I'm looking to get into food photography and would love some recommendations on lenses to use. I have a crop sensor Canon EOS R7. What focal lengths work best for food? Any specific lens models you really like for this type of photography? Thanks!
To add to the point above: while the 50mm 1.2 is an incredible piece of glass, I would suggest being cautious about starting there with an R7. Honestly, the 1.6x crop factor turns that 50mm into an 80mm equivalent, which might be a bit tight for table spreads or flat lays. Also, you have to be careful with those ultra-wide apertures. At f/1.2, the depth of field is so shallow that you might only get a single garnish in focus while the rest of the plate turns to mush. I would suggest looking at these instead:
- Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM gives you a much more manageable 56mm equivalent field of view on your sensor.
- Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM is fantastic for those compressed hero shots where you want to highlight specific textures. The macro designation on these is the real game changer for food photography. You really need that shorter minimum focus distance to get those detail shots of condensation or steam. Plus, they are much lighter, which makes overhead shots way easier on your wrists when you are trying to line things up.
For food photography with a Canon RF mount camera, I highly recommend the RF 50mm f/1.2L USM lens. This lens provides:
- Excellent sharpness and detail rendition
- Very wide f/1.2 maximum aperture for beautiful background blur
- Macro capabilities with a 0.4x magnification for close-up shots
- Fast and accurate autofocus
The 50mm focal length on full-frame is ideal for food photos, allowing you to get close but still maintain perspective. The f/1.2 aperture creates gorgeous subject separation. While expensive, the optical quality and low-light capabilities are top notch for an RF prime lens.
