Prime Directive

[SteveLongPhoto]

After a lot of thought and research, I've decided to switch to the Canon system. I currently shoot as an in-house photographer for a printing company using a Fuji S1Pro. I've been doing this for four years. I love the image quality that comes out of this camera and the latitude the images have in post-processing.

My employers offered to sell me the in-house studio, but their asking price was too high, if I'm going to spend the money, I want what I want and what I want is the 20D.

I plan on doing portraits and weddings. I've already got my first wedding booked for next year and I have three or four portrait sessions waiting until I get the equipment.

My favorite lens on the S1Pro is the 50mm 1.4. In fact 90% of my shots are with that lens. I really like working with a shallow DOF. So buying the Canon 50 1.4 is a given.

Now, comes the hard part, do I stick with primes to fill in the rest of the focal lengths? I really like shooting fast primes. Or do I go with fast zooms? I really couldn't take the S1Pro over 800 iso, so my reference points for exposure are skewed compared to the 20D's usable 1600iso.

I plan on buying at least two bodies, possibly three. So I could have up to 3 primes mounted and ready to shoot, I was thinking the 28 f1.8, the 50 f1.4 and the 100 f2, all pretty decent lenses and at least 1 stop faster than a zoom. Maybe have the 200 f2.8 in the bag in case I get stuck at the back of a church.

Whatcha think? Go with primes, or go with the 24-70, 70-200 f2.8 combo that seems to be the standard recommended wedding lens kit.

[Shay Stephens]

This is one of those "less filling / tastes great" type debates. Myself, I am a zoomer and using primes adversely affects my performance (I do have a 50mm though). However, I know a prime man who gets all the shots he needs without using zoom.

Based on what you have mentioned already, it sounds like using primes would not cramp your style. So shoot the way you do it the best. And if that means primes, then have at it :-)

I would suggest having a 200mm on hand. Sometimes you get banished to the back, and you will need to have some reach in those situations.

Whatcha think? Go with primes, or go with the 24-70, 70-200 f2.8 combo that seems to be the standard recommended wedding lens kit.

[Khaos]

I don't shoot weddings, but the last event I shot, I used the 10-22, the 35 L, and the 70-200 2.8 IS L.

I only used the 10-22 because I don't own the 24 L.

The 10-22 and 35 covered me in wide and normal shots, and the 70-200 was perfect for closeups and portrait shots.

I started with the 10-22 first to get an overall view of the event and it's area. I then used the 35 for normal shots of the event, and then I switched to the 70-200 to get the "personal" shots, various candid portraits and closeups.

This is just my example. If I had the 24 L, it would of been it, the 35 and the 70-200 exclusively.

The 70-200 to me is that good. It would be the only zoom I owned if Canon would offer something better in a super wide prime. But the 10-22 does a very good job so I use it.

[Matthew Saville]

Good luck in the world of Canon! I can vouch for the 16-35 and the 70-200 IS, those are beautiful lenses that, at least with a D60, never gave me any trouble. Can't say the same about the 20D or the other new cameras. It seems a lot of fatal / crippling bugs have found their way into these newer cameras... Although on the other hand, many Canon users go their whole career without a single lockup or anything, so good luck!

Although if you're realy a fan of shallow DOF, there really isn't anything better than f/2.8 that anyone can reccomend, and even the 17-40 is f/4 so I doubt you'll even consider it at all... For that matter, I don't know of ANY EF-S lenses with f/2.8 (well I have to say zooms instead of lenses now that the EF-S 60mm is out!) So in that case the best thing to reccomend is either primes, meaning the 50mm and the 85mm, or the 24-70 f/2.8, which you should give a try if you haven't yet.

If your first gig isn't until 2006, you might want to check into the D200, it'll be out this fall. Of course, if you're used to a fuji body and not a Nikon body, I guess the transition to Canon won't be hard like it is for some straight Nikon shooters. Good luck! And enjoy that enormous, oh-so-satisfying-to-twirl wheel!

-Matt-