Need direction on choice

[Tatback]

I'm at a crossroad and need a little help. I think I know what camera I should go with but I use that term loosely. I'm very open to suggestion and learning from others.

I've done some photography off and on for the past decade starting with a Sony F828 then going to Canon. I used to shoot a lot of landscape with some nature or action shots in there. I mentioned to a coworker/friend that I'm interested into transitioning into Real Estate photography and now I have quite a few leads.

I've sold off all my old equipment and now I'm starting fresh but stuck on a few models. Looking to shoot mainly Real Estate photography in a highly competitive market but also to have fun with and "let loose" on my days off with. Not so much an all around shooter but maybe 75% business and 25% pleasure out of one package.

All would be bought refurbished or on the grey market. Just some quick thoughts on why I'm stuck

D500 (I know its crop but it less expensive to start up and that burst rate for weekends)

D750 (I like it has the wifi as I like to use my phone/tablet to set the shots)

D810 (love the resolution but the lack of wifi and tilt screen just bugs me)

D850....absolutely love this camera but since there are none used for sale I simply can't afford it.




Sorry if this is a jumble of words...I'm trying to type this as a toddler is using me for a jungle gym.

 

[ac12]

If you WANT WiFi and tilt screen, get the 750, you will be always having second thoughts with the 810.

 

[Parker219]

Do you have a day job?

Are you going to keep it?

Do you know how long it is going to take you to re-coup your $3500-$6000 equipment investment "transitioning" in to Real Estate photography?

Do you have the skills to be a PAID Real Estate Photographer?

Are you ready to drive to a shoot, break out your tripod, stage / clean the house ( no this is not always done for you....no the houses you shoot wont be the ones on the cover of the magazines you see ), then take all your photos, then....then....then....the editing...ohhhhhhh...the editing? Every vertical should be fixed as well as the distortion from your wide angle lens among other things.

By the time you invest in all the equipment you need, the gas for your car, business insurance, ect, you will be shooting the first 50-60 houses, just to break even.

Are you willing to do that?

Keep in mind 90 percent of Realtors want drone photos for their listings. Do you have a drone? The 10 percent who dont have drone photos have never been asked by a photographer if they want drone photos, because when asked, most of the time, they say YES.

Anyway, dont take this the wrong way but...dont do it.

You can work overtime at your current job or do something...ANYTHING else and make more money.

Keep photography for fun.

Signed,
A former Real Estate photographer that went and got a real job

 

[Tatback]

Do you have a day job?

Are you going to keep it?

Do you know how long it is going to take you to re-coup your $3500-$6000 equipment investment "transitioning" in to Real Estate photography?

Do you have the skills to be a PAID Real Estate Photographer?

Are you ready to drive to a shoot, break out your tripod, stage / clean the house ( no this is not always done for you....no the houses you shoot wont be the ones on the cover of the magazines you see ), then take all your photos, then....then....then....the editing...ohhhhhhh...the editing? Every vertical should be fixed as well as the distortion from your wide angle lens among other things.

By the time you invest in all the equipment you need, the gas for your car, business insurance, ect, you will be shooting the first 50-60 houses, just to break even.

Are you willing to do that?

Keep in mind 90 percent of Realtors want drone photos for their listings. Do you have a drone? The 10 percent who dont have drone photos have never been asked by a photographer if they want drone photos, because when asked, most of the time, they say YES.

Anyway, dont take this the wrong way but...dont do it.

You can work overtime at your current job or do something...ANYTHING else and make more money.

Keep photography for fun.

Signed,
A former Real Estate photographer that went and got a real job




Credentials?..................


The 2nd and 3rd photos are to show the photos some Realtors use verse what your photos need to be on the same house.


View attachment 157715 View attachment 157716



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Honestly none of that bothers me. I have a great job with very flexible house and a very supportive wife. I do have a drone AND my 107 license.

I don’t look at a camera as just an investment to make money with but a long term investment that I will use for more than just work. Trust me, I’ve spent way more money on hobbies with absolutely zero ROI.
I’m young and in shape so the cleaning and lugging around equipment doesn’t phase me at all.

