Best Lenses for Wedding Photography: Top 8 of 2024 Reviewed

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Weddings are the most significant day that married couples would want to remember forever. How more could they revisit their lovely wedding moments other than through photographs? Hence, it is both a pleasure and pressure for a wedding photographer to make sure that these precious moments will be captured right, no matter when and how they will occur. To do this right, choosing the best gears to equip yourself with will be a critical path to take.

The best lenses for wedding photography are durable but light enough to carry around, versatile and compatible with your varied styles, and excellent in producing quality images without breaking your budget.

On the other hand, a poor-quality lens is something that doesn’t offer many features to help you with photography and is difficult to use with the devices you currently have.

To help you separate the good from the bad – we’ve reviewed the top 8 lenses for wedding photography of the year 2024.

Buy with confidence that you’re buying one of the best lenses for wedding photography. Let’s get straight into the reviews.

Top Lenses for Wedding Photography

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Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 Camera Lens – Best Overall

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Probably the best lens for wedding photography and that every wedding photographer must have is the 24-70mm lens. They are considered an all-rounder especially in wedding photography–from capturing quick and candid group shots during the wedding ceremony, to portraits and close up shots, 24-70mm lens is indeed a remarkable lens choice to be added to your wedding photography kit.

If you are yet to be convinced whether you should get yourself a 24-70mm lens or not, you might want to consider looking at Sigma lens. This high-performance wedding lens is a perfect accessory for your wedding camera as its focal length covers from wide-angle to portrait range. An on-the-go lens that is compatible for both Canon and Nikon DSLRs, complementing their image capabilities.

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 is a versatile zoom lens for wedding shooting that features design ideal for the latest digital cameras with a constant aperture of 2.8 optical performance throughout the zoom range, greater control over depth of field perfect for those who desire a beautiful bokeh effect, ultra-high megapixel sensors, hypersonic motor, enhanced autofocus speed, and 4-stop image stabilisation. Its physical design includes switchable AF to manual mode override, a metal barrel for firmness and stability, and a dust and splash-proof mount with rubber sealing.

It features excellent image quality, performance, and functionality for a very favourable price, perhaps why we considered it as one of the best lenses for wedding photography.

Here’s a list of what we like about this:

• Constant aperture of 2.8
• HSM or hypersonic motor
• Excellent value for its price
• Image stabilisation

If you want a lens that can capture both wide-angled moments in a contained space without much room for movement or just want a quick portrait shot of the bride and the groom in the venue, Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 is one of the best lenses for wedding photography.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Camera Lens – Premium Choice

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If you’re a loyal Canon shooter and you want the best gear for your full-frame camera body, you may opt for Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. Best canon lenses are one of the most versatile zoom lenses, popular among wedding photographers. With a focal length ranging from wide-angle to portrait-length, this lens here is often considered the workhorse of lenses in many wedding sessions and gigs.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 sets the new standard for excellent optics, high-end durable construction and performance in professional zoom lenses. Featuring optical design advancements, this zoom lens is popular for its constant 2.8 maximum aperture, which works best in difficult and low light situations such as wedding event photography, offering control over depth of field or background blur. Wedding photographers are lured with this sophisticated optical design, which utilises one super UD lens element and two UD lens elements that help minimise chromatic aberration and reduce colour blurring around the edges of the subject for maximum clarity and colour accuracy. So whether you are photographing wider location scenes, or candid moments of the guests while waiting for the ceremony to start, Canon EF allows you to produce sharp image quality with solid bokeh effect.

Although Canon lenses can get a little more expensive than the previous one on the list, given its refined optical design combined with optimised AF performance which enables silent and high-speed autofocus, ring-type Ultrasonic Motor (USM), and improved dust sealing and water resistance, the price is worth the quality it can give.

What makes this one of the best:

• Dust and water-resistant
• UD lens elements to minimise the chromatic aberration
• Ultrasonic Motor or USM

This is useful in capturing varied wedding photography situations such as capturing candid photos of people, guests arriving, and the decorations and details of the church and reception venue.

Nikon AF-S 70 200mm VR f/2.8E Camera Lens – Great Value

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If 24-70mm is the most versatile lens for wedding photography, 70-200mm is, on the other hand, the most favourite portrait lens of wedding photographers especially for a full-frame camera. Although it’s bulky, heavy, and large in size, aside from that, it will provide enough focal length, and you can never go wrong with this type of lens. One of the best 70-200mm lenses for wedding photography when it comes to optical versatility and excellence is Nikon AF-S 70 200mm f 2 8 E VR.

