Congratulations Paul-Dan Dragoman, March 2025 PFRE Photographer of the Month! The theme this month was "Kitchen".Paul-Dan Dragoman - Entry 1036 Kristine Kohl - Entry 1037 Peter Wingfield - Entry 1044
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When it comes to indoor
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Equipping yourself with the right interior
I choose these picks based on their most important features, including focal length, aperture, and weight.
The Canon RF 50mm f/1.2 is distinguished by its versatile focal length, impressive speed, and bright aperture of f/1.2 that performs exemplary well in low-lighting. This makes it my best overall lens for interior
The optical construction consists of a UD and aspherical element, which eliminates the chromatic and spherical distortions, improving the image clarity and sharpness. With a 10-blade aperture diaphragm, it produces the best bokeh quality in my list, allowing better use of selective focus techniques.
Like the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4, it uses a ring-type ultrasonic motor, facilitating a near-silent, fast, and accurate autofocus performance. Besides, the full-time manual override enables you to fine-tune your focus manually to achieve a higher degree of accuracy.
It features a Control Ring, which enhances the exposure settings and control. However, with a weight of 2.09 pounds which makes it hard to carry from one room or property to the next.
The Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 features sophisticated physical construction, wide-angle focal length, and advanced optical design, making it ideal for interior
It features two aspherical elements and a pair of low dispersion elements, geared towards reducing the aspherical and chromatic distortions and aberrations. This helps in enhancing the image clarity and sharpness.
The optical elements are equipped with a Subwavelength Coating which eliminates the ghosting and flares for better color neutrality and high contrast in different indoor lighting circumstances.
The maximum wide aperture of f/1.4 allows it to perform exceptionally well in low-light, enhancing the depth of field control and selective focus technique application. The eight-blade aperture diaphragm helps produce a better quality bokeh than the Panasonic Lumix 25mm f/1.7.
However, it's the second heaviest on my list, making it unsuitable for carrying or use for an extended period.
The Panasonic Lumix 25mm f/1.7 is a normal prime that features a fast aperture of f/1.7, making it ideal for shooting in backlit environments.
It comes with two aspherical elements and an ultra-high refractive index which helps to minimize the optical distortions for better illumination and edge-to-edge sharpness. It features a Nano Surface coating on these optical elements, which suppresses ghosting and flare, improving the color fidelity and contrast.
The advanced optical design makes it the most compact and the most lightweight on my list, weighing 0.3 pounds. Typically, this weight makes it favorable while shooting for an extended time as you won't be exhausted and your wrists won't hurt.
It employs a stepping motor autofocus functionality which makes the focusing performance quiet and smooth. However, the bokeh produced by the seven-blade aperture diaphragm can't match that of the Canon RF 50mm f/1.2.
The Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 is a versatile wide-angle lens that comes with a bright aperture of f/4 and a sophisticated design that enhances its durability.
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 comes with three aspherical elements and a Super UD element which works together to minimize the aspherical and chromatic aberrations. This promotes high image sharpness, color accuracy, and clarity.
Like the Canon EF 35mm f/2, its optical elements also feature a Spectra coating geared towards the reduction of ghosting and flare, enhancing contrast when shooting in bright lighting situations.
It has a ring-type ultrasonic motor which enhances the autofocus experience by making it fast and effortless. It employs the internal focusing function, which facilitates indoor shooting where space is an issue, as it maintains the lens's overall length when focusing.
However, it weighs 1.1 pounds which is 0.8 pounds heavier than the Panasonic Lumix 25mm f/1.7, making it unfit for more time-consuming real estate
The Canon EF 35mm f/2 is an advanced wide-angle prime with a versatile focal length and advanced autofocus capabilities. It comes with a maximum aperture of f/2, making it ideal for shooting in rooms that are poorly lit.
This aperture gives an excellent depth of field control, allowing you to isolate the subject when shooting. Unlike the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4, the optical construction consists of a single aspherical element, which doesn't suppress the spherical and chromatic aberrations effectively.
