Real estate agents are quickly learning that more than 80% of all the homebuyers and sellers today are using the internet for their home search. Most buyers are visiting dozens of real estate websites viewing online photos, virtual tours and researching detailed information about available homes. Real estate websites, photo slideshows and panoramic virtual tours all have one thing in common and that is that potential buyers are viewing digital photos of these homes online. Doesn't it make sense that if 4 out of 5 homebuyers are making their viewing and buying decisions based on online photos that agents would want the best photos possible?
Real estate agents have two primary choices when it comes to selecting a digital camera and for many the final decision comes down to cost, convenience and maybe both. The most common digital cameras for real estate are the pocket sized digital cameras such as the Kodak V570 or V705 (no longer produced), Casio EX-H10, Panasonic Lumix series and a handful of other brands that feature a slightly wider angle lens. For a pocket size digital camera you are limited to 23mm to 25mm as the widest angle lens that are readily available. A 23mm to 25mn lens has the ability to capture a wider view of a homes interior than a 35mm lens but in many cases the 24mm lens still can't capture a useable or desirable image.
The two photos I have included were taken using a 24mm lens setting and a 10mm setting so that you could get a feel for the difference between the lenses. Both photos were taken using a tripod and we were very careful not to move the tripod. This may be difficult to believe but both of these photos were taken from the exactly same spot and we did not rotate the camera even the slightest bit.
These photos were taken in the conference room at our REMAX Stars real estate office. If you previously believed that wide angle lenses are only needed when photographing smaller sized rooms here is a fact that may change your mind...our conference room measures 12x21 which is larger than a typical living room or family room in an average sized home. Try to imagine and visualize if I had used an 8x5 bath for comparison purposes. With a 24mm lens the bath would have been extremely difficult to photograph and more than likely we would have only been able to capture a portion of the room featuring a photo of just the tub or shower.
An alternative to a pocket sized digital camera are the digital SLR models and full frame models from manufactures such as Canon and Nikon. When considering an SLR camera there are a few things to consider. There is a significant price difference between a quality pocket digital camera ($300 to $500) and a quality SLR ($1,000 to $2,000 in wide angle kit form) and there is an even bigger price difference when you move up to a a full frame digital camera. Full frame digitals are more pricey but they offer an advantage because there isn't a focal magnification (meaning a 10mm lens on a full frame camera gives you a 10mm image and not a 16mm).
The bottom line is that pocket sized digital cameras are cheaper, smaller but they can often have limitations especially when photographing the interior of a home that you are trying to sell. Quality SLR digital cameras are generally at least twice as expensive, they are physically larger and heavier and the SLR has a longer learning curve.
When you consider that the buyer for your listing may actually skip over your listing entirely because the pocket camera you are using leaves the buyer thinking half of the home you are advertising is missing. Knowing that 4 out of 5 homebuyers are viewing homes online BEFORE they ever contact an agent is reason enough to invest in a quality digital SLR or digital full frame camera with an ultra wide angle 10mm lens.
Sam Miller of RE/MAX Stars Realty (740) 397-7800 www.AppleValleyOhio.com, www.SamMiller.net and www.SamMiller.com
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