Im trying to take photos of my sisters tiny apartment before she moves next month to help her list it but my kit lens is just garbage for small rooms. I cant get the whole kitchen in the frame even when I'm literalyl pressed against the wall.
Ive been looking online and everyone says get the Canon 10-18mm STM since its cheap but then I see people saying its too slow for indoor stuff without a flash. Then people say the Tokina 11-16mm is the way to go but its way over my $200 budget and I'm already stressed enough. Is that cheap Canon lens actually gonna work on my T7 for indoor shots or am I just wasting money on a piece of plastic?
Ive tested a ton of these over the years, and the Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM is the one to get. People worry about it being slow, but for rooms you should be using a tripod anyway. Its surprisingly sharp. Since the Canon EOS Rebel T7 has a 1.6x crop factor, that 10mm reach is basically the only way youre getting the whole kitchen in. Lmk if you need any settings tips!
Look into a used Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM if you want to save even more cash. You can usually find them for about $130 online. It is a solid alternative to the Canon and fits the T7 perfectly. The focus is fast enough for static rooms, and it stays wide enough to catch a whole kitchen even in those tiny studio apartments.
Just catching up on this thread and honestly, shooting in cramped apartments is the absolute worst part of the hobby. I have been there so many times, literally bruising my back against a doorframe trying to get a kitchen shot, and it is just soul-crushing when the gear wont cooperate. It makes the whole process so much more stressful than it needs to be and I totally get why you are feeling the pressure. Based on the technical specs and my experience with that sensor, here is why that lens is actually your most reliable bet:
- The Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM has built-in Image Stabilization which compensates for about 4 stops. This is vital for the T7 since that sensor gets noisy fast if you have to crank the ISO in a dark room.
- At 10mm, your diagonal field of view is about 107 degrees. That is basically the maximum you can get on a crop sensor without stepping up to much more expensive glass.
- People complain about the plastic mount, but the stepping motor is incredibly precise for focus, which is what matters for clean listing photos. Dont let the f/4.5 aperture scare you off. For real estate, you usually want to stop down to f/8 anyway to ensure the entire room is in focus from the foreground to the back wall. It is a solid tool for the price.
Quick reply while I have a sec! I totally agree with the first guy—that little lens is freaking amazing for the price! Seriously, people overthink the slow aperture thing way too much. Just throw it on a tripod and youre golden! I love how light it is too. I used a similar setup for a friends studio apartment last year and the shots came out looking like a million bucks. Speaking of apartments, I actually lived in a place once where the kitchen was basically a hot plate and a sink in a literal closet lol. I spent three hours trying to make that shoe box look liveable for the listing and ended up nearly knocking over my gear like five times. It was a total nightmare but the photos actually got it rented in two days! Anyway... but yeah, its definitely not a waste of money.
Exactly what I was thinking
