[gooberdude]

I need to buy a DSLR & ultra wide angle lens for a real estate company.  90% of the shots are indoors on a tri-pod.

I'm leaning towards a Nikon D90 or D7000.  The local shop also carries Pentax.

The lens recommended is a Sigma 8-16mm ultra wide angle.  It allows a nearly 180 degree perspective & costs $700 everywhere.

Am I on the right path?

matt

[Jon L]

What you want is Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8, which is universally praised and sharp. That Sigma is slow at f/4.5-5.6, which is not good for indoor real estate photo's. 

I have used the Tokina for real estate professionals, and the photos really "pop" without looking too fake or fisheye, which professionals or customers do not want to see.  They like to see wide angle shots that make the interior look more spacious without looking obviously artificial.

[gooberdude]

Jon, I owe you a beer!   I was all set to buy the Sigma.   I have read that 8mm shows 20% more than even a 10mm lens...but I hear you on the fisheye effect.  I'd rather have quality vs quantity at this point.

I think for the first attempt at a DSLR i'm buying a new Pentax K-r body for about $600, and will spend whatever necessary to get the right lens.

I have purchased a Sunpak Pro423 cf tripod.  I really like the pistol grip, its so fast...just hope it can withstand the heavier weight of a DSLR.   My current camera is 4lbs.

[nathanm]

It would put a dent in and\or blow your budget, but ideally you want a tilt-shift lens for architecture.  Although in my experience I've never seen a high end real estate image on a website, they all look like they were shot with little crap cameras.  I dunno, maybe you're dealing with something more swank.  If you want straight verticals and no barrel distortion that would be the way to go.  Not too fast to shoot with of course.

http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Camera-Lenses/2168/PC-E-NIKKOR-24mm-f%252F3.5D-ED.html
http://learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/2011/intro_tilt_shift_lenses_article.shtml

If you sell enough houses or find some sunken treasure you could get a Cambo Wide and a Phase One Back!   

[thunderbrick]

What you want is Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8, which is universally praised and sharp. That Sigma is slow at f/4.5-5.6, which is not good for indoor real estate photo's. 

I was about to say a 12-24 range would be more versatile, but an 11-16 would do very well.  As much as I love my various 2.8 lenses, a slow zoom will not hurt you, and will save you a lot of $$$.  On a tripod you don't need the fast glass, 'cause you'll normally be shooting at smaller (8, 11, etc.) apertures anyway.

The deciding factor is "who's the end user?"  Web?  Newspaper?  In those cases the "pop" won't pay for itself.  Architectural mags?  Spend the extra $$$!.

Edit:  I think the 8mm is WAY too wide. 180 degrees is kinda bizarre,  Just my .02 worth.

[Wind Chaser]

As of this morning, the sun is setting on Kr...

http://www.pentaxforums.com/news/pentax-k-r-discontinued.html

[gooberdude]

Ha!  So much to learn, thanks guys.  The salesguy today did say the K-r was on sale, with a std lens, for $600.

Am I pissing away $700 by going with the Sigma?  Should i steer clear of Sigma? 

I hardly ever zoom, and when I do its outdoors taking shots of the house or backyard.  I don't use the flash, unless totally necessary (no power on in the home). I'll probably always use auto-focus.

For the body I'm leaning towards Nikon now, D5100 maybe. $800 with a stock lens that I can use for a few weeks.  I may have to start making videos of houses to post on the website, and nikons HD video capabilities trump the K-r. I don't need an uber hi-end body, but don't want the lower end models.

The salesguy wasn't too enthused about the f/2.8 on the Tokina, saying objects farther away might get blurred.  A lot of the homes I'm in have poor lightiing, which the Tokina would do better at. Also, I'm not often shooting in large rooms.  40' depth, max, unless its an outdoor shot. Most shots are at 20' depth or less.

The end user is yet to be defined actually.  Today, the main focus is pictures on the website. But, we often print them too. A lot of our portfolio are monster, awesome single family houses. Bsmts w/$100K HT's & what not. We also do standard apartments & condos...obviously an architectural grade system isn't needed.

I'm always looking to the future, and what we need it for now can change. The firm didn't really begin taking photos but 3-4 yrs ago...been in business since 1977   

Choosing the right lens seems like the critical part.

[thunderbrick]

Again, it doesn't so much matter if the lens is sharp at 2.8, because the narrow depth of field associated with the 2.8 is poison for your specific application.    Real estate photos need to let the potential customer's eyes "wander" through the interior shots which SHOULD have everything in focus, which equates to a small aperture.  The idea is to be able to see good detail in all parts of the image so the viewer gets a detailed idea of what the interior looks like.

