jdubu wrote:
Ed,
I use the 17mm TSe for really tight shots also. (I assume we are talking about the same lens) but usually use the 24mm in most rooms because the anamorphic distortion on the edges, for me, becomes way out of proportion to the real life furniture using the 17mm.
My wife, as one of the designers I shoot for, gives me grief to no end when this happens on a shoot. I wonder what the difference is in the way you and I employ this lens that we get different results? As with Gene51, I look forward to learning anything I can from your experience and expertise. Not just from this question, but from your many shared information posts.
Ed, br br I use the 17mm TSe for really tight sho... (
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Hey, Thanks for the heads up on the typos- someday I will learn how to type and spell correctly! You are right, indeed it is a 17mm lens! Where did I get 18mm from???
The reason I opted for that focal length in my own case and recommend this to Lee is two fold. Lee is presently using a cropped camera body so the 17mm model will approximate the angle of view of the 24mm lens on a full frame camera. The sensor will not "see" the extreme edges of the field where some intrinsic distortion may be introduced. In my own cases, what with the price of theses lenses, I opted for the 17mm model because I have a regular, non PC, 24mm lens that works well as long as I maintain a level camera position as I explained in my previous post. Since I oftentimes find myself in tight quarters, I want the tilt/shift feature on my widest option.
In REAL ESTATE work as opposed to interior decoration illustrations, the rendition of the furnishings, if any, is not quite as critical. I do photograph some model homes, fully furnished condo (model) apartments and some homes that are for sale but still furnished, however, the perspectives on the furniture and the wall decor and carpeting (etc.) is not as critical. Of course, I don't want to have extremely forced perspectives that make an average sized living room look like a grand ballroom. The 17mm acting as a 24mm will not do that and even on a full frame body, if the camera position is managed properly, that should not become an issue.
I know there has been a lot of "talk" on this site about real estate images and issues of falsifying the spaces by implementing wide angle lenses. I usually opt for the longest lens I can get away with but in the majority of cases, wide angle lenses are needed to show any given space in a comprehensive manner. To give the ultimate viewer a more realistic impression of any room setting, if there is furniture, it can be used for foreground framing and giving the room SCALE. If there is a sofa, a coffee table, a piano or bedroom furnishing in a room, folks can get a good idea of scale because they know what these things look like in actual size. Also, common sense dictates that folks usually don't buy real estate, rent apartments, purchases costly furniture or hire an interior decorator sight unseen. We just need to make certain that things are represented with reasonable accuracy so people are not shocked or disappointed or feel they have been misled when they view the site in person.
When I work with interior decorators, furniture manufacturers and dealers and specialists such as flooring and window treatments providers, I collaborate closely with them as to their expectations. Some just want shots that express the "feel" of the room and others need more perspective/perfect images to represent their products and services. Many want both approaches so I do all over shots and detailed ones so brochures and website ads have allover shots and inserts of detailed pieces. In some cases, if the are ultra critical and want to "have their cake and eat it too" I need to pull out the view camera, use film and have the advantages of full fledged image management. Don't forget, a DSLR does not have a tilting and shifting BACK standard. So if ultimate perspective control to address linear distortion, converging lines, AND additional depth of field via the Scheimpflug method, you need a camera that can assume the shape of a pretzel- not usually needed for real estate work!
By the way- Once the photographer gets the feel of the perspective control lenses, the workflow on-site goes quickly. It a good idea to get used to the lens before taking it out on a shoot. There are some depth of field issues and apertures that give the sharpest images. Fortunately, if there are no people in the shots and no action to freeze you can choose the lowest ISO index, the most advantageous aperture and expose at slower shutter speeds if necessary.
I hope this helps!