Wedding photography is a beautiful art form that captures one of the most important days of a couple’s life. It’s an honor to be chosen to photograph someone’s wedding, but it can also be an intimidating task. Capturing all the special moments and emotions of the day requires not just talent and skill, but also the right equipment.

When it comes to wedding photography, the lens you choose is just as important as the camera you use. The lens you use will affect the sharpness, color, and overall quality of your images. Therefore, choosing the best Canon RF lenses for wedding photography is crucial.

With the abundance of options available, selecting the right lens can be a daunting task. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the best Canon RF lenses for wedding photography to help you capture every moment of the big day.

In this article, we will take a closer look at the best Canon RF lenses for wedding photography. We will explore the features and benefits of each lens, including their focal length, aperture, image stabilization, autofocus performance, and build quality. Whether you’re a professional photographer or a friend who has been asked to photograph a wedding, we’ll help you understand the unique features and benefits of each lens.

So, whether you’re photographing an intimate elopement, a quirky alternative wedding, or a grand traditional wedding reception, we’ll help you find the right Canon RF lens to capture every moment and deliver results time and time again. Let’s dive into the best Canon RF lenses for wedding photography.

Best Canon RF Lenses for Wedding Photography

This article highlights the best Canon RF lenses for wedding photography, including top-rated prime and zoom lenses to meet varying preferences and requirements. Our selection includes:

1. Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens: Best wide-angle lens for immersive portraits
2. Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L USM Lens: Best lens for capturing details
3. Canon RF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens: Best lens for isolating the subject
4. Canon RF 28-70mm f/2 L USM Lens: Best zoom lens for wedding photography
5. Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens: Best versatile lens for wedding photography
6. Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens: Best long lens for outdoor portraits

For a detailed analysis of each lens, we offer comprehensive reviews below. These reviews will aid in comprehending the distinct features and advantages of each lens, enabling you to make an informed decision based on your particular needs and preferences.

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1. Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens

Best wide-angle lens for immersive portraits

Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens Specifications:

• Mount: Canon RF
• Lens Format Coverage: Full-Frame
• Focal Length: 15-35mm
• Image Stabilization: Yes
• Maximum Aperture: f/2.8
• Minimum Aperture: f/22
• Minimum Focus Distance: 11.02″ / 28 cm
• Maximum Magnification: 0.21x
• Optical Design: 16 Elements in 12 Groups
• Filter Thread: 82 mm
• Dimensions: 3.48 x 4.99″ / 88.5 x 126.8 mm
• Weight: 1.85 lb / 840 g
• Store Links at B&H, Adorama.

Pros:

• Strong, robust build quality
• Wide zoom with fixed f/2.8 aperture
• Quiet and quick autofocus
• Effective image stabilization
• Consistent performance across frame and zoom range
• Quality weather resistance
• Ability to use traditional filters

Cons:

• Expensive
• Some vulnerability to flare
• Close up image quality a little soft

The Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens is widely recognized as the best wide-angle lens for immersive portraits and group shots in tight spaces for wedding photography. This lens is perfect for photographers who need to get in close but still want a wide view. Additionally, the lens offers the freedom to include the surroundings as a backdrop, making it ideal for beautiful locations.

The Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens offers a wide-angle zoom range, which is ideal for capturing interiors of churches and other wedding venues. Additionally, the lens features image stabilization for blur-free handheld shots and a bright maximum aperture for beautiful bokeh. The lens is also ruggedly built with a protective fluorine coating, making it durable and easy to clean.

Many professional photographers swear by the Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens for its versatility and high performance. The lens is ideal for both stills and video and offers fast and accurate autofocus. Despite its high price, many customers find the lens worth the investment for its sharp images with good color and contrast. The vignetting and distortion at 15mm may be a drawback for some, but for those who want the best of everything, the Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens is the perfect wide-angle zoom to get.

If you’re after a native RF zoom lens that is wider than a standard 24-70mm, the Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM Lens is a no-brainer for most pros. This lens is perfect for landscape, architectural, and travel photography, as well as close-up sporting action. The ultra-wide zoom allows photographers to exaggerate the perspective between foreground and background areas, though corner sharpness does drop off a bit.

Overall, the Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens is an excellent investment for wedding photographers who want a high-quality and versatile wide-angle lens. With its wide-angle zoom range, image stabilization, and fast autofocus, this lens can capture stunning portraits and landscapes, making it a must-have for any wedding photography kit.

Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens at B&H, Adorama.

Want to know more about the Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8 L IS USM lens, we suggest watching the review by Jared Polin.

