Photography For Real Estate

24 Responses to “Lenses”

• Photography For Real Estate » What is The Best Lens For Real Estate Photography? May 6th, 2008 at 9:43 pm #

  […] Lenses […]

• Zac May 6th, 2008 at 10:18 pm #

  I am surprised you do not have the sigma 12-24 lens on the list. It is a great lens, very little barrel distortion, very rugged, sharp and as a bonus can be used on film cameras as well. I know Ken Rockwell does not like it, but I have used it for the last three years, first on a nikon D100 and lately on a Fuji S5, probably over 100,000 images put through it and not a problem with it. I also think other lenses should be put on the list, there are times when wide is too wide and a 28-120 range is of use. Sometimes even a telephoto shot - across a valley for example - or to focus on a view detail is needed.

• James Northen May 7th, 2008 at 3:56 am #

  I also like the 12-24 for RE …… have carried in the bag for at least 4 years now. Actually used it full frame the other day and it made some nice shots.

  M. James

• j wilson May 7th, 2008 at 5:01 am #

  Another vote for the Sigma 12-24. Low distortion. Good for DX & FX.

  I believe that the 17-55 is for DX .

• marcus newey May 7th, 2008 at 5:13 am #

  As already pointed out, the 17-55 is a dx lens.
  Also there’s the new 24mm PC-E shift lensfor the Nikon fx

• Real Estate Photography « Salazar Photography May 7th, 2008 at 6:30 am #

  […] May 7, 2008 by salsalazar http://photographyforrealestate.net/lenses/   (Link) […]

• larry May 7th, 2008 at 6:36 am #

  @MJ, @Zac, @marcus, @JW - Thanks for your input. I knew that you all would help me refine this list. I thought Nikon had a new tilt-shift but I was having trouble finding it and it was late last night.

• Andre May 7th, 2008 at 10:19 am #

  I noticed the Tokina 12-24mm f/4 is not on the list. It is what I use for my Real Estate photography - on my Canon 20D.

• larry May 7th, 2008 at 11:06 am #

  @all - I just posted a new version of the lens list that I believe incorporates all your input to date.

  I added the Tokina 12-24, added the new Nikon 24 PC-E, removed the Nikon 17-55 from the Full frame section, added the Sigma 12-24. I’ve also added links in the center to a couple of lens info/rating sites. I may end-up changing all the info/rating links to slrgear.com since it appears to have better coverage of all lenses.

  Thanks for all the feedback.

• Drew King May 7th, 2008 at 12:40 pm #

  The Olympus 7-14 f/4.0 4/3 (14mm-28mm) ($1,500 @ B&H) system is supposed to be a pretty good lens as well as the Pentax 12-24 f/4 (18mm - 36mm) ($719@ B&H) I mention them mainly from spending the day at B&H playing with about 50 cameras. I know the E series Olympus rigs are good cameras as I have used one for a few days while on a trip and know a RE Photog in NJ that swears by his doing tours and stills.
  Just my 2 cents

• Real Estate Lenses | Ben's Photography Thoughts May 7th, 2008 at 2:21 pm #

  […] Photographyforrealestate.net has created a table of lenses to use for, well Real Estate Photograph of course. Check it out here. […]

• cheyne May 7th, 2008 at 6:31 pm #

  how about lenses for other camera brands?

• larry May 7th, 2008 at 7:14 pm #

  @cheyne - Lenses for other camera bodies is on my todo list. I’ll probably do Olympus and Pentax… any other favorites out there?

• Marc Lacoste May 8th, 2008 at 6:53 am #

  There is also the Tokina AF 11-16mm f/2.8 for cropped sensors, which seems a very good contender for cropped sensors (and the only fast):
  http://www.photozone.de/Reviews/Canon%20EOS%20Lens%20Tests/379-tokina_1116_28_canon
  http://www.kenrockwell.com/tokina/11-16mm.htm

  Every lens default can be corrected:
  * sharpness and contrast are very good with every modern lens at f/5.6-f/8, and can be punched in post, and we don’t need many pixels anyway
  * vignetting can be lowered by stopping down, too, and reduced in post
  * distortion doesn’t go by stopping down, but can be corrected in post, even complex ones (DxO, Pt Lens…)
  * chromatic abberations is corrected in post and even in recent cameras
  * even the angle of view could be extended by stiching frames

  You can’t really blame the lens for an insufficient result, so the criterion to classify the lenses for me is convenience, or the ability to produce the fastest good results.

  For myself, I would say the most useful quality is the widest FOV. You can always crop afterwards, and stiching is the most time consuming after treatement. Then distortion, then vignetting, then LCA, then contrast, then sharpness. (Uh , I forgot an important point: the cost limits your ability to shoot, so it is a form of convenience)

  To get the best lens for you, you have to rank your priorities.