However, this lens effectively reduces the ghosting and flares, thanks to the Super Spectra coating on its elements. Unlike the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4, Canon EF 35mm f/2 comes with image stabilization which helps in eliminating the camera shaking effect when taking photos with your camera handheld.
The autofocus is enhanced by the use of an ultrasonic motor, making it silent and fast. Also, the manual focus override allows you to have better control over the focusing performance.
The Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 blends a flexible zoom with a versatile wide-angle range, which makes this lens suitable for a wide array of indoor
Like the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4, it features three aspherical elements and one UD element geared towards reducing the aspherical and chromatic distortions and aberrations. Also, the elements use a Super Spectra coating to get rid of the ghosting and flare for contrast enhancement.
The autofocus mechanism utilizes a ring-type ultrasonic motor to enhance the autofocus speed and accuracy while maintaining low noise levels. With a full-time manual override, it gives you better control over the focusing performance, as you can manually fine-tune your focus.
However, with a six-blade aperture diaphragm, this lens’ bokeh quality is less impressive than the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4. With a weight of 1 pound, you can carry it around with ease, although it is challenging to shoot for an extended time without exhaustion.
With an excellent field of view, the Nikon AF 20mm f/2.8 is lightweight and compact, which makes it ideal for prolonged shooting periods. The maximum wide aperture of f/2.8 balances between the ability to work in poor lighting and the portable, sleek size.
The optical design consists of Super Integrated Coating on the optical elements to suppress the ghosting and flare. It also enhances the color rendering and contrast, especially when taking photos in back-lit situations.
Unlike the Panasonic Lumix 25mm f/1.7, it employs the Close-Range Correction, which facilitates accurate rendering and consistent picture quality over the focusing range.
Although the seven-blade aperture diaphragm doesn't produce a bokeh quality that matches the Canon RF 50mm f/1.2, the quality is still impressive. With a weight of 0.6 pounds, it's convenient for prolonged shooting time.
Even with an aperture of f/1.8, the Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 is lightweight and simple, which is convenient for everyday real estate indoor
With this bright aperture, it performs well in low-light shooting circumstances and offers a better depth of field and selective focus technique application. The optical design consists of a double-gauss configuration and an aspherical element that helps with the reduction of optical distortions for enhanced image quality and sharpness.
Also, these elements help to minimize the field curvature throughout the range. Unlike the Nikon AF 20mm f/2.8, it employs a DC actuator to enhance accurate and silent autofocus experience, making it suitable for videography.
However, the bokeh quality produced by the seven-blade aperture diaphragm isn't the most appealing. Although 0.3 pounds heavier than the Panasonic Lumix 25mm f/1.7, it weighs 0.6 pounds, which is lightweight enough to shoot for a prolonged period without exhaustion.
The Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.4 has an exceptionally bright aperture of f/1.4, which makes it suitable for shooting various indoor subjects. This aperture makes it ideal for depth of field control as well as the application of selective focus techniques.
The use of Super Integrated Coating significantly suppresses the ghosting and flare, improving the color accuracy and contrast. Thanks to the nine-blade aperture diaphragm, it produces the second-best bokeh quality on my list.
It employs the Silent Wave Motor to enhance quiet, accurate, and fast autofocus performance. With a manual override, you can fine-tune your focusing manually where necessary. Unlike the Canon RF 50mm f/1.2, it weighs 0.6 pounds, which is lightweight enough for prolonged periods of shooting without exhaustion.
However, its field of view is less than the Nikon 20mm f/2.8, which may be inconvenient in certain interior
Although the quality of the camera matters, the amount of light that the camera can capture plays a crucial role in indoor
The following features help you choose a lens that can allow sufficient light to reach the camera sensor when shooting indoors. The following table further breaks down the key features you should consider depending on the overall shooting conditions.
| Lenses | Diaphragm Blades | Aperture | Weight (Pounds) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 | 7 | f/4 | 1.1 |
| Canon EF 35mmf/2 | 8 | f/2 | 0.7 |
| Panasonic Lumix 25mm f/1.7 | 7 | f/1.7 | 0.3 |
| Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 | 8 | f/1.4 | 1.43 |
| Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 | 6 | f/3.5-4.5 | 1 |
| Nikon AF 20mm f/2.8 | 7 | f/2.8 | 0.6 |
| Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 | 7 | f/1.8 | 0.7 |
| Canon RF 50mm f/1.2 | 10 | f/1.2 | 2.09 |
| Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.4 | 9 | f/1.4 | 0.6 |
As a real estate photographer, one thing that crosses your mind when you hear the word indoor
Generally, most properties don't have studio-quality lighting that can allow you to capture bright photos indoors. However, you can salvage the situation by getting a lens that is better situated for low light.
