Tips for Sharp Real Estate Interior Photographs

[@alconburyhoffenhung5992]

Really nice video. Useful for an absolute beginner like me. Thanks 👍

[@alexbryan87]

I understand the security in focusing manually, but with the Sony a7iii the autofocus seems awesome so far. Can you recommend best settings to achieve good focus with the Sony system?

[@PhotomatixHDR]

Yes, Sony A7 III's autofocus capability is pretty good. For an interior scene, I would recommend setting the focus mode to AF-S (Single-Shot Autofocus), combined with the focus area 'Flexible Spot', with the spot set to the nearest distance that should be in focus. Manually focusing is not mandatory. It is just for being safe, that the distance nearest to the camera you want to be sharp is in focus. You can achieve the same by setting the focus mode to AF-S, and the focus area to an object at the nearest distance you want to be in focus (the focus area mode 'Flexible Spot' allows you to adjust the position of the focus area manually in a composition that doesn't change).

[@DialloStevens]

@@PhotomatixHDR I am a little confused - on two points. (1) In the video, you suggest focusing on the window edges or picture frame at the FAR end of the room, but in this comment you recommend focusing on the NEARest thing you want to be in focus (let's say: the couch). Can you clarify? Also, (2) you recommend fast lenses in the video, but wide apertures have shallow depths of field. Wouldn't we want to close the aperture to have more in focus? Thanks in advance.

[@PhotomatixHDR]

@@DialloStevens When focusing, there are a number of strategies/techniques/checks/etc. I think the speaker is showing that the clear line/contrast of the window frame is good for that (probably should have shown a check of a nearby item too). For me, I like to either focus on something around 1/3 of the way into the scene, or to set 'hyperfocal distance'. I recommend looking up 'hyperfocal' for this kind of scene. Regarding (2) I agree that this kind of scene calls for stopping down such as f8 for wide angle lenses. This is a nice advantage for real estate photography because less-expensive lenses can be very capable of great results.

[@johnjon1823]

Well, when I do it I use a mirrorless with an articulated screen that folds out at waist level, the camera has a built-in level and makes complete lens corrections in-camera and allows me various aspect ratios on-screen easy to see. I put it on a tripod, close down the aperture, use a cable remote, shoot seven frames, touch the screen as to where to focus, let it autofocus, color balance the raw files, enfuse them, run a lightroom preset adjustment and there you go. No mirror to worry about and no stooping down to see the viewfinder or screen on the back. My backup is an 80D because it more bulky and makes no final in-camera lens corrections. But I would use that one if I needed to control several flashes at the same time remotely, or if I needed remote control at a greater distance, which so far I have not.

[@LoriPond]

How do you figure out what EV setting to use?

[@PhotomatixHDR]

The EV range required to cover the dynamic range can be quite large. For indoor shots with a view out of the window, 5 exposures with 2 EV is usually sufficient (or rather ok). However, this depends mostly on weather conditions (bright sunlight vs. overcast skies). I tend to overshoot with 7 images at 2 EV. Measuring the dynamic range can be done with the in-camera spot metering, but in practice I usually don't have time for that.

[@o.aldenproductions.9858]

Love it. Thanks for sharing 👌🏼

[@chinhvannguyen1685]

Sigma 10-20 mm on crop body is good, auto focus is fast

[@svitlanavolokh1383]

Thanks a lot!!!