My Canon Wedding Photography Kit: Cameras, Lenses and Lighting

Feb 10

Quick take: My Canon wedding kit was built around reliable bodies, the RF 28–70mm F2 for most of the day, and a few specialist lenses for portraits, ceremonies, and wider scenes. Lighting, a comfortable harness, and a practical bag mattered just as much as another camera specification.

This is a retrospective of the kit in my early-2023 video, covering my experience from fall 2020 through February 2023. It is not a claim that this is my current kit.

Watch my Canon wedding kit walkthrough

The camera bodies I relied on

The original Canon R6 did a huge amount of work for me. Across two bodies, I photographed weddings in Oregon, elsewhere in the United States, Mexico, and Istanbul. I had delivered 83,778 R6 photographs by the time of this video, and my clients had made large prints from its 20-megapixel files with good results.

The delivery counts I shared also included 28,425 photographs from the R3, 26,550 from the R5, and 3,147 from the EOS R. These are delivered photographs, not shutter counts. I had taken many more images than I delivered.

At the time of recording, I had the R5 and an R6 Mark II arriving the next day. That means this video does not contain a long-term R6 II assessment. You can read my later Canon R6 II wedding review and Canon R3 review for those experiences.

The RF 28–70mm F2 was my everyday work lens

The 28–70mm was easily the most-used lens in this kit: I had delivered 70,667 photographs made with it. I valued its sharpness, autofocus, background separation, and ability to cover changing moments without a lens swap.

It is a large lens, and that weight is part of the decision. For me, the flexibility justified carrying it. The main limitation was the wide end: sometimes 28mm was not enough, so I still carried wider options. See my RF 28–70mm F2 wedding review for sample photographs.

Portraits and ceremonies: 50mm and 70–200mm

The RF 50mm F1.2 was my choice when I wanted stronger subject separation, portraits, or a different feel from the standard zoom. I had delivered 25,841 photographs with it. I liked its sharp center detail and sometimes enjoyed its flare, while noticing changes in color and contrast wide open. Read my RF 50mm F1.2 review.

The RF 70–200mm F2.8 gave me ceremony reach and a way to make distant mountains more prominent through my choice of framing and shooting position. I also used it for stitched panoramas. Its compact size was a major benefit compared with the larger telephoto zooms I had carried before. My delivery count was 14,171 photographs. The 70–200mm review and sample gallery shows more of that work.

Why I also carried a 24–70mm

The RF 24–70mm F2.8 served two purposes. I often supplied it to a second photographer so our equipment and files were easier to work with together. It also gave me the extra width I needed in certain locations.

At Smith Rock, for example, there was a ceremony viewpoint where 24mm let me include the canyon more comfortably than 28mm. That small difference could matter more than the overlap between the two zooms. Read my RF 24–70mm review.

Specialist lenses I used less often

The Samyang 14mm was my occasional ultra-wide option. I preferred carrying a smaller dedicated lens for those situations instead of investing in a larger ultra-wide zoom that I would use less often. I had delivered about 2,400 images with it. My Rokinon RF 14mm review covers the lens sold under the related branding.

The Samyang 85mm F1.4 had produced 6,315 delivered photographs. I used it for portraits and stitched panoramas, while noticing warmer rendering and some sharpness tradeoffs compared with the Canon option I had tried. I used it less once the GFX 100S and GF 80mm became part of my work. See the Samyang 85mm review.

I also owned the RF 35mm F1.8, but it saw very little use. Across the RF lenses, I rarely used the customizable control ring because its position changed from lens to lens.

Reception flash and portable lighting

My Flashpoint/Godox flash handled the reception work I needed. I generally worked around ISO 1000 with low flash power. In the video I describe it keeping up with an R3 burst at very low power; that experience should not be read as a promise of the same performance at higher output.

I also used small RGB lights to add color and atmosphere around a reception, aimed toward walls or the dance floor. For portraits and slower scenes, my Godox ML60bi with an AD-S60S softbox provided portable continuous light with adjustable brightness and color temperature.

Harness, bag, and memory cards

The Clever Supply Co harness with Peak Design anchors felt quieter and lighter than my previous straps. I added a chest strap to help keep it positioned comfortably.

My Tenba bag had useful side pockets, and a BYOB insert helped it retain its shape. Batteries went in the front, with spare wedding timelines and cards kept accessible. I generally tried to work with one camera as much as possible, while keeping the second body available.

I was using Sony Tough SD cards and Angelbird CFexpress Type B cards at the time. For the later transfer-speed comparisons, see my SD and CFexpress card tests.

Original gear links

The Adorama links below are affiliate links from the original video description. I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. This historical kit list does not assume current prices or availability.