Best Camera For Food Photography

It can be hard to know which camera to buy if you’re new to food photography. So what is the best camera for food photography?

As food and still life photographer, you won’t need many of the conveniences that modern cameras offer.

Let’s take a look at some things to consider when buying a new device. Then we’ll show you some of our picks for the best cameras for food photography, at different price points.

At a Glance

No products found.

What to consider when buying a food sensor size

The first thing to think about when looking for a new camera is sensor size.

Will you buy a cropped sensor camera or invest in a full-frame one?

Your budget may be the most important factor in determining your choice.

A cropped sensor is cheaper for the manufacturer to make. This makes good digital cameras available to a wide variety of consumers at all price points. These are often referred to as “prosumer” cameras.

You can take great pictures with a cropped sensor device. The problem is that your camera and lenses will behave differently with a cropped sensor than they do with a full frame.

A full-frame device matches the 35mm cropped standard of a traditional film camera. It has a sensor size of 24mm x 36mm. A cropped sensor is smaller than this. It doesn’t match most lenses and the final images look different.

Each camera has a crop factor. This is a number used to describe how much the device is cropping your image relative to the 35mm standard. Most full-frame cameras tend to have a crop factor of 1. Others, like the Canon 1Dx, come with a 1.3 format factor.

For example, I started taking photos of food with an APS-C Canon EOS camera, which has a crop factor of 1.6.

This means you multiply the equivalent focal length of your lens by 1.6 times to get the actual focal length at which your pictures will appear to have been taken.

So on a Canon Rebel a 50mm lens behaves more like an 80mm. This is a lens that works great for shooting food on a full-frame camera.

No wonder so many food bloggers recommend the 50mm as a great lens for food photography!

This is not necessarily true, especially if your camera is full frame.

File size

These days, most digital cameras have large file sizes. But file size is something to consider if you ever want to print your images.

If you’re a food blogger, you often shoot images just for the web. But what if one day you want to write a cookbook or license your food photos through brokerage houses? You will need to make sure your camera can handle large files.

Usually, this means at least 3000 pixels on the short side.

Also, make sure the camera you choose is capable of recording RAW files.

Some photographers start capturing JPEG files. They then move on to shooting RAW when they feel they have developed their skills. But I urge everyone to start shooting RAW and learning how to edit as soon as possible.

RAW files are basically a digital negative. They can support endless edits without data loss, unlike a JPEG file. The quality of a JPEG file degrades with each edit.

They also contain thousands of times more colour information and luminance. This gives you infinite freedom in how you approach post-processing.

Unless food photography is strictly a hobby for you, I’d make sure the camera body you choose can shoot RAW files.

ISO level

When you take food photos, you have to work on a tripod most of the time. But there will be cases when you have to hold the camera with your hands. Like when taking pictures of food in a restaurant or on a vineyard or farm.

This is when your ISO becomes very important. You will need a camera that can withstand a relatively high noise level.

Despite advances in camera technology, using high ISO absolutely degrades image quality.

If you shoot in the scenarios mentioned above, be sure to test how far you can push your ISO before shooting.

Post-processing programs like Lightroom and the noise reduction plugin called Define can reduce noise in an image. But they can’t completely rescue a poor-quality image.

Number of focus points

This is one of the biggest factors that has influenced my decision on which camera to buy when making new food photography purchases.

Some photographers focus on using manual mode. I have less than perfect vision, so I need to rely on autofocus.

Also, it’s very easy to lose focus entirely, even if it’s slightly off when engaging manual focus.

Let’s say you have a camera with only nine focus points. Most likely, on many occasions, you will not be able to get the focus point where you need it. This can be very frustrating.

Our Recommendation For Best Camera For Food Photography

No products found.

---

Popular cameras for food photography

---

1. Canon Rebel T6i

Best Canon Camera For Food Photography

No products found.

If you have less than $500.00 to spend, you can go for a camera with a kit lens. Like the Canon Rebel with an 18-55mm zoom lens.

A kit consists of a camera with a lens at a single price. The lenses are of cheap quality. But this kit is an option if you don’t have a lot of cash.

Otherwise, I’d recommend buying just the “nifty-fifty” Canon 50mm F1.8 camera body and lens. You can buy it for a low price and it is a much better option. The quality is excellent in relation to the price.

Together these will only be slightly more expensive than the kit option, but they will offer quality.

This camera has some useful features like a tilt screen and a touch screen.

It has a 24-megapixel sensor and goes up to 12,800 in ISO and has 19 focus points.

You may also like: Best Camera Drone

2. Nikon D3400

Best Nikon Camera For Food Photography

No products found.

When searching for the best camera for food photography, always consider the different brands.

Comparable to the Canon Rebel T6i, the Nikon D3400 is also a great entry-level DSLR. It has 11 focus points, and a 24-megapixel sensor.

While it has many of the same specs as the Canon, the battery life is almost three times as long, which is a nice bonus.

But it doesn’t have wi-fi connectivity. Instead, it offers Bluetooth for transferring images to a smartphone through an app called SmartBridge.

