Best Cameras & Lenses For Food Photography

Once you’ve found the best camera for food photography, you need to decide what type of images you want to take. Did you want to take close-up macro images or wider top-down images? Do you want everything in focus, or just your subject? Consider the below aspects to help you find the best lens for food photography:

• 10 – 50mm: This wide-angle range is great for top-down images of food, pots and pans, your stove or the finished article
  
  
• 50mm: The sweet spot. Great for overhead flat lay shots but also letting you get close enough for portraiture too
  
  
• 60mm+: Focal lengths above this move into telephoto. Telephoto is great for food portraiture and creatively angled images
  
  
• Macro: Our macro lenses let you focus on the detail without losing any of the quality
  
  
• Aperture: A larger F-Stop (smaller number) is better for low light and can blur the background. A smaller F-Stop (larger number) lengthens the depth of field, putting everything in focus
  
  
• Zoom vs Prime: A zoom lens gives you more versatility, while a prime lens offers higher quality and faster apertures

Choosing the right lens is important, but you need to get the right camera too. For beginners, the EOS R50 and EOS R8 are excellent choices. Each are capable of sharp images that will make bringing the detail out of your food achievable. The main difference is that the EOS R50 is APS-C, while the EOS R8 is full frame. You'll find that the EOS R50 is easier to use and has a more cropped view, while the EOS R8 has clearer images. The EOS R50 is also fast, with a 15 fps electronic shutter speed perfect for taking pictures of cooking in action, whether that be food being poured, a sauce on the boil or a chef at work.

Meanwhile, professionals should look towards the EOS R6 Mark II and the EOS R5. Both cameras feature IBIS, giving you a steady image which is great when taking close-up photos. This also means you can use the camera for stability when using lenses that aren't equipped with IS. The EOS R5 has an impressive 45 MP, meaning you can print delectable large-scale prints of food, while the 8K video feature makes it a popular choice for vloggers as well. Meanwhile, the EOS R6 Mark II is built for speed. A great hybrid camera, it combines 24.2 MP with a 40 fps electronic shutter. This enables you to take photos of things moving in the kitchen, while retaining image quality. Finally, the EOS R6 Mark II has a higher ISO capability, meaning it would work better in dimly lit kitchens and restaurants.

Canon RF-S 18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM

The RF-S 18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM can create beautiful out-of-focus bokeh and will get you as close as 15cm from your subject with an impressive 0.25x magnification. This makes it great for seeing the detail in food, textures and patterns. You can also play with depth of field and the sharpness of the subject, leading to more creative imagery. Thanks to the focal range, the lens has wide-angle capabilities that let you take top-down images of your cooking, baking and even the finished result.

• Great for bird’s-eye view photography
• A versatile range gets you close to your subject
• Play with field of view and create impressive bokeh

Canon RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM

The Canon RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM can magnify your image to an astounding 1:2. This extraordinary lens manages to combine macro capabilities with a wide-angle focal range to capture top-down images of food, cooking, baking and your set up. Because it's a prime lens, you can also print impressive, large-sized, fine-art prints. If in a low lit establishment such as a restaurant or outdoors in the evening, you can use the fast f/1.8 aperture and built-in Image Stabilizer to retain sharp photos with minimal noise.

• Macro images of your food
• For printing large fine art pieces
• Low light images in a restaurant

Canon RF 14-35mm F4L IS USM

For advanced enthusiasts and professionals, the Canon RF 14-35mm F4L IS USM offers edge-to-edge detail that’s both sharp and clear, perfect for wide-angle, top-down images of your hob, cooking, baking, pots and pans, food, dishes and more. With a constant F/4 widest aperture, you don't have to worry about the aperture changing as you zoom in or out. This means that your exposure settings remain constant, making it easier to maintain consistent lighting and exposure across your food shots even if you zoom in or out to try different compositions. The lens also features a 5.5 stop Image Stabilizer for blur-free photography and a USM Nano Motor that guarantees accurate and fast focusing.

• Ultra wide-angle images of your set up and finished dishes
• Great for experimenting with depth of field
• Use for wide-angled vlogging that gets you in the picture

Canon RF 100mm F2.8L MACRO IS USM

The max 1.4x magnification of the RF 100mm F2.8L MACRO IS USM reveals details other lenses macro cannot. The lens is simply outstanding for food photography. You can get more creative than ever before, by putting your subject in focus and altering the focus of the bokeh. Its adjustable Variable Spherical Aberration Control is a unique feature that gives you more creativity to achieve the effect that you want. Great for more angled portraits, the fast aperture and 9-blade IRIS guarantees that quality remains constant, even in low light conditions. Finally, a Hybrid Image Stabilizer and Dual Nano USM lets you take images blur free.

• Close-up images of food in exceptional detail
• More angled portraits of your subject
• Experiment with bokeh for more creative images