Reply To: Interior Design Photography – Camera and Lens Selection

  • Vikraman Gokularaman

    Member
    December 17, 2024 at 5:42 pm

    Hi, It seems like you’re trying to trade off between two different types of lenses, i.e., zoom vs prime.

    1. Zoom lems has varying focal length – you can alter the frame coverage without changing your camera-to-subject distance whereas with Prime lens, in order to achieve different frame, camera-to-subject distance should be altered as you can’t change the focal length, which means you need to move around which is easier when your subject distance varies in horizontal plane (land), but difficult if you need to cover vertical plane (any object in height like ceiling, floors, dome).

    2. Angle of coverage – again w.r.t. focal length – lesser the focal length, wider the coverage. Again, you need to trade off between the shape distortion that you will get when you have lesser focal length (ultra wide angle lens) vs (wide angle lens).

    3. Aperture – Wider the aperture, more light comes (suitable for low light situation) but lesser the depth-of-field (bokkeh effect – smoother and Creamy background). I’m pretty sure you don’t need a wide aperture since for architecture you need to capture every details with more depth-of-field (both foreground and background to be in focus) and also you will have enough light always as you’re in a controlled environment w.r.t. to source of light. So you can trade off this aspect.

    Hope this gives some idea. In case, you are limited in budget and don’t want to regret the choice of lens, try renting out a camera with both type of lenses for a day, shoot with your environment with both lenses about the the same frame, get the real-time experience which nobody can give you, then go for purchase based on the difference you see. The rental amount will not make you regret.

    Good luck!