Which camera do I buy for taking pics of the interior of houses?

[Steffanyace]

Which camera do I need . . .

My husband is a homebuilder, and I've been put in charge of taking pics of his houses to show future customers. I have just a basic point and shoot digital camera. It doesn't like taking pics in lower lighting (basically anything less than full sun), but more importantly, I can't good pics of smaller rooms. Right now I'm having to do lot of photoshoping to get the pics to look accurate. I don't know much about cameras, so I thought I'd better post here to get some more experienced opinions before I fork up the money for a nice camera. So, here is what I think I need in a camera:

1) I'd like to avoid having to bring special lighting with me to the houses. Is there a camera that does better in low lighting, or are they all pretty much the same when it comes to lighting?
2) I think I need a camera that I can changes the lenses on to be able to use a birds eye lense on to get pics of the smaller rooms. Is a birds eye lense the correct lense I'd need?
3) It will need to be a digital camera.

Please tell me which camera you thing would be best.

Thanks!

Steffany

[castman]

There are alot of cameras out there. So there three I like the most is Canon,Nikon and Sony. They are not hard to use and everything is right at your finger tips. P/S can be hard in low lighting you can try turning the flash off and adj your IOS. SLR's are great for all kinds of things but what you pay for your camera you will as much for a good lens or more.

[BryanPanting]

I would go with a low end SLR and a wide angle lens. Then just shoot some bracketed shots and make some HDR images. It would probably give you good results for interiors like that.

[wulf]

A DSLR will be a boon because it will help you get good pictures now and better ones later, both as you buy more gear (gear doesn't make you a better photographer but having the right tools can help immensely) and as you learn to make use of it.

If you want to keep the initial investment as low as possible, one of the entry level DSLRs with an 18-55mm kit lens would probably be a decent choice. What you would also need to go with that would be a tripod - it is suprising how dark it can be indoors but the tripod would let you take shots with a very slow shutter speed.

More expensive ways of doing the same thing would be to get a "fast" lens or a body with better low-light performance. If you haven't used a DSLR before then I suspect the cheap expedient of a tripod might be better for now.

Wulf

[kirbinster]

Never heard of a lens called a birdseye, I think you mean a fisheye lens. Yes a Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye lens will do a good job for you in the smaller rooms. You will get almost 180 coverage and it is a fast f/2.8 lens so you will not need much light.

[daft_biker]

Originally Posted by Steffanyace

1) I'd like to avoid having to bring special lighting with me to the houses. Is there a camera that does better in low lighting, or are they all pretty much the same when it comes to lighting?
2) I think I need a camera that I can changes the lenses on to be able to use a birds eye lense on to get pics of the smaller rooms. Is a birds eye lense the correct lense I'd need?
3) It will need to be a digital camera.

1) Yes, pretty much any DSLR would be better. Most compacts only allow short shutter speeds - with a DSLR you could stick the camera on a tripod and leave the shutter open for as long as is needed using bulb mode.

2) I expect you are referring to a fisheye lens. Yes, you are likely to need wide-angle lenses but have you considered panoramic stitching?

3) Budget? Ideally you want tilt and shift lenses for architecture photography - used correctly you can make sure all your walls are straight and level. A fisheye lens is likely to distort straight lines and that isn't likely to look very flattering for your husband's building skills. Wulf's suggestion of an entry level DSLR with the kit lens is a good place to start. Unless you can afford a Canon 5Dmk2 and a couple of TS-E lenses (£5,000+ easy) that is.

I know I've mentioned a tripod and so has Wulf but it's worth repeating as it really will help no matter what camera you use. For static subjects you don't need fast lenses or high ISO - a tripod is the tool for the job IMHO.

[Steffanyace]

(Thanks Kirbinster . . . fish eye was what I meant.)

I have a couple of tripods, but I feel as though I have outgrown my current camera and would like to step up to a more professional camera. I get really frustrated with the automatic focus sometimes (among other things) and would like to have more control over that. I've been told that I have an eye for photography, but that my camera is holding me back. I have a family member that bought a fancy camera but doesn't "get it" when it comes to photography. The quality of the pics (not talking about framing, composition, etc.) are so much better now which is why I finally conceded that maybe I need a new camera after all.

[wulf]

It sounds like you are ready to move up to a DSLR. It sounds like you have the tripod thing covered (assuming that they are reasonably sturdy). I suppose the next thing to consider is whether an entry level DSLR will be enough or if it will be worth stepping in on a higher rung.

I'm very happy with my D40 but I'm using it just for fun. If you are buying a tool that will contribute to your family income, that might be an argument for investing a little higher, since you probably will get payback for some of the added features of a better body. On the other hand, no point throwing money away.

Out of interest, what kind of camera does the family member you mention have? It might be worth considering something similar.

Wulf

[modgers]

I do some work shooting remodels and I have a canon 40D (runs about 600 for a used body). You can bump the ISO up to 1600 for the low light situations then use noise reduction in post processing. The lens that I found works the best is the canon 10-22mm. The fisheyes are great but they distort the lines, making the curve around the edges. When you shoot with the 10-22 at about 16 and up you are still able to keep your lines straight. I hope this helps