Table of Contents
- The Importance of the Lens in Real Estate Photography
- The Best Lens for Real Estate Photography – Top 15 Picks
- PhotoUp – Real Estate Photography Experts
Want to learn the best lens for real estate photography — the top 15 picks?
Real estate photographers need to be fully equipped with the right lenses to get the best shots for their clients, no matter what property they encounter.
If you’re a real estate photographer, having the best lens is essential. But what is the best lens for real estate photography?
In this article, we will share the best lens for real estate photography — the top 15 picks.
The Importance of the Lens in Real Estate Photography
Real estate photography has always been important to home and property sales, but today it is even more true.
Most buyers begin their home search online and high-quality listing photographs capture buyers’ attention and give them the confidence to take a deeper look at the property.
The best lenses for real estate photography allow you to easily capture accurate and clear shots of any room or space to entice buyers.
In general, wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle lenses are the lenses of choice for real estate photography. These lenses allow the photographer to show a full view of a room in just a few photos.
Wide-angle lenses produce shots that help potential buyers see the layout of a home, thereby getting a better feel for the space. Here are some other considerations:
- Fisheye lenses are to be avoided, as the distortion is not correctable
- A lens with a maximum focal length of between 12 and 16 mm will cover a wide enough range without excessive distortion
- Also, consider if you would like a zoom or prime lens. Prime lenses have a fixed focal length, while zoom lenses provide a range of focal lengths
Hopefully the above helps point you in the right direction when looking for the best lens for real estate photography.
Now, let’s look at the best 15 lenses for real estate photography.
The Best Lens for Real Estate Photography – 15 Top Picks
1. Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM
If you’re a fan of Canon, this is the wide-angle lens you’ll want to use. It’s an L-series lens, which denotes a higher quality glass and frame construction. Some advantages of this lens:
- The 16-35 mm range is ideal for real estate photography. It’s wide enough to capture small spaces in full frame
- The 35 mm zoom is ideal if you’re in a large space but want a tighter composition
- The Canon 16-35 mm also has an in-built optical image stabilizer
This is Canon’s best full-frame lens for real estate photography.
2. Nikon Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4
For full-frame Nikon users, this is the wide-angle lens that you’ll want to work with. The features are similar to the Canon lens described above, making it ideal for professional real estate photography.
Here are some additional benefits:
- Nano Crystal Coating helps reduce ghosting and flare in different lighting conditions
- Has Nikon’s Vibration Reduction image stabilization system built in — a real benefit if you are struggling with low natural light
- The Nikon Nikkor 16-35 mm is close in price to the Canon option and has equally splendid results
For Nikon users, this is likely the best lens for real estate photography.
3. Sony SEL1224G 12-24 mm f/4-22
For Sony users, the SEL1224G 12-24 mm is one of the better wide-angle lenses for real estate photography.
- This lens fits all Sony’s E-mount full-frame cameras
- The 12-24 mm range allows you to capture wide spaces, both exterior, and interior, without any distortion
- Also, it’s the widest focal range offered on the Sony E-mount range, making it ideal for real estate photography
For a real estate photographer, the Sony SEL1224G 12-24 mm is fantastic value for money.
4. Tokina AT-X 17-35 mm f/4 ProFX
This Tokina lens work’s with both Canon and Nikon full-frame cameras. Three benefits of this lens:
- It’s sharp throughout most of the frame with a low f-stop to allow enough light in for interior shots
- It has excellent focal ranges that can work with rooms of any size
- It also has a good quality wide-angle capture
The Tokina AT-X is a great choice if you’re a real estate photographer on a budget.
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5. Sigma 12-24 mm f/4 DG HSM Art
The Sigma 12-24 mm lens is available for both Canon and Nikon, but make sure it has the correct lens mount before you buy.
A few considerations:
- This lens performs well at various focal lengths — one of the widest ranges on this list
- The coated lens prevents flare and ghosting
- HSM stands for Hypersonic Motor—Sigma’s quiet autofocusing system
- It is heavier than both the Canon and Nikon options
This is a great wide-angle lens for real estate photographers not looking to spend too much.
