Lens for architecture?

Question

I am thinking of getting my fiance a camera lens for his birthday. He said he wanted a special one for taking exterior photos of architecture. Apparently, the ones he has now makes the pictures look "flat."

Do I need to bring the camera with me to the store to buy the lens? I am so clueless about cameras that I don't know if it's a one-size-fits-all kind of thing. Also, does anyone know a ballpark figure of what it will cost me? Thanks!!!

I can't give you too many more details because I know *nothing* about photography or what his complaints are. I did read an article online that resonated with what he was saying. Basically, that the architect would want the photo to look long and straight, whereas he wants a shot that is more encompassing of the building as a whole. And that's probably a bad interpretation.

I'd like to suggest the software. For up to a thousand dollars, looks like he's not getting a lens from ME for his birthday! :-)

So many good answers...thanks to everyone!!!!

Answer 1

It isn't the camera it is the lens that does this. The type of lens you are looking for is perspective correction lens, They are VERY expensive (I don't recall seeing any under $1000 US dollars) and they aren't available for all cameras.

they are also limited in their effectiveness. with a view camera (those old tripod mounted cameras with the black hoods) you can swing and tilt the front lens and the back film plane, but PC lenses for SLRs can only adjust the front lens in limited amounts. I would suggest getting your boyfriend Perspective control software for his computer instead, some of the very best are free!

What they do is look at the straight lines in a photo, do an analysis of which lines need to be straighter and then bend and twist the photo until the lines are straight.

you can download a very good free program from this web page:

http://www.bestfreewaredownload.com/freeware/t-free-shiftn-freeware-mjchyjoz.html

Answer 2

I think it’s great that you want to get him a lens for his birthday, but going in to a camera store blind can be a lot like walking into the mechanics shop saying make it go.
The best cores might be for the two of you to sit down and decide ahead of time the type of lens he wants or needs. Not as romantic but a lot more practical.
And you might think about a field view camera with a 5in lens. If it has full movements it’s the normal or preferred camera for architecture. You can find old ones on eBay MUCH cheaper than a perspective correction lens.
Good luck!

Answer 3

For serious outside architecture shots, you'd want a tilt-shift lens. These are expensive specialty items. They require a tripod and 5 minutes of setting up for every shot - it's not something for general use or a lens you'd use on the fly. As Glen describes, ts lenses correct the perspective of the shot and give you perfectly straight and parallel lines. To a large extent you can mimic the results with an ordinary lens and some post processing on the computer, but you won't get it 100% right in Photoshop and retouching pictures can be very time consuming.
So here's an example of a shift lens for Nikon: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=36928&is=USA&addedTroughType=search
and a ts lens for Canon: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=12092&is=USA&addedTroughType=search
Be warned though, both of these lenses cost over $1000. (Other camera brands require their own brand of lens).
Here's what troubles me though, if your fiance's complaint is that his current lenses make his images look 'flat', perspective correction might not be his (primary) concern. 'Warped' or 'crooked' I could understand, but 'flat' doesn't ring any bells in this context. Perhaps the real problem is something completely different. Some more information would be helpful!
Can you add some details to elaborate?
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added:
It seems you're not looking for a ts lens - that's what the architect would love. Good thing, considering the price ;-)
If you want to get a lens anyway, I can concur with the suggestion to get a fast prime. If your husband only has zooms at the moment and he's an avid hobbyist, he'll probably appreciate a 50mm f/1.8. Every camera brand has their own version and they're generally under $100 retail. These are great for low light photography and for isolating the subject by blurring the crap out of the foreground and background. This blurring effect usually won't work for entire buildings, but it's fantastic for photographing details of buildings.
For $200-$300, you can take this even further with a 50mm f/1.4 lens. (The lower the f-number, the better.) I use one of these myself for portraits, inside museums, and for night time street photography (without flash or tripod).
Another gadget for under $100 is a circular polarizer. These are filters that attach to the end of the lens - you need to know the exact size of the lens diameter for the screw-thread. What these do for architecture, is make the sky seem more intense.
Or for around $15, a proper lens cleaning kit.
Just three items that should be in every hobbyist's camera bag...

Answer 4

Your looking for a camera with interchangable lenses. Canon, Nikon, Minolta or something similar. Then you need to get a lens with a low f-stop rating. The F-stop in simpler terms is how much before and after your target is out of focus. Look for a lens at about f1.8. This has whats called a shallow depth of field and will give good focus on the target while blurring the background. This will add more depth to his pictures so the houses will pop or stand out in the picture.

Canon rebels are a good buy at about $600 and the low f-stop lens will cost about $250 to $350.

P.S. After reading the notes you put the TS-E 24mm f/3.5L
is going to be the best lens. However, it is one of the more expensive canon lenses at around $1200. So your best bet is start with a cheaper Sigma Zoom Super Wide Angle 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC Autofocus Lens for Canon Digital EOS, then let him work his way up from there.

Answer 5

For architecture, a tilt-shift lens if quite popular. Used properly, it has the effect of making vertical lines parallel. A wide angle lens will accentuate the perspective, giving a cathedral-like effect. You can achieve straight verticals in post processing, but you must leave a large amount of room around the subject in order to be able to keep the rectangular composition. Canon makes a tilt-shift lens. I can't speak for Nikon.

Answer 6

The best architectual pictures are taken with View carmeras that have tilt shift built into their design. In the 35mm world "shift lens" or PC (perspective control) lens are commonly used. They are many hundreds of dollars and are not real numerous in the digital field yet. Some digital SLRs permit using older manual focus lenses on them using adapters. You can mimic their behavior in PhotoShop (more dollars). I'm not sure if GIMP ( a Linux based software program which is free) supports perspective control. "Flat" may be more a function of the lighting he is shooting in. Early morning or early evening helps give depth to structures. Without knowing what kind of camera he is using makes this much more difficult to answer. Is it film? Digital? Full frame? Point and shoot? SLR?

Answer 7

I was going to say a bunch but read the other answers and they are all pretty good. A good f/2.8 lens is always my favorite but it does matter what he has (Canon, Nikon, etc..). I always tell people to try what they want to at a local store but you can usually get it cheaper at online places like http://www.bhphotovideo.com/