Some people consider architectural photography a bit tricky to master simply because it often requires a special type of lens to get the best photos. You also need to have a good appreciation of the structure you are going to photograph as well as a good sense of aesthetics. If you are looking for the best lens for architectural photography, you are in the right place. In this article we are going to share with you some of the best lens choices you can make.
Tilt-Shift lenses
One of the best lenses for architectural photography is the tilt and shift lens, which is also referred to as a perspective correction lens. This type of lens is designed to allow the SLR camera to act like a viewfinder or bellows camera. One of the biggest problems you’ll run into when taking shots of tall structures from ground level is that the top of the subject appears farther away the higher it gets. The lens will help because it will provide a sense of perspective in the image. The best way to take the picture is to point the camera parallel to the ground. However, make sure you get the top of the housing into the lens and not essentially the ground. A tilt-and-shift lens will enable you to position the camera completely horizontally while in the lens view-up position.
There are some excellent tilt-shift lenses on the market, and these are among the best:
Canon: TS-E 24mm f/3.5L Tilt Shift Lens; TS-E 45mm f/2.8 Tilt Shift Lens; TS-E 90mm f/2.8 Tilt Shift Lens
Nikon: 28mm f/3.5 PC-Nikkor; 85mm f/2.8 PC Micro Nikkor
Fish eye lenses
If you want to create some special effects in your photos, you may want to try fisheye lenses. These types of lenses will create a whole new aspect in architectural photography. A fisheye lens lets you explore architecture as a series of shapes and patterns and lets you distort it into creative images. In fact, you might not be sure what you’re looking at because of the new creative rendering of the structure.
Some of the leading fisheye lenses include:
a Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens;
Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8G ED AF DX Fisheye; 16mm F/2.8D AF fisheye lens
Sigma 8mm f/3.5 EX DG Circular Fisheye for Canon; 8mm f/3.5 EX DG Circular Fisheye for Nikon; 15mm f/2.8 EX DG Diagonal Fisheye for Canon; 15mm f/2.8 EX DG Diagonal Fisheye for Nikon
Ultra wide angle lens
Since you may also be taking indoor shots of small, narrow rooms or hallways, you will need to use a wide angle lens to capture the entire area. In fact, an ultra wide angle lens might be your best bet. They can be relatively expensive at times which is why most photography enthusiasts may not own one. It’s more for professionals since the typical range is 14-21mm. There are some good brands of ultra-wide zoom lenses that may meet your needs if you’d rather spend the money on one rather than wide-angle models.
Some of the best of these are made by Tamron, Sigma, and Nikon.
If you have a Nikon or Canon camera, these are some lenses that may interest you:
Canon: EF 14mm f/2.8L USM; EF 20mm f/2.8 USM lens; EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM; EF 17-40mm f/4L USM; EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
Nikon: 12-24mm f/4G ED IF DX; 14mm f/2.8D ED AF; 18mm f/2.8D AF; 20mm f/2.8D AF