6. Tokina 12-28 mm f/4 AT-X ProDX
Here is another lens from Tokina that works with both Nikon and Canon cameras. A few observations:
- Excellent quality with a focal length equivalent to 19-45 mm on a full-frame camera
- It doesn’t reach the angle width of some of the other listed lenses
- In terms of optical performance, it keeps distortion to a minimum
This is an affordable lens capable of producing stunning real estate photos.
7. Canon EF-S 10–18 mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM Lens
The EF-S 10-18 mm is a good wide-angle lens for someone getting started with real estate photography. Here are some of the main features:
- This lens is compatible with all of Canon’s EOS range
- The zoom range doesn’t quite match that of Canon’s 10-20 mm wide-angle lens
- The 10-18mm lens features optical image stabilization and autofocus
- And the 22 mm minimum focus distance gets in close for detailed shots
The Canon EF-S 10-18 mm STM is an affordable way to get started with real estate photography.
8. Tamron 10-24 mm f/3.5-4.5
The Tamron 10-24 mm is available for Nikon and Canon crop sensor cameras.
- A large focal range makes this an ideal lens for real estate photography
- The range is equivalent to 16-35 mm on a full-frame camera and allows for detailed image capture in most spaces
- Its wide-angle image sharpness and lack of aberration are impressive
The Tamron gives you top-quality real estate photos without leaving a large hole in your wallet.
9. Rokinon 14 mm f/2.8 IF ED UMC
This Rokinon is an excellent wide-angle lens for real estate photography. A quick overview:
- This lens delivers quality images and continues to perform well even at its maximum f/2.8
- It is lightweight and fits all Nikon cameras with an F lens mount
The Rokinon can produce impressive results on a modest budget.
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10. Nikon Nikkor 12-24 mm f/4G IF-ED
The Nikkor 12-14 mm is likely the best lens for real estate Nikon users with a crop sensor camera. Some of its features include:
- An ideal focal range for real estate photography
- The 11.8-inch minimum focus distance allows for shots in tight spaces
- Chromatic aberration and distortion are reduced with two Extra-Low Dispersion (ED) glass elements
This lens is a quality piece of equipment. It’s certainly one of the best lenses for real estate photography.
11. Canon 17 mm f/4 L TS-E
The 17 mm is the widest tilt-shift lens in Canon’s line-up and is compatible with all cameras from their EOS range. Here are a few more details:
- This lens offers a 93-degree angle of view
- Specially coated glass minimizes chromatic aberration
- With a minimum focus range of 0.82 feet, this lens isn’t ideal for close-ups and interior shots in tight spaces
This is a lens that can produce real estate photos that can really wow your clients.
12. Nikon Nikkor PC 19 mm
This Nikon lens has excellent build quality. Let’s look at some of the tilt features:
- The tilt operation works both parallel or perpendicular to shift
- This allows for better control of perspective, focus, and depth of field
- The tilt operation also allows for selective defocus, or miniature effect
It would be hard to find a higher-quality tilt-shift lens than this one.
13. Rokinon 24 mm f/3.5 Tilt-Shift
Rokinon’s 24 mm tilt-shift lens is excellent value for money when considering tilt-shifts as a lens for real estate photography. Some of this lens’ benefits:
- The tilt-shift functions permit excellent control of both perspective and depth of field
- Extra-Low Dispersion technology keeps aberration and colorization to a minimum
- Available for Nikon, Canon, and Sony cameras — just check your lens mount before you buy
The Rokinon tilt-shift lens is the perfect option for real estate photographers wanting to give tilt-shift lenses a try.
14. Sony 12-24 mm f/4
Sony’s 12-24mm f/4 is the lightest option on the list — at only 1.24 pounds. Some of its benefits include:
- A great choice for those who travel for their real estate shoots
- Fast, quiet focus
- Good edge-to-edge sharpness
Do note, however, that this lens isn’t compatible with many standard filters.
15. Fujifilm XF10-24 mm F4 R OIS WR
This model is one of two ultra-wide-angle zoom lenses available from Fuji. A few of this lens’ features:
- Uses advanced optics such as four extra-low dispersion and four aspherical elements to reduce distortion
- With Super Electron Beam Coating (EBC), a multi-layered anti-reflective coating to cut down on lens flare and ghosting
- The lens is threaded for the filter, making it easier to use
A solid option to round out our list of the best 15 lenses for real estate photography.
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We hope this post showed you the best lens for real estate photography — the top 15 picks.
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