Cameras and Lenses for Product Photography

Make sure you’re properly equipped for product success.

One of the most common questions asked by those just starting out in product photography is what camera and what lens is best for product photography.

To help answer this question, Karl explains some of the camera choices for product photography before taking a closer look at some of the best lenses for product photography. He also details what lenses he uses when shooting products and why these are his lenses of choice.

Comments

  1. Hi Karl,

    So glad I have found your site, so informative.

    I have a Canon R6, which lens would you suggest would be best for this camera, for product photography?

    2. Great thank you!

      Do you have a tutorial on overhead product shots, I am struggling to get my camera over far enough away from my tripod? Also a tutorial on shiny products. I need to photograph 3 large stainless bowls with colanders?, I am unsure about the reflections, size and composition.

      Thank you very much.

      1. Hi Jo, yes we have several classes on shiny objects, you will find these in our ‘Product Photography’ section from the main menu. You will also find some previous live shows on ‘flat lay’ photography which might be what you are looking for. To better understand the terminology being used in some of the advanced classes, it is recommended that those new to product photography complete the ‘Lighting Theory’ section and ‘Introduction to Product Photography’ sections.

  2. Hi Karl,
    Just wondering whether you are using the HC120 macro on your Hassie as well.
    I really love this lens because it is quite versatile. The only downside is that my Hassie becomes a canon with the HC120. But still, the results are good.
    Best, Bastiaan

    1. Hi Bastian, no I don’t really use that lens as I find the focal length a little to long for the style of product shots I take, my preferred focal length is 80-100mm. With those lenses I use extension tubes and focus stacking as you will see in many of my product classes.

  3. Hello Karl,

    Super excited about learning the product photography ropes from yourself.

    Question: I own a Canon EOS 250D and believe the sensor is only 22.3 x 14.9 mm (CMOS).

    What lenses would you recommend for product photography in such a context?

    1. Hi Joe, welcome aboard. For product photography the key is to use lenses that do not distort the product so we generally avoid wide angle lenses. With crop sensor cameras the distance the camera needs to be from the subject is increased if using the same lens as with 35mm full frame. So therefore for example I might use an 80mm lens but on a crop sensor I would have to move further back which can change the intimacy of the feeling of the shot, therefore you can consider slightly shorter focal lengths but not less than 50mm ideally. You will also need to consider a lens that can focus close enough to your product or use extension tubes. If there is a macro lens available in the 50-60mm focal length then that would be worth considering too.

  4. Hi, talking about extension tubes, what sizes would you recommend for a 70-200 mm Canon glass, if I were to use it as my main lens to start with? ( I am shooting with a full frame body)

  5. Hi, I have a Nikon D3000 and can’t decide which lenses I should get: Nikon 55-200mm AF-S, Nikon 18-105mm AF-S or Nikon 18-55mm AF-S. I will be shooting products that are as small as a smartphone to as big as a violin. Thanks in advance.

    1. Hi, for very small items you’ll need a macro lens or something that allows you to focus closely. The best focal length for product photography for all types though is generally around 100mm (or 80mm on an APS size sensor camera). If there is a lens in the Nikon line up that is around that focal length and allows very close focusing and distance too then that would be a good choice.

  6. Karl,
    hi, I shoot with a Fuji. It is a crop sensor with 26mp and have a decent 56mm lens that would give me an equivalent of ~85mm full frame.

    I am decently invested in Fuji x-mount gear and I am concerned about the full vs crop. Ease my worries? Can product photography be done well on a crop senor camera body – or at least good enough to start?

    Appreciate it!

    2. I had the exact same question. I’m also wondering about the difference between the Fuji GFX 50s II (51 mp) and the Fuji GFX 100s (102mp), and whether or not 102mp is overkill for this work. I’m not ready to invest in one yet, so I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

  7. Hi Karl,

    Can you recommend camera and lens that is suitable for shooting artificial flowers which are bigger than most product photorgrapy. Need it for work where we shoot once in a while so i would like to spend reasonable amount.

    At the moment we are using Nikon D70S with 18-70mm lens. But its super old, there is no thetering support so the whole process from shooting picture to importing it to PC is annoying and tooks a lot of time.

    Thanks in advance for the recommendation!

    1. I’d look at a Canon or a Sony or a newer Nikon. Anything that is full frame and over 22mp would be ideal. Lens wise it’s hard to say but it sounds like a good 50mm prime or around 80mm would be good for what you need. All cameras are much of a muchness, all the other features aren’t much use, as long as they have full manual then you’re ok.

      1. Thank You!! I decided to buy SONY Alpha A7 II with lens SONY FE 50 mm f/1.8.

        Now it’s time to watch Your awesome content and use the knowledge in real life.

  8. Hello Karl, I need help with these two things please:

    1) I have a Nikon D5300 camera, I bought a 105mm micro lense, I though it was the right one to photograph my products (which are flower arrangements, I am a florist) but it doesn’t work very well, I always need to be very far from the subject and can hardly get the product to fit in the frame, unless I am extremely far away.

