Have you ever considered what the best lens for food
Whether you enjoy taking food
In this article, we will discuss some of the best food
Contents
Crop Sensor Cameras Explained
Before we start talking about food
If you buy a more expensive camera, you will end up with a full-frame sensor, which will capture everything you are seeing on your viewfinder. However, cropped sensor cameras were created to provide a more affordable camera on the market.
A cropped sensor camera isn’t able to capture everything in the frame, so it will blow up the image when shooting it and won’t be the same image you see through your viewfinder. So make sure you check if you have a cropped or full-frame camera before buying any lenses. You want to make sure your lens is the right one for your camera.
Read our detailed guide on cropped vs. full-frame sensor cameras to learn more.
Important Lens Features
These are some important features you will want to include in your search for the best lens for food
Large Aperture
You will want to create beautiful bokeh in your food photos, and any great lens for this will have a large aperture setting. Look for f/2.8 or more for superb image quality. This is one of the top things food photographers look for in their food
Quality Glass
Lenses for food
Image Stabilization
If you want your food
Sharp Focus
With food photos, it’s all about focus. You are getting super close to food and need the images to be as sharp as possible so that they appear appetizing and like you could eat them right there off the photo. Look for a hybrid image stabilizer for the best results.
Types and Uses of Lenses for Food Photography
Each lens holds a different purpose, whether you are shooting overhead shots or close-ups of food
Prime Lenses
Prime lenses are lenses that do not move like a zoom lens. They have one focal length that provides high image quality and sharpness. Many food photographers prefer to shoot with prime lenses for sharp images and affordability. You will spend less than the more over-priced zoom lenses by investing in a prime lens.
The best lenses that are considered prime include the 80/85/50/and 100mm. These lenses for food
The 50mm prime lens is perfect for food
Macro Lenses
Macro lenses are perfect for getting in super close to your food subjects. A zoom lens may become blurry when you get too close to your subject, but macro lenses are designed specifically to help you get up close and personal, making it a great lens for food
Zoom Lenses
Zoom lenses are fantastic for food
It may prove difficult to hold your camera steady if it has a massive focal length range. Many food photographers choose the 24-70mm f/2.8 as their best food
Tilt-Shift Lens
This lens is one of the most expensive you can invest in for your food
Nikon Lenses
Now it’s time to dive into some of our favorite food lenses, depending on the brand. Let’s get started with the Nikon lenses. Nikon has been around for decades and is a top runner when it comes to any genre of
Nikon AF-S DX 40mm f/2.8G Micro
This lens provides the perfect focal length for capturing delicious textures and ingredients. This budget-friendly macro lens provides close-up shots of a minimum distance of 16cm.
The lightning-fast aperture of f/2.8 gives you that beautiful bokeh you have been dreaming of. The camera is compact and ready to travel, weighing only around 8oz.
Pros
- Very Light
- Precise Focus
- Beautiful depth of field
- Affordable macro lens
- 6.3″ focusing distance
Cons
- There is no image stabilization to avoid blurry photos
Nikon 50mm f/1.8G
Move over kit lenses and check out this nifty fifty lens! With its prime focal length, it’s a camera that every food photographer should add to their collection. The aperture of f/1.8 provides incredible bokeh, and it’s compact enough to fit in any camera bag.
It has lightning-fast autofocus and allows you to get close enough that you will feel like you are shooting with a tilt-shift lens.
Pros
- Amazing autofocus
- Great bokeh with f/1.8
- Affordable full-frame prime lens
- 17″ minimum focus distance.
- Lightweight
Cons
- Lacking image stabilization
Canon Lenses
Like Nikon, Canon produces some of the best lenses on the market. But when it comes to food
Canon EF-S 35mm f/2.8 Macro IS STM
This expensive lens serves its price with its optical sharpness. It provides a short minimum focusing distance that every food lens needs. This is why it’s one of the favourite lenses among food photographer pros.
