To add to the point above: i'm seriously obsessed with the Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 DG DN Contemporary L-mount right now! I was so worried about switching from primes for a big event last year, but this lens is just amazing. It is super light, reliable, and honestly makes the S5II feel perfectly balanced.

• You will save a ton of money, leaving room in the budget for a SanDisk 128GB Extreme Pro SDXC UHS-I or two for redundancy.
• The f2.8 is constant, so you wont get those weird exposure jumps when you are zooming in for the kiss.
• It is small enough that it does not scream "i have an expensive camera" when you are walking around downtown Chicago. I love that i can shoot all day without my wrist killing me! Definitely grab it and use the leftover cash for a backup Panasonic DMW-BLK22 Rechargeable Battery Pack just to be safe. Reliability is key for weddings... you do not want to be the person with a dead camera or a broken lens!

> The 20-60 kit is way too slow for this Chicago wedding Ive got next month and swapping primes is killing my flow. Budget is around 1200 bucks. You might want to consider the Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 DG DN Art L-Mount. Since youre shooting weddings, that constant f2.8 is basically essential for low light performance. I would suggest checking the weight though, its way heavier than your current kit. It usually retails for 1099, fitting your budget perfectly. Be careful with the zoom ring feel, some copies vary slightly... but performance is great.

> The 20-60 kit is way too slow for this Chicago wedding Ive got next month and swapping primes is killing my flow. In my experience, reliability is everything when you're shooting weddings. You really dont want to be halfway through the ceremony and have your lens lose its connection or start hunting. I've tried many different setups over the years, and honestly, the biggest mistake people make is choosing a lens that is just too heavy for a 10-hour day. If your wrist is killing you by the reception, your framing is gonna suffer, period. One thing to be super careful about is the weather sealing. Chicago weather is wild, and if you are doing portraits outside and it starts drizzling, you need to know your gear wont quit on you. Also, make sure whatever you pick up is actually fully compatible with the S5II phase detect autofocus. Some older glass or certain adapters can be a bit twitchy with the new AF system, and the last thing you need is the focus hunting during the first dance. Just keep it simple and prioritize something that feels balanced on the camera and has a solid track record for pro work.

Just catching up on this thread. i spent a lot of time debating between native glass and third-party options when i first moved to the s5ii. while the sigma options are popular, the Panasonic Lumix S PRO 24-70mm f/2.8 is really in a different league for focus consistency and that manual focus clutch is a lifesaver for weddings. it usually sits outside that 1200 budget brand new, but i snagged a used one for roughly that price and never looked back. if the f2.8 native is too pricey, i sometimes grab the Panasonic Lumix S 24-105mm f/4 Macro O.I.S. for outdoor ceremonies. the extra reach is nice, though i get the frustration with slower glass in dark ballrooms. native lenses just seem to behave more predictably with the phase detect system during fast movement in my experience. quick tip: dont forget about the s5ii dual native iso. if you find yourself stuck with a slower zoom at a reception, jumping to iso 4000 in v-log can really save your footage from looking like mud.

In my experience shooting big events, you really want something that covers both the ceremony and the party without you having to run around like a madman. Over the years I've tried many setups, but for a Chicago wedding, the Samyang AF 35-150mm f/2-2.8 L-mount is a total beast on the S5II. It is basically a bag of primes in one lens. It starts at f/2 which is wild for a zoom and helps a ton when the venue lighting is trash. It sits right around your budget if you shop around a bit. It's definitely heavier than that 20-60 kit, but the trade-off is you never miss a shot because you were busy fumbling with lens caps. Just make sure you're ready for the weight, tho the results are worth it imo. It's become my go-to for these kinds of gigs.

Building on the earlier suggestion, I've spent some time looking at the actual optical performance data. Unfortunately, I've had issues with third-party L-mount glass not quite hitting the native AF speeds I'd expect for professional work... it's kinda disappointing how much focus hunting happens in dim reception halls. I've spent hours trying to calibrate my own setups and it's never quite as seamless as you'd hope. Looking at what everyone has said:

• You've got the heavy Sigma Art for pure quality.
• The lighter Contemporary version if you want to save your back.
• The huge Samyang zoom for maximum versatility. To really narrow this down for you tho, I've got two questions:
• Are you planning to run the whole wedding handheld or are you using a support rig?
• Does your shooting style rely heavily on the lens's physical controls like AF/MF switches? Tbh if you're the type to do your own firmware updates and technical troubleshooting, some of these lenses are much more of a headache than others.