5 Best Camera Lenses for Real Estate Photography (2024 Reviews)

With the help of the experts, we ranked the most popular lens models used for real estate photography from best to worst and described their features, pros and cons. Visiting retailers of the listed products by clicking links within our content may earn us commissions from your purchases but we never receive any compensation for the inclusion of products and/or services in our consumer guides. Read our editorial guidelines to learn more about our review and rating process.

— Kimberly Anderson, Senior Creative Editor at Real Estate Bees

It offers enough range to capture real estate both inside and out. It also offers great quality with sharpness across the lens into the corners, with very little barrel distortion. I have used this lens in varying conditions, from rain to hot to humid, and it performs well every time.

— Vic DeVore, DeVore Design, Owner

If you stay in the 20-30 mm range, you can take in most rooms without excessive distortion. The F4 has enough aperture for most ambient light conditions.

— Mark Chamberlin, Chamberlin Photography Services, Owner

Glass is super important when trying to achieve high-quality photos. Other lenses will do the job, but you may notice that the final output can be a little subpar. If you notice the red stripe on the lens, that means it’s Canon’s highest-quality lens, and it’s one way to tell the difference from a photographer that uses the pro line vs a lens of less quality.

— Daniel Motta, Daniel Motta Photography, Commercial Photographer

Perhaps the best quality of this lens is its ability to make small rooms look grander and bigger. This lens makes otherwise small kitchen ‘nooks’ look like large eat-in dining areas.

— Jamie Weaver, Dream Weaver Photos, Owner/Photographer

While it offers wide angle shots, the Canon EF 16-35 mm f/4L IS USM lens may not be ideal for photographers who may want to use a narrower field of view to capture detail and exterior shots. An example of this type of lens might be a 24-70 mm, on a full frame camera.

— Dave Steckler, Dave Steckler Real Estate Photography, Owner

When the lens is zoomed at 17 mm, shots can be pretty distorted, but can still take in a 10×12 bedroom.

— Mark Chamberlin, Chamberlin Photography Services, Owner

It makes things look bigger than they are, if the Realtor doesn’t like that.

— Jamie Weaver, Dream Weaver Photos, Owner/Photographer

It is much smaller and much lighter than any previous lenses we had tried. It also has zero barrel distortion, but probably the biggest gain was this lens had almost zero lens flare, be in ceiling can lights or shooting straight into the sun. This can be attributed to the lens’ flat front element, but we tried other lenses with flat front ones and still had lens flare.

— Landon Day, DayDream Photography, Owner/Photographer

Moving from a Tokina 16-28 mm f/2.8 to the new Nikon 14-30 mm f/4 for mirrorless hurt at first. Price-wise, this lens is much more expensive than lenses we have previously used for real estate, costing 4 times as much.

— Landon Day, DayDream Photography, Owner/Photographer

The Tamron SP AFA012C700 15-30 mm f/2.8 Di VC USD wide-angle lens is on par in terms of image quality and focal length with some of the much more expensive options available from Canon or Nikon.

The minimal distortion that this lens produces helps with saving time in post production. You also save money by purchasing the Tamron 15-30 mm, which allows you to spend your money on other needs. Real estate photographer budgets are not limitless, and the Tamron gives them the flexibility to capture fantastic images at a cheaper price point.

— Jason Danzi, Danzi Photography, Owner/Lead Photographer

The only negative qualities that I can say about the Tamron SP AFA012C700 15-30 mm f/2.8 Di VC USDwide-angle lens would be its size and weight. Also, some might consider the images a little ‘soft’ when shooting wide open at f2.8.

— Jason Danzi, Danzi Photography, Owner/Lead Photographer

I find this older Nikon model checks the boxes for 99% of the real estate photography I shoot over any given month. The lens is razor-sharp at f/8, which is the aperture I use for most wide-angle interior captures. The ability to open all the way to f/2.8 comes in handy for adding a touch of bokeh to the detail/lifestyle images I include for larger packages or on premium listings.

— Chip Tait, Chip Tait Photography for Real Estate, Owner/Photographer

Although it is rare that I ever need its widest range, 17 mm can be handy when a small bathroom or butler’s pantry is seen as a ‘must shoot’ space. Most of my exteriors are photographed at 30-35 mm, and at that range, this lens has little, if any distortion.

— Chip Tait, Chip Tait Photography for Real Estate, Owner/Photographer

If you only want to keep one lens in your bag for real estate photography, I cannot recommend the Nikkor AF-S 17-35 mm f/2.8 highly enough.

— Chip Tait, Chip Tait Photography for Real Estate, Owner/Photographer

This lens weighs in at a little over 1.5 pounds, which may be on the heavy side for some folks.

— Chip Tait, Chip Tait Photography for Real Estate, Owner/Photographer

Quality comes at a cost, in weight and in dollars. This lens will set you back around two thousand dollars. If you’re patient, you may find a used model in good shape for under a grand.

