Learn how to use Lightroom with these tips on file management, preset application, and editing techniques for real estate photography.
The best camera for real estate photography should help you create high-quality and professional photos that can quickly attract the attention of potential clients. If you're into real estate photography, we reviewed the best cameras for real estate photography to boost your earnings.
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With the growing demand for online property viewing, the Nikon D850 DSLR is the best camera for real estate photography this year. Its full-frame sensor, excellent image resolution, and video capability make it a versatile camera for taking high-quality images for property agents, sellers, and buyers.
The sheer number of cameras for real estate photography in the market makes it challenging to pick a good fit. We went through the multiple camera options and came up with a few models that we think will significantly boost your real estate marketing efforts.
The Nikon D850 DSLR Camera is our pick as the ultimate camera for real estate photography for shooting properties, interiors, and exteriors. It has the best image resolution in all of our options, bragging of a 45.7 MP image sensor that ensures low-light performance, dynamic range, and minimal background noise.
This camera is capable of shooting professional-quality real estate photos even in large format. Besting the others in low-light real estate photography, the D850 is the only one with a 65 to 25,600 ISO range, which means you can take bright images at night or in the dim interiors of your property.
Like the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, this camera also comes with an 8K and 4K video resolution for high-quality real estate footage. Whether you're taking photos or videos, the long battery life ensures that you can shoot for long enough before having to recharge or replace the battery.
Moreover, the D850's Vignette control feature automatically corrects color fringes. There's also an Auto Distortion control, which deals with complex distortion. In effect, you can spend less time cleaning chromatic aberration during post-processing.
Aside from built-in Wi-Fi, this camera for real estate photography has a rugged and weather-resistant design for outdoor property shoots. This means you can shoot property images in any weather without your camera being affected.
For advanced users, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is a premium camera for real estate photography. This is a solid pick if you need built-in image stabilization to ensure sharp and professional-looking photos.
One of the best things about this camera for real estate photography is its line of available lenses. The Mark IV also enables you to use C-RAW, a file format that reduces image size by 40% without quality loss.
Furthermore, a brand new image processing in the form of the DIGIC 6+ accompanies the 30.4-megapixel chip to produce a more prominent resolution. This kind of upgrade enables the camera to increase pixel count without slowing down the camera.
While this camera has a smaller image sensor than the D850, the Mark IV still produces high-quality images in property interiors even in low light due to its ISO levels of 100–32,000. Its sensor and processor work together to achieve superb color reproduction and sharpness.
Additionally, the camera offers a fast and refined 61-point autofocus system that allows you to take the most accurate photos for your property portfolio. With a built-in Wi-Fi and 4K video resolution, this camera is in the same league as the Sony A7III, enabling it to produce stunning property tours.
We recommend the Canon EOS 6D Mark II DSLR if you are on a budget and looking for a full HD camera for real estate photography that can level up your real estate marketing services without breaking the bank.
This camera for real estate photography offers decent image quality at a lower cost with its 26.2 megapixels CMOS sensor. While this is much lower than that of the Canon 5D Mark IV, you will be able to shoot high-quality property images without blowing your budget.
It also has a full-frame sensor, which means a wider angle for real estate photography, particularly interior shots. The shutter speed goes up to 6.5 frames per second, which is good enough for real estate photos in different light conditions.
This camera for real estate photography also does a good job controlling background noise even at high ISO performance levels. In effect, this camera retains more image information and prevents smudging details away. The camera also keeps dynamic range even as you shoot in RAW to ensure greater flexibility in post-production.
While the Mark II can't support 4K video, this camera can produce basic 1080p videos, much like the Nikon D750. Besides, its ISO levels of 100 to 40,000 let you experiment with exposures for bracketing and HDR real estate photos.
The Nikon D750 Interchangeable-Lens DSLR is among the best cameras for real estate photography with a vari-angle LCD screen and Wi-Fi. This camera offers excellent image quality and fast autofocus minus the confusing controls of other high-end DSLR cameras for real estate photography.
Its most valuable feature for photographers is its highlight-weighted metering, which gives you better control over bright parts of a space. Thus, this camera for real estate photography is helpful when you're struggling with ambient light coming from windows or doors.
The D750 has one of Nikon's newest features, the 'Store Points by Orientation' in the custom setting menu. You can set this feature on default, and the camera would remember all of your focus points whether you need to shift from portrait to horizontal orientation.
Despite being a full-frame camera for real estate photography, it only has a maximum ISO of 12,800, much like the Fujifilm X-T4 mirrorless. This is still powerful enough to support the camera's 51 autofocus points.
The Nikon D750 has the same image sensor type and size as the D850. However, this camera has a high resolution of 24.3 megapixels because of its EXPEED 4 image processor, which is slower than DIGIC.
