24/03/2026 1:00 am
Topic starter
Notifications
Clear all
Sony Forum
6
Posts
7
Users
0
Reactions
164
Views
0
so i have this wedding shoot coming up in like two weeks for a close friend here in london and im freaking out because i still havent pulled the trigger on a proper portrait lens for my a7iv. i keep going back and forth between the sony 85mm f1.8 and the 50mm f1.4. well the gm is kinda pushing my $1000 budget if i buy new so maybe the sigma version?
i read online that the 85mm is basically the king for portraits because of the compression and how it makes faces look but then i saw some people on reddit saying that in smaller venues you basically end up pinned against the wall and cant fit anyone in the frame. so i was thinking maybe the 50mm is safer? my logic was that i could just crop in if i need to but i dont want to lose that creamy background look that everyone wants for wedding photos.
i keep looking at sample shots and honestly they both look good so im stuck. is the 85mm really that much better for the wow factor or am i gonna be miserable trying to use it in a tight church? i need to order this by tonight so it gets here in time to practice a bit...
6 Answers
12
24/03/2026 1:45 am
Regarding what #1 said about "tbh if this is your first big wedding..." - i totally get that anxiety. i actually had a pretty bad experience with the Sony FE 85mm f1.8 a while back. i was so stoked for the compression but the purple fringing on the brides white dress was just... yikes. unfortunately it felt like i spent more time fixing that in lightroom than actually enjoying the shoot. if you want that wow factor without the GM price tag, i ended up grabbing the Samyang AF 85mm f1.4 FE II and it honestly makes the cheaper sony glass look a bit mediocre. the background blur is much creamier for those london street shots. that said, i once tried to use it in a tiny chapel and i was basically hugging the back wall just to get a waist-up shot. it was kind of a nightmare. if you can find a used Sigma 85mm f1.4 DG DN Art that is the real winner and you wont regret the extra weight.
11
24/03/2026 1:00 am
tbh if this is your first big wedding gig i would definitely be careful with that 85mm. it is amazing for portraits but like you said... if the venue is cramped you are basically stuck. i tried using an Sony FE 85mm f1.8 at a small ceremony once and i barely got any full body shots because i couldnt back up far enough. kinda scary when the pressure is on. i would suggest going with a 50mm to be safe. the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG DN Art for Sony E is way more versatile and fits your budget better than the Sony FE 50mm f1.4 GM. you still get that super creamy bokeh but you wont be panicking about space in a tight church. i think the 50mm is just the safer play for a solo shooter... less chance of missing a key moment because you were pinned against a wall.
3
24/03/2026 1:35 am
Same setup here, love it
3
20/04/2026 3:25 am
just saw this and man i feel that panic... been there before. a few years ago i did a similar thing where i banked everything on a long prime for a wedding. big mistake. ended up pinned in a corner during the ceremony and couldnt even get the bride and groom in the same frame without cutting off their legs. it was super stressful. you really might want to consider if you can actually move freely or if you are stuck in one spot. i learned the hard way that missing the moment is way worse than having slightly less bokeh. are you gonna be the only photographer there or do you have a second shooter covering the wider angles? also are you planning on using this for the group shots too or just the portraits?
2
24/03/2026 1:45 am
Honestly, I have been super happy with the Sony Zeiss Sonnar T* FE 55mm f1.8 ZA for wedding work. It is a total classic and works well in those tight London spaces.
- Buy it used to save serious cash
- Use the Sony a7IV crop mode for 82mm reach No complaints from me, it is just way more practical than an 85mm lens... especially in a crowd.
1
24/03/2026 1:25 am
Since you are shooting in London, you really have to be careful about those cramped indoor spaces! I have seen so many photographers get trapped with an 85mm in a tiny registry office or a narrow church aisle. It is a total disaster when you realize you literally cannot back up any further and you are cutting off the couple's shoulders during the vows! My biggest piece of advice is to prioritize your ability to actually frame the shot over the background blur. The 50mm is such a fantastic workhorse for weddings because it gives you that natural feel that makes the viewer feel like they were there. Technical compression on an 85mm is amazing for solo portraits, but for a wedding, you need to capture the environment too! One thing to watch out for on your a7iv is the depth of field when shooting wide open. If you are at f/1.4 or f/1.8, the plane of focus is so thin that if the couple is standing at a slight angle to you, one person's eyes will be sharp and the other's will be a blurry mess! It is a super common mistake. Definitely make sure whatever you choose has lightning-fast motors. Wedding ceremonies move fast and light is usually terrible, so you need that autofocus to be absolutely rock solid! If you really think it will be tight, maybe even consider a 35mm focal length to be safe. Good luck with the shoot, it is gonna be amazing!
