Im stressing out because my kit lens died right before my sisters wedding next month. I saw people recommending the Sigma 30mm online but others say the Sony 50mm is sharper for portraits. I only have about 250 bucks to spend and I just dont know which one is actually better for low light. Help?
If you are worried about reliability, go with the Sony E 50mm f/1.8 OSS. It has built-in image stabilization which helps when you are shooting in those dim wedding venues. Honestly, it is a very solid performer for the money. Just keep your shutter speed up and you will be fine. Trust me, it works well and I have been super satisfied with the results.
Oh man, that is super stressful. Honestly, I have been there before. When my kit lens bit the dust right before a family event, I picked up the Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 OSS and honestly, it saved my bacon. In my experience, if you are doing wedding stuff, you really need that extra light gathering power. Here is how I see these two breaking down for your budget:
- Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 is the king of portraits. It gives you that nice blurred background look that makes people look professional, even if you are just snapping candid shots. It is super cheap too, so you might even have money left over.
- Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary is way more versatile. 30mm is basically what your eyes see, so it works for the ceremony, the reception, and even dinner shots without you having to back up into a wall. It is sharper, ngl, but it pushes your budget to the absolute limit. Personally? Get the Sigma if you can swing it. It handles low light better than the Sony 50mm because of the wider f/1.4 aperture. I have used both over the years and the Sigma build feels a lot more solid for run-and-gun shooting. If you are stuck on the 250 dollar limit, the 50mm is fine, but you will definitely miss the wider field of view indoors at a wedding...
Just saw this thread and wow, that is a total nightmare scenario right before a big wedding. I have been shooting Sony since the early NEX days and honestly, gear failing at the worst possible time is basically a rite of passage for us photographers. Over the years I have tried so many prime lenses in that 250 dollar range, and while the sharpness debates online get pretty heated, I have learned that focal length matters way more than raw sharpness when you are in a packed room. Before you drop your cash, think about these things:
- Is your camera body full-frame or aps-c?
- Will you be mostly shooting from a distance or are you gonna be right in the middle of the dance floor? In my experience, trying to use a tight 50mm on an aps-c sensor indoors at a wedding can be incredibly frustrating because you just cant back up far enough to get the whole group in the frame. I once spent an entire reception with a lens that was too long and missed half the candid shots because I was physically boxed in by tables. You definitely want something that lets you breathe a bit. Are you planning on doing any video, or is this strictly for taking photos of the ceremony and reception?