what would you suggest?

[mirosh]

I am expanding my talents in the real-estate world (it came to me really....) and i am noticing that i need lighting for those dark basements and other areas with poor lighting. I want to buy a lighting kit as i am sure its saves money and is easier than piecing together. What kit would you suggest? Is real-estate shooting a different beast then the lighting set up for portrait?

any suggestions would be great
andrew

ps. I have no lighting stuff at the moment, only my 30d and my Super Wide Angle EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS.

[mirosh]

no suggestions?

[MaxxuM]

I do a little Real Estate work for my FiL and it is a whole different beast IMO. I've gone the strobist way because it affords me cheap, small and highly mobile lighting. So far the most lights I've used are six flashes (had to borrow two) in a large old house. The three things I can say about photographing property is 1. Megapixels don't matter when 95% of the photos are online, 2. wide angle lenses are best and 3. lighting is not simply illuminating the entire house - trying to light a room/home so it looks cozy/comfortable is key.

[ben_r_]

Yea to add to the wide angle aspect... You have a very nice all around lens already, in fact as far as the EF-S lenses go its about the best you can get. However 17mm on a 30D is really 17mm x 1.6(crop sensor) = 27.2mm which really isnt wide enough when you have tight corners or smaller rooms that you want to make look bigger in real estate photos. You should consider looking into getting a Canon EF-S 10-22mm lens which is a true wide angle lens for cropped sensor bodies like the rebels and 10D-40D. Other than that pick yourself up a 580EX II while they are still on sale at bhphotovideo for $329 and start playing with that. Youll get a much better feel for how much more light you might or might not need. I think the bounce card in the 580EX II (among many other additional features such as power) will be very helpful in your situation. You could also try a 430EX with something like a LumiQuest ProMax System.

[mirosh]

thanks a lot

[PhotosGuy]

Lotsa' links:
DOF for Architecture (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=331395)

[Curtis N]

Among the links in that thread Photosguy mentioned, I think this one is particularly valuable if you want great light for cheap.
http://photographyforrealestate.net/2007/07/23/interior-lighting-with-multiple-strobes-by-scott-hargis/

[mirosh]

ooooh very nice, thank you