is this a good lens for a very first try at wedding photography? I have a Nikon D5000, if that help's you.
360247
For a first try at a wedding? Possibly. I, myself, would prefer to use a large aperture zoom (like a 17-55mm f2.8 or 24-70mm f2.8) for the ceremony and many other activities of the wedding and reception. This is due to not having to move as much compared to a fixed lens like the 50mm. For portraits and the like the 50mm f1.4 is absolutely brilliant.
360248
Jade this is a wonderful lens. Perfect for close ups and portrait shots. It's a tack sharp lens. Just remember when shooting up close at 1.4 have their face(s) parallel to you or you may get some slight blurring. If you have them tilted focus on the eye closest to you. My friend is a professional wedding photographer and loves this lens. I shoot with the Sigma 85mm 1.4 and love it. Good luck with your wedding.
360249
If you are talking about the formal shots of the couple and parents, etc. then yes. I hope you also have a decent normal zoom lens for the walk around and reception as well. But the Sigma will yield clean, accurate, sharp images for both full frame and APS-C. Your D5000 has a crop sensor so the Sigma will perform as a long focal length portrait style lens. If the light is good (garden settings and the like) you'll be able to take advantage of the aperture range you have available to capture desired in-focus (depth of field) elements of your photographs. Slower lenses wouldn't offer that flexible range like a f/1.4 lens can. Watch your DOF and be sure of your shutter speed since you don't have IS (if light levels are low). I'd say "Go for it!".
360250
you can get some exceptional candid close up shots with this lens the blur out the back well! I say try it. Not for the whole wedding though, you might want another lens.
626722
It's a very good low light lens, however if you use a F/2.8 aperture be very careful with your depth of field. Depth of field is very shallow with that large aperture. Stop it down to f/4 or more if possible.
408569
85mm 1.4 would be an amazing lens. It IS a great lens for portraits. It would be a great addition to any camera. One caveat to keep in mind. It is FX format lens so if you use it on a DX sensor like the D5000 or D7000, D7100 etc, then it no longer is 85mm it is around 127.5mm. Just so you know. If you are upgrading to a D600 or any other full frame then you are good. Hope this helps.
1794982
With my 6D, I was shooting other people's weddings at "wedding central", or one of them, in Sydney. I was quite a distance away, maybe 50m, and the lens worked very well, but even in the day, I try to keep the shutter speed up to >1/500. I bought a monopod for this lens but I don't yet know how useful it is; haven't shot enough comparisons. But for weddings in the open, at a fast shutter speed, a very fine lens indeed.
2124402
I went to this website, Borrow Lenses <http://www.borrowlenses.com> to rent this lens to use with my D5000 for a week to see how it will work with the D5000. I had rented other items from them to try before I buy. This lens is working great with my D5000.
1938142
Very! But the shots taken by it are worth the effort. As the other commenters said, you should slow down and set it up properly...... this is not your regular point and shoot to go type of lens. And it's extremely bulbous and heavy with a lot of knobs...... good luck!
1125761
It's an amazing wedding lens but not necessarily the best since that can depend on many factors. If you're looking for a long focal length like this then it's hard to beat the price and weight. But if you're willing to lug around some more heft the 70-200 2.8 with IS is a great wedding lens and versatile. I used my 135 exclusively at a wedding a few weekends ago and the photos came out tremendously but the long focal length meant I did miss some shots
1119150
I have this lens mounted on my D5100 and it works fine. I'm an amateur photographer (for what it's worth) but this lens is the sharpest I've used! Nice lens!
1908365
Yes it works great on a D5000 (I use it on both a D5000 and a D7100 - neither are full frame) - you just have to be a little further away from your subjects than you would with a full frame! HIGHLY recommend this lens.
2004641
hi. Do you plan to shoot more weddings or landscapes...? i think it could be the answer of your question. I think about buying this lens too. i am a wedding photographer, and wedding conditions are always dark light situations. So i need the 2.8 aperture. If you are more a nature photographer, so the 2.8 is not so needed. During wedding the IS can't help too much, because the people that you take are dancing, the low speed will be impossible to use, even with IS on.I hope it will hlep you.
824631
The 28-70 is really a great lens and its f/2.8 does well in low light found at weddings. It works well on the D7100 and will be great if you ever choose to move to a full frame camera. It is one of the heaviest lens made by Nikon.
858187
For the money it's a decent lens. For a little more money you can get a Tamron 17-50 2.8, which I think is a much better lens. Also look at the nikon 35mm 1.8 dx lens.
1908366
Should be no problem on the D5000. I'm using it on the D7100. Just remember the enlargement factor of 1.4 (1.5?) turns it into a 119mm lens.
1849073
A fantastic prime lens. Super crisp even in the corners. Depends upon how big of a group and what the perspective is. I would typically use a longer lens for most wedding group shots. Something like 35mm prime or the 16-35mm L2.8. I think the 14mm is a killer lens, but probably not the lens that i would use for group shots usually.
1784427
The 24-70 is great for family portraits on the wider end. For individual portraits, and this may sound counter-intuitive, a 70-200 is better for the bokeh and getting in tight on your subject, but that's if you're shooting full frame. If you're using it on a DX body like the D5000, I think the range is ideal. As for the lens, it is an incredibly high image quality optic that can potentially stay with you forever as you upgrade from camera to camera. Good lenses are an investment. Mediocre lenses get replaced as your skills improve, pretty much like dslr bodies. I bought this to replace a Nikon 28-105, which I've happily retired. So, in short, buy this great lens if you plan to stay with Nikon bodies.
1649131
You will probably find that this lens is too long for good use at weddings. You should probably look for a lens in the 18-135mm or 55-200mm range. You may also want to look for prime lenses rather than zoom lenses as wedding receptions can be quite dark and you may want the lower f-stop of a prime lens.
185426
i have the d3100 and i love it. since you're a beginner on a budget save the $ and get the cheaper d3100, and stay with the kit lens it comes with. the d3100 can take wonderful photos, and handles very well. the kit lens is a good lens, great for beginners. once you're more advanced with your skills, and you've learned some of the manual modes on the camera, then i'd recommend either the nikon 50mm 1.8g or 35mm 1.8g. one thing you might want to consider adding when you get the camera, is a telephoto lens for reach/zoom. the nikon 55-200mm af-s or 55-300mm af-s are great lenses and will give you more reach, so you can be farther away and get in close to your subjects. just something to think about. oh, another reason i like the d3100 over the d5100 for beginners, it's got a guide mode to teach you how to use the camera. very useful! good luck, let us know what you end up getting.