Recommended Lens for Food Photography

Hello,

I'm going to invest in a new camera lens for food photography. I've already worked doing this kind of photography but I've always have used a zoom lens like the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8. Now that I'm going to start doing this kind of photography again I have been reading and in many places people prefer a prime lens like the 35mm, 50mm or the 85mm for food photography. For those people doing food photography, what is your main lens for it?... What do you prefer to use?

EF 100mm f/2.8L IS.

But the 90mm TS-E would make a better choice, especially if you pair it with the 50mm TS-E, but then that'd be two lenses.

The 100mm f/2.8 looks a very nice lens for food photography... hummm

I like 35mm, 100mm for me is too long.

Sirrith wrote in post #16851916
I like 35mm, 100mm for me is too long.

For food photography?

Soto wrote in post #16851919
For food photography?

Yes. For 100mm I have to back up too much for my liking, most of the time.

Sirrith wrote in post #16851969
Yes. For 100mm I have to back up too much for my liking, most of the time.

My last food photography session I used the 24-70mm and it was cool to have that range to play with...

Soto wrote in post #16851982
My last food photography session I used the 24-70mm and it was cool to have that range to play with...

So use your 24-70. What works for others won't necessarily work for you.

Totally depends on the look your Art Director or client is after. A pro should have the needed tools in the bag.

When I shoot food I usually do it with the 24-70. But the 100mm is in the bag if I have the time to switch lenses in between each plate.

Need to capture a bit of the background while still capturing a food dish as the primary subject? Want to use perspective distortion to make elements of your image appear larger or smaller? Use a wider lens like a 35mm and step in close to frame.

Need to capture even more of the background while still capturing a food dish as the primary subject? Shoot even wider and get in really close.

Need to blur the heck out of a cluttered background? Want to minimize the amount of background appearing in your image? Want to minimize perspective distortion? Use a more telephoto lens like a 85mm, step back, and frame accordingly to however you wish.

Is the 24-70mm your only lens? A 70-200m may be up your alley if you dabble in portraiture, sports, and/or telephoto landscapes as well. A tilt-shift lens sure sounds interesting too.

Good luck on your search for a new lens!

I like the 40mm stm lens on my 6D. It is not too long, and minimal perspective distortion.
Pair its compact size, with the low-light ability of the 6D and no flash. Its discrete and sharp.

Canon TS-E 90/2.8, no doubt. But it is expensive, does require some skills to be used to it's max, and does also require a good amount of space.

When shooting Canon I use a 100L or 24-70 for food, maybe a 50 but I can get that with the zoom, can't wait to try the 90mm one of these days. Using medium format I mostly use a macro lens, too.

Food was made to be photographed by the TS-E 90. Or wait - is it the other way around?

Frankly, if it can fit on a tabletop, the 90 is one of the better lenses to photograph it, whatever "it" is. Very, very sharp, great color, can control your focus plane, nice bokeh and transition from in focus to oof, etc.