— Chip Tait, Chip Tait Photography for Real Estate, Owner/Photographer

I like using natural light if the room inside has lots of light coming in. If not, I bounce my flash on the ceiling giving a big soft light that makes the room look natural.

This lens is also great for landscape and real estate photography because you can capture your scene in a small area without needing lots of room.

— EJ Domingue Jr., Domingue’s Design Photography, Owner/Photographer

Cloudy days are the worst for the scene of the property.

— EJ Domingue Jr, Domingue’s Design Photography, Owner/Photographer

From my research on Canon lenses, this one seemed to be the most used lens.

— Dave Steckler, Dave Steckler Real Estate Photography, Owner

This was actually the first lens I started with as I could do a lot of different things with it. The L series 16-35 lens is a must-have for real estate photographers as you can zoom from 16 mm to 35 mm, and when on a full frame camera it becomes a super wide angle lens that will pickup the whole landscape.

— Daniel Motta, Daniel Motta Photography, Commercial Photographer

I would recommend the Canon EF-S 10-18 mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM lens. It’s highly rated at a good price point of around $300.

— Jason Danzi, Danzi Photography, Owner/Lead Photographer

On a budget, the Tokina 16-28 f/2.8 is an amazing lens, especially for the price point.

— Landon Day, DayDream Photography, Owner/Photographer

The Canon EF 24-70 mm f/2.8L II USM is very versatile, which makes it a good lens for any newbie real estate photographer.

— Jamie Weaver, Dream Weaver Photos, Owner/Photographer

When starting out in the business, a less expensive lens from a third-party manufacturer such as Tamron or Sigma is a great find.

— Dave Steckler, Dave Steckler Real Estate Photography, Owner

I would look at the Sigma Art line. I’ve tried a few of those lenses and they look great, color looks great, and they are incredibly sharp for the price. If I was just starting out, I would definitely look into this line as a start. But do your own research for sure!

— Daniel Motta, Daniel Motta Photography, Commercial Photographer

Most, if not all, real estate photographers require a wide-angle lens when trying to deliver optimal, high-quality, realistic images to their clients. In order to be prepared for a variety of shots you might need on any given location, I would suggest purchasing a lens that gives you a range of focal lengths anywhere from 15 mm to 30 mm.

— Jason Danzi, Danzi Photography, Owner/Lead Photographer

It’s important to find a lens that is versatile in the field, while not creating challenges in post production.

— Vic DeVore, DeVore Design, Owner

I feel versatility is key. If you’re starting out, buy the best pro-sumer wide zoom you can afford. As your business builds, upgrade to professional-level lenses. They are an investment that will pay dividends forever.

— Chip Tait, Chip Tait Photography for Real Estate, Owner/Photographer

There is no particular brand that comes to mind in terms of what to avoid. My suggestion would be to avoid anything too wide or anything under 12 mm, because you start to introduce some serious distortion and vignetting into your images.

— Jason Danzi, Danzi Photography, Owner/Lead Photographer

Inferior lenses may have excessive distortion or lens flare, which will create delays during editing. High-quality lenses will produce sharper images with more color accuracy, reducing editing time and allowing you to deliver quality media consistently.

When using a full-frame camera, don’t use too wide of a lens. It can cause unnatural elongation and width distortions.

— Vic DeVore, DeVore Design, Owner

For a crop sensor camera, use a lens that when multiplied by the crop factor will be in the 16-17 mm range.

— Dave Steckler, Dave Steckler Real Estate Photography, Owner

Real estate photographers who are just getting into the business do not have to go out and spend $1,000 and up on a new lens. An expensive lens doesn’t do you a lot of good if you don’t understand the basics of real estate photography, dealing with customers, marketing, and running a business.

— Jason Danzi, Danzi Photography, Owner/Lead Photographer

Before I ‘graduated’ to the Nikon D750 body, I used the crop-sensor D-7000. My lens of choice on the D-7000 was the SIGMA 10-20 f/4-5.6, which got me by for several years. When I made the choice to take my work to the next level, my equipment needed to follow suit. When you invest in professional-level lenses, they will last decades. You are likely to change camera bodies as the tech improves, but good glass never goes out of style.

— Chip Tait, Chip Tait Photography for Real Estate, Owner/Photographer

If you can afford it, choose a lens from your camera manufacturer. While more expensive, the results are usually better and you probably won’t need to replace the lens for a better one later on.

— Dave Steckler, Dave Steckler Real Estate Photography, Owner

If the price point seems too good to be true, well then it probably is. Before making a purchase, do your research and read user reviews. If the overwhelming consensus is negative, then you aren’t doing yourself any favors by saving some money on a cheaper lens. You will just be creating more work for yourself in post-production and your clients won’t be happy and ultimately, you are going to have to scrap a budget lens for something of higher-quality.

— Jason Danzi, Danzi Photography, Owner/Lead Photographer