3. Canon 6D Mark II

Best Budget Camera For Food Photography

No products found.

This is your entry into the full-frame market. It is the cheapest full-frame DSLR camera that Canon makes. That is why it is a very popular camera for food photography.

It has a 45-point autofocus system, 26.2-megapixel sensor, and goes up to 40,000 ISO (50-102,800 expanded).

One of the biggest selling points of the 6D Mark II is its ability to shoot in low light. The system is sensitive down to -3EV. It also benefits from Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF, which means there are phase detection pixels built into the image sensor. This results in more accurate autofocus even in low-light conditions.

This can be extremely useful if you are taking pictures of food in natural light.

You may also like: Best Cameras Under $200

4. Canon 5D Mark IV

Best Affordable Camera For Food Photography

No products found.

The Canon EOS 5D line has been a popular choice for food photographers for a long time. It’s a fantastic all-around camera and a true workhorse.

In fact, this camera is one of the best and most used in the digital age.

I have worked with these cameras since I decided to turn pro and have never looked back.

The Mark IV is the latest of the 5D EOS cameras. It offers a 61-point AF system with 41 cross-type sensors and up to 32,000 IS0 (expandable to 50-102,400).

It’s also Canon’s first full-frame camera that can focus in Live View while capturing photos.

If you are looking for versatility, there is the best camera. This one can take your food photography to the next level.

5. Nikon D850

Best Mirrorless Camera For Food Photography

No products found.

This is Nikon’s equivalent to the Canon 5D Mark IV.

It has a larger 45.7-megapixel sensor and also offers Wi-Fi support like Canon does. The two chambers are combined in many areas. But the Nikon offers longer battery life.

Comparing two cameras between brands means that each has its pros and cons. My suggestion is to compare all the specifications if you are not sure which brand has the best camera for food photography.

6. Canon 5DS

Best expensive Camera For Food Photography

No products found.

This model is expensive. If you’re at the professional level, this 50.6-megapixel device will offer more resolution and sharpness than any food photographer could hope for.

Priced slightly higher than the Canon 5D Mark IV, the 5DS tops out at ISO 6400 (expandable to 50-12800). It offers 61 autofocus points as well as contract detection. This is an excellent camera for food photography if you are shooting in low light.

It has the same autofocus system found on Canon’s flagship sports camera.

You may also like: Best Mirrorless Cameras

7. Sony A7 Mark III

Best Sony Camera For Food Photography

No products found.

I would be remiss not to mention a mirrorless camera when discussing the best cameras for food photography.

It’s becoming increasingly clear that mirrorless cameras are getting more and more powerful.

I know a few food photographers who have sold their Canon and Nikon gear and gone mirrorless with exciting results.

Although the Sony A7 Mark III is considered an entry-level model, it is an excellent full-frame camera. It offers image quality, high resolution and a wide variety of functions.

It has a 24-megapixel sensor and a touch screen. It features 93% autofocus coverage with 693 phase-detection points and 423 contrast-detection points! There is an autofocus point on each part of the screen. For a food photographer, this alone is worth the price of admission.

The autofocus system comes from Sony’s advanced A9 professional sports model. Also, the Sony A7 Mark III is one of the best low-light cameras on the market.

If you buy an adapter, you can even use lenses you’ve bought from other brands.

You may also like: Best Camera For Shot Films

How to buy used equipment

I recommend buying used gear if you go through a reputable dealer.

In fact, my main camera body is a favourite Canon 5D Mark III that I bought at an unbeatable price. It’s an older camera and the Canon 5D Mark IV has been out for some time now. But it’s still an excellent camera that gets the job done.

When shopping for gear, the lenses matter much more than the camera body.

The sharpness and quality of the lens have the biggest impact on the outcome of your images. This is where you need to direct most of your budget.

The good news is that you don’t need a lot of lenses to take a variety of great food photos.

When shopping for used equipment online, make sure the seller has a lot of positive feedback relative to the number of transactions. It is usually a good sign.

I would recommend buying from a store rather than from a person.

Make sure the camera has a 30-day warranty. And be careful where you ship from so you don’t end up paying high shipping fees.

Be aware that there are many knockoff Canon and Nikon bodies being sold from China on places like eBay. Make sure that the feedback is close to 100% in relation to the transactions.

I buy my used equipment locally from a dealer so I can personally inspect what I’m buying.

If you are buying online, please make sure the image shown is an image from the actual camera. Or you may end up having a scratched or otherwise emaciated body.

Conclusion

If you want to shoot food professionally, go for a full-frame camera if your budget allows. Buy a used one from a reputable dealer, if you can’t afford to buy a new device.

If you’re shooting in a studio, you’ll need to have two cameras with you, in case one of them malfunctions.

This is a very real possibility, one that I have seen in the past, as a photographic assistant.

There’s nothing worse than having your camera stop working while a whole team of people are depending on you to get the job done.

Are you new to food photography and filming for your blog or website? So you might want to start with a cheap, cropped sensor camera.

You can upgrade to full-frame as your skills improve and you make decisions about which direction you want to take your photo.