Best Lens for Food Photography

What Is the Best Lens for Food Photography?

Not all lenses are suitable for food photography. It depends on the effect you are interested in and what are your final goals.

It can be a flat lay food photo for your Instagram business page or a restaurant’s lifestyle photo of the staff.

However, each food photographer is looking for the lens which will capture the food from its best side. I have tested many lenses and chosen 12 top ones suitable for food photography.

Best Lenses for Food Photography in 2024:

If your image requires much space, a telephoto lens is your variant. The wide-angle lens allows shooting from the above or do flat-lay.

1. Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM

The 100mm lens gives minimal distortions, saves food proportions and their location in the space. If you often shoot from above, it is not your variant. If the composition consists of more than one plate, you will have to climb very high.

It is a macro lens so you may easily take close-ups. Each macro food photographer knows that it is important to focus very close to the subject and this optics provides such an opportunity (the minimal focal length is equal to 31 cm).

Photo by Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM

However, it is not convenient to work with it in small rooms. You often have to step away for a considerable distance from the shooting object.

The 100mm lens gives light vignette but you may correct it in Lightroom using the Lens Correction Profile.

• Read more about the best cameras for food photography.

2. Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS

The Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS allows shooting with a maximal scale 1:1. The minimal focal distance is 28 .cm, which is quite a standard value for a 90mm lens. During macro shooting in this position, the macro focus is the slowest but it is always accurate.

I tested the lens in the studio and it is ideal for indoor food photography. You may easily take pictures of small objects, and while shooting big ones, you take macro shots as well as capture tiny details.

Photo by Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS

The sharpness of the food lens is impressive. You will be already pleased with the sharpness on the aperture f/2.8.

Starting with f/4.0, the image becomes sharp across the entire field. If you dream of a blade-sharp picture, it will be an ideal variant.

• Read more about the best lens for product photography.

3. Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

First of all, this lens is used to take pictures of food from the top. For example, if the composition is on the table, you may shoot it from above, simply using the chair.

It is convenient since you don’t have to climb somewhere (like with 100 mm lens, for instance). Moreover, 50 mm lens for product photography is suitable for shooting at an angle, when the part of an interior should be in the frame.

Photo by Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

50 mm lens is not suitable for shooting small compositions at a short distance. In this case, it distorts proportions of a subject and their location in the space.

These optics offer high brightness, the maximum aperture value is 1.4. What does it mean? First of all, you may take pictures which have only a small part in focus. Secondly, you may shoot with hands when there is poor lighting.

Widely open aperture allows saving noise values necessary for frame sharpness and low ISO values.

• View more creative food photography ideas.

4. Nikon 60mm f/2.8G AF-S Micro NIKKOR AF ED

It is a great macro lens providing ideally clear shots. Moreover, it is really easy to use.

In comparison with 105mm optics (my favorite one), I have to stay at a distance of 2 to 4 feet from the subject to get the shot I have, using a 60mm lens.

Photo by Nikon 60mm f/2.8G AF-S Micro NIKKOR AF ED

So, if the distance is a problem (in case you like macro shooting and close-ups), it will be your new lens. It is an interesting focal length between 50mm and 85mm.

One more reason why I recommend it is that it is very light. Unlike a 105mm lens which weighs 1 pound 12 ounces, 60mm optics is half of this weight (1 pound).

• Read more about food photography tricks.

5. Nikon AF-S FX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G ED

This food photography lens has great compensated frame geometry. Straight lines near the image edges remain straight which is not typical for the wide-angle lens. The optics provide great sharpness in the middle of the frame with an open aperture.

Photo by Nikon AF-S FX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G ED

Autofocus is very fast and sharp. The distance across the whole focal range does not exceed half a second. The minimal focal length is equal to 25 cm from the matrix plane.

• Check out the best camera for macro photography.

6. Canon 24mm f/1.4L

To my mind, it is not the best lens for food photography to shoot stills unless you have a crop sensor camera. Nevertheless, I shoot food and recipe videos with this optics (especially from above). In such a way, I see the food and my hands while cooking the dish.

Photo by Canon 24mm f/1.4L

The sharpness of this food photography lens is nice. It’s really sharp and easily captures all the details in the frame and has minimal focal distance. So I can approach the subject as closely as possible and have it in focus.

• Read more about food photography.

7. Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8

Personally, I like this lens for an artistic effect of axis-tilt. It does not only create a smooth blurring typical for GREEP, but a vignette curved around the focal point.

Speaking about famous Helios-40, the effect is achieved by the imperfection of an optical scheme. In this case, thanks to a tilt of the focal plane, there is a tilt-shift. It means that we easily control the shooting results.

Photo by Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8

The turn of a tilt mechanism allows changing the mutual location of tilt and shift sides from the perpendicular to parallel that is for vertical and horizontal shootings. However, it is important to remember about blocking off a shift and tilt when changing the directions.

This lens has a smooth focus ring, which allows an easy finding of a necessary point in the composition.

I recommend switching on magnification while shooting in the Live View Mode to avoid any mistakes. Being unblocked, the axis is not tilted or shifted if you accidentally move the tripod.

• Look though these basic food photography props.

8. Nikon PC-E NIKKOR 85mm f/2.8D

This lens is created for product and food photography. Thanks to tilt and shift options, it is great for creative shootings and is appreciated for flexibility while working with sharpness and background blurring.