It is designed for cropped sensor camera bodies, and it also comes with image stabilization that works well in low-light situations. Even more impressive, it is lightweight and compact with a 1:1 macro offer.
Get the camera angle you need with one of the best lenses for food
Pros
- Macro lens capabilities
- Compact and easy to pack
- Fast Aperture
- Affordable
- Image stabilization included
Cons
- Not water resistant
Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM
This affordable Canon RF mount macro lens is one of the best lenses for food photographers around the world. It’s so small it only weighs 10.4oz and comes with a maximum aperture of f/1.8, making it above the average kit lens.
Get the shallow depth of field you are dreaming of while being able to get close enough to your food to capture any angle you desire. The details you capture will be mouth-watering, and it comes with a 2:1 macro ratio as well.
Pros
- f/1.8 aperture for great bokeh
- Image stabilization
- Affordable
- Tilt lens capabilities
Cons
- Not water resistant
Sony Lenses
After covering the big guys like Nikon and Canon, it’s important that we also talk about some of the other hard hitters in the world of food
Sony E 30mm f/3.5 Macro
This lens is made for mirrorless cameras and weighs only 10.2oz making it lightweight but also durable. Its aperture comes in at f/3.5, which isn’t one of our fastest lenses but definitely still provides wonderful bokeh.
Its minimum focus distance comes in at a super close 3.74″ combined with some of the best glass on the market!
Pros
- Lightweight
- Fits in your pocket
- Affordable
- 3.74″ minimum focus distance
Cons
- Not the fastest aperture
Fuji Lenses
Fuji cameras have become increasingly popular for their lightweight bodies and mirrorless capabilities. Let’s see which lens works best when it comes to food
Fujifilm XF 60mm f/2.4 R Macro
This macro lens works great for food
The focus is not as fast as we normally love, but it allows for ultra close-up shots at a minimum focus distance of 10.6.
Pros
- Macro capabilities
- Fast Aperture
- Lightweight
- Minimum focus distance of 10.6″
Cons
- Not weather resistant
Tamron Lenses
Tamron lenses provide great savings when it comes to investing in glass for your camera. Have a look at this lens if you are looking for an off-brand lens that won’t break the bank.
Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro VC USD
This prime lens is made for full-frame cameras and features a super-fast aperture of f/2.8. The sharpness is incredible, and even better, it gives you a minimal focal distance of 11″.
With this compression rate, your food will be highlighted by the compressed background without much effort. Also, you won’t have to worry about low light situations while using Tamron’s image stabilization.
The lens weighs about 1.34lb and goes well with a Nikon or Canon full-frame sensor camera.
Pros
- Image Stabilization
- Great for low light situations
- Dustproof
- Very sharp images
- 11″ minimum focus distance
Cons
- Older lens means slower focus
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed this article on the best lens for food
Lastly, if you are looking for more information to inspire you, check out this article on the best food photographers to follow! Their images are sure to inspire you, and who knows, maybe they even need an assistant!
FAQs
Do you still have questions about food
The Nikkor PC-E 45mm Micro 2.8 and the Nikkor PC-E 85mm 2.8 are favorites among food photographers. They are very expensive but worth the investment when you see the results! They also make it much easier to capture any angle without a pesky camera shake.
Just like portrait photography, 50-90mm is the focal perspective for food photos. This length is great for compressing backgrounds and making your images pop with beautiful crystal clear details. Try starting with this focal length on your next shoot for the best images.
If you want to take better food photos, remember these key elements. Place your food next to an indirect natural light source. Next, scatter some of the extra elements around your main subject, such as blueberries for blueberry muffins. Lastly, move around your food and find the best angle, considering if shooting from above is one of them.
Like choosing a camera body, you should take the time to choose a camera lens. Lenses are a long-term investment and will last longer than your camera body if you take good care of them. Head over to Google and look up some of the lenses you want to invest in. After completing more research online, you should go to your local camera store and rent the lens before spending thousands on it. You will get a real feel for how the lens works and shoots before spending all that money.
