Interior Photography - what camera and lens

[syburn]

Hi,

I have been trying to decide what is the best basic equiptment to allow me to start Photography my interior design projects ( offices, houses etc).

Should I really spend the extra for a 20D?

What wide angle lens do I need?

Should I spend so much for an EF-S lens or select something likr the Sigma 12-24 that is full frame.

Will the 350D be enough for me to capture the typr of indoor shots?

Is there any other equiptment I need to help me?

Such a hard time tring to decide. I can afford a 20D but its still a burn in my pocket I would prefer to avoid if I can. But the wide angle lenses are so expensive its like buying to cameras - crazy!!!!

Cheers - Simon

[formula4speed]

I don't think the 20D has any real advantage over the Rebel XT in this particular situation, they both perform well in low light so unless you really dislike the size I'd go for the XT. I'd probably go for the Canon 10-22 lens rather than any of the 12mm lenses as 2mm can make a substantial difference for indoor shooting. Other equipment that you will seriously want to consider is a tripod and one of those angle view finders which will allow you to get the camera back up against a wall instead of having you in between.

[wilflee]

What tool (camera/lens) you choose depends on what kind of shots you want. For architectural shots, the most popular camera/lens combo is a view camera because view camera allows you to fix perspective problems (especially for wide angle lens) that cannot be fixed with fixed-axis lens. Of course, you don't have to get a dedicated view camera as Hasselblad makes an ArcBody camera and Canon makes tilf-shift lenses. These aren't flexible as a true view camera with separate lens/film boards but works just as well as long as you don't need too much adjustments.

For more casual shots where perspective errors don't matter, you should use a 50mm lens for the most natural magnification and take several shots to stitch together. If you use a wide angle, the lens makes things look unnaturally small and the room bigger and it really is.

[Tdragone]

Don't forget to budget for a good flash.

I have been learning a lot by observing others with external flashes and how they use them. The built in flashes on EOS cameras fire straight out; which will; in an interior space create some unwelcome shadows.

I'm not going to recommend one; I'll leave that for others here; but having the ability to bounce a flash off the cieling to get a good fill flash with no shadows would be a HUGE benefit when taking indoor photos.

-Tom D.

[seXeh]

I'd like to resurrect this thread since I have a very similar question :D

I'll be getting a 350D soon as well as the 50mm 1.8, should that be good enough for interior shots of people homes?

In terms of lighting, is a flash must? I cant see myself paying for one unless its very necessary. Any tips for taking interior shots with natural light? Will long exposure help?

Thanks for you help in advance!

[EricKonieczny]

You must get a Tripod, for long exposures, with a good ball head I would recommend.

A remote would be helpful.

a Flash will help also , but long expsures will be better for no creating shadows.

I love my Canon 10-22 wide angle


I would also recommend a Bubble level, to make sure you have the horizon straight

[Curtis N]

For architectural shots, the most popular camera/lens combo is a view camera because view camera allows you to fix perspective problems (especially for wide angle lens) that cannot be fixed with fixed-axis lens.Both Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro have tools for correcting perspective that are pretty easy to use. This would be a whole lot cheaper than a view camera or a tilt-shift lens.

If there are advantages to solving the perspective problem optically, rather than digitally, please enlighten me.

[Jon]

I'd like to resurrect this thread since I have a very similar question :D

I'll be getting a 350D soon as well as the 50mm 1.8, should that be good enough for interior shots of people homes?

In terms of lighting, is a flash must? I cant see myself paying for one unless its very necessary. Any tips for taking interior shots with natural light? Will long exposure help?

Thanks for you help in advance!
You're going to find the 50 isn't wide enough for rooms in most people's houses/apartments, unless your idea of "Most People" runs to Queen Elizabeth II, George Bush or Vladimir Putin. You really need smething at least as wide as the wide end of the "kit" 18-55, or the 17-85, to do rooms justice. Much wider and you'll start to see parallax distortion around the edges as objects seem to elongate.

[jaypie77]

If you're going to go with a small-frame camera, you're going to need the Canon 24mm TSE and maybe the 17-40 for a lot of stuff. Those might not be wide-enough for you, but you're going to get a LOT of distortion if you go wider. If you can afford it, get a 5D, don't bother with 20D, save your money for a full-frame.