The Sony A7III is one of the best cameras for real estate photography because of its 35mm sensor. Combining a high light sensitivity and 425 autofocusing system, this camera for real estate photography provides better accuracy when you need to focus in vast spaces.
With a 24MP sensor, its stills resolution is almost similar to the Nikon D750. Thus, this camera for real estate photography can capture clear shots without a drop in dynamic range in both the exterior and poorly lit interiors of your property.
At 10 frames per second and 100-51,000 ISO range, the camera also offers high-quality images for small and large prints. In this way, you can rely on this camera for real estate photography to create cleaner shadows in low-light shooting.
In addition, a counter-shaking feature is useful when shooting for long periods while holding the camera in your hands. You can also get the same feature on the cheaper Panasonic Lumix GH5.
If you're looking for mirrorless cameras with lower price tags, the Panasonic LUMIX G9 is among the best cameras for real estate photography. This is a semi-professional camera for real estate photography for those who prefer a lightweight yet high-functioning camera with built-in Wi-Fi and a full HD screen.
Despite having a 17mm micro four-thirds sensor like the LUMIX GH5, this camera has a 20-megapixel image quality, perfect for shooting great real estate photos even with a simple setup.
Its sensor can gather lots of light with the help of ISO 100-25,600, which is almost as powerful as the D850. Even when you're not using the max aperture of a lens, you can go down a couple of f-stops without losing image quality.
Photographing interiors and exteriors can be a demanding niche, yet the Fujifilm X-T4 Mirrorless Digital Camera is the best camera for real estate photography professionals starting in the industry.
Despite its APS-C sensor, this Fujifilm camera can produce 24MP image resolution, which is even better than the Panasonic LUMIX G9. This resolution also makes it possible for the X-T4 to function with 425 autofocus points, much like the Sony A7III.
While the Fujifilm X-T4 is the most lightweight camera for real estate photography, it may not have a balanced feel on monopods or tripods. Fortunately, the in-body stabilization boosts sharpness if you're using a gimbal.
More than that, the X-T4 offers continuous shooting mode at 15 frames per second, which ensures you capture the changes in the background for outdoor shoots.
The Panasonic LUMIX ZS200 is a great camera for real estate photography if you can't always bring a DSLR with you, yet you want to be ready anytime to shoot interiors. This kind of camera for real estate photography is a highly affordable and easy-to-use gear for quick property shoots.
Don't let its pocket-size body fool you, for it has a contrast-detect AF system that enables you to fine-tune focus for image clarity. An ISO range of 125 to 12,800 is nearly close to the light sensitivity of the Nikon D750, enabling you to recover image details and protect highlights.
Even if the LUMIX ZS200 has a 13mm MOS sensor, it can produce 20-megapixel images, almost similar to the LUMIX G9 and GH5. In effect, you can also record slow-mo videos that you can play back in 1080p at 30 fps.
The Panasonic Lumix GH5 is another contender for the best cameras for real estate because of its stabilization and 2x crop factor. Likewise, its several shooting options of 6K, 4K video, and 1080p make it the best video camera for real estate photography to shoot videos for virtual tours.
The GH5 has the same sensor and pixel count as the LUMIX G9, although its body is heavier because of a bigger LCD screen and grip. However, the added weight puts greater balance when using a monopod or gimbal for real estate videography.
Although the 20.3-megapixel sensor on the Panasonic Lumix GH5 is lower than that of the Canon EOS 6D Mark II, you will still get crisp photos for your real estate portfolio for an even lower price.
What's more, the GH5 camera records high-quality 4K video thanks to a 5-axis system that helps remove shake, especially during interior shooting.
After our research and testing, we found that the most important features to factor in when buying a camera for real estate photography include the sensor, image resolution, lens compatibility, low-light performance, video quality, and weight.
| Product | Camera Sensor | Max Resolution | ISO Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nikon D850 | 35mm Full-Frame | 45.7 MP | 64 - 25600 |
| Canon EOS 5D Mark IV | 30mm Full-Frame | 30.4 MP | 100 - 32000 |
| Canon EOS 6D Mark II | 24mm Full-Frame | 26.2 MP | 100 - 40000 |
| Nikon D750 | 35mm Full-Frame | 24.3 MP | 100 - 12800 |
| Sony A7III | 35mm Full-Frame | 24.2 MP | 100 - 51200 |
| Panasonic LUMIX G9 | 17.3mm Micro Four-Thirds | 20.3 MP | 100 - 25600 |
| Fujifilm X-T4 | 23mm APS-C | 26.1 MP | 160 - 12800 |
| Panasonic LUMIX ZS200 | 13.2mm MOS | 20.1 MP | 125 12800 |
| Panasonic LUMIX GH5 | 17.3mm Micro Four-Thirds | 20.3 MP | 100 - 25600 |
Ideally, it's better to invest in full-frame DSLR cameras because they have larger sensors that collect lots of light in a space. Much like the Nikon D850, Nikon D750, Canon 5D, and Canon 6D, their sensors range from 24-45 megapixels, with the Nikon D850 greatest at 45.7 MP.
