Which Lens for Photographing Homes

[BearLeeAlive]

I am in the process of (re)building a website for my company. I do custom home building and renovations. As I am in to photography I would like to take my own photos. I only do residential work, so the largest subject size would be of the front elevation of a house, with the surrounding landscape in many cases. I would also be taking photos inside of rooms and details. I might like to do some panned shots, I would imagine stitching images would be the way to go.

What would be a good lens for this use? Right now I am using a 20D with thoughts of getting a FF soon (was hoping for a 5D MkII but will likely get a 5D). My lenses that could be of use are 50, 85, 100, 10-22, 17-85 & 24-105.

My thoughts, a TS-E 24mm. Would this be overkill? I know I could used some of the lenses I have and use CS2 to bring the perspective closer to normal and crop. Would I lose anything by doing this? How about for stitching images, wide angle is not very good for this, I would imagine a TS lens would make this easier to do.

Any thoughts or input would be appreciated.

Now, over to the Lighting Forum on the same subject. LINK (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=297452)

[coreypolis]

its a great lens, and will work ewll for this. I think you might be in for some headaches trying to stitch them together though, if you made any chages to the perseptive that is.

I would rent one first though, its a very specialized lens and a big investment.

I usualy use a 16-35 on a 1.3x body and fix the distortion if I have to

[drjiveturkey]

for the inside of the house, I'd go with a fisheye. 180 degree coverage making a nice panoramic shot when defished.

TS lens are nice too, but with you're correct that you can do perspective control PP.

[blueM]

The 24-105 will not be wide enough for interiors. If you want to do interior panos you will have to get a pano rig. You will not be stitch shots just be rotating your camera on a tripod. Too much distortion, one shot to the next, because everything is too close.

As suggested above the 16-35 would be a great lens on the 5D

[Honeybee]

Check the FM reviews on Sigma 15-30 (can be used on 5D).

[BearLeeAlive]

Thanks for the input everyone.

its a great lens, and will work ewll for this. I think you might be in for some headaches trying to stitch them together though, if you made any chages to the perseptive that is.

I would rent one first though, its a very specialized lens and a big investment.

I usualy use a 16-35 on a 1.3x body and fix the distortion if I have to
Renting is a good idea. I would practise a bunch in my own home first no matter what lens I plan on going with.
for the inside of the house, I'd go with a fisheye. 180 degree coverage making a nice panoramic shot when defished.

TS lens are nice too, but with you're correct that you can do perspective control PP.
Can a fisheye be corrected well enough to look 'normal'? Would it not stretch out some parts of the image so it looks odd? I have been playing with getting a Peleng 8MM. Might that be too wide?
The 24-105 will not be wide enough for interiors. If you want to do interior panos you will have to get a pano rig. You will not be stitch shots just be rotating your camera on a tripod. Too much distortion, one shot to the next, because everything is too close.

As suggested above the 16-35 would be a great lens on the 5D
I agree on the 24-105. It would only be useful with detail shots. I did plan on dumping my 17-85 and 10-22 and getting a 17-40 or maybe a 16-35 once I get a FF body. I would prefer the 17-40 for its lighter weight and would think it would still do fine with adequate ligthing.
Check the FM reviews on Sigma 15-30 (can be used on 5D).
Not familiar with this lens, will look at it though. How does it compare to the 17-40 for image quality?

[Wilt]

for the inside of the house, I'd go with a fisheye. 180 degree coverage making a nice panoramic shot when defished.

TS lens are nice too, but with you're correct that you can do perspective control PP.


Yes post processing can straighten out converging verticals, but they have to spread the existing pixels to do so...the results are easily horrible looking! There was a thread showing such an example, and you understand rapidly why that should only be done in verrrrry moderate amounts -- or fix it in the shooting! I can't find that example of horrible pixel spread and exaggeration of the limited resolution within that area, but on another thread comparing the TSE result vs. Photoshop lens correction, the guy state, "The last shot in the series is an edited version of photo 1 above. The lens correction filter was used to bring the verticals more upright. I noticed that contrast was lost and softness introduced where the pixels had been compressed and stretched. The image was then cropped to give a regular rectangular frame."


You MUST have a perfectly level camera and lens in order to avoid converging lines, with a rectilinear lens. A shift lens permits a level camera while altering the framing so that you get an optimal shot. Otherwise you would have to climb the ladder a lot more, to avoid converging lines without a shift lens.

With a fisheye, ANY LINE which does not pass exactly thru the center of the frame will be BOWED, not merely converging lines!

