Camera and lens(es) recommendations?

[morkus64]

Looking for a decent camera and lens combo to take pictures of my architectural and interior design work. I focus primarily on residential and hospitality, so I need something that will allow me to get a good mood shot of a dimly lit massage room or an intimate corner of a restaurant as well as a bright colorful living room or rich wood and granite in a kitchen. Finally, I often find myself trying to get pictures in a fairly tight space, so a wide(ish) angle would be good.

I'm not looking to spend thousands, but could potentially spend hundreds. That said, the less expensive, the better, and I'm not averse to using something a generation or two or three old so long as it's good. I'm not a pro, but I have some experience with a camera, like to tinker, and there's a fairly decent chance that I'll need to make a print at some point up to 36x48.

Your recommendations are appreciated! TIA!

 

[iGas]

An 8x10 with a 150mm or 120mm, and 240mm or 300mm.

Or, a 6x9, 6x7, or 4x5 with the a slightly wide angle & an ultra wide angle lens.

Or, a Canikon FF digital camera with a 24mm tilt shift & a 45mm tilt shift lens.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Or, a Canikon FF digital camera with a 24mm tilt shift & a 45mm tilt shift lens.

I like this suggestion. I'd guess a well used 5D + rokinon/bower 24mm tilt-shift lens would still blow the ~$1000 budget though.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

Best you can do in the "hundreds" range is probably a used Canon Rebel and 10-22mm lens (which is the Canon version; you can find off-brand lenses like the Tokina 11-16mm for possibly some savings). If you want to step up to the low 4 figures ($1200 or less) then a used Canon 5D and 17-40mm lens.

You want a lens that is effectively 20mm or wider; go by the plain number on a full-frame camera, or for a crop camera, multiply the true focal length by 1.5x (Nikon) or 1.6x (Canon) to get the effective focal length, thus the Canon 10-22mm has an effective focal length of 16-35mm.

You will definitely want a good tripod ($200+) and become familiar with the mirror lock-up / self-timer technique (to avoid all possible vibrations from mirror swing and pressing the shutter button) and full manual control. Set the camera up on the tripod, set the ISO to 100, the aperture to f/8 or f/11, and the exposure time to as long as necessary (could be 4-10 seconds... which is why you want your tripod to be rock solid, no movement whatsoever). The dark/bright dichotomy won't come into play, you can always just make the exposure longer.

Tilt-shift lenses are the best for this kind of work, but it will run you in the $1000's for the lens alone. You can do a lot of perspective correction in post processing.

 

[CptObvious]

Refurbed Nikon D3200 for $329 here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nikon-D3200...632444?pt=Digital_Cameras&hash=item566110193c

Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 lens for $429: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._6D_EX_DC.html. I'd probably add the copy of LR 5 if you don't already have photo software.

Dolica CF tripod at Costco for $85 here: http://www.costco.com/Dolica-Prolin...-with-Ball-Head-Bundle-.product.11746472.html

I think this would be the most cost-effective way to go ultra-wide angle for interior photography, since those lenses are typically not cheap.

 

[Spoooon]

FWIW, I shot the below picture with an SLT-A37 and Tamron 10-24 at 10mm (the owner wanted all the lights cranked up, so not as "moody" as it could have been). You can see how much fits in the frame and (because of the massage table) you can get a sense of how tight the quarters were as well as an idea of the distortion. KEH has the 10-24 in various mounts between $300 and $400. In retrospect, I should have saved some money and gone with a slower lens.

 

[trevorjb1406]

Looking for a decent camera and lens combo to take pictures of my architectural and interior design work. I focus primarily on residential and hospitality, so I need something that will allow me to get a good mood shot of a dimly lit massage room or an intimate corner of a restaurant as well as a bright colorful living room or rich wood and granite in a kitchen. Finally, I often find myself trying to get pictures in a fairly tight space, so a wide(ish) angle would be good.

I'm not looking to spend thousands, but could potentially spend hundreds. That said, the less expensive, the better, and I'm not averse to using something a generation or two or three old so long as it's good. I'm not a pro, but I have some experience with a camera, like to tinker, and there's a fairly decent chance that I'll need to make a print at some point up to 36x48.

