Spec me a lens - for DSLR

Associate
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Hi

Could someone help me pick a lens for Canon 500D please - I'm looking for a wide angle view which is good for video's and pictures.

What I'm trying to do is take photos of flats/houses inside the rooms.


Thank you
 
Associate
OP
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I could be wrong but isn't that lens an overkill for what I'm using it for?
To give you an idea of the room size its about 6sqm!
 
Soldato
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To be fair Genoma has just recommended the only lens that is really going to be capable of doing the job you require, at least from Canon anyway.

Shooting in confined spaces to capture rooms requires very wide angle lenses. You are using a Canon 500D which has a cropped sensor to the factor of 1.6x, thus getting really wide lenses for it are more difficult compared to a full frame sensor.

The EF-S 10-22mm is really the only option for going wide on a crop sensor.

You could get wider with something like a fisheye, as I used an 8mm Peleng on my old crop, the problem is that optically you are looking at a lot of distortion and having to spend ages correcting photos.
 
Soldato
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Ok I understand, now if you were to look for a camera to take wide angle shots which would you pick?

Ironically, it doesn't matter too much.

The 10-22 is the Crop sensor Canon lens of choice. Effective focal range, 16-35.

The only other option you therefore have is to go Fullframe. But, the widest zoom lens for Canon is 16-35 (I think on zoom), and most would recommend the 17-40 because of price difference. The other option would be to get a full frame body and a 14mm, but for that stupid cost, and the fact that it's all of 2mm, the 10-22 on your current camera makes sense.

Nikon do a 12-24 (or maybe 14-24 [something like that]) on FF, which gives you slightly more width and zoom. IT's truly a beautiful lens that one, and the only one I miss by being on Canon. Their crop bodies are also only 1.5x, so if you could get a 10-something on Crop for Nikon you'd be looking at a 15mm effective focal range. But again, changing system seems like far too much hassle IMO for the sake of 1mm.

kd
 
Associate
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Thanks for the link.

Interesting that Canon doesn't seem to do a say 8mm/11mm wide angle prime. Wouldn't that be a good cost effective idea for landscapes photography?
 
Soldato
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It depends how you like to shoot your landscapes. I love the work of a local landscape photographer who regularly gets published in the likes of derbyshire life/staffordshire life magazines.

His method is to stitch 2-5 shots together shot with his 17-40L at around the 35mm region and from what I see it works beautifully!

IMO super wide lenses do produce great landscape shots but give a totally different effect than you get from the method above. I suppose it also depends on the subject too.

If you'd like a link to see his work let me know :)
 
Associate
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Post away! I saw some absolutely amazing landscapes from a guy (can't for the hell of it remember his name) shot with a huge film camera. They were printed on massive framed pictures and looked absolutely stunning. I should have got the book album.
 
Soldato
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His name is Wayne Brittle, he's local to me and does presentations all over the UK of his work, i've been to 2 of them. He was kind enough to lend me a CF card when I purchased my 5D as i didnt even think about memory when I purchased the camera! A great guy!

www.waynebrittlephotography.com Click gallery and they are split into areas of the UK (and abroad), so there may be some work done near to yourself on there.

Sorry to take the subject a bit OT!
 
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Soldato
Joined
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Location
London
It depends how you like to shoot your landscapes. I love the work of a local landscape photographer who regularly gets published in the likes of derbyshire life/staffordshire life magazines.

His method is to stitch 2-5 shots together shot with his 17-40L at around the 35mm region and from what I see it works beautifully!

IMO super wide lenses do produce great landscape shots but give a totally different effect than you get from the method above. I suppose it also depends on the subject too.

If you'd like a link to see his work let me know :)

While your advice is sound, its not really relevant to what the OP was asking for, as stitching together photos is not going to help when he needs a really wide focal length in order to be able to actually take photos in a confined room space to begin with, especially when you bare in mind he is using a crop.
 
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Soldato
Joined
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Burton-On-Trent
While your advice is sound, its not really relevant to what the OP was asking for, as stitching together photos is not going to help when he needs a really wide focal length in order to be able to actually take photos in a confined room space to begin with, especially when you bare in mind he is using a crop.

I apologised for going OT but I was replying to the post about a prime 8/11mm for landscapes that Genoma made that was all :)
 
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