I suggest you do this:  Buy a card, put it in the dealer's camera, use the Sigma and/or Tokina in the store at various aperture settings , and see if find a difference that matters to you.

2.8 lenses (or faster) are great, if only because the brighter image in the viewfinder make it easier to see.  I use my 2.8 and faster lenses wide open (or nearly so) for theater work, indoor available light people shots, and night sports, all hand-held.  Most of the rest of the time I shoot F8-11.

Years ago I was a camera store salesman.  I know of what I speak.

Unless Nathan disagrees, of course.   

EDIT:  I would worry far more about even lighting than I would max aperture or brand. 

[Early B.]

EDIT:  I would worry far more about even lighting than I would max aperture or brand.

This. If you're shooting low light interiors with depths of as much as 40' as you mentioned, and shooting at f/8 or lower, you'll benefit greatly by investing in lighting if quality is a significant consideration.

[nathanm]

I do disagree, thunderbrick was never a camera store salesman.  Everybody knows he used to sell waffle irons door to door.  I mean, come on.  I've never even met the guy and I know that much.

[thunderbrick]

Nathan, I sold waffle irons door-to-door AFTER the B&M photo store I worked in went under.  It closed because people kept going online, asking for guidance, and losing their minds when they got dozens of conflicting answers to every question.
 

[shokunin]

+1 on lighting.  Lens choice/sharpness won't matter too much as the resolution on MLS is quite low.  Even if you're printing brochures, you're don't need super high resolution photos.   I'd invest far more into lighting than the camera/lens.

I'd recommend at least two remote strobes or plain hot shoe flashes (Yongnuo/vivitar/etc).  They don't need to be super powerful, you'll want to balance ambient and strobe lighting, so control/lower your shutter speed to balance in the ambient lighting.  I personally would stay away from HDR photos, but lots of realtards seem to use them.

Some strobes, a few inexpensive umbrellas, wireless triggers and some light stands and you'd be good to go. 

[Jon L]

Some strobes, a few inexpensive umbrellas, wireless triggers and some light stands and you'd be good to go.

Wow, I have just bought exactly all those things in past week or so, to add to the bunch of flashes, strobes, stands that I already own, not to mention beauty dish!

[nathanm]

A beauty dish will look great on the really pretty model homes, but only as long as they have smooth paint without blemishes.  Use softer light on the older homes to help hide wrinkles.

[thunderbrick]

 

[Jon L]

Beauty dish on homes?  BD is strictly for that beautiful model portrait (anybody know some?)

[Tubo]

What you want is Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8, which is universally praised and sharp. That Sigma is slow at f/4.5-5.6, which is not good for indoor real estate photo's. 

I have used the Tokina for real estate professionals, and the photos really "pop" without looking too fake or fisheye, which professionals or customers do not want to see.  They like to see wide angle shots that make the interior look more spacious without looking obviously artificial.

I second the recommendation. I shoot a lot of real estate on a professional basis, and the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 is my lens of choice (along with a Nikon D300). I am also a recovering architect.

Many interior shots require HDR. The classic example is a room with a picture window. You want to be able to expose correctly for the interior and the exterior view, and the only way to do that is with HDR (unless you use a lot of supplemental lighting, which makes the picture artificial). Therefore, the SLR you choose should be able to bracket automatically in at least 1-stop increments for at least 7 shots (yes, the difference in illumination between interior and exterior is that wide!)

Real estate assignments don't pay enough to justify setting up lights, in my opinion. It is up to you, but a properly lit room takes time. Shooting with a tripod with a camera that performs well in low light means you can shoot in very dim interiors without photo lights.

The HDR software I use is Photomatic Pro. Easy to use, highly recommended.

Good luck!

[gooberdude]

A few weeks ago I pulled the trigger.  Extremely happy with the results.  Thank you to everyone that provided insight.

Turns out St Louis only has 1 professional photo store: Schillers.  I bought a store demo Nikon D3000 w/18-55 VR lens ($450) and a Tamron SP AF 10-24mm F/3.5-4.5 Di II lens.

The Tamron lens was just under $500 and this allowed me to get a bag, spare battery, UV lens protector, remote ctrl & extended warranty (within budget).  so far the quality of the photos is outstanding, and i can finally take decent on-center shots of bed & bathrooms.  The low light capability of this set-up is perfect for my application too.

matt

[Netdewt]

Go Canon or Nikon for sure. They are the cutting edge, most widely used, and best selections of lenses. For you application a Sigma lens should be great!