[rcg]

16-35L would be a good choice on the 20D (1.6x) 25.5mm equiv FF

[SkipD]

I'll be getting a 350D soon as well as the 50mm 1.8, should that be good enough for interior shots of people homes?

In terms of lighting, is a flash must? I cant see myself paying for one unless its very necessary. Any tips for taking interior shots with natural light? Will long exposure help?!The 50mm lens is actually a telephoto lens when used on a 350D. You will want wide-angle lenses for the most part. A "normal" lens for the 350D is approximately 31mm (equivalent to the 50mm lens on a full-frame 35mm camera). That (31mm) is probably about the longest focal length you'll want to use for interiors.

I fully second the motion for the Canon 16-35mm f2.8 L lens. I have one, and it's great for interior work.

As far as lighting goes, a single flash on the camera is probably the worst lighting you could use for interiors. If you can't work wigh available light, you will probably want several studio flash units that can be strategically placed, along with various "modifiers" for the flash units to control how much and where the light goes from them.

It should not have to be said, but a good sturdy tripod is an absolute must.

[ronmayhew]

Definitely, the wider angle is better. Stitching together 50mm shots is one I had not considered before.

I have actually found myself taking off my 24-70L and putting on the 18-55 EF-S kit lens for indoor shots, on more than one occassion! Got some pretty good pictures used in commercial advertisements from that lens.

I picked up the 18-55 EF-S kit lens on ebay for $70 just to have a little bit more wide angle when I needed it.

[KennyG]

There is really only one type of lens for that type of work, the Canon TS-E. It isn't cheap, but for accurate interior shots without distortion it is the ultimate tool. I used one for a product shoot inside a car showroom and the ability to keep everything at the correct angles and perspective was impressive.

http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=156&modelid=7328

[PhotosGuy]

Both Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro have tools for correcting perspective that are pretty easy to use. This would be a whole lot cheaper than a view camera or a tilt-shift lens. You can "fix" it before you start if you keep the axis of the cam at 90 degrees to the floor. If you have to use the 50, flip the cam verticle & pano the shots together.
Take the lens out of autofocus & tape the focus adjustment so it doesn't change accidentally during the exposures. The kit lens focus will almost change with a breath of wind! OK, you know what I mean. ;)

[seXeh]

Hey thanks for all the good advice.

I like the idea of stitching it together, nice one!

As I can't afford anything close to L lenses at the moment, these alternatives are much appreciated!

Thanks!

[chtgrubbs]

A great deal depends on how the photograph will be used, and especially how large it will be, and also on your photoshop skills. Photos to be reproduced in weekly real estate listings are very small and not very demanding of technical quality. But photos for high quality magazine reproductions or architect's use demand very high quality photos, so you should determine what your target market will be. For high end work I would recommend a full frame camera which will allow you to use prime wide angle lenses to best advantage. You will have to work with wide to very wide angle lenses, or stitch photos together. I don't recommend zooms for wide angle work unless you want to use software correction to correct for the barrel or pincushion distortion which you will find in zooms. Lighting is critical to me, and 75% of the work in an architectural shoot is lighting and arranging the furniture and decorations. Digital has some terrific advantages by being able to blend exposures to balance out lighting. Learn to look at a room and see how the lighting defines the space and volume of the room and then supplement the existing lighting to emphasize important details. I use both strobes and continuous lighting depending on the circumstances. And you will find it very advantageous to visit the site during different times of the day to see how the light changes with movement of the sun. If a space has windows the there will definitely be a certain time when the light is better than others, even if that time is during a cloudy day or after dark!

[SWPhotoImaging]

My wife is a decorator, and I have been shooting interiors for her for several years using my 10D. The lenses are the issue with small sensor cameras, in that I have had to resort to very wide glass to get what would be an easy shot with a FF camera and an average lens. I spent a lot of time fixing distorsion and such in those shots.

I recently purchased a 5D, and have found the holy grail of DSLR camera for interiors. I can use even my 24-70 for a lot of shots now, the excellent high ISO quality means natural lighting and less setup, and the 14mm prime I used with my 10D is sometimes too wide. I will probably invest in a T/S lens next, so I can go from camera to print with far less PP time fixing distorsion. I think with any DSLR, a T/S lens is really needed for interiors (or architecture) if you do a lot of them.