Canon EF Lens for Architectural Photography

[knightshow]

I'm searching for an EF lens for my Rebel 2000 to do architectural

photography. Can anyone reccommend a lens to me?<br> I have heard

that Tamron makes good EOS lenses also. I'm looking to spend between

$300-$700. Thanks.<br><br><br>

 

Nick Pernisco<br>

-------------<br>

(<a href="http://www.pernisco.com/photo">www.Pernisco.com</a>, my non-

photo.net portfolio)

[andy_jones1]

If this is a serious interest with a long future, I'd seriously recommend you consider a 24 T/S lens. It's a bit above your range new, but you might find a used one closer to $700 and it's about the best lens available (anywhere) for this kind of work so you'll not outgrow it. It's very sharp and quite fast.

 

Such a tilt/shift (T/S) lens allows you wide angle access and lets you keep vertical lines vertical by shifting the image circle rather than tilting the camera (which would give exaggerated/undesirable converging verticals. The tilt function of the lens allows you to move the plane of focus away from being parallel to the film plane and not have to stop all the way down, for example to achieve focus down the side of the whole building.

 

However, if this is a passing fad, you would probably want to go with a more "regular" wide-angle in the same FL range and climb ladders to get the vantage points that let you keep the film plane (more or less) vertical to prevent too much cnvergence of vertical elements in the composition. There are a variety of software packages that can (to some extent) correct for these deficiencies but you'd need to scan the images first.

 

Have fun!

 

Andy

[jackflesher]

Well I just sold a slightly beat up copy of the 24TS-E for $650 which would have been a great choice for you...

 

When you say architecture, what exactly do you mean; interiors, exteriors, close in, far away, or just details? IF you plan on doing interiors then the 24 TS will probably be the lens you due to the perspective correction ability it offers. If you plan on shooting mainly exteriors or details, then perhaps a 45 TS-E would be better.

 

Cheers,

[j._d._mcgee]

Any of the Canon Tilt-Shift lenses are your best bet. To my knowledge Canon is the only manufacturer of these specialty type lenses for the 35mm format anyway. If it is interiors or tight areas you will be shooting in then the TS-E 24mm is the way to go. If its medium distance and not inside then the TS-E 45mm gives almost human eye like perspective. And if you are pretty far away most of the time and never inside then the TS-E 90mm may be your choice. If I were you I would get the TS-E 24 although the price tag is pretty hefty, I have seen some used ones for around $750 or there about.

 

The depth of field is phenomenal with these lenses and the straight vertical lines they obtain are right up your architectural alley. Afterall these lenses were designed to do exactly what you want to do and it is for that reason that I would choose no other lens if you want good results. Bite the bullet and pay the big price tag, it will certainly be worth it. The possibilities are endless with these lenses you could spend forever just coming up with new creative ways to shoot with them by moving and shifting that lens all around.

[vsevolod_krishchenko]

<i>To my knowledge Canon is the only manufacturer of these specialty type lenses for the 35mm format anyway.</i> <br>

Sorry, but you knowledge is uncomplete.<br>

Nikon has series of PC (perspective correction) lens with T&S, including superp T&S 90mm macro.<br>

There're also a few shift-only lens for 35mm (Sheider, russian Mir)<br>

[knightshow]

Thank you to everyone who has responded so far. Your responses are very much appreciated.

 

To understand this a bit better, if I get a regular wide angle 24mm lens, and keep it at a 90 degree angle with the building, then I will get the same results (as far as keeping the lines straight) as if I got a T/S 24mm lens? I'm trying not to go over my budget right now, but would consider going all out if I decided this was really for me. Thanks again.

 

Nick

[gordon_lewis]

If you use a standard 24mm lens and orient the camera so the film plane is parallel to the vertical sides of the building, then the vertical lines in the photo will be also be parallel--that is, they won't converge. The problem is that in doing so you'll probably get too much foreground and not enough of the top of the building (or whatever other architectural subject you're photographing). That's why you need the "shift" feature of a tilt-shift lens. Shifting the lens upward will shift the image circle upward, thereby cropping the foreground and, in effect, moving the top of the building downward.

[j._d._mcgee]

Thank you, Vsevolod, indeed my knowledge of what different manufacturers offer is growing day by day and I thought Canon was the only major manufacturer of these lenses. But thanks for pointing out that the other big maker, Nikon, makes TS lenses. I am still learning.

[robin_sibson1]

This photo (whole of frame) of Oslo Rådhus illustrates the point made by Gordon Lewis. You can think of the TS24 as giving you any 75%-each-way crop from an 18mm lens.<p>

 

<p align="middle"><img src="http://www.whos-j00r-daddeh.net/is2/03_20_30_oslotownhall_lowres.jpg"><p>

 

Here is a small crop from the above at 100% (from Coolscan III, 2700dpi, no sharpening) which shows the good performance of the lens.<p>

 

<p align="middle"><img src="http://www.whos-j00r-daddeh.net/is2/03_20_30_oslotownhall_crop.jpg"><p>

 

The photograph was taken at f/9 at 1/250, hand-held. As you can see, the verticals are not quite perfect, but this does show that it is a practical proposition to use shifting hand-held; with practice, it is no harder than using any very-wide-angle lens. However, manual exposure is necessary, because metering systems do not work properly once the lens is shifted; you meter unshifted with the camera pointing in the direction closest to the shifted view, then shift and compose.