However, that doesn't mean that mirrorless or crop-sensor cameras are inferior for real estate photography because 16 MP is the standard in digital cameras to shoot quality photos. Take the Sony A7III as an example. It is mirrorless yet has a 35mm full-frame image sensor that produces 24.2 megapixels.
Panasonic Lumix G9 and GH5 are mirrorless cameras with micro four-third sensors, whereas Fujifilm X-T4 is a mirrorless camera for real estate photography with an APS-C sensor. Because Panasonic Lumix ZS200 is a point-and-shoot camera for real estate photography, it uses a smaller MOS sensor. These cameras have a maximum resolution ranging from 20 to 26 megapixels.
The kind of lens plays a critical role in the quality, effect, and composition of your real estate images. As a real estate photographer, it's best to have a wide-angle lens as your main gear. You can then shift to prime, optical zoom, and tilt-shift lenses available depending on the shooting conditions.
Full-frame cameras from Nikon, Canon, and Sony usually work better with such lenses because their sensors don't change the degree of view of a lens.
Being a point-and-shoot camera for real estate photography, you can't change the lens of the LUMIX ZS200 because of its built-in 15x optical zoom lens. Meanwhile, you may need an adapter for third-party lens brands to work on the Fujifilm X-T4.
The image processor serves as the brain of the camera because it can control how the device would function, and consequently, record pictures. For example, the D750's EXPEED 4 and D850's EXPEED 5 focus on a low-processing power to provide higher image resolution.
Meanwhile, Mark IV's DIGIC 6+ and Mark II's DIGIC 7 offer excellent dim-light performance, reduced lag times, and a higher frame rate. Sony A7III's BIONZ X image processing minimizes noise before compression so that you can shoot in variable lighting despite having a mirrorless cameras system.
Panasonic's GH5, ZS200, and G9 all use a Venus Engine processor, which gives high-speed signal processing. Lastly, Fujifilm X-T4 contains an X-Processor 4, which boosts a camera's autofocus and tracking speed.
The best cameras for real estate photography must work well in various lighting situations, particularly in low light. Lighting affects a property's tone and vastness.
Your success in low light real estate photography depends on the camera's sensor size and available exposure settings. The good thing is that all of the cameras we reviewed allow manual shooting modes.
Furthermore, you need to consider the camera's ISO. For instance, the Nikon D850 has the most powerful ISO from 65 to 25,600. Panasonic G9 and GH5 follow close with 100 to 25,600.
While there are dedicated video cameras available, DSLR cameras and mirrorless cameras with 4k video features can improve your shooting efficiency, especially if real estate agents or sellers are looking for additional 4k video content.
Compared to the rest of the cameras with 4K video resolution, the Nikon D850 boasts the highest quality at 8K. However, its full-frame body is heavy to use in monopods and gimbals.
This is why the Panasonic LUMIX GH5 is a great camera for real estate photography if you want to balance weight, image stabilization, and video quality.
It's worth noting that a camera's size and weight can impact your real estate photography techniques. While a professional real estate photographer typically use tripods to stabilize shots, lightweight ones like the Sony and Fujifilm mirrorless cameras and LUMIX cameras are ideal for compact setups and handheld shooting.
The best cameras from Nikon and Canon are the heaviest, with the Nikon D850 heaviest at 2.24 pounds. However, this is a reasonable weight because of the camera's 35mm sensor and high megapixel count.
When setting up a camera for real estate photography, choose the necessary lens for space, whether it be wide-angle, prime, zoom, or tilt-shift. Then, modify the aperture, ISO, and shutter speed depending on the available light. Additionally, even with the best cameras for real estate photography, you'll need to use a tripod and shutter release to minimize motion shake.
Yes, you need to use a flash when taking real estate photos because you may encounter dim, shadowy, backlit, or dark interiors. It's also essentialfo in real estate photography to use an external flash when doing HDR so that you can shoot in various exposures.
Choosing the best camera for real estate photography is the first step for you to shoot professional-looking pictures. However, you also need to develop shooting techniques involving composition, lighting, and styling. Finally, you have to learn how to post-process high-quality images.
Whether you choose full-frame, crop-sensor, or mirrorless cameras, the best camera for real estate photography for you would be the one with features that can enhance your skills. Make sure to pick a camera for real estate photography techniques to improve workflow and the quality of your photos.
