6 Best Lens for Wedding Videography: (2024 Guide & Reviews)

Last Updated on January 22, 2024 by Sharon Advik

I feel that 95% of the weddings I film yearly by myself, and most of the time, people ask me which is the best lens for wedding videography.

I film roughly 30 to 35 weddings a year; I do commercial work and various other projects in between that.

To do that, I try to keep the most simplistic minimalist setup possible when filming a wedding.

To film a wedding, you need quite a bit of gear.

By reducing that down as much as possible, I need to use exactly what I need.

And over the 9 years I’ve done it, I’ve gotten pretty good at finding something that works for me.

Occasionally, I bring in someone else to help me, especially when you need to be in two places at once, which, as a single shooter, you can’t be.

Still, I mostly film these weddings by myself and love it fun.

I’m going to run through each lens one by one.

Which is the best lens for wedding videography?

Here are my recommended top 6 best lens for wedding videography:-

Canon 70-200 F2.8: (Best lens for wedding videography Canon)

So, I was able to use the RF 70-200 on a couple of jobs and weddings, and I want to share with you guys some experience on actually using this lens.

The other day, I went on a personal trip into the city using the RF 70-200 for two weddings and projects.

So, under those circumstances, I can put the lens to the test and see if it’s a lens that might be worthwhile for you guys to purchase or upgrade to if you currently own the EF system.

I love the size of this lens.

There are positives and negatives for a lens this size, especially from the 70-200 range.

This camera lens is beautiful.

It is small, and its compact is new from the 70 range.

Let’s be honest; the 70-200 from any manufacturer has fantastic image quality, ranging from 70 to 200 2.8.

It’s been a gold standard for many professionals for years and has five stops of image stabilization.

The motors themselves are, I wouldn’t say it’s completely silent; you do hear the motors work.

Now, I must say autofocus on this lens is actually what I feel is quite a bit faster version.

It’s the fast-focusing lens, but RF 70-200 is that fast.

And I enjoyed using it, shooting a wedding with a buddy of mine.

For both photo and video, it’s just nice to have a small lens that can go far.

That’s a pretty big deal, so if you guys are wedding photographers, portrait photographers, or even doing a video when you are in a tight space, that’s nice to kind of get that is focusing on bringing that nice to pack this into your bag.

It is so light that you have a focal length; this range of 70-200 2.8 used to be brick in your bag.

It’s a nice tiny compact; I could take it everywhere.

It was such a pleasure to use.

So yeah, guys, is this lens right for you?

If you are a wedding photographer or travel a lot if you are working remotely, you’re into the AR series of cameras for Canon if you use the 70-200 very often.

This definitely might be worthwhile.

I think it’s for me it was worth it; having something like this in your bag is a big plus.

Pros
  • Weather sealed.
  • Dust & moisture resistance.
  • The focus aperture ring is smooth.
  • Solid build quality.
  • Excellent sharpness.
  • Great optical quality.
  • Focus is fast & accurate.
Cons
  • Some distortion.
  • Big & Heavyweight.
  • Bit Pricey.

Sigma 35mm F1.4: (Best focal length for wedding videography)

It is an unbelievably fantastic lens that is so sharp, and the colors are so beautiful; they make images stand out, and I love using them.

I use it for preparation shots.

This is the perfect focal length to get close and get nice shots of makeup and details.

It’s also perfect for getting a few wines and things of bridesmaids when they might be gifts or just shots of people huddling together into a group.

It’s also lovely for short buildings and is wide enough to get nice shots of rooms and details.

The great thing about Sony’s is you can jump in on the APSC crop because I sometimes change from a full-frame to the APSC to get that crop.

I need to get in a little tighter using the 35 millimeters.

Pros
  • Razor-sharp lens.
  • Superfast aperture.
  • Fantastic build quality.
  • Versatile focal length.
  • Wider angle of view.
  • Nice bokeh.
  • Autofocus is super quick & accurate.
  • Great value for money.
Cons
  • Big & heavy.

Sony 85mm 1.8: (Best lens for wedding videography Sony)

This lens I bought this about 2 years ago.

This lens is excellent for bridal breath because you don’t want to get into the close, which is for me.

When I step into a room first thing in the morning, I don’t want to do the first thing I do is not want to come in and create clothes, so everybody suddenly realizes I’m filming.

So actually, in the morning, the first thing I do is put on the 85, hold myself back a little bit, start filming from a little bit further away from this lens, which helps to do, and then throughout drinks reception particularly.

I always use the 85 millimeters as an excellent way to get guests having fun, having drinks, and getting clear faces.

While not getting close and not making it too apparent, you’re filming and making people uncomfortable.

You want to get natural-looking shots, and the more natural you can get, the better, and the 85 millimeters, for me, help get those natural shots during a drinks reception.

I will also use this for a set for the ceremony on my second camera.

If the dance floor is not too packed, I might use it to get tighter shots of a few people dancing on the dance floor.

One of my favorite purchases that I ever made is this 85-millimeter lens.

Pros
  • Light, small and compact
  • High-speed autofocus.
  • Fast, bright f/1.8 aperture.
  • Extreme sharp.
  • Dust and moisture resistance.
  • Good value for money.
Cons
  • No image stabilization.
  • Some vignette.

Sony 16-35mm F4: (Best wide-angle lens for wedding videography)

Sony 16-35mm F4: (Best wide-angle lens for wedding videography)

I use this lens for a considerable portion of the day.

