If you’re starting out with shooting spaces, I would not recommend going to a tilt-shift lens. In an ideal world, tilt-shift lenses would be really affordable. And when it comes to lenses, having quality glass really does help make a difference! For this type of lens I recommend investing as much as you can for quality because this lens will be your main workhorse for a while.
For a full frame camera, you’ll probably end up with one in the range of 16-35mm. For a cropped sensor camera, you’ll most likely land on lenses that have a range of 10-22mm. When you’re selecting a zoom lens, keep in mind that it needs to start at a pretty wide focal length (see the notes above about wide angle lenses). It also means that you can have one zoom lens that can meet a range of needs, and this translates to you investing less to get a big bang for your buck. When you’re starting, though, having a zoom lens is perfect! The main benefit to a zoom lens is that you can adjust the focal length easily as you learn what works best for you. Prime lenses are at a fixed focal length, so they tend to be purchased after you’ve gotten to know the lengths that are the best fit for your needs. The choice comes down to preference, but the 50mm f/1.8 is a very affordable and versatile option.Įventually, you’ll most likely turn to using prime lenses only. You’ll want a lens that can open nice and wide (f2.0 or lower is ideal) so that you can get the shallow depth of field for some of those details. My go-to focal length is a 50mm, but others may prefer an 85mm or even longer! Besides the focal length, the aperture range is crucial, too. For these, you’ll want a tighter lens than your wide angle. Although I will say that having the option to go to a wider focal length comes in handy in smaller spaces on interior shoots as well (think about hall baths or small guest rooms)!Įspecially when doing vacation rentals, architectural, or interior photography shoots, there will be details that you want to capture. If you’re not planning on doing work for real estate or vacation listings, you could look at lenses starting at about 20mm+ for a better fit for the needs. For a full frame camera, a lens that goes to 16mm is ideal. Fish-eye lenses distort everything far too much for client use, and the distortion is so much that it’s tougher to correct this distortion in Lightroom afterwards! For a cropped sensor camera, a lens that goes to 10mm is ideal. You’ll want to avoid the ultra-wide lenses that give a fish-eye effect. Wide angle lenses will help you show an entire room for listing photos, and at times it’ll also come in handy for architectural and interior shoots, too! It’s especially crucial when you photograph tight spaces, which will happen often as you start shooting more properties. So let’s review what to look for in an ideal lens for interior photography.Įspecially if you’re going to start with real estate photography or vacation rental photography, you’ll want to make sure to get a wide angle lens. If you’re looking at where to focus your investment, I recommend getting a camera body that is more than sufficient for you and then really investing in great lenses to give you the composition options you need. The lens will determine things like depth of field possibilities, sharpness, and focal range. I’m starting with lenses because they actually will have a much bigger impact on the image than the camera body. Then I’ll give you a few specific models to check out that may fit the bill perfectly! Let’s dig in. So rather than give you a long list of cameras or lenses, let’s cover the qualities to consider when looking for your next camera or lens.
Likewise, you can make beautiful images with simple inexpensive gear if they know how to use it! This is why it’s always a good idea to start with what you have, learn it inside-out so that you can use it to the most of its capabilities, and then upgrade when you’re able to. Having the “perfect” gear, though, will do nothing if you don’t know how to compose, light, and edit.
Yes, having the right gear will make your job easier or make some technical aspects much better. I hate to say it, but at the end of the day it really is NOT about the gear.
The question then becomes - what ARE the best lenses and cameras for interior photography? If you don’t have a light of any kind, you realize that there are areas that could use a pop of crispness. If you don’t have a wide angle lens, you realize that those listing photos are not showing enough. When you first start photographing spaces, whether for real estate photography, architectural photography or interior photography clients, you quickly realize that the gear you use can make a big difference.