Nikon lens suggestion please
Nikon lens suggestion please! - 1
Added (1). I'm looking for a Nikon lens for weddings but I'm tired of not having enough light, and having to switch to my 50mm f/1.4 when it gets darker. Is there a lens that's over 105mm (zoom or prime) that you know of that has a low f stop (under 2.0) thank you.
They make a 105mm f/1.4E (one of the fastest in the world at that focal length), but the price will blow your mind - it was over $2500 when it was released last July.
They do make an 105mm f/2 for $1600.
It doesn't make sense to have to depend on such exotic lenses for weddings - why aren't you turning up your ISO, using a tripod, shooting will fill flash? Fast lenses have their place, but…
Nikkor 85mm f/1.8
Nikkor 105mm f/1.4
Sigma 50-100 f/1.8 (DX format)
Many of my colleagues who shoot weddings, use the Nikkor AF-S 70-200 mm f/2.8 lens. They also use cameras like the Nikon D500 or D810 which perform well in low light when shooting candid shots.
However, many of the photos you will be taking will require a dedicated flash like a Nikon SB 900 or SB 5000 and under those conditions, you do not need an especially fast lens
For me the 17mm to 55mm at constant f2.8 worked well as a wedding lens. I very seldom needed anything longer than 55mm. I'm surprised that you run out of light at weddings, with today's cameras capable of excellent photos at ISO 800 or above.
Do wedding parties these days have times when they have very dark "disco" lighting or similar?
You failed to mention what format you're using: DX or FX? I'll assume DX.
So far all good suggestions, providing you don't mind using primes which means changing lenses and possibly loosing shots. What you need are fast zooms. The Sigma 18-35 and their 50-150 both have a maximum aperture of f/1.8. These are your holy grail of lenses for DX bodies (these are only DX): https://www.bhphotovideo.com/...100mm.html
At about $1,000 each, they ain't cheap, but they are freakin sharp. Personally, I don't think anyone would choose any of the more expensive primes over these two zooms. Not when you consider their optical quality, their large f/1.8 aperture, and the fact that it's going to be a lighter kit meaning that you won't be worn out 3/4 through a wedding. Being exhausted is going to kill your creative and technical abilities.
go to photozone.de to compare image qualty
G4
Doing weddings is all about getting the shot(s) that bring back memories years later. But, really, we were in a situation where we had to rely on higher ISO, often "pushed" to higher levels since flashes were not always allowed in some churches, even while using "fast" lenses (50mm f/1.7). Those were many years ago.
Today, you crank up the ISO for some shots and bring it back to lower ISO settings, and have the option of working on the noise in post production; we didn't have that luxury back then. The answer AIN'T always about getting a new, more expensive, faster lens… Sometimes you have to do the actual work to get around difficult lighting situations with what you have.
It's a matter of visiting the religious site for the wedding and securing permission to use a flash and checking out the site where you'll be shooting and do a few trial shots and taking note of the ISO, and shutter speed settings. Otherwise, if a flash is not permitted, you'll have to crank up the ISO and you'll know beforehand if you visit the site and take a few practice shots. But getting one of those $1,000+ lenses seems like an unreasonable solution when you can use other lenses and let your legs do the "zooming" in/out as we did in earlier decades.
Whatever you decide, best wishes.