Wide Angle Lense suggestion

[AussieNath]

Hi,

I am just about to buy my first digital SLR (a 300D) and am getting a lot of conflicting recommendations from sales guys in regards to lens choice for the purpose of taking real estate photos.

I want to take indoor photos obviously and am thinking the EF 14 lense is the best choice.

Budget is an issue, so I want to keep it as cheap as is possible.

Will this lense cause distortion of the picture? and are there any other lenses that I should consider?

Thanks for your help.

[sGu]

From my experience, all wide angle lenses will cause certain degree of distortion, the wider it gets, the more distortion it'll have, unless it's a tilt n shift ones.

I would suggest you to go into a camera store to try out the lens, see if you like the picture taken on the lens before you invest your hard earned money in it.

When you say you take indoor photos, what exactly do you mean? Interior of architecture or indoor events, or something else?

[Andy_T]

Are you referring to the EF 14 f/2.8 L lens?

Looks like a very good lens with little distortion (no fish-eye lens), but with a B+H price of 1725$ not exactly a 'budget' lens.

(not the typical first accessory lens for a Digital Rebel, if you'll allow me to state :lol:)

What exactly are you looking for in the lens?
Which features should it have?
What's your budget restriction?

Best regards,
Andy

[Pekka]

Hi,

I am just about to buy my first digital SLR (a 300D) and am getting a lot of conflicting recommendations from sales guys in regards to lens choice for the purpose of taking real estate photos.

I want to take indoor photos obviously and am thinking the EF 14 lense is the best choice.

Budget is an issue, so I want to keep it as cheap as is possible.

Will this lense cause distortion of the picture? and are there any other lenses that I should consider?

Thanks for your help.

For outdoor house shots Sigma 20 may be the best budget choice.

For indoor shots if you can shoot on tripod (f11-22), Sigma 12-24 could be a good choice. Just make sure you get a deal where you can exchange it if there are quality problems (some are good and some not so good).

Sigma 14 is also very good (with above reservations).

Sigma/Canon 14 + Canon 17-40L would be most likely ideal combination.

[AussieNath]

Are you referring to the EF 14 f/2.8 L lens?

Looks like a very good lens with little distortion (no fish-eye lens), but with a B+H price of 1725$ not exactly a 'budget' lens.

(not the typical first accessory lens for a Digital Rebel, if you'll allow me to state :lol:)

What exactly are you looking for in the lens?
Which features should it have?
What's your budget restriction?

Best regards,
Andy

Yes this is the lens in question.

When I say indoor, I mean I need to capture say, a shot of a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen etc. Obviously some of these rooms can be quiet small, particularly for units, so I'll need a lens capable of this type of work.

I don't want any distortion of my pictures (or very little)

The budget restriction is just a case of not wanting to spend more than needed. I do not want to fork out $1750 if the lens is overkill for this kind of work.

If it wasn't for the multiplying effect of the digital body, I know the standard 18-55mm lense would be sufficient. This lens should however be adequate for outdoor use.

Do you think it is possible to get away with something a little larger than 14mm?

[CyberDyneSystems]

I'd be looking at either the Canon 17-40mm f/4 L or the Sigma 12-24mm in either case assuming that a tripod will be used.

[CoolToolGuy]

Give the Tamron 14mm f2.8 a look. It is around $1000 new (a $100 rebate may be active), and you might find one used at KEH.COM for around $725. I have one and I love it. The focus is a little noisy, but not objectionable.

Have Fun,

[Andy_T]

Hi,

here's a rather positive review of the Sigma 12-24: http://194.100.88.243/petteri/pont/Reviews/a_Sigma_12-24_f4.5-5.6/a_Sigma_EX_12-24_f4.5-5.6.html

Best regards,
Andy

[AussieNath]

Thanks a lot guys for your help. You've given me a short list of lenses to test. I'll let you know what I end up with.

Regards,
Nathan

[Olegis]

How about the Sigma 15-30 f/3.5-4.5 EX (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=35762) ? Very nice lens from what I've read on the Web.

[Malaxos1]

I just bought the Tamron 19-35mm f3.5-4. It got great reveiws and that is why I got it. However, I used it at a wedding I was shooting and it back focused on a number of shots. I have not read anything on this with this specific lens. I will be trying out a some test shots tomorrow and will post my findings. Who knows maybe it was me, after all I dfell asleep at the event. That was a first for... :? Dean