A zoom lens is suitable for real estate photography because it will have several focal lengths. A prime lens, however, will have a single focal length.
Prime lenses are particularly a strong choice for professional real estate photographers because they often deliver sharper image quality, have larger maximum apertures, and are cost-effective. Photographers prefer greater sharpness and lower prices, as both these factors are great for business.
Prime lenses produce higher-quality images because they only have one focal length. Since the lens doesn’t move, there isn’t any chance of vibration stabilization.
Zoom lenses score high on versatility. The main advantage of a zoom lens over a prime lens is that you’ll need to carry less gear. This could be immensely beneficial if your photography gigs take you to distant places. The other thing is a wide angle zoom lens can cover as much ground as two wide angle prime lenses (at times, even three).
The key downside of zoom lenses is they don’t produce consistent optical quality at all focal lengths. While the quality is by no means bad with today’s amazing zoom lenses, many purist photographers will opt for a prime lens when lens optics are the primary need.
However, most professional real estate photographers will likely agree that the convenience of a zoom lens often outweighs the restriction of just one focal length. The other argument in favor of a prime is that they are typically better at capturing more light. Most zooms don’t provide a 1.4 or 1.8 maximum aperture, and many are limited to a 4.0 maximum aperture when set to maximum focal length.
Since most real estate photography is captured with a tripod with artificial light or by shooting a bracket of frames and since most captures are typically captured at a lens’ sharpest aperture (between f7.0 to f9), being limited to an f4.0 maximum aperture is rarely a problem, making zoom lenses a perfectly acceptable choice for interiors. For exteriors, a prime lens may be a better choice. Keep reading for more details.