What lens to use for photographing RV's Exterior/Interior

[dillydallyallie]

I have a Canon Rebel XTI and have been asked to photograph the exterior/interior of Recreational Vehicles. Which lens should I consider purchasing? My budget is not to exceed $800 for the lens. Thank you in advance for your suggestions and help.

[wulf]

Probably something towards the wider and faster end of the range. You need wide angle because you will be working in some tight spaces (and it can also create dramatic perspective effects, which might be handy for exterior views) and fast because light levels will sometimes be relatively low inside the vehicles (although, assuming you have some kind of tripod, this is less vital for static shots).

What lenses do you have at the moment?

Wulf

[bearly]

i'd say get the canon 10-22mm lens... you can find them for between $550 and $700 usually.

the ultra wide will help you get all of the interior in and make it look spacious

[BigFuzzy]

Originally Posted by bearly

i'd say get the canon 10-22mm lens... you can find them for between $550 and $700 usually.the ultra wide will help you get all of the interior in and make it look spacious

Totally agree with bearly, I loooooved the 10-22mm EFS lens but sadly had to get rid of it when I upgraded to a full-frame camera. It would be great for the interior though you have to beware of the distortion if you use 10mm.

For the outside, it's not as relevant, unless you don't have the space to back up... you might want something that can give you a narrow DoF to separate the vehicle(s) from the background.

[inkista]

EF-S 10-22's pretty slow, though. f/3.5-4.5, iirc.

The Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 might be better if you're not lighting the inside of the RVs and want to shoot handheld. Something a little longer, though, for the exterior shots might make sense, given the distortion you get with ultrawides.

Myself, I'd be shooting cubic panos of the interior with an 8mm fisheye, a tripod, and a Nodal Ninja 3, but I'm really weird that way.

[BigFuzzy]

Originally Posted by inkista

EF-S 10-22's pretty slow, though. f/3.5-4.5, iirc.

Good point, and very true inkista. I guess I was assuming the ability to light the interior seeing as I'm a bit of a 'strobist', but if that's not an option OP, then yes, take that into consideration.