Equipment

Looking for the best real estate photography equipment, gear and software that is mentioned throughout the site? Read below for all things that pertain to real estate photography that have been shown to be valuable in some instance or another.

However it is not an end-all list! Other brands of the similar equipment will work just as well – so research your options before making any final decisions.

The majority of the links are Amazon affiliate links. Please note that when you purchase an item through an affiliate link, you are not charged an additional rate! Amazon simply throws some pennies my direction for referring you to their site. Your support through purchasing the below items, or any item after clicking through my Amazon affiliate links is much appreciated.

Camera Bodies

Canon T7i

Auto Bracketing Exposures and a swivel LCD make this a great budget-friendly camera for still photos.

Canon 5D Mark IV

Outstanding video capabilities and a full-frame sensor make this a great higher-end option.

Camera Lenses

Canon 10-22mm Lens

A great option for real estate when using a cropped-sensor Canon camera body, like the T7i.

Sigma 10-22mm (Canon Mount)

An alternative wide-angle lens for Canon cropped-sensor camera bodies.

Canon 17-40mm Lens

A great L-Series, wide-angle lens for full-frame Canon camera bodies.

Tripods & Heads

Manfrotto 190XPRO Aluminum 4-Section Tripod

Great light-ish set of legs for stills.

Manfrotto 055 Aluminum 3-Section Tripod

Heavier but more sturdy for video where the camera may be panning/tilting, or on a slider.

Manfrotto 322RC2 Grip Action Joystick Head

Go-to head for quickly leveling the camera, the number one real estate photography tip!

Manfrotto 502 Video Head

Great, sturdy video head. Warning: It’s a lot bigger than it appears in the photos!

ePhoto Professional Video Camera Fluid Drag Tripod Head

Budget-friendly video head.

Manfrotto 323 RC2 Adapter / Quick Release Plate

Same plate system on the 322RC2 Grip, if you need extra mounting adapters/plates.

Manfrotto 394 RC4 Low Profile Adapter / Quick Release Plate

A low-profile quick release system great for adding on to video equipment like sliders, gimbals, etc.

Video

DJI Ronin-M Gimbal Stabilizer

Super smooth footage while walking, very easy to use, long battery life.

DJI Ronin-S Gimbal Stabilizer

Smaller footprint makes it easier to transport to properties, however the higher mount location means you’ll likely be bending over a lot while creating home tours.

Neewer Carbon Fiber Handheld Stabilizer

Budget-friendly option for video stabilization, however it may be difficult to get smooth footage due to proper balancing, swaying, etc.

Neewer Carbon Fiber Camera Track Slider

For video slider movements. Small and portable, easy to carry around from room to room.

Neewer Aluminum Jib Arm Camera Cane

Crane to get sweeping video shots implementing height changes to add interest.

Note: All of the above should work great with the Manfrotto 394 Quick Release Plate System attached.

Aerial / Pole Photography

DJI Mavic Air Drone Quadcopter

Great for aerials and video, and super compact for easy transportation.

DJI Mavic 2 Pro Drone Quadcopter

Want a better quality camera option? Look into the Mavic 2 Pro.

DJI Spark Drone Quadcopter

Taking minimalism to the extreme, this drone is extremely light and compact. It’ll be the most budget-friendly option.

With 3968×2976 resolution photos you should be able to capture great shots. You just may be better off investing in something more expensive with more options/quality.

There are many different bundle options available for DJI drones on Amazon. Do some research and see what works best for you. To be able to shoot multiple properties in a day, or shoot both photos and video without worry, be sure to get extra batteries. 3-4 will give you peace of mind on busy days.

Hubsan X4 4-Channel RC Quadcopter

Toy? Yes. Beneficial? Definitely! Use this little quadcopter indoors to practice flying before you try the bigger, more expensive options.

DocaPole 24 Foot Camera Pole + Camera Pole Adapter

Pole aerial photography setup to get higher ground-level aerial shots. Great for quick shots where a higher vantage point helps showcase a property, without the need for a drone.

