Size does matter!! This BIG boy isn't really doing it for me!

Hi Janice ~ You are such a tease LOL!   I've had the same 'Little Guy' you've had too (and still like to use him sometimes) but I LOVE my Big Boy and can't imagine life without him.  He's proud of his size, too (Canon EOS 10-22mm ultra-wide lens) ... works great with my Canon Digital Rebel.

Hey, your staging looks great too!!  Have a great holiday weekend GF!!

Janice -- yes, small number = wider angle!!     I bought my camera body and lens separately and I only use it for real estate photography.  My "old" Kodak V705 is still good for the "before" shots!

Both the Sigma and Canon 10-22mm are great lenses.  The Sigma may be cheaper, but the Canon is the better lens.  You'll notice better contrast and color saturation right out of the camera.  The only drawback to either lens is that the are both pretty wide, even though they are zoom lens.  If you want to do detail and close-up shots, maybe even a little shallow depth of field (sharp foreground and blurry background) neither of these lenses are idea.  They also dont do a very good job of taking photographs of people.  Ideally you will use the wide angle for the whole room shots and the kit lens for the close-ups and everything else.

Congrats on getting the Big Boy. A Canon is an awesome camera and one I know that Iran (posted above) uses. I, on the other hand, love my Nikon. For my staging photos, I don't use my wide-angle lens as it can often times distort the size of the room and I never want to disappoint the potential buyer.  That's my opinion and I know others might disagree. Instead of using wide-angle, I try my best to get as much of the room as possible, then.... I go for the "detail" shots that have the shallow depth of field.

And you're right, "the staging isn't too shabby." In fact, it's great (as always).

Congratulations. Your home staging before and after pictures is being featured in the group "Staging Before and After Pictures.

Kathy

I am so happy I bopped back in!  Maureen's idea will work perfectly for my little Cannon Rebal! 

As referenced by Kathy, I would just be careful with such a wide lens. You have the ability to shoot very wide, but if you aren't careful it can sometimes do more harm than good. As Kathy stated, sometimes you can go so wide as to show the space inaccurately. Even though you are trying to sell to square footage, it's a misrepresentation of the space.

I also believe buyers are pulled in based off emotion. By using an extremely wide angle, sometimes the space isn't as engaging. For example, the finished dining room photo above without the "big boy", is a very intimate, close shot. I think it's superb. It invites me in and I want to sit down at the table. The "big boy" version is very wide and it probably isn't accurately portraying the space, and it's pushing me "outside" of the room and not inviting me in.

One fun thing you can do when you are taking photos with a wide angle lens, is you can stand at the far end of the room. For instance in the top bedroom "big boy" photo, stand in the doorway at the far end and look at photo. You'll see in the end result that you look really tiny in the photo! It's because of the extreme wide angle and the amount of distortion and perception differences. With such drastic views, it ends up not being very pleasing to the eye.

I think I know what's on my Christmas wish list. I've been wanting a wide angle lens for my Digital Rebel and after seeing the difference it made with your before and after photos I'm sold. Staging looks great too.

The difference is absolutely amazing!

Janice - Great job on the post! LOL  You keep it fun.  The staging is great and love the education on the BIG and BIGGER BOYS.

Janice, after Iran's workshop at the RESA conference I am so going out and getting a new lens!