You’ve come to the correct spot if you’re seeking the best lens for photographing products. Just as vital as cameras are lenses. Choosing the appropriate one for your selected specialty is crucial. Maximum aperture, construction quality, and other characteristics vary amongst lenses.
Certain lenses work better for still life and product photography than others. The Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 lens is the best option overall among the lenses in our evaluation. It is an inexpensive, quick lens that creates crisp photos.
Best Prime and Zoom Lenses For Product Photography
Naturally, a prime lens produces crisper photos. However, some expensive zoom lenses may also produce top-notch results. Canon’s 24-70mm L Series lens is really crisp, and I use it. It is similar to my 100mm prime macro lens.
1. Canon 85mm F/1.8
| Brand | Canon |
| Lens Mount | EF-Mount |
| Focal Range | 85 mm |
| Maximum Aperture | f/ 1.8 |
| Lens Type | Prime, medium telephoto |
| Product Photography Feature | A decent distance from the subject and a shallow depth of field are provided by the focal length. |
An excellent prime lens for product photography is the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8. Since manual focus is always an option, you may make precise adjustments before taking a picture. When stopped wide open, the focal length provides a shallow depth of field. Another reason why I adore this lens for product photography is because of the gorgeous, creamy bokeh it generates.
2. Canon Ef 50mm F/1.4
| Brand | Canon |
| Lens Mount | EF-Mount |
| Focal Range | 50 mm |
| Maximum Aperture | f/ 1.4 |
| Lens Type | Prime |
| Product Photography Feature | Even when shooting handheld, the highest aperture enables atmospheric, low-light photography. |
If you need to photograph on location in low light, this lens is ideal. When you need to photograph products outside of the studio, you must make advantage of the light that is readily accessible. You can accomplish this handheld with the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4. The subject appears quite natural because of the focal length.
3. Canon Ef 24-70mm F/2.8l Ii
| Brand | Canon |
| Lens Mount | EF-Mount |
| Focal Range | 24-70 mm |
| Maximum Aperture | f/ 2.8 |
| Lens Type | Wide-angle zoom |
| Product Photography Feature | Minimum focus distance of 8 inches (20 cm) is great for shooting products. |
Because of its clarity and low-light qualities, professionals like this lens. With its wide aperture and shallow depth of focus, it performs admirably as a regular lens for everyday use and presents fantastic opportunities for product photography. It is simple to understand why it is so well-liked since it is sharp at all apertures and focal lengths.
4. Sigma 24-105mm F/4 Art
| Brand | Sigma |
| Lens Mount | A-Mount |
| Focal Range | 24-105 mm |
| Maximum Aperture | f/ 4.8 |
| Lens Type | Wide-angle to mid-telephoto zoom |
| Product Photography Feature | A really useful, a general-purpose lens with focal lengths well suited to product photography. |
This lens demonstrates why Sigma has a following base of those who value excellent performance at a price that the camera industry cannot match. For product photography, the 24-105mm focal lengths offer versatility. You can approach them directly or keep your distance.
Sigma’s image stabilization (IS) also helps to maintain the sharpness of photographs in low light. There are compatible lenses for Canon EF, Nikon F, and Sigma SA mount cameras in addition to the Sony A-mount version.
5. Nikon Af-S 50mm F/1.8
| Brand | Nikon |
| Lens Mount | F-Mount |
| Focal Range | 50 mm |
| Maximum Aperture | f/ 1.8 |
| Lens Type | Prime |
| Product Photography Feature | A fast lens with pleasant bokeh that makes your products stand out. |
With this Nikon “nifty fifty,” you may get excellent results at a reasonable cost. With always-available manual focus, you may adjust the incredibly dependable AF (autofocus) as necessary. With product photography, this is unquestionably a plus, especially if you’re using a shallow depth of field. The largest aperture enables hand-held, natural-looking low-light shooting.
Lens Speed
The maximum aperture of the lens, which is measured in f-stops, is what we refer to when we talk about lens speed. The more light that may enter at once, the lower this value must be. This implies that the lens can be “faster” since the shutter speed can be increased.
Better than a lens with an f/4 maximum aperture for taking photos in low light is one with an f/1.4 maximum aperture. You’ll most likely work in a studio with artificial lighting as a still-life photographer.
Shallower depths of the field are also possible with faster lenses. This implies that when focused on a subject in the foreground, the backdrop is blurrier. For some still-life photography genres, like food photography, this may be excellent.
Finally, quicker lenses in flash photography catch more ambient light. Consequently, I advise selecting a lens with an aperture of f/4 or lower (smaller number).
Macro Lenses
A macro lens takes supersharp, detailed images very close to your subject. It has a 1:1 or 1x magnification ratio. This lets it reproduce a life-sized image of your subject on the camera’s sensor. This means you can get very close to your subject, and it will still be in focus.
Sometimes “macro” lenses with a 1:2 magnification ratio are advertised. A real macro lens, however, has a 1:1 magnification ratio.
Macro lenses are excellent for photographing portraits and other closely cropped compositions in addition to close-up shots. Additionally, a macro lens allows you a lot of flexibility when photographing still life and products. It’s a fantastic option to have in your kit, then.
Best Macro Lenses For Product Photography
6. Canon Ef 100mm F/2.8l
| Brand | Canon |
| Lens Mount | EF-Mount |
| Focal Range | 100 mm |
| Maximum Aperture | f/ 4.8 |
| Lens Type | Prime, telephoto |
| Product Photography Feature | Beautiful, smooth bokeh and a wide maximum aperture help make your products pop. |
Sharp photographs of your items are delivered by this Canon genuine 1:1 macro lens. Additionally, it offers fantastic image `(IS). Therefore, even under less-than-ideal conditions, available-light photography is still achievable. Additionally, manual focus is constantly available, allowing you to adjust your focus point until it is ideal.
