Using wide angle primes for Real Estate?

[WaltG]

Does anyone have any experience with using wide angle primes for Real Estate photography? Including interior and exterior photos.
I am looking to expand my business and offer my clients "professional" photographs of their homes. If it is successful for me I could expand into a small side business with other Realtors in my office.
I use a Canon Rebel T3 and my budget would be $500 or less. I have looked at the Canon site and see several alternatives:
EF 24mm f/2.8
EF 28mm f/1.8 USM
EF 20mm f/2.8 USM

Any feedback from your experience with these lenses is greatly appreciated!

[graciousness]

With your crop sensor camera, those lenses you are looking at are not wide enough. You should look at the 10-22mm.

[homank76]

Just remember wider you go more distortion you'll be getting which means more post processing to fix it.

What's wrong with the kit lens, do you need low light capiblity? I would rather get a nice tripod and set the camera up on it and take the shot, that way you can take a few pictures and make a Panoramic view of it.

[graciousness]

The problem is that with real estate, you have to deal with small rooms and you need to have 'coverage' as much as possible. Most real estate photographers I've seen and chatted with use full-frame and ultra wide for this reason. Full frame is not a necessity, but wide angle is almost mandatory, I think. Have to make the rooms as big as you can in the photos.

Low light is not really an issue as they do HDR. I actually think that this is one of the very few, if not, only scenario to do HDR due to different lighting issues in rooms.

[ceremus]

Originally Posted by graciousness

With your crop sensor camera, those lenses you are looking at are not wide enough. You should look at the 10-22mm.

+1, that or one of the 3rd party ultrawide lenses in that range (Sigma 10-20mm, Tokina 11-16mm).

[WaltG]

Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate your help and will look into the 10-22mm's. Im not sure the kit lens is going to give me a wide enough field of view, some rooms a very tight and are tough to capture.

[Elmo]

Get a good level to level the camera to minimize distortion. yo can crop to loose the unwanted parts.

[Preeb]

Originally Posted by graciousness

With your crop sensor camera, those lenses you are looking at are not wide enough. You should look at the 10-22mm.

I agree with this. The 10-22 gives you the entire range you are likely to need. None of those the OP listed is really wide enough for what he's talking about. Certainly not for turning into a side business.

While some correction in post may be needed, it can be minimized by only setting the zoom as wide as is actually needed, and by not tilting the camera. Raise the camera higher or lower, but keep it level to minimize the natural ultra-wide angle distortion.