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Due to the challenges of photographing tall buildings and large structures, architectural photographers understand the need for the right lenses. That means a range of considerations such as focal range, aperture, and other qualities. We rounded up the top lenses for architectural
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Since there are various lenses for architecture
Wide-angle lenses are those with a focal range of less than 35mm. They make a subject easier to fit more into the frame.
Therefore, they are suitable for capturing bigger architectural sites or cramped interiors.
Ranging from ultra-wide to wide-angle, the Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED lens is the ultimate lens for architectural
The 10mm lens is very wide for capturing unique perspectives that you cannot achieve with longer lenses for architecture
The Nikkor 10-24mm lens uses an automatic focus to override for greater control of your images quickly. This makes the lens perfect for different light conditions, including structures’ interiors.
Compared to the Canon EF 14mm lens, the Nikkor 10-24mm lens lacks weather-sealing. However, you can still mostly use this lens for interiors.
Finally, this lens also sports a special multi-coat design that prevents flares and ghosting effects. This allows you to capture crisp images at different times of the day and from almost any position.
The Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM is another one of the best lenses for architecture
An Ultrasonic Motor drives the rear focusing system for a fast yet quiet autofocusing. It even provides a minimum focusing distance of 8 inches, which is perfect for including foreground elements in a shot.
With that said, this can be your go-to lens if you like shooting nearby, low, or geometric subjects.
At f/2.8, it has a bigger f-stop than the Nikkor 10-24mm Fujinon XF 10-24mm lenses. Center sharpness is excellent at f/2.8, although you may experience some edge softness when using crop-sensor cameras.
However, you can still shoot around f/8 to f/11 when you want to deepen the depth of field and increase sharpness. This also helps record high-contrast architecture images with minimized chromatic aberrations and controlled distortion.
Considered as one of Fuji's best lenses for architecture
On a full-frame camera, the focal range provides a similar perspective to 15-36mm. This provides a broader angle of view even when you're shooting in cramped streets, tight interiors, or tall structures. In effect, you still achieve an enhanced perspective without image distortion.
At 0.90 pounds, this Fujinon lens is more lightweight than its Nikkor counterpart despite having the same focal distance. This makes it the ideal gear for photo walks and street
At half the cost of Canon lenses for architecture
Moreover, it has image stabilization like the Canon EF 14mm. This design enables you to eliminate motion blur, especially when you're shooting inside a moving vehicle or using slow shutter speeds.
Tilt-shift lenses have a more complicated learning curve than other types of lens architecture
The Nikkor 45mm f/2.8D ED is the best tilt-shift lens for architecture
Its tilt-shift motion provides exemplary control over the image plane and lens optical axis. So, you can capture the actual field of view whether you're photographing the grandness of the Taj Mahal or the sky-high beauty of the Burj Khalifa.
You would want to avoid convergence of lines when shooting, and this usually happens in this kind of lens. Compared to other lens types, the Nikon 45mm enables you to tilt the lens up to minus 8.5 degrees and revolve up to 90 degrees in either direction.
Like the Canon 90mm, stopping down to the maximum f-stop value provides a deeper depth of field. However, this may sometimes result in optical diffraction and affect image quality.
The Canon TS-E is a mid-range, tilt-shift lens that lets you adjust architectural images manually so you can refine shots to your preferences. This results in sharp photos, especially when capturing the tiny details of buildings.
The Canon TS E lens is pricier than our first Canon recommendation, the Canon EF. However, it has a longer focal distance which means higher image magnification than the Canon EF. This makes it an ideal option if you are planning to capture building exteriors and tall structures.
The tilt and shift feature gives your photographs a nicer perspective regardless of their height.
The Samyang SYTS24-N 24mm f/3.5 is among the best tilt-shift lenses for architecture
With f/3.5, this Samyang tilt-shift lens has a narrower maximum aperture than the Nikkor 45mm lens. The 6-blade aperture does affect image quality when tilting excessively. However, you can always use f/3.5 when you need a boost in exposure.
The optical tilt mechanism offers control of the depth of field. It allows 8.5 degrees of tilting and 12mm of shifting, ensuring you can get the most of cramped spaces. Like the Canon TS-E 90mm lens, this lens can rotate up to 180 degrees from left to right.
You'll be paying significantly less with this lens. However, the more reasonable price is a tradeoff for the absence of weather-sealing and image stabilization.
Despite that, this remains to be a more reasonable option should you want to start practicing using tilt-shift lenses architecture
Zooming lenses range around 24-105mm, giving you a closer view of a subject. These lenses are good for getting detailed shots that viewers may miss in wide-angle architecture shots.