7. Nikon Af-S 105mm F/2.8g
| Brand | Nikon |
| Lens Mount | F-Mount |
| Focal Range | 105 mm |
| Maximum Aperture | f/ 2.8 |
| Lens Type | Prime, telephoto |
| Product Photography Feature | Outstanding picture quality is produced by sturdy construction and a large maximum aperture. |
This Nikon lens performs as a real 1:1 macro, and it is a good one. When you’re working closely with your subject, the focus-limiting switch is useful. At any aperture, images are crisp.
8. Sony Fe 90mm F/2.8-22 G
| Brand | Sony |
| Lens Mount | E-Mount |
| Focal Range | 90 mm |
| Maximum Aperture | f/ 2.8 |
| Lens Type | Prime, telephoto |
| Product Photography Feature | Unique push-pull focus mode selection and focus lock is particularly good for macro work. |
An accurate measurement and magnification ratio are provided by the lens barrel. For a fantastic macro lens, this makes perfect sense. Pushing or pulling the focus ring makes it simple to switch between autofocus and manual. A whole, infinite to 0.5 m, and 0.5 m to 0.28 m designated range are all present in AF. Under the left thumb, a push-button focus lock also fits comfortably. The visual quality is also excellent.
Focal Length and Minimum Focus Distance
The distance between the lens and the image sensor when the subject is in focus is known as the focal length of the lens. The measurement is in millimeters (28mm, 50mm, 100 mm, etc.).
The broader the field of vision and the larger the region you can record, the shorter the focal length. Understanding a lens’s focal length is crucial. This will show you how much your topic is magnified when you take a picture.
How close you can go to your subject and still have it in focus depends on the lens’s minimum focus distance. The further you must stand from your topic to focus on it, the longer the focal length.
Two Canon lenses can be contrasted. The minimum focus distance for the Canon EF 100mm f/2 USM is 91 cm. The minimum focus distance for the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 IS USM Macro is 31 cm.
To focus on your subject when using the 100mm f/2 lens, you would need to be at least 91 cm away from it. You could go as near as 31 cm with the 100mm f/2.8 macro lens and still take a crisp picture.
Since you must come very near while taking macro or close-up photos, knowing the minimum focus distance is helpful. So, it is uncommon to picture still life with long lenses. Usually, you want more compact crops.
Tilt-Shift Lenses for Product Photography
You should consider adding this specialized lens to your collection of still-life photography equipment. It has a hefty price tag. But for some occupations, renting can be worthwhile. Tilt-shift lenses are frequently used by commercial product photography and still-life photographers.
What exactly is a tilt-shift lens then? About the image sensor, the lens may be adjusted or angled in a variety of ways. By doing so, you may adjust the plane of focus and the convergence of parallel lines. Thus, you may take pictures of two subjects from two different distances.
The plane of focus with a normal lens is parallel to the camera’s sensor. Therefore, everything at that certain distance will likewise be in focus when you focus on your subject. However, a tilt-shift lens serves two purposes.
- The plane of focus is no longer parallel to the sensor due to the tilt feature. To do this, tilt your plane of focus. Everything at that angle may be brought into focus when you concentrate on an object.
- Without needing to move the camera, the shift feature moves the subject within the frame. You can achieve the ideal angle for the photo by moving the lens up, down, or side to side. As a result, you get objects that would otherwise be out of the frame.
The foreground can be sharply focused while the surrounding items are out of focus because of the ability to alter the plane of focus.
With a tilt-shift lens, you may also capture your subject at its most attractive perspective. Without altering the camera angle or distance, you may decide how much of the tale outside the frame is seen. When photographing products or packages, this is quite useful.
The depth-of-field limitations of the majority of lenses may be effectively remedied by using a tilt-shift lens. Additionally, you can get a lot of depth with these lenses without having to utilize narrower apertures, which makes them perfect for studio photography.
Best Tilt-Shift Lens for Still Life Photography
9. Canon Ts-E 90mm F/2.8l
| Brand | Sony |
| Lens Mount | EF-Mount |
| Focal Range | 90 mm |
| Maximum Aperture | f/ 2.8 |
| Lens Type | Prime, tilt-shift telephoto |
| Product Photography Feature | The tilt-shift combined 90mm focal length gives you lots of flexibility |
This Canon tilt-shift lens has a modest telephoto zoom. It’s perfect for gaining some separation from your subject. Even though the lens claims “macro,” it only provides a 1:2 magnification. Nevertheless, it is a tight reproduction ratio that is still amazing.
Conclusion
Only high-end lenses, in the opinion of some photographers, are appropriate for professional work. Or they believe they are always superior to their counterparts in the consumer world. But this isn’t always the case. Premium lines, like Canon’s L-series, often have superior lenses and construction. But don’t let the presence of a red border deceive you into believing that a lens is superior because of it.
A consumer-grade prime lens could be crisper than a high-end zoom lens, as was already noted. The most crucial element is the lens that is most suited to the genre you are shooting. Even the greatest wide-angle lens on the market won’t be particularly helpful for photographing products. The optimal lens is therefore the one that is most appropriate for the task.
There are several lenses available for product photography. Simply choose the sort that best suits your shooting requirements and shooting style. The affordable Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 prime lens produces clear product photos. And its applications extend beyond product photography. We advise the Sigma 24-105mm f/4 Art zoom lens if you have a Nikon or Sony camera.