Your recommendations are appreciated! TIA!

Hello, I have taken many photographs of architectural subjects and even more of interiors. Just to explain I started life as a pro and then moved into property development...long story! You will need a wide angle lens amongst your collection. So to save time I would like you to look at a review I posted which covers the Nikon D7100 and assorted lenses and kit. I think you find it useful as it explains all the ins & outs of the camera and offers kits at different prices.
http://www.squidoo.com/nikon-D7100-35mm-dslr-camera-review-and-price

Have a look as I think it will help you because you can then compare with other cameras if you wish. Needless to say I am a Nikon fan and have two cameras and assorted lenses. Good shooting for the future!

 

[morkus64]

Thanks for the recommendations everyone - I think I'm going to take the suggestion of an affordable dslr (whatever I can find used for a few hundred from the last few year) and spending the money on the lens.

Thanks for the links, Cap'n.

 

[slatr]

Some vendors with used dslr inventory

Adorama
B&H
Cameta
KEH

I have bought at one time or another from all 4 and never had any issues with product or shipping.

 

[Throckmorton]

FWIW, I shot the below picture with an SLT-A37 and Tamron 10-24 at 10mm (the owner wanted all the lights cranked up, so not as "moody" as it could have been). You can see how much fits in the frame and (because of the massage table) you can get a sense of how tight the quarters were as well as an idea of the distortion. KEH has the 10-24 in various mounts between $300 and $400. In retrospect, I should have saved some money and gone with a slower lens.

What slower lens is there that goes to 10mm?

 

[fralexandr]

What slower lens is there that goes to 10mm?

The only lens I know of that might fit is the sigma 10-20 f4-5.6, though the tamron and sigma are usually similarly priced. When I purchased my tamron 10-24, I would've probably gone with the sigma if it was cheaper.

A lot of tamron 10-24s have edge/corner sharpness issues.
http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/...946-sigma-10-20-vs-tamron-10-24-shootout.html

you can't get this level of macro (1:5.1) with most other ultrawides though, hah

 

[johny12]

Hello, I have taken many photographs of architectural subjects and even more of interiors. Just to explain I started life as a pro and then moved into property development...long story! You will need a wide angle lens amongst your collection. So to save time I would like you to look at a review I posted which covers the Nikon D7100 and assorted lenses and kit. I think you find it useful as it explains all the ins & outs of the camera and offers kits at different prices.
http://www.squidoo.com/nikon-D7100-35mm-dslr-camera-review-and-price

Have a look as I think it will help you because you can then compare with other cameras if you wish. Needless to say I am a Nikon fan and have two cameras and assorted lenses. Good shooting for the future!

To Further this, wide angle lenses almost always tend to distort the image. So you need to experiment with the lens to get the least distortion and also learning to correct it in post is key. Hope it helps.

 

[imported_Irse]

I would get the D3200 plus a Tokina 11-16 Pro DX II. Has to be the DX II version becasue it has a AF motor which would be required with a D3200. Then the earlier mentioned tripod and Lightroom 5 or DxO optics. Something that will correct the distortion that will come with wide angle lenses.

 

[Gintaras]

Some vendors with used dslr inventory

Adorama
B&H
Cameta
KEH

I have bought at one time or another from all 4 and never had any issues with product or shipping.

Ever heard of Fredmiranda

 

[CuriousMike]

I don't know much about the Sony NEX 3n, but it's been discounted to $298.

APS-C, 16MP and a 16-50 kit lens might be a value proposition.

 

[mediademon]

I would recommend a used Original Canon 5d which can be had for between $500 and $600 for the body. Check Adorama or B&H This takes care of the full frame and it is still a relevant camera even though it is older. As for lens selection the best thing I can recommend is to look at how often you will be using the lens or lenses you need. If you are making money for doing this then you can rent lenses from various sources throughout the states like lensrentals.com or borrowlenses.com I have used both places and they have anything you could possibly need. If you are shooting for money, charge a deposit and that deposit would cover the cost of your rental. However if this is just something you will be doing a few times a year and not really making money from it then instead of investing heavily into glass, rent what you need as needed. It is a win win situation.