I do have cases, lights, stands, tripods, everything else except the actual camera body and a few more pieces of glass. My wife was actually pushing the D850 but I’m trying to be a little more careful with the budget. I do appreciate your comment BUT I’m not questioning the transisition... I’m doing it.

My father has been a paid photographer for decades in addition to his “day job” and has made quite a comfortable living doing it. I’d go to him but he’s a big Sony guy and buys the top of the line everything in Sony.

Photography is incrediably fun, I still intend to keep it that way. My wife and I try to get away for at least a 3 day weekend each month and take our daughter as we believe family time is very important and I always have my camera with me.

Editing is something I studied while in school and I’m actually quite efficient with light room as well as ps. I get it’s not for everyone and maybe just wasn’t right for you but that doesn’t mean I won’t excel where you didn’t. Trust me I didn’t take anything you said the wrong way... I just have too many opportunities to look away from this venture... And for arguments sake, let say I didn’t make my money back on my investment. Then I have some beautiful equipment to photograph my family and vacations with. You only live once and it’s just money.

 

[Parker219]

^ You may be one of the few that can do it!

IMO the D750 with the 14-24mm Nikon lens is the way to go.

It took the fun out of photography for me, which is why I ultimately stopped.

Good luck!

 

[Warhorse]

In that case...with money being no object, nor a problem for you, I say go for it, get whatever trips your trigger, and have fun with it.

As you say “You only live once”, best to enjoy life while you’re able!

 

[adamhiram]

You really can’t go wrong with any of those options. For real estate photography you’ll want the ability to go wide, which you can do with the right lens on either DX or FX.

Some quick thoughts:

• D500: This is what I shoot with and absolutely love it. However I bought it primarily for the D5 autofocus system, which is amazing for tracking fast motion, but isn’t really needed for real estate photography. The 10fps burst rate is nice, but again, not very useful for real estate, and the images are slightly lower resolution to get that burst rate (21mpix). The tilting screen is very useful, but the WiFi capability using snapbridge is kind of kludgy and I never bother with it.
• D750: Another nice choice at around the same price point as the D500. You get a full frame sensor, but it’s an older generation camera with a less capable autofocus system, which shouldn’t matter much for real estate. @astroNikon posted a comparison between the D500 and D750 last year you should definitely check out. D500 vs D750 Indoor Soccer Shootout
• D810: With much higher resolution and FX sensor, I would think this would be your best bet for real estate photography. However, you will probably find it lacking in the other categories. No WiFi, no articulating screen, older AF system with fewer focus points, lower frame rate, etc.

I hope this helps!

 

[Parker219]

By the way, did you say that you already know how to take Real Estate photos or that you still need to learn how to take them?

If you already know how, lets see some of your work.

 

[Jeff15]

Why are you looking only at Nikon...?

 

[coastalconn]

I have a D500 and love it for wildlife, wouldn't be my first choice for real estate.

The D750 is a great all around camera.

The D810 has stellar image quality.

D850 probably the best Nikon camera made to date.

Your most important decision will be you lens.....

I wouldn't let wifi deter you too much because Nikon's implementation isnt all that great and why we lovingly call it crapbridge instead of snapbridge...

If you are looking for an inexpensive used D810, send me a PM. I have a D500 and a D4 which are better suited for what I shoot and I haven't really been using the D810 even though the IQ is the best of the 3..

 

[Tatback]

You really can’t go wrong with any of those options. For real estate photography you’ll want the ability to go wide, which you can do with the right lens on either DX or FX.

Some quick thoughts:

• D500: This is what I shoot with and absolutely love it. However I bought it primarily for the D5 autofocus system, which is amazing for tracking fast motion, but isn’t really needed for real estate photography. The 10fps burst rate is nice, but again, not very useful for real estate, and the images are slightly lower resolution to get that burst rate (21mpix). The tilting screen is very useful, but the WiFi capability using snapbridge is kind of kludgy and I never bother with it.
• D750: Another nice choice at around the same price point as the D500. You get a full frame sensor, but it’s an older generation camera with a less capable autofocus system, which shouldn’t matter much for real estate. @astroNikon posted a comparison between the D500 and D750 last year you should definitely check out. D500 vs D750 Indoor Soccer Shootout
• D810: With much higher resolution and FX sensor, I would think this would be your best bet for real estate photography. However, you will probably find it lacking in the other categories. No WiFi, no articulating screen, older AF system with fewer focus points, lower frame rate, etc.