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2. Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L USM Lens

Best lens for capturing details

Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L USM Lens Specifications:

• Mount: Canon RF
• Lens Format Coverage: Full-Frame
• Focal Length: 85mm
• Image Stabilization: No
• Maximum Aperture: f/1.2
• Minimum Aperture: f/16
• Minimum Focus Distance: 2.79′ / 85 cm
• Maximum Magnification: 0.12x
• Optical Design: 13 Elements in 9 Groups
• Filter Thread: 82 mm
• Dimensions: 4.06 x 4.62″ / 103.2 x 117.3 mm
• Weight: 2.63 lb / 1195 g
• Store Links at B&H, Adorama.

Pros:

• Outstanding build with advanced weather sealing
• Optically nearly perfect
• Exquisite sharpness at f/1.2 right across the frame
• Excellent resolutionNice bokeh
• Good contrast
• Blue Spectrum Refractive Optics banish fringing
• Otus levels of microcontrast
• Great Eye AF focus results
• Good control of flare and aberrations
• Customizable control ring

Cons:

• Extremely expensive
• Large and heavy
• No image stabilization

The Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L USM Lens is a top-performing lens that is ideal for wedding photography due to its ability to capture details with great sharpness, flattering skin tones, and stunningly beautiful bokeh. The lens is highly versatile, allowing photographers to use it to capture portraits of the bride and groom during the ceremony and in different lighting conditions, thanks to its incredibly wide aperture.

The lens is designed with a high-quality L-series optical design, which delivers a rugged weather-sealed build. This design ensures that the lens can perform consistently in both indoor and outdoor environments, making it ideal for wedding photography. Additionally, the lens has a customisable control ring that allows photographers to adjust key settings in their workflow, as they see fit.

The Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L USM Lens has a fixed 85mm focal length, which is favored by all types of portrait photographers. This longer focal length allows photographers to achieve a more magnified perspective that is known to be flattering on features. The lens is also highly effective in capturing specific details such as the wedding rings without having to get too close physically and risking wearing out your welcome.

The lens’s maximum aperture of f/1.2 paired with the longer focal length produces stunningly shallow depths of fields, which is one of the best features of this lens. The bokeh produced by the lens is smooth and unrivaled by any other 85mm lens on the market. This lens is ideal for capturing portraits, wedding, and fashion photography.

While the lens is expensive and heavy, it is optically perfect and worth the investment for professional photographers. The lens features 13 elements in 9 groups, a 9-blade aperture system, and a minimum focusing distance of 2.79 ft./0.85m, with a maximum magnification of approx. 0.12x, producing sharp, detailed images from various distances with minimal distortion. The lens is sharp from center to edge, with almost no chromatic aberration or color fringing.

In summary, the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L USM Lens is one of the best 85mm lenses on the market, with unparalleled optical perfection and distinctive image character. The lens is ideal for capturing details with great sharpness, flattering skin tones, and stunningly beautiful bokeh, making it perfect for wedding photography. Despite its high cost and weight, the lens is worth the investment for professional photographers who want to capture stunning and memorable wedding photos.

Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L USM Lens at B&H, Adorama.

Want to know more about the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L USM lens for wedding photography, we suggest watching the review by Taylor Jackson.

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3. Canon RF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens

Best lens for isolating the subject

Canon RF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens Specifications:

• Mount: Canon RF
• Lens Format Coverage: Full-Frame
• Focal Length: 50mm
• Image Stabilization: No
• Maximum Aperture: f/1.2
• Minimum Aperture: f/16
• Minimum Focus Distance: 1.31′ / 40 cm
• Maximum Magnification: 0.19x
• Optical Design: 15 Elements in 9 Groups
• Filter Thread: 77 mm
• Dimensions: 3.54 x 4.25″ / 89.8 x 108 mm
• Weight: 2.09 lb / 950 g
• Store Links at B&H, Adorama.

Pros:

• Superior sharpness
• Outstanding build with advanced weather sealing
• Very bright aperture
• Edge-to-edge clarity
• Fabulous optical performance
• Good contrast
• Lovely bokeh
• Minimal distortion
• Fast, dependable autofocus
• Dust and splash protection
• Fluorine lens coat

Cons:

• Very expensive
• Big, heavy and unwieldy
• No image stabilization

The Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM is a fantastic lens for wedding photography, as it offers supreme clarity, sharpness, and low-light performance. This lens is perfect for capturing portraits of a single person or a couple, as it provides a natural perspective, and its ultra-bright aperture is great even in low lighting. Additionally, the tight depth of field allows for the subject to be isolated.

