I don’t have a whole lot of lenses to choose from…
- 17-70mm f/2.8-4 (wide-angle zoom)
- 70-200mm f/2.8 (telephoto)
- 50mm f/1.7 (prime)
- 90mm f/2.8 (macro prime)
My go-to lens for events is the Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4. (That link goes to an updated version, mine is older). The 17-70 is basically an upgraded 18-55 kit lens that is both wider and longer, and it’s also faster at the wide and long end. The main reason I like it is because of its versatility. A 50mm (75mm FF equivalent) is much too limited of a focal length for an all-around event lens.
For portraits however, the 50mm is definitely my first choice. I love using wide apertures to blur out the background! I really should try out my 70-200 for headshots, I think it would be awesome; I’ve just never actually tried it yet. 🙂