What wide-angle lens options for a Pentax K-r work well for interior photography with minimal distortion?
Asked 7/23/2012
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2 answers
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I shoot interior design photos for work with a Pentax K-r and the 18-55mm kit lens. In some small rooms, 18mm is not wide enough to show the space properly. I’d like recommendations for a wider lens for Pentax K mount, ideally something suitable for interiors with as little distortion as possible.
I’m also trying to understand a few basics:
- How wide can you go before the image starts to look fisheye-like?
- Are higher-end wide-angle lenses noticeably better for typical online use, or is a more modest lens usually fine?
I’m mainly looking for a practical “wider than the kit lens” option rather than anything exotic.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
6
You have quite a few questions here.
The first that you asked was about an ultra wide angle lens for the Pentax KR. Sigma has an option in the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens, Pentax also offers the Tamron AF 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 SP Di II LD Aspherical (IF) Lens. If you are wondering why these two cost around $500, see this previous question: Why are wide-angle lenses so much more expensive?
You had a question about why high end lenses exist so this might help you: Why do some lenses cost 10 times as much when the specs are very close?
Distortion
This is already covered by this thread here: How wide can a lens be before it begins to produce distortion? But as far as a bit of detail for your specific question, the lenses in the 50-135mm range usually have very little, that is why they are typically great for portrait work where the lens helps to flatter the subject. Any consumer lens in the sub 18mm range is going to have considerable distortion of some kind. Most of it can be taken care of to some degree with basic software such as Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. For what you are doing, I would just stick with a regular ultra wide angle or wide angle lens and stay away from fisheye lenses and you should be fine.
Originally by user4892. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4892
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—there are non-fisheye ultra-wide options for the Pentax K-r. Two commonly suggested choices are the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 and the Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 in Pentax mount.
For interiors, these lenses give you a much wider view than your 18-55mm kit lens without being fisheye lenses. However, no very wide lens is completely free of distortion. With ultra-wides, you may see barrel distortion and, just as importantly, perspective distortion if the camera is tilted. Keeping the camera level helps rooms look more natural.
A fisheye is a specific lens design; simply going wider does not automatically mean fisheye. Ultra-wide rectilinear lenses are made to keep straight lines straight as much as possible, though some correction may still be needed.
Higher-end lenses usually improve edge sharpness, distortion control, build quality, and maximum aperture. For web-sized interior images, a midrange lens is often sufficient if used carefully. Good technique matters a lot: keep the camera level, avoid shooting from awkward angles, and correct residual distortion in software when needed.
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