

        If you’ve got the 50mm, my advice is to take that to the party as your only lens. If you’re going to spend money on something, spend it on a flash.

        With a flash, you should be able to stop down, even at night. Try f/4 or f/8. That will boost sharpness. If you’re concerned about weight, consider the Canon EL-100. It weighs 6.7oz without batteries. I’m guessing it takes either 2 or 4 AA batteries.