• Jason May 9th, 2008 at 6:16 pm #

  Add Sony/Minolta.. I know many Canikon fanboys dont think Sony is a real camera but there are alot of us legacy Minolta/KM shooters out there who didnt want to unload our glass when Sony bought out konica minolta. Still alot of KM 7D shooters too, just look at what they still go for on ebay…

• Marc Lacoste May 11th, 2008 at 12:34 am #

  the Tokina 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 is a fisheye! not really useful for straight lines work.

• Theo May 12th, 2008 at 1:36 pm #

  I started using the Tokina 12-24mm f/4 with Nikon D80 not too long ago, and I’m very happy with it.

• Correct Exposure June 1st, 2008 at 7:57 pm #

  Canon 15 fisheye on full frame body. I de-fish it to 12mm with DxO Optics Pro.

• Photography For Real Estate » 4 Basic Principles For Choosing a Real Estate Lens June 26th, 2008 at 1:35 pm #

  […] Lenses […]

• Jerry Kelley June 26th, 2008 at 3:04 pm #

  Ive got the Sigma 12-24 for my Canon 5D and the Sigma 10-20 for my Sony a300, both are super lenses. My 5D is going to the repair shop, the shutter release developed a problem. When I press the release, it auto focuses and fires the shutter at the same time so images are usually out of focus. I had it checked out by a Canon rep and the release is malfunctioning and needs to be replaced.

  For “Jason”, I have two dozen Minolta lenses from the last twenty-three years that’s left over from my film camera days. I got the Sony a300 for them and added the 10-20 zoom. All of those lenses work great with the Sony. The a300, long with the a350, has the best “live view” system of any DSLR, which I’ve found to be very useful. I’ve got my first house to photograph with it next Tuesday.

  When I compare the images from the 5D and a300, I find the resolution and low noise of the 5D superior. As for color reproduction, the a300 is more to my liking, it seems to be more natural, more like the Fuji S5 color, while the 5D color looks more like plastic to me. I think the Sony a300 will make a very good real estate photography camera.

  For “Correct Exposure”, I have the 15mm DxO too and as wilde as 122 degree WA is with the 12-24 on the 5D, the 150 degree defished 15mm is even wilder!

• Scott July 10th, 2008 at 7:53 am #

  At this time in my opinion the new standard for photographing real estate interiors without spending a fortune is the new full frame Nikon D700 with the Nikon 14-24 F2.8 lens. The D700 allows the flash to be off the camera and can be controlled from the D700 without any other equipment to purchase. Having 2 to 3 flashes is also a big help to get the room lit. Nikon has also just come out with a new top of the line flash called the SB-900, but I think you can save some money with the SB-800.

• JR July 10th, 2008 at 12:36 pm #

  “the new standard for photographing real estate interiors…”
  I am struggling with this current assessment of today’s real estate photography. What’s up with a similar configuration utilizing a D300 with a Tokina 12-24 or Sigma and off-course having an SB800 flash on the D300 and one external or multiple of them? Technically?!?

  What is so superior all of sudden about the D700 that the D300 cannot render on the same scale? Given that the D300 is barely 1 year old from release while everyone could not stop the raving.
  Now we have: A NEW STANDARD!
  I am simply amazed about all this techno self-fulfilling prophecy, non-functional self-imposed obsolescence. It’s ALWAYS what’s new.
  There are folks out there who can barely operate the D300 Nikon camera yet due to its “newness” and its array of functionalities. Yet, it’s already below photography work-standard.
  I am extremely curious about how some of these beautiful interior shots are being accomplished (as of this writing) without the “new shooting standard” and where in some instances some of these photo-shoots are getting accomplished on a shoestring budget.
  I truly do not believe that Such an investment:
  Nikon D700 12.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) $2999.95 +Lens and Strobes…
  under any circumstances must equate to a better shooting standard.

• larry July 10th, 2008 at 4:24 pm #

  JR- I agree with Scott about the D700 being a new standard for real estate photography. Let me expand on why I believe the D700 is so significant:
  1-It’s full frame and that makes the Nikon 14-24 f2.8 (which is probably THE best wide-angle glass available) a great lens for real estate work.
  2-The sensor allows ISO up to 12,800.. this sensor is legendary for low light work.
  3-$2999 retail… this is an amazing price
  4-It has a build in flash that can be used to trigger many other SB-800s and SB-900 with no extra flash triggering stuff.

  Sure, you don’t have to have this pair to do good work but if you can afford it, this is the perfect real estate photography camera.

• JR July 11th, 2008 at 4:15 am #

  Larry,
  Thanks for the clarification. I stand corrected!

  Therefore, in order to get close to such a standard and given that the D300 body has already been purchased, what kind of a pair does a real estate photographer need in order to reach close to this ” new shooting standard”?
  “The Nikon 14-24 f2.8 (which is probably THE best wide-angle glass available) a great lens for real estate work.”
  Does that make the Nikon 14-24 f2.8 “The Absolute”?