Aputure Coworker Wireless Remote Shutter Release

A lightweight setup to wirelessly trigger your camera while on a pole.

NOTE: These devices may be camera brand specific, so double check before ordering.

CamRanger Wireless Nikon and Canon DSLR Remote

Allows you to see a live view of your camera feed. Mostly for interior shooting, however it could potentially be used for pole aerial photography. It may be difficult as you will have your hands on the pole and thus it will be challenging controlling/viewing an ipad simultaneously.

NOTE: CamRanger does not sell this version any more as they are creating CamRanger II. As of July 2019, the CamRanger II has not yet been released.

Flash Tools

Flashpoint XPLOR 600 HSS Battery-Powered Monolight

Great battery-powered flash with tons of power and light output.

Godox AD200 Battery-Powered Speedlite Flash

A lower powered flash but still outputs a great amount of light, especially with two combined together.

Godox XT32C HSS Wireless Power Control Flash Trigger for Canon

Using two, you can trigger the flashes and adjust the flash power while away from your camera.

Memory Cards / Storage

Cameras and other devices like drones that use memory cards use different types of cards. Make sure you know what card you need, whether it’s a CF Card, SD Card, or Micro SD Card.

SanDisk Extreme PRO 64GB Compact Flash Memory Card
SanDisk 64GB Extreme PRO SDXC Card
64GB Sandisk Extreme Pro Micro SDXC Card
Western Digital 1TB External Hard Drive

Safely back up your photos to external drives frequently.

Audio (for Video)

Zoom H1n

Portable recorder great for testimonials & video intros. Having multiple allows you to record a couple of people at a time, like during client testimonials.

The 2GB microSD card that comes with the recorder delivers ~2h53m record time, plenty for agent bios/testimonials

Basic Lavalier Microphone

Lavalier Microphone for use with the Zoom H1n above to record video testimonials, agents, etc.

Lighting (for Video)

Lighting for video is quite difficult. It’s easiest to try and record outside in the shade where your subjects are evenly lit, or if staying indoors, stand by some big windows and have the subject(s) sit opposite of you. They’ll be facing the window, thus having the light directly on them.

Neewer 43″ Multi-Disc Light Reflector

Use a reflector if needed as fill light, or to bounce light into the back of the subjects.

Miscellaneous Equipment

Apple iPad Air

View photos and control your camera when used in tandem with a CamRanger.

Read about my suggestion on how to carry an iPad during photo shoots.

CareTouch Cleaning Wipes

210 individually wrapped wet wipes, perfect for keeping in the car to clean lenses/cameras on the go.

Giottos Rocket Blower

Blows air into the camera, to attempt to remove dust from the sensor

Sensor Cleaning Kit

Swabs and cleaning solution to thoroughly clean the camera sensor.

NOTE: These kits are sold in different sizes based on your camera’s sensor. Make sure you purchase the correct one.

Datacolor SpyderXPro Monitor Calibrator

Monitor calibrator to make sure the colors of your monitor are configured correctly so your photos have accurate color (blog post)

Software / Site Subscriptions

ViewShoot

Client-management system for real estate photographers only. Shoot scheduling, photo delivery, online payments, tours, etc.

Adobe Creative Cloud (Lightroom AND Photoshop)

Full versions of Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, via Adobe’s Creative Cloud subscription for Photographers

PhotoMatix Pro

Software for blending brackets to create HDR photos of exteriors and interiors.

(Don’t forget to take 15% off with code REPHOTOTIPS)

Lightroom Enfuse Plugin

Plugin for Enfuse software to process brackets within Lightroom

2 thoughts on “Equipment”

  1. What type of laptop do you feel is sufficient for real estate videography? Great website! Very informative and helpful.

    Reply
    • Whatever the fastest one you have access to is! I’m a Mac guy so I use a MacBook Pro, but any windows laptop will work just fine if it’s powerful enough. I’m a big believer in using what you have and not wasting money on anything that isn’t necessary. 🙂

      Reply

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