EF vs EF-S interchangeability

[privateaddressf]

I know this has been discussed before, but I have a fairly specific case and I'm still not sure how the discussions apply.  My wife has agreed to photograph a relative's wedding.  She has done some semi-pro photography before but her Sony alpha DSLR has been acting up and she is buying an m50 as a backup.  She needs to buy lenses quickly.  

If she buys an EF 50mm and an ef-s 50mm and takes a picture from the m50 (aps-c) with each lens, in the same place, will the two pictures produced by the camera subtend the same visual angle or will one of them portray a larger apparent visual angle?

We don't have time to experiment with lots of things and do three or four rounds of shipping to get the fovs she needs covered. It would also be nice not to waste money on redundant lenses if EF and EF-S focal ranges behave differently when used on her camera.

[MikeSowsun · Accepted solution]

No, You still have it wrong…..

An EF 50mm and an EF-S/EF-M 85mm will NOT produce similar field of view. Not even close.
Neither will an EF 85mm and an EF-S/EF-M 50mm.  If she buys an EF 50mm and an ef-s 50mm, they will both look the same when used on the same camera.

[johnrmoyer · Accepted solution]

https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/digital-camera-sensor-size.htm

This article aims to address the question: how does your digital camera's sensor size influence different types of photography? Your choice of sensor size is analogous to choosing between 35 mm, medium format and large format film cameras — with a few notable differences unique to digital technology. Much confusion often arises on this topic because there are both so many different size options, and so many trade-offs relating to depth of field, image noise, diffraction, cost and size/weight.

Background reading on this topic can be found in the tutorial on digital camera sensors.

[ebiggs1]

Beyond the FOV issue, I will suggest she not buy or use a 50mm lens on a cropper for a wedding. I have done more weddings than I can count and the times I used a 50mil could be counted on the fingers of one hand. Its just not a very useful FL. 

I don't believe you mentioned what camera she has or what lenses she has. If she has one of the Rebels with the standard, 18-55mm, kit lens she has what she needs. My main most second lens is the 70-200mm as sometime you just can't get up close to the action. Some of the churches limited me to the very back of the church.  Even beyond that grabbing a shot of the actual ceremony with out being right up in front and personal has its blessings. My goto combo is the ef 24-70mm f2.8L and ef 70-200mm f2.8L. Used more than 90% of the time. A similar combo for a cropper like a Rebel is the mentioned 18-55mm and the ef-s 55-250mm.

Not shot with a 50mm nor was the one below.

The big take away from all this is look through the camera's view finder as no matter what camera you have that is what you will get. If you are unfamiliar with the wedding venue make a visit and check it out. Take a willing stand-in subject with you.

Canon 1DX with ef 24-70mm lens. ISO 200, SS 1/250, f8.

[privateaddressf]

My wife had been shooting with an old Sony alpha 500 but hasn't done much for a while. I managed to convince her not to dabble in the professional world for now because she can't keep from getting the images perfect in Photoshop after the shoot which means her pay per hour wouldn't really be worth her time.

The new camera will be an m50 II.

She's done enough volunteer portraits, weddings as a backup photographer, family shoots, livestock, landscape etc. that she knows what she wants.  At least she knows what she uses on the Sony for different shots, its just a matter of figuring out what lenses will provide the same effects on the Canon.  She was under the impression that lenses made for smaller sensors compensated for the sensor size so the length needed to be adjusted when buying older full frame lenses, but after all the great help here I was able to draw the optics diagrams to help her understand how it works (which of course contradicts all the info she got from online people who don't understand this stuff like you guys do.)

[ebiggs1]

My personal recommendation for her would be the Rebel T8i with the standard kit 17-55mm lens and add the 55-250mm lens. I am not and have never been a fan of the, or any, M series cameras. The sheer amount of Canon lenses and other accessories dwarfs what is available for the M series.

[krahe]

I can't say anything about accessories, but as far as lenses go there are actually far more available for an M series camera if you include those that can be used with an adapter than there are for a T8i.

[ebiggs1]

Key word there "adapter". I don't like, I don't use adapters. You may like them and that's fine but it's not for me and I will never recommend or advise others to do it. An adapter, any adapter, is designed to make something that wasn't designed to work in one application to work in a different application. Thanx but no thanx.

That's why I qualified it stating, "My personal recommendation ..."

[krahe]

That's your prerogative, but I can't deny my own experience. For instance, I have the EF 50mm f/1.8 on a Viltrox adapter. I can't imagine that lens working any differently on a DSLR than it does on my M50, except that on the M50 I get dual pixel AF whether I'm using the viewfinder or the live view screen.

[normadel]

Photographing a relative's wedding (and for free) is an endeavor fraught with peril if one is not an experienced pro.

If the wedding party is expecting pro results they should hire a pro. You are risking family strife if your product is "less" than what is expected and desired.

[Tronhard]

I SO agree with that.   I have reluctantly done a couple of wedding, gratis, for friends or friends of friends and they are a minefield of challenges - sometimes the least of which are to do with photography.  

[privateaddressf]

I'm skirting the line of propriety, but let's just leave it at "the family is grateful to have someone with a real camera who is willing to try to capture the event".

Shooting a wedding for free does carry risks, but so does leaving close relatives out to dry with no other real options.  If we can help we're going to.

[Tronhard]

I understand your challenges there and laud your commitment. As long as they know it's on a 'best effort' basis then that will hopefully help.

Have you shot weddings before?  Some hints that I have learned along the way:

Get the bridal party to tell folks you are shooting the wedding and ask them to let you get your shots.  I cannot say how many images I have seen lost as the photographer tries to get the critical shots of the bride coming down the isle, and the pair leaving down the isle as people step out to take photos with their cell phones, thus totally blocking the view.  If it is done diplomatically, most people are understanding.

Avoid direct glaring sunlight.  I did a friend of a friend's wedding and it took place in mid-summer, midday under a cloudless sky.  A newbie photographer put the party in the sun, resulting in squinting and sun glasses being worn. I found a shaded area under some lovely trees and they visibly relaxed.  I had no issues with glare or too wide a dynamic range.  Those were the images they kept.