[coreypolis]

There's always this fun guy:
http://0-360.com/

[ed rader]

for use with the 5d i'd get the 17-40L or the new 16-35L when it comes out.

ed rader

[BearLeeAlive]

Great input Wilt.
There's always this fun guy:
http://0-360.com/
That does look neat, though most of the image is quite distorted.

[darktiger]

I would use the 16-35L 2.8 or the 10-22.

[Pinto]

Yes post processing can straighten out converging verticals, but they have to spread the existing pixels to do so...the results are easily horrible looking! There was a thread showing such an example, and you understand rapidly why that should only be done in verrrrry moderate amounts -- or fix it in the shooting! I can't find that example of horrible pixel spread and exaggeration of the limited resolution within that area, but on another thread comparing the TSE result vs. Photoshop lens correction, the guy state, "The last shot in the series is an edited version of photo 1 above. The lens correction filter was used to bring the verticals more upright. I noticed that contrast was lost and softness introduced where the pixels had been compressed and stretched. The image was then cropped to give a regular rectangular frame."


You MUST have a perfectly level camera and lens in order to avoid converging lines, with a rectilinear lens. A shift lens permits a level camera while altering the framing so that you get an optimal shot. Otherwise you would have to climb the ladder a lot more, to avoid converging lines without a shift lens.

With a fisheye, ANY LINE which does not pass exactly thru the center of the frame will be BOWED, not merely converging lines!

What Wilt said. If you're serious, I think the TS-E 24mm is the only real choice. Rent one like Cory recommended.

[cosworth]

for use with the 5d i'd get the 17-40L or the new 16-35L when it comes out.

ed rader

Word to your mother!

[Psychic1]

I use the 5D & TS-E24L/17-40L combo for architecture all the time and I do not foresee changing any time soon. The 10D & 70-200L handle the exterior details.

If Canada is like the US, anything you purchase for your business is a deductable expense.

Have-a-ball:D

[BearLeeAlive]

Thanks again for the input everyone.

I am going to a local camera store to pick up a new tripod tomorrow and will see if they rent the TS-E 24. I will give it a go. I realize that it has a steeper learning curve than most lenses. Does anyone know of any instructional pages or review pages on that lens.

I will do a bunch of practice with my other lenses and play with the images in PS to see what kind of results I can get.

[Bubble]

I shot for real estate agen with my EF-S 10-22 for the overall interior and 24-70 for the rest of it. Some sample

http://vietnamet.com/3.jpg

http://vietnamet.com/6.jpg

http://vietnamet.com/12.jpg

http://vietnamet.com/17.jpg

[BottomBracket]

I sometimes shoot real estate pictures for a friend. I use the 17-40 on a 20d and correct perspective using the Transform tool in PS. You might want to explore this option first before dropping your money on a TS-E.

[Wilt]

Thanks again for the input everyone.

I am going to a local camera store to pick up a new tripod tomorrow and will see if they rent the TS-E 24. I will give it a go. I realize that it has a steeper learning curve than most lenses. Does anyone know of any instructional pages or review pages on that lens.

I will do a bunch of practice with my other lenses and play with the images in PS to see what kind of results I can get.

Unfortunately the 24TSE really does its job for architectural work on a FF camera...on your 20D it is too long to be truly useful...38mm FOV on a 35mm SLR!

[BearLeeAlive]

I sometimes shoot real estate pictures for a friend. I use the 17-40 on a 20d and correct perspective using the Transform tool in PS. You might want to explore this option first before dropping your money on a TS-E.
I will try the Transform Tool with some of my lenses for sure and maybe rent the TS-E for a practice day. As image quality is not going to matter as much as composition and lighting for web use, the Transform Tool may just cut the grade fine.
Unfortunately the 24TSE really does its job for architectural work on a FF camera...on your 20D it is too long to be truly useful...38mm FOV on a 35mm SLR!
For sure Wilt, I would not consider the TS-E 24 without purchasing a FF.

Nice colour in those shots Bubble.

[SeanH]

10-22 was made for that stuff. It's not like you need a fast lens anyway, I shoot all interiors at F8 or 11. But if your going with the FF you might wanna check out the Sigma 12-24, that's what I have been using on my Mk2N. But now that I have a 30D & 10-22 I'll be using that. The Sigma is great but has a bit more barrel distortion than the 10-22, however you can't use it on the 5D.........but you still can use it on a 20D and only lose 2 mm while your still using the 20D.