Jump to content

Best M Lens for Inside Architecture


Agent M10

Recommended Posts

For interiors I'd prefer wider lens options, preferably with tilt shift, and if digital, on a camera with LV.  Do you have interior architectural shooting experience?  A 28 is not typically considered very wide, although of course subject matter and preferences vary.  Best to test in advance anyway, including lighting conditions, particularly if this is a paid project.

 

Jeff

Link to post
Share on other sites

24 3.8  21 mm or DSLR with 24 or 24t/s

 

Digital would be very beneficial in handling the different white balances/lighting you will get in most interiors.

 

People get obsessed with cameras/lens,  when the real key is lighting.  To get started,  use white umbrellas.   

 

First hint,  light the room with flash  underexposed 1 or 2 stops,  then double expose with interior lights on.

 

Second,  turn on interior lights,  and light with flash at a shutter speed slow enough to show the normal room lights.  Guess 1/15 sec from a tripod.

 

If you are wedded to film,  do a set up with digital,  final with film.  Pros used to use Polaroid.  

 

If you think this is easy to get creative results, it is not.  Practice before the job

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Depends how wide you want to go:

 

3.4/21 SEM

3.8/24 Elmar

2.8/28 Elmarit - I have both the 2.8/28 Elmarit and 2.0/28 Summicron (previous version)

 

I should say that I had the 2.8/25 ZM Biogon T* and frequently used it for internal architectural photography for my sister who is an interior designer.  Spectacular indoor architectural lens and significantly cheaper than the equivalent Leicas.  Having said that, excellent second hand 3.8/24 Elmars can be had relatively cheap.

Link to post
Share on other sites

21 and or 18 are imho the focals for interiors... of course, tilt shift with DSLR can be a plus... but not a must imho... I am not sure if the picture hereunder has been made with a Leica (but I suppose... :) ) but I think that T+S lens wasn't used... and perspective is OK..

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Link to post
Share on other sites

pcsmythe, you didn't say what kind of building you are going to be shooting in. A house ? A cathedral ? What type of photo ?

 

You could take a photograph of a wall, a chair, or whatever with either a 21mm or 90mm.

 

The type of lens you use should be dictated by the desired end result. Here you'll get some great recommendations from people based on their own experience or their own lens without knowing what you have imagined to be your end result.

 

What would be more useful here is to say that the fastest would most likely not be the best as you will probably want a large DOF... so a good tripod may be something to look at.

 

As Michael mentioned... a tilt shift lens may be useful, but again, it depends on the type of interior. If it's a church or something with very high ceilings a T/S is very useful. If it's a house, it's probably less so.

 

So, in a nutshell, I would suggest you define in more details about your project, then you will likely get the most useful advice. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

21 and or 18 are imho the focals for interiors... of course, tilt shift with DSLR can be a plus... but not a must imho... I am not sure if the picture hereunder has been made with a Leica (but I suppose... :) ) but I think that T+S lens wasn't used... and perspective is OK..

 

attachicon.gif‌interior.jpg

Indeed it was, M240+18 SEM. (It is my waiting room, not sure where Luigi picked it up, it looks a bit the worse for wear by compression ;))

Link to post
Share on other sites

With an M and no live view the WATE and frankenfinder are going to be the closest options. There'll be some parallax and distortion errors requiring corrections in post so shooting a bit wider than needed will be required. Using the spirit level in the frankenfinder should help a bit.

 

A tripod will make things MUCH easier and probably faster. Not often you can say that about a tripod but it's true for interiors.

 

This is one situation where the M would be an easier solution than the M-D. But easy isn't always the most satisfying way to get something done.

 

Gordon

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

My preferred choice for inside architecture is the CV 12/5.6 lens.

 

I have that lens and some clients love it. But none of them want me to use it all the time, or even often. Ultimately I'll get comments about "too much carpet and too much ceiling". If I were delivering a panoramic format where I could crop the ceiling/floors I'd never take it off the camera except to use a 10mm. I've found the nicer the building the less they want me to go ultra wide.

 

Ultimately though, I've found that commercially, I've been more successful shooting a bit longer and not trying to "include everything". I shoot 80% of my interiors between 17 and 24mm. 15% at around 14mm and only 5% at 12mm or wider, The ultra wide has it's place but I think my clients want to see the feel of a room rather than the whole room.

 

Gordon

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...