The anon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM lens combines the classic 50mm focal length with an ultra-bright f/1.2 maximum aperture, which is excellent for creating beautiful background bokeh. It includes fast and quiet focus, making it possible to lock onto subjects without causing a ruckus during proceedings. The premium L-series optical design ensures consistent image sharpness.

The lens is highly versatile and delivers excellent results in portraiture, weddings, street shooting, and fine art photography. Its impressive image quality is due to its extremely wide aperture, useful portrait focal length, and L-series professional grade build. It is designed for Canon’s EOS R mirrorless system and has the latest anti-reflective and protective coatings, exotic lens elements, and protection from the outdoors. However, the lens is unapologetically large, heavy, and expensive, which may be a challenge for some photographers.

Ultimately, the Canon RF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens is an excellent choice for professionals who want outstanding image quality and are willing to pay a premium for it. It’s perfect for event, wedding, and portrait photographers who shoot with Canon mirrorless cameras. If you want it all, then the RF 50mm f/1.2L USM is one of the best standard lenses around, a joy to shoot with, and, importantly for Canon, a persuasive reason to consider the EOS R system.

Canon RF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens at B&H, Adorama.

Want to know more about the Canon RF 50mm f/1.2 L USM lens for portrait photography, we suggest watching the review by Taylor Jackson.

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4. Canon RF 28-70mm f/2 L USM Lens

Best zoom lens for wedding photography

Canon RF 28-70mm f/2 L USM Lens Specifications:

• Mount: Canon RF
• Lens Format Coverage: Full-Frame
• Focal Length: 28-70mm
• Image Stabilization: No
• Maximum Aperture: f/2
• Minimum Aperture: f/22
• Minimum Focus Distance: 1.28′ / 39 cm
• Maximum Magnification: 0.18x
• Optical Design: 19 Elements in 13 Groups
• Filter Thread: 95 mm
• Dimensions: 4.09 x 5.5″ / 103.8 x 139.8 mm
• Length at Maximum Extension: 6.34″ / 161 mm
• Weight: 3.15 lb / 1430 g
• Store Links at B&H, Adorama.

Pros:

• Superb image quality
• Fast f/2 aperture
• Robust build with weather-sealing
• Fluorine coating
• Peerless

Cons:

• Big, heavy and expensive
• No image stabilization

The Canon RF 28-70mm f/2 L USM Lens is considered to be one of the best zoom lenses for wedding photography. It offers a versatile range of focal lengths, coupled with a fast f/2 aperture, making it ideal for capturing wedding ceremonies and receptions in various lighting conditions. The lens’s f/2 aperture provides an extra stop of light gathering power, allowing photographers to use faster shutter speeds and capture professional-quality images even in low-light conditions. The broad center quality is as good as the best prime lenses, while the outer image field is also superb, with corners softening a bit at 70mm but remaining on a good level.

The lens has a professional-grade build and exceptional image quality, with top-class materials, assembly quality, and weather sealing, making it a great investment for professional use. The Ultrasonic Motor (USM) ring allows for fast and quiet autofocus performance and seamless manual focus control, making it an ideal choice for professionals, advanced photographers, and anyone who wants to capture phenomenal image quality.

One of the lens’s most striking features is its impressive constant maximum aperture of f/2, making it beneficial for portrait and event photographers working in dimmer lighting conditions. The bokeh quality is exceptional, and the nine rounded aperture blades allow for isolating subjects and adding dramatic effects while shooting videos. However, the lens does not have image stabilization, which means that photographers need to hold the camera steady and choose sufficiently fast shutter speeds to avoid camera shake.

The lens’s size and weight are cumbersome, particularly if you plan to use it constantly. Also, the rather massive focus breathing may not be ideal for shooting videos. Nonetheless, the lens’s convenience and versatility make it a great option for photographers who do not want to carry multiple prime lenses.

In summary, the Canon RF 28-70mm f/2 L USM Lens is a monster of a lens with monster performance. Although it may be expensive and cumbersome, its exceptional image quality, fast and quiet autofocus performance, and seamless manual focus control make it an ideal investment for professionals and advanced photographers who want to capture phenomenal image quality. Its impressive constant maximum aperture of f/2, broad center quality, and exceptional bokeh quality make it a versatile lens that caters to different niches of photography, including portrait, landscape, wedding photography, photojournalism, and shooting videos.

Canon RF 28-70mm f/2 L USM Lens at B&H, Adorama.

Want to know more about the Canon RF 28-70mm f/2 L USM lens for wedding photography, we suggest watching the review by Taylor Jackson.