I hope this helps!

Thank you so much, It does help! Those are pretty much the same pros and cons that I was stuck on as well.
I will check out the link you provided as well, I'm very interested to see that.

By the way, did you say that you already know how to take Real Estate photos or that you still need to learn how to take them?

If you already know how, lets see some of your work.

I haven't actually taken any Real Estate pictures as of yet. I'm planning on photographing the houses of friends and family for practice. That Should give me a very broad range of houses and styles.

Why are you looking only at Nikon...?

I had Sony then went to Canon but I'm not stuck with tunnel vision towards Nikon. I've just heard their low light performance is incredible so thats really the reason.

I have a D500 and love it for wildlife, wouldn't be my first choice for real estate.

The D750 is a great all around camera.

The D810 has stellar image quality.

D850 probably the best Nikon camera made to date.

Your most important decision will be you lens.....

I wouldn't let wifi deter you too much because Nikon's implementation isnt all that great and why we lovingly call it crapbridge instead of snapbridge...

If you are looking for an inexpensive used D810, send me a PM. I have a D500 and a D4 which are better suited for what I shoot and I haven't really been using the D810 even though the IQ is the best of the 3..

Thank you for this, the D500 wasn't my first choice for Real Estate either but it is very enticing as an all around camera. I do live by a large equestrian community that is very active in polo and could see myself using it there for fun on the weekends.

I want to love the D810 but almost feel like it would be lacking in other areas outside of Real Estate or landscape for me. I'm stuck trying to fit the needs of two cameras into one body.

I need to give the 850 a serious consideration.

 

[coastalconn]

You really can’t go wrong with any of those options. For real estate photography you’ll want the ability to go wide, which you can do with the right lens on either DX or FX.

Some quick thoughts:

• D500: This is what I shoot with and absolutely love it. However I bought it primarily for the D5 autofocus system, which is amazing for tracking fast motion, but isn’t really needed for real estate photography. The 10fps burst rate is nice, but again, not very useful for real estate, and the images are slightly lower resolution to get that burst rate (21mpix). The tilting screen is very useful, but the WiFi capability using snapbridge is kind of kludgy and I never bother with it.
• D750: Another nice choice at around the same price point as the D500. You get a full frame sensor, but it’s an older generation camera with a less capable autofocus system, which shouldn’t matter much for real estate. @astroNikon posted a comparison between the D500 and D750 last year you should definitely check out. D500 vs D750 Indoor Soccer Shootout
• D810: With much higher resolution and FX sensor, I would think this would be your best bet for real estate photography. However, you will probably find it lacking in the other categories. No WiFi, no articulating screen, older AF system with fewer focus points, lower frame rate, etc.

I hope this helps!

Thank you so much, It does help! Those are pretty much the same pros and cons that I was stuck on as well.
I will check out the link you provided as well, I'm very interested to see that.

By the way, did you say that you already know how to take Real Estate photos or that you still need to learn how to take them?

If you already know how, lets see some of your work.

I haven't actually taken any Real Estate pictures as of yet. I'm planning on photographing the houses of friends and family for practice. That Should give me a very broad range of houses and styles.

Why are you looking only at Nikon...?

I had Sony then went to Canon but I'm not stuck with tunnel vision towards Nikon. I've just heard their low light performance is incredible so thats really the reason.

I have a D500 and love it for wildlife, wouldn't be my first choice for real estate.

The D750 is a great all around camera.

The D810 has stellar image quality.

D850 probably the best Nikon camera made to date.

Your most important decision will be you lens.....

I wouldn't let wifi deter you too much because Nikon's implementation isnt all that great and why we lovingly call it crapbridge instead of snapbridge...