Bragging the broadest focal distance of any lenses in this guide, the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM gives you the ability to shoot architectural shots from different distances and ensure impeccable image quality.
This lens serves as an alternative to the Canon 16-35mm, especially if you want to frame a subject tightly. This is still a better option than the 16-35mm lens if you need a longer focal range with wide angles for interior shots.
This kind of lens tends to have several spherical elements inside to ensure magnification. Because of this, it's easier for this lens to introduce motion blur when you move its rings or even yourself.
Like most Canon lenses, this lens uses vibration reduction. You can take advantage of this feature even if you would most likely shoot with a tripod.
Finally, it features 3 Ultra-Low Dispersion glasses that narrow the distance between the color layers as light hits the sensor. In this way, the lens helps reduce chromatic aberration and distortion to improve image quality.
You might think there's no place for a prime-zoom lens in architecture
This lens may not have a long focal range, yet its level of quality is at par with the others. The field of view of this lens gives that 'zoomed' effect or magnification.
More than that, since the 50mm lens has fewer moving parts, it beats the other lenses by having an ultra-wide f-stop of f/1.4.
As a result, you can rely on the 50mm lens if you usually shoot in low light. The same applies when needing a shallower depth of field to increase image sharpness.
Like the 24-70mm lens, you can use the 50mm lens to emphasize the details of a structure, even those on doorknobs and light fixtures.
Architectural
The following features can help you identify the right lens that can take crisp and sharp photos of the buildings. The table below highlights the key aspects you should check out in the lenses.
| Product | Maximum Aperture | Image Stabilization | Format Compatibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nikkor 10-24mm | f/3.5 | Yes | Crop-Sensor |
| Canon EF 14mm | f/2.8 | Yes | Full-Frame and Crop-Sensor |
| Fujinon XF 10-24mm | f/4 | Yes | X-Mount (Crop-Sensor) |
| Nikkor 45mm | f/2.8 | Yes | Full-Frame |
| Canon TS-E 90mm | f/2.8 | No | Full-Frame |
| Samyang 24mm | f/3.5 | No | Full-Frame |
| Canon EF 24-70mm | f/2.8 | Yes | Full-Frame |
| Canon EF 50mm | f/1.4 | No | Full-Frame |
The field of view refers to how many scenes the camera lens can capture at a given time. The field of view of a lens is usually measured in degrees. A larger field of view means the lens can view a wider area.
As you can tell, this is the field of view you need in architectural
For instance, the Fujinon XF 10-24mm f/4 has a short minimum focal length of 10mm. This gives it a wide-angle perspective that allows you to capture the entire building from a short distance, such as shooting while standing in the backyard.
Camera lenses come in different formats depending on the camera you want to pair them with. The most common formats are full-frame, APS-C, and micro-four-thirds. Lenses designed for full-frame cameras have larger diameters to fit the 35mm size of the camera sensor.
Lenses designed for APS-C cameras have diameters that are around 1.5 times smaller than those of full-frame cameras or 1.6 times smaller than those of full-frame cameras if it's a Canon camera. On the other hand, micro-four-third lenses have the smallest diameters to fit the micro-four-third cameras.
When choosing the lens, ensure the lens mount is compatible with that of the camera. In most cases, lenses designed for full-frame cameras, such as the Canon EF 14mm f/2.8, can fit most of the APS-C cameras of the same brand.
When taking architectural photos, sometimes you might want to capture close-ups of objects such as chimneys to reveal the design details. However, some of these places are hard to reach, and you might not be able to move closer enough with a prime lens to take a detailed shot.
You can avoid this hassle by getting a zoom lens such as the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8. Usually, the variable focal length allows you to adjust the angle of view and crop out the other elements in the frame, making the main subject more prominent. A zoom lens also gives you more flexibility as you can still use it to shoot wide-angle photos.
The ideal aperture for architectural photography lies between f/8 and f/14. These narrow apertures provide you with a deep depth of field where a large area is in focus resulting in more detailed and clear images. A smaller aperture has a tiny hole that allows light in, keeping your background and foreground sharper.
Like real estate photography, your primary equipment should be a camera body, a wide-angle lens, a tilt-shift lens, a zoom lens, and a tripod. You can also invest in an external flash, filters, and cable release. If you're editing, you may also need HDR and image retouching software.
It's crucial to plan your shooting time, lighting, and angles to capture a professional architecture image. Take advantage of a building's lines, shapes, and textures. You'll also need to modify menu settings to ensure you're using the right focusing points, white balance, and exposure settings.
Finding the right lenses for architectural
