Interior Photography Lens?

Elite Realty · Mar 11, 2007

I'm a Realtor that takes interior pictures all the time. My photography skills lack quite a bit, but I recently purchased a used Canon EOS D30 to upgrade from the simple point and shoot cameras I'd used in the past. The Canon came with a Sigma 28-80mm lens. I had thought that I would be able to get a wider angle picture (help those little rooms be the big rooms they've always dreamed of being) with this lens, but comparing pictures from my old camera to the Canon show that I'm clearly wrong. I have now picked up on the fact that there is a "crop factor."

My question is what lens would be acceptable to get a wider shot for my interior pictures? It seems the "fish eye" lenses are cheaper and I could possibly crop the picture to work for my needs, but I definitely don't want a distorted look to them. I still don't fully understand what my options are, so any advice that could be given would be greatly appreciated.

(And my photos will never be printed professionally, so I'm not looking for the world here. Thanks!)

DeepSpring · Mar 11, 2007

You might want to find the standard canon kit lens which is 18-55mm. It shouldnt run you over $150.

Aquarium Dreams · Mar 11, 2007

The lens Deepspring suggests will probably be just what you need, but this might help too:

http://photo.net/equipment/wideangle-dslr.html

drgibson · Mar 11, 2007

Here is what a 17mm on a 1.5 Focal length Digital looks like.

usayit · Mar 11, 2007

A light weight tripod would also go nicely with that kit lens suggested above.

Turn on interior lights
Flash off
Relatively small aperture (high aperture number) for good DOF
mounted on a tripod (so slow shutter speeds will not be an issue)

.. all to leverage natural lighting and to avoid the artificial look of a flash gun.

drgibson · Mar 11, 2007

I agree a tripod is a must.

Sw1tchFX · Mar 11, 2007

You need to go wider than than 18mm and the D30 WILL NOT work with EF-S lenses such as the 18-55. Tokina I think has a verson of their 12-24 f/4 that will work on the EF mount, and that's what you should use.

ZyxKor · Mar 11, 2007

I use the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5. It's the most expensive but it also the best. It requires little or no post processing. The images are amazing.

Is the camera a D30 or a 30D - big difference. If the camera is a D30 then the above lens will not work.

usayit · Mar 11, 2007

Elite Realty said:
(And my photos will never be printed professionally, so I'm not looking for the world here. Thanks!)

..... ^^^^^^ .......

I like my tokina 19-35mm which was $150 new and much cheaper used. A good bang for the buck lens which many refer to as the "Plastic wonder".

EOS_JD · Mar 11, 2007

Is it a D30 or a 30D? The D30 will not be able to use the 10-22. If it';s the 30D it will.

The Sigma 10-20 is worth a look. Will work with the D30 too.

Elite Realty · Mar 12, 2007

Thanks everybody. For clarification -

It is a D30

I have a limited budget for purchasing a lens - I'd say probably $200 is the maximum. (Please don't beat me up. I realize quality is probably the standard for most of you, but for my use it's not as critical.)

Thank you everybody for pointing out that EF-S lenses are not compatible. I did not know that and you may have saved me from making a costly mistake.

And of course, I always try to use a tripod when lighting is low to allow for slower shutter speeds. I actually have a small team of agents and though we only have one camera, everyone keeps a small collapsible tripod in their car.

usayit - Thanks for pointing me in the direction of (and giving the endorsement for) the "Plastic Wonder. This is probably more towards what I'm looking for and I will definitely research it.

Orgnoi1 · Mar 12, 2007

If you are looking to purchase new then there really is only one viable option within striking distance of your price range...

Tamron 17-35/2.8-4
http://www.adorama.com/TM1735EOS.html

They run in the $280 range and actually are really great lenses. I had one up until just recently when I upgraded to my 17-40L but really aside from the external focusing ring (I didnt like that one thing) my Tamron would do everything my Canon will... you may also be able to find one used for a good price. It WILL work with your D30 as my girlfriends son has the D30 and 17-35 and it works great!

Sw1tchFX · Mar 12, 2007

I understand that quality might not be that big of a deal, but $200 can't really go anywhere. 17-19mm is just not wide enough for interior shots for small format digital with a cropped sensor. I've tried doing interior shots with my 18-35mm lens on my Nikon and it's harder than hell to get anything in the frame.

I swear the Tokina 12-24 f/4 would pay for itself if you used it. It just goes so wide that you'll be able to fit entire rooms in the picture frame, i've never been able to do that at 18mm with my D70. On 35mm I have, but not on a cropped sensor.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...349&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation