10 Best Lenses for Breathtaking Product Photography & Videography

If you want to present products through photos in the best way possible, you need the best lenses for product photography. Whether it’s to snap pictures of food, clothes, jewelry, furniture, and more, you need the right lens.

Best lenses for product photography & videography

Struggling to choose the best lens for product photography? Make sure to browse this list to discover your best choice!

1. Nikon AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G – Best lens for product photography

For some users, the Micro-NIKKOR 105mm is a bit chunkier than its previous versions. Its metal construction looks and feels sturdy, measuring 33 by 45 inches and weighing 279 ounces. 

It also features Vibration Reduction (VR) and Silent Wave Motor (SVM) technology that allows you to snap close up, macro shots, and capture dramatically sharper videos, making it one of the best lenses for product photography.

Although Micro-NIKKOR is not zoomable, its internal focus gives you quiet and fast autofocusing that does not change the length of the lens. 

Even in low-light environments, its fast f/2.8 aperture will capture your object with stunning brilliance, making it really stand out in the background.

2. Sigma 24-105mm F4.0 Art

What makes Sigma one of the best lenses for product photography is its excellent focus even in the dark, making it great for most close-up shots. 

Most users commend this lens for its exceptional focus capabilities for its price. This is made possible by the Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) feature and its Optical Stabilizer (OS) technology compensate for any shakiness.

This is a high-tech lens with an installed lens firmware, which can be updated to adjust certain parameters like the focus. So, if you are getting Sigma 24 as your next lens, be sure to stay tuned to Sigma’s official website for future updates.

3. Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8

Do you own a Sony mirrorless camera? This Tamron 28 lens will come in handy. 

Its quiet AF unit “rxd” stepping motor and moisture-resistant construction make it one of the best lenses for product photography. Its fast f/2.8 aperture gives you the best color rendition of any object you are shooting. 

So, if you plan to shoot a continually moving subject, Tamron’s precise and high-speed AF will accurately detect the lens position to give you that best shot.

Use this when you are snapping shots of an object on a sunny day facing the sun, and you will not find any annoying haze on your photos. Its 0.19m Minimum Object Distance makes it ideal not just for product photography but also for street, portrait, and cityscape photography.

4. Panasonic LUMIX G X Vario Power Zoom Lens, 45-175MM – Best lens for gh4 video!

If you own a GH4 camera, this Panasonic LUMIX G zoom lens will be one of the best lenses for GH4 video. 

This lens unit is surprisingly light, given its zoom range of 45 to 175 mm. Its zoom is internally built,, so the lens does not extend. It has a power zoom feature (optional) that you can use for both video and stills. 

A reason why the LUMIX G lens is one of the best lenses for product photography is that even in low-light situations, you will still be able to shoot sharp photos. This is because of its powerful optical image stabilizer (OIS) feature. If you are shooting in areas with strong lighting, this lens’s Nano Surface Coating minimizes flaring and ghosting.

5. Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-140mm – One of the best Nikon lenses for video

Are you looking for an all-in-one, compact lens? This AF-S DX NIKKOR can make one of the best Nikon lenses for video! 

It is a general-purpose lens that can capture sharp and crisp images from wide-angle shots to close-ups and more. If you are going to an event, instead of bringing multiple lenses, just carry this DX NIKKOR, and you’re assured of getting the best shots.

Its VR image stabilization feature allows for sharper handheld videos even at telephoto distances and low-light conditions. Its extra-low dispersion (ED) glass will bring better contrast in your shots, and its SVM offers ultra-quiet, ultra-fast autofocusing.

6. Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens

If you are trying to snap a shot of a single product or object, one way to emphasize it effectively is through a blurred background, a.k.a. Bokeh effect. 

The best lenses for product photography can make a good dramatic effect on this photo-subject isolation technique. For instance, this Nikon AF-S DX lens’ fast f/1.8 max aperture is perfect for creating softly blurred backgrounds.

Compatible with DX and FX in DX crop mode formats, this lens can perform well in low-light environments. Keep in mind that AF-S DX is a prime lens, meaning it is not capable of zooming. So, you must adjust your own position closer or further away from a subject for a more optimal shot.

7. Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G  

At f/4 max aperture, Nikon’s 55-200mm is not among Nikon’s fastest lenses. Yet it can give you superb results, making it one of the best lenses for product photography for its price. 

Since its zoom lens is more than 150-200mm, you must place your camera on a stationary surface, tripod, or monopod to prevent unnecessary blurring. 

Although this lens offers a decent focal range, it will not perform well in low-light conditions, so make sure to set up your product under enough light for optimal shots. 

8. Panasonic LUMIX G Lens, 25mm – One of the best lenses for gh4

What makes LUMIX G one of the best lenses for product photography is nano surface coating technology. It reduces flaring and ghosting, resulting in extremely clear photo results. Some users even observe its capabilities to be that of a 50mm lens, which is a close approximation to what the human eye sees. 

This could have been one of the best lenses for GH4—sadly, its lens is not stabilized, so it would not be ideal for handheld video capturing. Its high-definition capability is enabled for both video recording and photo capturing. 

Although it’s great in general, some LUMIX G lens users complain about the minor delay when manually adjusting the focus. This is because it uses focus by wire (internal) instead of mechanical focusing (where you see the lens actually extending).

9. Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G Lens – One of the best Nikon lenses for videography

This AF-S NIKKOR lens might not be zoomable, but at wider aperture settings it can render a crisp, natural-looking bokeh. 

It is optimized to produce sharp images on the edges on both DX and FX-format DSLRs, and this is ideal for capturing quality product photos. If you are shooting at wide apertures, this lens’s aspherical lens element (AS) feature eliminates aberrations on the photo.

This lens can make one of the best Nikon lenses for videography, but only if you can successfully set it up to its final focus and aperture, depending on the occasion. Its mechanical adjustment sounds might be captured in your video.

10. Nikon AF-S DX Micro-NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8G

Because of Micro-NIKKOR’s 1.0x max reproduction ratio and 40mm focal length, it is one of the best lenses for product photography. It’s not zoomable, so it only serves as a close-up lens for Nikon DSLRs.

Although not ideal for low-light photography, its bokeh capabilities are superb, making the object stand out naturally from its background. 

Its f/2.8 lens is fast and ideal for close up snaps with narrow depth of field. Its macro photography capability captures most details in an object as well.

Conclusion 

Still wondering what are the best lenses for product photography? Consider your lighting setup, object size, the area you’re shooting in, and your distance from your subject. Since versatility (or multiple angle shots) is a requirement of product photography, a zoom lens will be ideal for this situation.

Related questions 

Which is the best camera for product photography?

In product photography, you want to capture every visual detail your product has. As such, Panasonic Lumix FZ80 4K is best for this purpose with its multi-focus capability and 4K photo and video capture quality.

What is the best lens for still life photography?

While most prime lenses won’t do well in low-light conditions, Micro-NIKKOR 105mm begs to differ. It’s quiet and fast and will capture most image details in any lighting condition.