If you are looking for an inexpensive used D810, send me a PM. I have a D500 and a D4 which are better suited for what I shoot and I haven't really been using the D810 even though the IQ is the best of the 3..

Thank you for this, the D500 wasn't my first choice for Real Estate either but it is very enticing as an all around camera. I do live by a large equestrian community that is very active in polo and could see myself using it there for fun on the weekends.

I want to love the D810 but almost feel like it would be lacking in other areas outside of Real Estate or landscape for me. I'm stuck trying to fit the needs of two cameras into one body.

I need to give the 850 a serious consideration.

The D810 is fine for moving mammals and some birds depending on what you shoot the 1.2x crop mode is really handy at 6FPS. Can also hit 7 fps in crop mode with grip and big battery... Search my Flickr page for D810 I have quite a few bird action shots.. link is in my signature. For me the D500 and D4 are just better because I specialize in birds...

 

[Parker219]

You may only get one chance to impress paying Realtors, so make sure you study a lot, get your equipment and be able to produce professional images BEFORE you start charging Realtors.

Post your practice pics here and we will help with some C&C.

 

[ac12]

If you push the gear, "jack of all trades, is master of none."
The different cameras are good in different areas.

• Example1. The 850 might work just fine for dressage, and jumping/steeple chase, but not for FAST races where you may want the fast AF of the D500.
• Example2. If you are not going to dig/crop into the image or make HUGE prints, the lower resolution of the D500 may be just fine.

It is a matter of critically evaluating your requirements against the capabilities of the various cameras.

If you push the envelope, "jack of all trades, is master of none." So you will reach a point where you will need TWO cameras for the diverging requirements.

One thing to consider with the D500 is the lenses.
Nikon has sadly neglected the DX line. There are only TWO pro grade DX lenses (that I know of), and neither are tele zooms. If you want GOOD glass you have to move up to the FX lenses. But what that does is, it changes and possibly screws up the designed viewing angle.

Example the classic 70-200 works well on a FX body. But put it on a DX body and it behaves like a 105-300. The problem is the short end becomes too long. There was a reason that Nikon lowered the short end from 80-200 down to 70-200, for more coverage.​

 

[Derrel]

One thing to consider with the FX Nikon model cameras: they CAN use DX-type wide-angle and ultra-wide lenses, and also full-frame-capable, traditional Nikon -mount lenses; this means that with a high-MP count Nikon, like a 36-MP or 45-MP model in the 800-series, you gewt a pretty high-MPO count DX image off of something like say, an 11-16mm or 10-24mm DX zoom lens. AND you also have the opportunity to have a high-resolution VERY wide-angle camera with say, a 14mm wide-angle lens used with the camera capturing in FX mode.

I think in many cases, AF speed is over-rated, except for things like birds in flight...cars and horses are big, and slow, and have high-cintrast decals and or riders wearing bright, high-contrast riding outfits. Compare the dive speed of say an osprey, close to perhaps 100 MPH, and TINY within the finder, to that of a car tracking a predictable, repeatable track location, where focus can be pre-set, or even left on manual focus, and shots captured at the _precise_ place on the track where the background is good and the cars make a nice composition. For example, cars leaving a turn will be in more or less the same, predictable distance and location, for the duration of the race.

I do not have a D850, but have read that the AF speed and surety is very good. Honest to goodness, I am not impressed with DX format lens choices for Nikon or Canon cameras. An FX format camera has many,many,many more new and vintage lens options than a DX format camera offers.

For real-estate shots, there's actually NOT that much need for high resolution; the walls and roofs and furnishings are basically smooth-sih, and low-detail things, compared against more-distant landscapes. I think you could easily "get by" with a 24-MP FX Nikon camera, or a 24-MP DX-model Nikon, like the D7200.

I'd personally buy two,used cameras, rather than one, new body. I prefer used Nikon bodies, and have bought a number of used cameras since 2001. With discounted used prices of over $5000 off of "new" ( D1 and D3x) to around $3,000 off of new, I've been happy with used Nikon cameras for over 15 years.