Perhaps one of the reasons why Nikon AF-S 70 200mm f/2.8 is one of most sought-after lenses for photography is the irony of 70-200mm lenses being heavy, and Nikon AF-S being incredibly lightweight as it is made of magnesium-alloy, enabling enhanced shooting in diverse wedding situations from event to portrait photography. Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 allows you to capture candid moments, from happenings at a wedding ceremony to the celebration at a wedding reception and varied low light conditions, offering maximum sharpness in longer-than-usual focal length and enabling you to capture close to action portraits in a wedding without disrupting the moment.

Engineered for stability, this lens features a vibration reduction system providing steadier shots and reduced effect of camera shake, perfect for handheld photography and videography. Given its 2.8 constant maximum aperture, innovative controls, and a refined optical built, indeed Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 is of great value for its price.

Here are some of the features:

• Lightweight
• Vibration reduction system
• Sophisticated optical built

If you’re a wedding photographer with the desire to capture phenomenal stills and videos in stunning, high-resolution gear without breaking the bank, Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 definitely a great buy.

Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master Camera Lens

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Varied lenses for wedding photography are essential as wedding events require varied photo styles–from portraits to group shots, from the smallest detail to large interior. When your 24-70mm lens isn’t enough to give you the wide-angle shots you are aiming for, you may opt for a 16-35mm lens. Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master is one of the best wedding photography lenses of this type as it delivers consistently outstanding resolution no matter what zoom setting or focus distance at which you shoot.

Wedding photographers may opt for Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master as it is a fast and flexible ultra-wide-angle zoom lens built with extensive weather-seals and robust quality, and packed with refined optical performance such as constant f/2.8 maximum aperture and incredible background bokeh that can add depth and artistic impact to your images when required. Sony has worked on combining smooth background blur and high resolution for the outstanding image quality of the most detailed subjects and scenes, with superior contrast throughout every frame. So whether you want to take advantage of the scenery in the venue, or you’re photographing nuptial portraits, this 16-35mm lens is the best for you.

Event photography demands focus precision, hence the most ideal lenses for the wedding should maintain outstanding resolution from wide range shots to close focus for both stills and movies. This exactly what Sony G Master is offering as it includes a floating mechanism driven by two DDSSM (Direct Drive Super Sonic Wave Motor). It has the capability to pinpoint precision required by large aperture, offering accurate, quick, and silent AF.

These features are definitely making the Sony 6-35mm f/2.8 G Master lens a beast of its kind however it can be over the top expensive to get one. So if you are a wedding photographer on a budget, this might not be an ideal option for you.

To save you time, we have our favourite features listed:

• Extensive weather-seals and robust quality
• Uncompromising optical design for smooth bokeh and high resolution
• Two DDSSM for better AF Precision

Indeed, this ultra-wide lens is a great companion for wedding photographers who seek to add venue and landscape photos to their wedding coverage.

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Camera Lens

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A zoom lens is easy to work with if you are a wedding photographer–your gear will do the work, and all you have to do is find the angles and perfect your composition. A prime lens, on the other hand, makes you work harder but it results in a better quality and high-resolution images some zoom lenses cannot do, making it a staple companion in wedding event photography. Sigma knows this exactly as they released Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens.

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens includes the incredible optical design and technology other Sigma Art Lenses have: a high speed internal focusing system, reduced chromatic aberration, and a superb sharpness at a maximum f/1.4 aperture. The long list of features just do not stop, and what’s more, is you may get these without breaking the bank.

Originally designed for full-frame cameras, yet works as well with APS-C sensors, Sigma 35mm is equipped with a Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) that ensures quick, quiet, and accurate autofocusing. It also has the SLD and FLD glass elements that help correct axial and chromatic aberration. Its large 1.4 aperture provides sharpness, making it ideal to use in low light situations such as photographing the bride and the groom during the church ceremony and reception celebration.

Some of the features:

• Superb sharpness at a maximum f/1.4 aperture
• Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM)
• Extremely affordable

The only things that made this excluded from the top wedding lenses in the list are its lack of image stabilisation, which will pretty much be difficult given the large aperture it has and its ability to shoot in low light conditions, and its weight, which is quite heavy for a prime lens. But other than that, everything it offers is superb and great gear for starting out their wedding photography career on a budget.

Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens Camera Lens

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Prime lenses such as 85mm provide brighter aperture but don’t distort images the way some wider-angle lenses do. Portrait photography requires great background bokeh at wider apertures, and there’s no truer portrait lens that can do this than the 85mm lenses. Hence, wedding photographers opt for prime lenses that do the trick, especially on wedding occasions. A portrait photography shooter who desires to have a lovely 85mm addition to his camera gears may want to look at Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens.

With all the resolving power for 50-megapixel or higher ultra-high-megapixel cameras, Sigma 85mm is the ultimate lens for portraits and more. Probably one of the best lenses for wedding photography, this lens provides precise bokeh with extremely high resolution on the area of focus. Sigma includes all the latest technology in this lens, for incredible usabilities, such as newly designed HSM, dust and splash-proof build, high-precision, rugged brass bayonet mount, and a rounded diaphragm.

Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens has a powerful optical design that is resistant to strong incidental light sources such as backlight. This is to minimise flare and subject ghosting providing sharp image quality even in backlit situations. It delivers high-performance optics with its large f/1.4 aperture, perfect for getting images with shallow depth of field. It is also an excellent focal length, particularly compatible with full-frame cameras, allowing you to photograph portraits in venues with limited space.

With a prime lens that doesn’t compromise the quality despite affordability, Sigma 85mm f/1.4 is indeed one of the best lenses for wedding events and ceremonies.

Some of the features:

• Designed to minimise flare and ghosting
• Provides precise bokeh with extremely high resolution
• Affordable

This 85mm Art Lens is a fast and extremely reliable wedding lens you can always bring with you as a wedding photographer.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM Camera Lens

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If you’re looking for a camera lens that is useful for small details like ring shots, you might want to get yourself a macro lens. While it’s true that portraits and wider shots are essential to wedding photography, exquisite wedding details add a variety to the collection. Wedding photographers who are looking for a macro lens find themselves looking at Canon EF 100mm f 2 8 L Macro, as this is a great example of a high-end gear of its kind.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L is a lens with image stabiliser, perfect for steadier shots and close focusing distances. It has a ring Ultrasonic Motor (USM) that ensures high-speed autofocus and near-silent operation. This also provides, through its ultra-low dispersion element, superb image quality with high resolution, high contrast, and excellent colour reproduction.

A longer focal length will offer a clean background blur. But getting close up shots on a Canon EF 100mm will allow you to create an attractive background bokeh while isolating the subject, thanks to its circular 9-blade wide aperture.

Getting this Canon macro might not be as budget-friendly as its alternative lenses, given that macro lenses can cost more, but if you are a dedicated wedding photographer and only want the best for your wedding gigs and events, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L will be a lovely addition to your wedding photography gears.

Here are some of our favourite features:

• Hybrid image stabiliser
• USM for rapid and near-silent AF
• Wide aperture

Macro lenses can pretty much be as versatile as the other types of lenses to carry around when you’re in a wedding event. Canon can be a great choice but completely optional if you want to have a variety on your wedding photo package.

Tamron SP 90mm F/2.8 Di VC USD 1:1 Camera Lens

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Ring shots and detail images are as equally significant as portraits and wide shots in wedding photography for they create sentimental feels to the collection of photos captured during the wedding. This is why a macro lens might be the last but not the least addition to your wedding lenses.

A cheaper alternative to the previous macro lens on the list is Tamron SP 90mm F/2.8. It is lower in price, but not in quality and performance. It demonstrates meticulous craftsmanship, given its sleek interior and exterior. Not only does this look elegant outside, but it is also beautifully designed with its durable built that includes weather-seals and a fluorine coating on the front element. It also has a hybrid stabiliser, similar to its 100mm Canon alternative, which further improves image quality even on close up shots.

It has one Low Dispersion and two Extra-Low Dispersion glass elements to minimise chromatic aberrations for more consistent sharpness and clarity while magnifying. This latest version suits well to the high-resolution crop of DSLRs.

The quick list of features:

• Very affordable
• Sleek design
• Hybrid stabiliser

Knowing what to find when buying a macro lens will help you narrow down your options. If you’re looking for a budget macro lens, you may opt for Tamron SP 90mm F/2.8.