Photo by Nikon PC-E NIKKOR 85mm f/2.8D

So, thanks to its special construction, 85mm f/2.8 tilt-shift is indispensable for product shooting which requires flexible control of the size and location of the sharpness.

Ability to correct perspective distortions is necessary for product, architectural, and panoramic shooting as well.

• Read more about how to become a food photographer.

9. Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L

This optics is known for its great sharpness. Canon L lenses allow zooming in the subject without moving the camera or a tripod. It is really convenient when you are shooting from above.

However, there is also a drawback concerning this lens. The thing is that when you shoot from above, the weight of the glass case causes unintentional zooming in which may be an advantage as well as disadvantage.

Photo by Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L

Finally, I recommend buying these optics if shooters are engaged in several photo genres, for example, food photography and weddings, food and travel, etc.

• Read more about how to take dark food photography.

10. Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM

In general, it is a good universal zoom lens. Personally, I am not a fan of third lenses but Sigma Company offers decent gadgets and accessories.

Photo by Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM

One more peculiarity that should be mentioned is that it weighs almost 1.7 pounds and uses huge light filters with an 82mm diameter. The lens itself is considered a professional one which is proved with ‘EX’ letters (excellent lenses).

• Check out more best micro four thirds lenses.

11. Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8

It is an alternative to 24-70mm at a full frame. It is the optics every shooter has to own. No matter whether you are a food photographer or a wedding shooter, this optics is a must-have.

Moreover, it is also suitable both for video and photo shootings. In comparison with lenses for bigger matrixes, according to Macro 4/3 standards, it is quite massive. The manufacturer says that the lenses are covered with a “nano-covering” that removes undesired flares and reflections.

Photo by Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8

Autofocus motors are absolutely noiseless, the lens is sharp at an open aperture. I haven’t noticed visible distortions.

If you need a universal high-aperture lens for all of life's emergencies, 12-35mm f/2.8 is the best variant for today.

12. Olympus MSC ED M. 60mm f/2.8

If you attach these optics to cameras, like Olympus OM-D E-M10, you will get an ideal system for macro shooting, and food photography, in particular. Comparatively small matrix allows not to cover the aperture very much and the magnification range is very big.

The stabilizer is capable of working with long exposures and the lens itself provides the best sharpness at an open aperture.

Photo by Olympus MSC ED M. 60mm f/2.8

I would like to mention that the focus is very fast and the distance range may be manually restricted. It makes the process of using an autofocus very convenient.

Speaking about drawbacks, it’s chromatic aberrations, which sometimes appear at an open aperture. The bokeh is not always smooth.

Top 12 Best Lenses for Food Photography

Image	Name	Features
	Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM OUR CHOICE	Great quality Accurate AF Quality/price ratio	Check Price →
	Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS	Universal Quick AF Easy to use	Check Price →
	Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM BEST APERTURE	Cheap Lightweight	Check Price →
	Nikon 60mm f/2.8G AF-S Micro NIKKOR AF ED BEST MACRO	Relatively cheap User-friendly	Check Price →
	Nikon AF-S FX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G ED FOR STILL LIFE	Insensitive to backlighting Lens bag and sun cap	Check Price →
	Canon 24mm f/1.4L FOR BLOGGING	Sharp Close min focal distance	Check Price →
	Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8 BEST TILT-SHIFT	Min chromatic aberration Good frame geometry	Check Price →
	Nikon PC-E NIKKOR 85mm f/2.8D	Good price High quality	Check Price →
	Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L BEST ZOOM	Constant f/2.8 aperture Affordable	Check Price →
	Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM	Qualitative construction Impressive AF	Check Price →
	Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8	Almost no distortion Image stabilization	Check Price →
	Olympus MSC ED M. 60mm f/2.8	Affordable Fast focusing	Check Price →

How to Choose the Best Lens for Food Photography?

First of all, the choice of a lens depends on the shooter’s style and his/her requirement. Perhaps, you may need macro images with high detailization or capture the whole buffet table in one shot. These ideas require different lenses.

Perspective

A wider lens creates a completely different effect than a longer one. To create a beautiful composition with different lenses, you need to try different approaches. Telephoto lenses capture fewer items and focus on the main subject; while you will need more props to complete a background composition using a wide-angle lens.

Working Distance to the Subject

Each photographer should consider the distance between the camera and the plate while taking photos of food. Sometimes, it is not convenient for a food stylist to create a composition when the camera is too close to the subject.

For example, they may not be able to see the plate from the same angle and it complicates the task. Of course, it is not a reason to avoid using wide-angle lenses in digital food photography. What I am trying to say is that you should mind this peculiarity while choosing appropriate optics.

Sharpness at a Given Magnification

Don’t forget about the degree of sharpness while choosing a food photography lens. Camera optics has a given magnification rate and sometimes it is difficult to focus on the subjects as close as you want.

Therefore, there are plenty of macro lenses to take perfect images. Every shooter knows that non-macro optics does not guarantee sharp results. Some lenses are quite good but the majority of them are not sharp at all. If you want to check the sharpness of your lens, take several shots.

Personally, I have a favorite lens but the fact is that the best lens does not exist. If you are a beginner, you will probably need a macro lens (something between 50mm and 100 mm is quite suitable). If you are a real pro, you are likely to have both.

Ann Young

Hi there, I'm Ann Young - a professional blogger, read more