Usually, a camera lens is enclosed and allows light to enter and reach the camera sensor through an opening known as an aperture. Since this is a physical opening, a wide aperture allows more light to enter. In lenses, the aperture is indicated as f-stops or the fraction of the focal length.
Since this is a fraction, a lens with a wide aperture will have a smaller denominator. For instance, an f/4.5 aperture is now lower than an f/2.8. It is, therefore, advisable to go for a lens with a wide maximum aperture, such as the Canon RF 50mm f/1.2.
If you're taking interior photos in cramped rooms, you might not have enough space to set up a tripod, and your only option is to shoot handheld. At the same time, you might need to use slower shutter speeds to capture enough light for bright photos.
The combination of the handshakes and the slower shutter speed usually results in blurry images. The best way to prevent this is to get a lens with an image stabilization system, such as the Canon EF 35mm f2.
This system helps to compensate for the small hand movements, resulting in sharp images and smoother videos. However, it is not advisable to use the system when shooting with a tripod as the system might start hunting for the shakes.
Instead of taking photos of empty rooms, you might want to capture close-ups of objects such as kitchen cabinets or appliances to make your photos aesthetically pleasing. However, the photos might not look great when using a deep depth of field.
To obtain a shallow depth of field with a pleasing background blur, consider getting a lens with a wide maximum aperture and many aperture diaphragm blades, such as the Canon RF 50mm f/1.2.
Again, the interior spaces might be so cramped, and you might not be able to set up a tripod. If you take the photos handheld using a heavier camera for an extended time, your hand muscles might fatigue. The exhaustion increases the chances of a camera shake or an accidental camera fall.
It is, therefore, advisable to go for a compact and lightweight lens such as the Panasonic Lumix 25mm f/1.7. However, this lens is for a micro-four-third camera body. That means you might need to make a trade-off between a lightweight design and low-light performance.
The focal length is the distance between the center of the camera sensor and the center of the lens. This distance determines the field of view or how much of the scene the camera lens can view at a given time. A long focal length results in a narrow angle of view, while a short focal length results in a wider angle of view.
Keeping in mind that you might want to capture the entire room in a single shot or capture an object such as a bathtub in a cramped bathroom, you might need a lens with a wide-angle perspective such as the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5.
Although many photographers overlook the quality of the motor the lens autofocus system is using, it can impact the quality of your videos. Usually, the interiors of a real estate property are silent, increasing the chances of the camera capturing any noise around it.
An autofocus motor has moving parts inside that produce some noise, which usually varies across motors. If you want a versatile lens for capturing both photos and videos, go for one with a near-silent autofocus motor, such as the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.
No, it is not advisable to use a 70-300mm lens or other telephoto lenses in indoor photography. Generally, this focal length is too long to allow you to capture an entire room without cropping due to the small subject distance. However, you can use the 70-300mm lens indoors when you want to shoot intricate or detailed objects.
Generally, the 50mm lens will give a shallow depth of field and better bokeh compared to the 35mm lens. However, the 35mm lens will be suitable when paired with an APS-C camera as the focal length will increase to an equivalent of 52.5mm.
Normally, a 50mm lens will give better portrait images compared to a 35mm lens. This is because the 50mm lens offers a natural field of view, allowing you to view the subject just as you would with the naked eye. In most cases, a 50mm lens also has fewer distortions compared to its 35mm counterpart.
All lenses are not created equal, and some perform better in certain interior conditions than others. It's therefore challenging to identify a lens that will perform well in indoor photography. However, any lens from the above list won't disappoint when shooting indoors.
