Just picked up a Sony a6400 for my sisters wedding next month and im totally lost. I want that blurry background look everyone has but dont know which lens to grab. Budget is around 500 bucks max. Is the 50mm f1.8 the one everyone talks about or should I save up more?
Stumbled upon this thread and honestly, be careful jumping into wedding shots without a backup plan. I remember my first time shooting a wedding with an a6400, I brought the Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 instead of the usual 50mm. You might want to consider how the 1.5x crop factor affects your field of view because 85mm gets pretty tight indoors. It produces incredible subject separation, but if the venue is cramped, you will be stuck in a corner struggling to get the frame right. Just make sure you practice your manual focus technique because even with great eye-AF, the depth of field at f/1.8 is razor thin. Don't stress too much about the budget, just ensure you have a decent memory card too, like a SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB SDXC UHS-I to handle the burst rates.
If you want that dreamy background blur without breaking the bank, look at these two:
- Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary is absolutely stunning. Its sharpness is insane and the focus is fast.
- Viltrox 56mm f/1.4 AF is a fantastic budget pick. It handles low light amazing and honestly, you cant beat the value here. Both are super reliable for weddings! Just pick one and have fun.
Honestly, you should just grab the Sony E 50mm f/1.8 OSS and call it a day. I have used this piece of glass for years on my old 6000 series bodies and it never lets me down. In my experience, that focal length is just perfect for portraits on a crop sensor, giving you that compression that makes faces look natural. At f/1.8, you get plenty of subject separation, though you have to nail your focus. I shot my cousins engagement session with it and the sharpness is way better than the price tag suggests. If you want that creamy bokeh look without breaking the bank, this is the best value choice. Its got optical stabilization too, which helps keep things steady when you are shooting handheld at the wedding. Save the rest of your cash for a decent flash.