Best lens for photo-ing buildings: Currently use DX camera and like taking pix of buildings. What lens would be best. If I go to an FX camera -- same lens recommendation??

lrm Loc: Sarasota, FL

Currently use DX camera and like taking pix of buildings. What lens would be best. If I go to an FX camera -- same lens recommendation??

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

I recommend a tilt-shift type lens to control inherent distortions. A 24mm PC or 35mm PC lens may be the best choices, both are full frame as I don't believe anyone makes any tilt-shift lenses in crop sensor specific sizing.
And any tilt-shift lens will always be manual focusing.

architect Loc: Chattanooga

With excellent lens correction software like Photoshop, a tilt-shift lens is not necessary, and lens distortions as well as perspective correction can be done in very little time. I suggest a very wide angle lens such as the Tokina 11-16 mm for your DX camera. Be sure to include extra space around your subject, as correcting perspective will require cropping. As in my example.

dcampbell52 Loc: Clearwater Fl

architect wrote:

With excellent lens correction software like Photoshop, a tilt-shift lens is not necessary, and lens distortions as well as perspective correction can be done in very little time. I suggest a very wide angle lens such as the Tokina 11-16 mm for your DX camera. Be sure to include extra space around your subject, as correcting perspective will require cropping. As in my example.

I agree, I have a Tamron 10-24 (designed for crop sensor) that I use for real estate photography. Lightroom has the lens specs built in so when I upload the images I tell it what lens and it makes all the appropriate corrections. The Nikon 10-24 is about twice as much but supposedly doesn't try to fisheye at 10mm. Since I got Lightroom, the software seems to take most out anyway or I can just zoom to 12 mm and problem is solved... This lens is NOT for an FX full frame body though, but there are probably other equivalent options.

tsilva Loc: Arizona

Look at how much you lose in the crop. A tilt shift is still the BEST way to go.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

architect wrote:

With excellent lens correction software like Photoshop, a tilt-shift lens is not necessary, and lens distortions as well as perspective correction can be done in very little time. I suggest a very wide angle lens such as the Tokina 11-16 mm for your DX camera. Be sure to include extra space around your subject, as correcting perspective will require cropping. As in my example.

Correcting in post processing is an alternative that always yields a lower quality result. When you "stretch" the top of an image to remove the vertical vanishing point (buildings tilting back effect) you introduce significant interpolation and you will further need to vertically stretch the entire image to counteract the resulting compression, adding even more interpolation. Nikon's 24 PC-E would be an ideal, though pricey best solution. It features very little barrel distortion, excellent sharpness, and ignorable vignetting, in addition to the optical gymnastics possible with tilt/shift.

If you find that the lens is not wide enough you can always place the camera in portrait mode (on a tripod of course) and use just the shift to create a three panel pano

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

lrm wrote:

Currently use DX camera and like taking pix of buildings. What lens would be best. If I go to an FX camera -- same lens recommendation??

What type of building pics?

Detail?

close up?

Full building?

Looking upwards?

Parallel to the building face?

All of these answers influence the answer to your question.

lrm Loc: Sarasota, FL

All of the above.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

architect wrote:

With excellent lens correction software like Photoshop, a tilt-shift lens is not necessary, and lens distortions as well as perspective correction can be done in very little time. I suggest a very wide angle lens such as the Tokina 11-16 mm for your DX camera. Be sure to include extra space around your subject, as correcting perspective will require cropping. As in my example.

The OP asked for the "best" lens for this shooting, not potential lesser options.
I simply asked his (her) question correctly as to what lens is BEST for this type of photography. Most people "make do" with lesser lenses and use software to correct the problems presented by doing so. That will work within its limitations, but that does not change the correct answer to the OP's question. A tilt-shift lens is still the "best" lens for the shot when using a DSLR.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

MT Shooter wrote:

I recommend a tilt-shift type lens to control inherent distortions. A 24mm PC or 35mm PC lens may be the best choices, both are full frame as I don't believe anyone makes any tilt-shift lenses in crop sensor specific sizing.
And any tilt-shift lens will always be manual focusing.

The tilt-shift is the BEST lens for photographing buildings generically. If you cant afford one, then a nice wide angle corrected in PP. Of course if your purpose in shooting buildings is not getting a nice accurate photo of the building, then some other lens might be better.

What is your intent with these photos? Selling real estate? Artistic interpretation? Capturing memories while traveling?

Are you talking about sky scrapers or individual homes?

RichardSM Loc: Back in Texas

lrm wrote:

Currently use DX camera and like taking pix of buildings. What lens would be best. If I go to an FX camera -- same lens recommendation??

Hi lrm

Your question is somewhat vague? In my opinion any lens could be use to take a picture of a building depending on the angle you wish to take it from? However some of the posts given above will give you some interesting perspective no doubt on the lenses mentioned!

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

lrm wrote:

Currently use DX camera and like taking pix of buildings. What lens would be best. If I go to an FX camera -- same lens recommendation??

Lacking a view camera or PC lens, use a wide-angle lens positioned level, and crop out the excess. You will appreciate the advantages of a rectilinear prime lens on an FX DSLR for this purpose.
To me, the above illustration of post-processing perspective control looks unnatural. It is, however, an excellent example of what can be accomplished in an extreme situation.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

lrm wrote:

All of the above.

Then one lens won't do it.

architect Loc: Chattanooga

Gene51 wrote:

Correcting in post processing is an alternative th... (show quote)

You are, of course, correct. A PC lens is the best way to go. There is loss of quality from interpolation, but it depends on how the image is intended to be used. For online use, such as Airbnb or real estate, the quality lost is minimal. For a glossy architectural or interiors magazine, a large format view camera would provide the best image quality.

My example above is an extreme correction to illustrate the issues in perspective correction. If the correction is minor, as in most of my architectural work, the loss in quality through interpolation is minimal.

rlscholl Loc: California

Used T-S or even a shift lens could be a good lower cost alternative. For instance, the old Olympus Zuiko 35mm shift lens (for the OM series film cameras) could be an excellent low-cost (relative) alternative, with the appropriate lens adapter, if you are willing to put up with the inconvenience of a completely manual lens.