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5. Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens

Best versatile lens for wedding photography

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens Specifications:

• Mount: Canon RF
• Lens Format Coverage: Full-Frame
• Focal Length: 24-70mm
• Image Stabilization: Yes
• Maximum Aperture: f/2.8
• Minimum Aperture: f/22
• Minimum Focus Distance: 8.27″ / 21 cm
• Maximum Magnification: 0.3x
• Optical Design: 21 Elements in 15 Groups
• Filter Thread: 82 mm
• Dimensions: 3.48 x 4.95″ / 88.5 x 125.7 mm
• Length at Maximum Extension: 6.06″ / 154 mm
• Weight: 1.98 lb / 900 g
• Store Links at B&H, Adorama.

Pros:

• Strong, robust build quality
• Quiet and quick autofocus
• Strong optical performance
• Superb stabilization
• No focus breathing
• Good bokeh
• Good flare resistance
• Quality weather resistance

Cons:

• Expensive
• Large and heavy
• Heavy vignette at 24mm

The Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens is widely considered the best versatile lens for wedding photography. It is a standard zoom lens that can capture a variety of wedding photographs, from wide-scoping shots of the scenery to close-ups of the happy couple, without needing to change lenses. The constant aperture throughout the zoom range allows the same level of depth of field control, and the high-quality image stabilization system brilliantly reduces camera shake.

This lens delivers impressive image quality and overall performance, with its wide aperture, right focal lengths, image stabilization, and pro-grade build. It is a professional-grade lens that provides excellent image quality, image stabilization, and autofocus. This lens is the right choice for a high percentage of photography needs, from landscapes to portraits and from night skies to weddings.

The Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens is designed for Canon’s full-frame mirrorless ecosystem, making it an excellent choice for working professionals, including wedding photographers, photojournalists, and landscape photographers. Its NANO USM technology provides accurate and silent AF operation, combined with reduced focus breathing for seamless focus transitions. The lens features a balanced and comfortable design for ease of operation and amazing performance in various lighting situations.

This lens is a bit heavy and larger in size, but this is not unusual for this class of lens. It has some barrel distortion at 24mm, which is complex, and heavy vignetting at that focal length as well. However, both issues can be corrected. The lens has fantastic image sharpness across the frame, even at f/2.8, making it a pro-grade lens worth owning and using for many years.

In conclusion, the Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens is a must-have for wedding & event photographers, photojournalists, or anyone who needs versatility and unparalleled quality. Despite its high price point, this lens is worth the investment for those who need a reliable and high-quality lens for their full-frame mirrorless camera system.

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens at B&H, Adorama.

Want to know more about the Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens for weddings, we suggest watching the review by Ely Roberts.

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6. Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens

Best long lens for outdoor portraits

Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens Specifications:

• Mount: Canon RF
• Lens Format Coverage: Full-Frame
• Focal Length: 70-200mm
• Image Stabilization: Yes
• Maximum Aperture: f/2.8
• Minimum Aperture: f/32
• Minimum Focus Distance: 2.3′ / 70 cm
• Maximum Magnification: 0.23x
• Optical Design: 17 Elements in 13 Groups
• Filter Thread: 77 mm
• Dimensions: 3.54 x 5.75″ / 89.9 x 146 mm
• Length at Maximum Extension: 8.03″ / 204 mm
• Weight: 2.35 lb / 1070 g
• Store Links at B&H, Adorama.

Pros:

• Extremely fast, quiet, and accurate autofocus
• Highly effective image stabilization
• Improved maximum magnification
• Gorgeous bokeh and color
• Good global contrast and rendering
• Good center sharpness and excellent mid-frame performance
• Good control of aberrations and flare

Cons:

• Extremely expensive
• Not compatible with teleconverters
• Tripod foot not Arca-Swiss compatible
• Not particularly sharp in corners until smaller apertures

The Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens is a go-to telephoto zoom lens for wedding photography, thanks to its zoom range, fast aperture, and up to 8-stops of combined image stabilization. This lens is perfect for capturing candid shots of people as they interact outdoors after the ceremony, as well as for taking portraits of all the wedding guests while they’re seated during the ceremony. The telephoto reach and fast aperture of this lens allow photographers to get close even when they physically need to keep a distance, making it great for candid wedding shots as well as for blurring the background to get rid of distractions.

This lens delivers impressive image quality and overall performance, and is built with pro-grade, weather-sealed materials. Its high-performing image stabilization enables it to be used without a tripod, while the wide aperture facilitates shooting even in low light. The RF mount version of this lens is the lightest and shortest 70-200mm f/2.8 lens ever offered, making it a great addition to any wedding photography kit. It features a silent autofocus motor, enabling photographers to capture the most important wedding day moments without worrying about drawing attention to themselves or creating a noisy distraction.

The Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens is also suitable for professional and amateur photographers shooting sports, wildlife, and event action, due to its large and bright f/2.8 aperture and the 70-200mm focal zoom ranges. It features two Nano USM motors providing an even greater level of high-speed autofocus for still image shooting and quiet and smooth autofocus for video shooting. The lens incorporates a floating focus control, driving the two lens groups individually while using the two aforementioned Nano USM motors, shortening focusing distance and reducing breathing, providing fast, consistent, and reliable performance.

In conclusion, if you have a Canon mirrorless camera and plan to stick with the system for some time, the Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 is a worthy investment, offering versatility, image quality, and performance in a lightweight and compact package. It is an essential lens for wedding photographers who need to capture candid shots and portraits from a distance, while also providing the flexibility to shoot a range of other subjects.

Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens at B&H, Adorama.

Want to know more about the Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens for wedding photography, we suggest watching the review by Ely Roberts.

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Key Features to Consider when Buying the Best Canon Lenses for Weddings

When searching for the best lens for wedding photography, it’s crucial to consider the following key features:

Focal length
Depending on the scene being captured, you will need different focal lengths. For portraits, a 50 or 55mm lens is ideal, while a telephoto lens is perfect for capturing the reception. For scene-setting shots, opt for a wider-angle lens. To achieve the best results, invest in multiple lenses with varying focal lengths.

Aperture
Aperture is another essential aspect to consider. A wider aperture, indicated by a lower f-stop number, provides more potential for bokeh and blurred backgrounds. An aperture of f/2.8-f/1.2 is recommended, as it allows for directing the viewer’s eye and eliminates distracting backgrounds.

Recommended f-stop for weddings
For weddings, it’s best to use wide apertures ranging from f/2 to f/4 to ensure the most important subjects stand out, such as the couple or family VIPs. This range also enables you to blur out the background, creating a stunning bokeh effect. Sticking around f/4 for most of the day will maintain the bokeh while keeping the subjects in focus. Use f/2 in low-light scenarios or for achieving the ultimate blur or bokeh.

Prime vs Zoom
Prime lenses, such as the Canon RF 50mm, are perfect for capturing portraits, couple shots, and late-night dancing, as they often have wider apertures and provide outstanding results. Zoom lenses are ideal for capturing candid moments and important elements like speeches or vows, as they allow you to blend in with the crowd and let the day unfold naturally.

Image stabilization
If you plan to shoot handheld at any point during the wedding, it’s essential to consider the image-stabilization features of the lens you choose. Built-in stabilization will help ensure sharp and clear photos, even if your hands shake naturally. When looking for the best lens for wedding photography, image stabilization is a must-have feature.

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FAQs

Is it possible to capture a wedding using just one lens?

Yes, technically you can use a single lens, such as a wide-range zoom lens. However, the ideal lens for wedding photography is usually not the one with the broadest zoom range, as these lenses often produce lower-quality images. For the best results, consider investing in a versatile zoom lens like the Canon RF 70-200mm, paired with a prime lens like the Canon RF 50mm for preparation shots. Having at least two reliable lenses will not only meet the client’s expectations but also impress potential future clients.

Does the Choice of Lens Truly Make a Difference?

Wedding photographers often rely on a variety of lenses to capture all the unique moments of their clients’ special day. But how crucial is the choice of lens?

When starting out in wedding photography, and budget is a concern, a few versatile lenses and a bit of creativity can suffice for getting all the necessary shots. However, as you expand your business, investing in specialized lenses and fast glass can be beneficial.

Wide maximum apertures are particularly important, particularly for long focal lengths such as 200mm, 300mm, or more. When photographing indoor weddings, like those held in ballrooms or cathedrals, there may not be enough light to shoot at faster shutter speeds. Rather than relying on increased ISO settings that may result in grain, a fast lens can help you capture sharp and clear shots.

When putting together your wedding kit, it’s critical to have a large focal length range at your disposal. This will enable you to capture moments like the first kiss and photograph large wedding parties that necessitate the use of a wide-angle lens.

Which lens is best for wedding photography?

The ideal lens for wedding photography is subjective, and it is determined by your style, the type of wedding you are photographing, and the moments you wish to capture. Whether you choose a standard zoom, telephoto lens, or wide-angle lens, it’s crucial to have a range of lenses to guarantee that every moment of the day is captured in the best possible way.

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Read more:

• Best Canon Cameras for Video
• Best Canon RF Lenses for Video
• Best Canon RF Lenses for Portraits
• Best Cameras for Wedding Photography