    Can you please recommend me which lense is better for shooting flower arrangements products? I am always shooting still life photography and like to gave the depth in the background.

    2) Whenever I upload my photo on instagram or facebook the quality gets very bad, I always crop the photo to the size asked by the platform, but i still have the same issue. Is there a video where it explains how to export and upload a photo to keep the best quality possible?

    Thank you so much!

    1. Hi, yes the problem is that the D5300 is a crop sensor camera which has the effect of making the magnification of the 105mm lens greater meaning you need to be further away. If a 105mm macro lens was used on a full frame 35mm camera then you would find that the magnification was not as great and therefore you would not need to move further away. The next problem is that most product photography is quite small, watches, cosmetics etc but flower bouquets are often not. So what you will find is that a standard good quality 50mm f1.4 or f1.8 lens is what will work best for what you need. This would likely fit in the flowers at a suitable distance and give a pleasing result. In answer to your second question the following videos might be useful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6bp4zbicRM and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8YNPrGkA4g&t=465s and https://visualeducation.com/class/preparing-your-images-for-web-using-photoshop/ I hope this helps.

      1. Hello Karl, thank you for the response,
        I have been thinking to get a full frame camera, I am looking at nikon Z7 Mark II or Sony A7R mark 4, which lenses would you recommend for each of these ( I will use them to shoot mainly my flower arrangements) thank you

        1. Hi, if you were shooting with a full frame camera, let’s say the Sony as an example then I’d say the 90mm Sony Macro lens would be a very good choice but this would also depend on how big your flower arrangements are and how much space you have to move back from them?

  9. Hi, Karl

    I see you often use a studio stand.

    Is this something you would recommend as an essential piece of equipment for getting quality results, or more of an assist tool for the bigger format cameras? Given the weight and size of the equipment.

    Cheers

    1. Hi, it depends. For proper product/advertising photography I would say it’s essential because of the precise nature of the work and the requirement to build composite images where nothing can move at all. For other stuff it’s not as necessary.

  10. Hi Karl
    I have Fuji Xt3 and 23 mm and 56 mm , I can’t buy lens at this moment , Can I use 85 mm ?

    1. Hi, this is an APS size sensor which means an 85mm will be about 100mm or so which should be OK if it can focus close enough?

  11. jacktranterphotography

    Hi karl, Just wondering if you would have a preference to lenses, i have never done product before i have been doing portraits ever since i started, i have an canon 85mm 1.2L (with extension tubes) or a sigma EF 105mm Macro lens, shooting on a eos R.

    1. Hi Jack, the 105 macro will be your best option for product work on that camera. If there was a shorter focal length macro available such as 80mm that would also be a good option but the 85mm you are talking about doesn’t work well with extension tubes because it is optimised for a portrait look and depth of field.

  12. Hi new to your program, loving the information so far and maybe you answer this later in another video but do you go over the understanding of focus? and how to read that information off of a lens in order to visualize the lenses ability prior to even trying it?

    thank you

    1. Hi Alexander, thank you for joining and I’m glad to hear you are enjoying it. We have a chapter on Focus here – https://visualeducation.com/class/focus-2/ but if that doesn’t cover what you need to know about focus distances, all lenses have a specification (usually on the lens brand website) that detail how close it can focus which is the most useful bit of info. There are other factors such as how fast they focus but they don’t always make that clear.

  13. dmzbennett@icloud.com

    Hi. Ok my question is …I have a canon eos 90d with a kit lens of 18-135mm. Would that work for product shoots ?

    1. Hi, the camera will but the lens isn’t the best choice as it is unlikely it will focus close enough for a lot of product work when you are using it in the 70mm range.

  14. Hi Karl,

    This might be a bit like asking how long is a piece of string but – I currently shoot with a 28-70mm lens on a Sony a7iii (up to now I shoot mostly interiors and it works for that) but moving into product photography, which would you recommend to purchase next – the 90mm macro as it covers more depth or the 50/60mm? It’s mostly small home accessories at the moment – crockery, candles etc but could change.

  15. Hi Karl,

    I seem to have all the wrong lenses! I was previously only doing landscapes/ a bit of wedding work and currently have a sigma 35mm and sigma 135mm both 1.4. I’m now looking to do a bit of product work for the company I work for but are these lenses usable? Would extension tubes work in these circumstances?

    1. Hi Eleanor, for product work they are not ideal, you might get away with the 135mm if it focuses close enough but you’ll be better of with a 90mm Macro or similar for product stuff as most products are small. If you’re products are big (handbag or larger size) then your 135mm will probably be ok.

    2. Hello Karl,

      Living The course so far. I’m tight with my budget which camera you will recommend to get started with product photography thanksss

      1. Hi, I’m sorry there is just too much choice but if you can afford a full frame 35mm with at least 22mp sensor that has full manual control then great. Apart from that the most important thing will be your lens choice for product photography.

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