Five Low-Cost Wide Primes Great for Architectural Photography
Wide and fast, these affordable wide primes capture building exteriors and interiors easily.
Wide primes are generally associated with things like landscapes and astrophotography. However, they can be used for far more than that. One more genre where wide primes excel is in architectural photography. Photographers who need to capture building exteriors, interiors, bridges and more, need lenses that can take it all in. After the break, we round up five wide primes that are affordable and capable of capturing sharp images with great colors. If you’re ready to try your hand at architectural photography without breaking the bank, read on.
Rokinon 14mm f2.8 AF
In our review, we said:
“It’s fast to focus, can deliver bokeh, has a fast aperture and weather sealing, and is on par with Tamron’s pricing. How can you go wrong?”
Chris Gampat – Editor In Chief
Buy now Canon EF: $529
Buy now Sony E: $549
IRIX 15mm f2.4 FireFly
In our review, we said:
“When using the IRIX 15mm f2.4 FireFly, we were very impressed with the image quality.”
Chris Gampat – Editor In Chief
Buy now Canon EF: $390
Buy now Nikon F: $390
Pro Tip: These wide primes will surely help you capture images in tight spaces or entire buildings easily. However, to really make architectural photography work, you have to ensure your horizons are straight. Your best bet to get straight images using these lenses is to pair them with a sturdy tripod. We’ve reviewed a ton of them. If you need a new tripod so that using these lenses will be easier, check out our reviews index to find one that’s right for you.
Fujifilm 16mm f2.8 R WR
In our review, we said:
“The exterior of the Fujifilm 16mm f2.8 R WR lens feels every bit as solid as many of Fujifilm’s other lenses. On top of that, it is lightweight, which translates to your back potentially needing less of a massage after a nine-mile hike with this combo.”
Chris Gampat – Editor In Chief
Buy now: $399
Samyang 18mm f2.8
In our review, we said:
“Now, here’s where I’m most in love with this lens. The colors! Samyang colors have always been saturated and contrasty. They look and feel very unique, and this is no exception.”
Chris Gampat – Editor In Chief
Buy now: $329
Tokina 20mm f2 FiRIN AF
In our review, we said:
“The Tokina 20mm f2 FiRIN AF still has great image quality in the same way that the original, manual focus version did. Tokina’s lenses in the past few years have all been stellar not only in their sharpness but also in their color rendition, their lack of CA, and the overall look.
Chris Gampat – Editor In Chief
Buy now Sony E: $589