Whenever I’m on my gimbal, I will use the 16 to 35 to get some nice wide shots of venues or details of anything outside.

I’ve had this lens for probably 3 or 4 years, and I love it.

My lenses are battered because I’ve used them so much, but it works perfectly.

It looks crisp; it looks brilliant.

I’ve only got the f4.

I didn’t step up to go to the 16 to 35 2.8 because I’ve always enjoyed the f4 as it is, and if I need anything more of a shallow depth of field and brighter, I use my 35 millimeters.

So, this lens has worked well for me most of the time.

I’ve been filming weddings, generally for the evening, sometimes for the first dance, etc.

I will generally use 16-35 millimeters.

I have been using the 35 for many of the first dances because it’s not, as getting the shallow depth of field by 16-35 is a great option.

Sometimes, when a big group of people huddles around dancing, it is nice to go crazy wide and get everyone in while hanging out on top of them with a camera.

Pros
  • Excellent build quality.
  • It’s fast; it’s silent.
  • Autofocus works great.
  • Ultra wide-angle lens.
  • Quite sharp.
  • Great focal length.
  • Versatile lens.
  • Great for the price.
Cons
  • Absence of buttons.
  • Some vignetting & distortion.

Sigma 24mm 1.4: (Best Nikon lens for wedding videography)

Sigma 24mm 1.4: (Best Nikon lens for wedding videography)

I do want to talk about the newest lens, and I love it.

So this is what it looks like at 24 millimeters with the sigma, 24 1.4, and honestly, it’s beautiful.

Reason number one: I love this lens. It has a super shallow depth of field, like, I mean, like razor-thin, and I love that.

Especially for isolating your subject, making a blurry foreground and background.

To add depth to your videos, which is visually pleasing for me; being also a prime lens, you get that crisp, sharp detail in your image, which looks beautiful.

Reason two is its low light capabilities; I took this thing out the other night in Chicago, experimenting with some hyperlapses, and I couldn’t believe it.

I was shooting an ISO 640, and I was like.

I can see everything, and there’s no brain when you desire to film, like evenings or after sunset or even when it’s fully dark outside, just like some city lights, it just makes for a pleasant experience.

The last reason I got this lens is that it’s a fantastic storytelling lens.

What I mean by that is just like its ability to keep it on your camera at all times and capture every moment.

Whether you’re shooting people dancing on the floor, shooting the groom and bride’s first kiss, or capturing speeches, it does everything.

It’s a fantastic lens, and I can’t say enough good things about it.

It has a few negative things; it is a bit heavy.

It’s a sharper prime lens, but typically, you cannot zoom in; you must physically move your body if you want to zoom in.

And if you want to zoom out, you have to step away from your subject a little bit, but that’s the only two things I can think of.

Overall, I’m super pleased with this; I’m so happy I got this lens.

It’s just another tool and my filmmaking bag.

Pros
  • Sharpness.
  • Less distortion.
  • Extremely wide maximum aperture of F 1.4.
  • Good value for money.
  • Out-of-focus backgrounds.
  • Solid build quality.
Cons
  • Color fringing on contrasting edges.
  • Big & heavy.

Canon 17-55mm f2.8: (Best DSLR lens for wedding videography)

Canon’s professional series lens is perfect for capturing cinematic and emotional videos during wedding ceremonies.

This lens is ideal for videographers, mainly if they shoot in low-light environments like weddings.

This lens was designed to be used with DSLRs by offering fast and responsive autofocus performance (and) a constant aperture of 2.8 throughout the zoom range so you can seamlessly go from macro shots to wide scenes without adjusting your settings on the fly.

Perfect for when moments are fleeting at a wedding!

The 55mm range makes you feel like you’re inside everything without having to mount up close or be by your guests’ faces.

It’s compact and lightweight while still producing stunning images with a wide-angle perspective of up to 27mm, giving you the power to capture large group shots or in tight spaces.

This highly versatile lens also incorporates Image Stabilizers, allowing videographers to shoot at slower shutter speeds without compromising sharpness or brightness.

The large circular aperture produces a beautiful shallow depth of field effects that can even be dropped one step further thanks to the ring-type ultra sonic monitor (USM).

This is the ideal lens for wedding videographers needing a quality wide-angle zoom lens with plenty of speed and features to play around with.

The aspherical elements allow you to capture fantastic images through the entire focal range.

Even when shooting during dim lighting conditions, thanks to an Image Stabilizer that uses four lens groups, which shift to compensate for any camera movement or image shake.

Its smallest focusing distance is 1.15 feet, making it perfect for shooting close-up wide shots in dim lighting without sacrificing detail or depth of field.

Whether you’re shooting a wedding, headshots, or evening social events, the Canon 17-55mm f2.8 lens is an excellent option for videographers of all levels.

So what are you waiting for?

This product will take your wedding videos to an entirely new level.

Pros
  • Extremely sharp.
  • Professional quality lens.
  • Good fast aperture.
  • Image stabilization
  • less distortion.
  • Excellent shallow depth of field.
  • Nice blurry backgrounds.
Cons
  • Big and pretty heavy.
  • Some distortions.

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Best Sony Lens for Wedding Videography:

Best Sony Lens for Wedding Photography:

Best Nikon lens for portraits and wedding photography:

Best canon lens for portraits and wedding photography:

Best lens for wedding photography Nikon: 

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