Best camera for food photography of 2024

Choosing the best camera for food photography can be challenging, especially if you’re new to it. However, you’ve come to the right place for guidance. As a food and still life photographer, you won’t need many of the advanced features that modern cameras offer.

That said, many of our recommendations are versatile and perform well in various photographic settings. After all, most of us don’t specialize exclusively in one type of photography.

Let’s begin with our top pick and explore the cameras we recommend.

1. Fujifilm X-T5

The Fujifilm X-T5 stands out as one of the most impressive mirrorless cameras on the market, making it an excellent choice for food photography. Its image quality is exceptional, offering advanced features that elevate your results. Plus, it’s great for video recording.

Equipped with an APS-C sensor, the X-T5 boasts a compact body and stylish retro design, reminiscent of Fujifilm’s analog heritage.

Despite its smaller sensor size, the X-T5 offers a remarkable 40.2 MP resolution, which is outstanding for an APS-C sensor. The images are stunning, with sharp details and vibrant, true-to-life colors. Whether capturing restaurant dishes or food market stalls, this camera brings your subjects to life.

The standard low ISO setting is 125, which is quite good, but you can expand it to 64 ISO for even better image quality.

If 40.2 MP isn’t enough, the Pixel Shift Multi-Shot mode allows you to take several exposures and composite them into a 160 MP image. A tripod is essential for this mode to achieve the best results, but the outcome is breathtaking.

The 5-axis image stabilization is another invaluable feature for food photography. It stabilizes the camera, preventing motion blur and enabling you to work in lower light conditions without a tripod while still capturing sharp images. This is particularly useful when shooting in dimly lit restaurants or night markets.

With a 15 fps burst rate using the mechanical shutter, you can capture chefs in action. The electronic shutter offers a 20 fps burst rate, but 15 fps is typically sufficient for most food shoots.

The Fujifilm X-T5 also excels in food-related videography. It can record video in stunning 6.2K resolution with 4:2:2 10-bit color, delivering professional-level video footage. Additionally, it has all the necessary ports for external equipment, such as microphones and camera screens.

2. Canon EOS R50

The Canon EOS R50 is compact, user-friendly, and delivers fantastic results, making it the top choice for beginners in food photography.

Its compact body houses an APS-C CMOS sensor with a 24.2 MP resolution, ideal for newcomers. The camera captures excellent detail and colors, offering perfect clarity and a significant improvement over smartphone cameras.

Despite being a beginner’s camera, the R50 allows you to shoot in RAW format. Although RAW files are larger than JPEGs, they provide more flexibility for editing with photo software.

The 12 fps burst mode with the mechanical shutter is perfect for capturing the lively atmosphere of a busy food market. For even faster action, you can switch to the electronic shutter and use the 15 fps burst mode.

With 4K video recording at 30 fps, the R50 is excellent for food vloggers, providing smooth footage for social media or YouTube. It also supports 120 fps slow-motion recording in Full HD quality.

The fully articulating screen is beneficial for shooting from various angles, especially for video. Additionally, the vertical mode helps create optimized content for social media platforms like Instagram.

The Canon EOS R50 offers a great range of semi-automatic modes, aiding you in learning and mastering the best settings for food photography. This makes it the perfect beginner’s camera for food photography.

3. Nikon Z 5

The Nikon Z5 is an outstanding full-frame mirrorless camera, renowned for its compact size and impressive features that food photographers will appreciate.

Featuring a full-frame sensor with a 24.3 MP resolution, the Z5 delivers sharp and vibrant image quality. While the resolution might not sound extraordinary for a full-frame model, the larger pixel size enhances dynamic range, making it ideal for photographing food in various settings.

The built-in 5-axis image stabilization allows you to shoot handheld in low-light situations, reducing the need for a tripod and lightening your camera backpack load.

Food videographers will enjoy the 4K video recording capability, with a maximum frame rate of 30 fps for smooth footage. For faster action, such as chefs chopping or stir-frying, you can switch to Full HD resolution at 60 fps.

The Nikon Z5 also offers creative features such as focus-shift and time-lapse photography modes, along with in-camera creative filters to save time in post-processing. Additionally, the camera’s Wi-Fi connectivity enables you to easily send images directly to social media.

In summary, the Nikon Z5 is a brilliant full-frame mirrorless camera, packed with features that make it a great choice for food photography.

4. Sony Alpha 7R IV

The Sony a7R IV boasts astonishing specifications for a full-frame mirrorless camera. With a 60 MP sensor and full-frame autofocus, it delivers incredible detail for your food photography. For even higher resolution, the Pixel Shift mode allows tripod shooting, bumping the pixel count up to 241 MP.

The picture quality can be further enhanced by expanding the ISO range. When set to 50 ISO, the combination with the 60 MP sensor produces jaw-dropping images.

The a7R IV is also superbly equipped for connectivity, featuring up to 5 GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, and FTP for file transfer. Two card slots and an optional battery grip boost its professional credentials.

This impressive camera also excels in high ISO performance, making it ideal for food photography.

While Sony has released the newer a7R V with improved specifications, the a7R IV remains a valuable option due to its excellent performance and better value for money.

5. Canon EOS 90D

The Canon EOS 90D remains one of the best APS-C cameras available. While DSLRs might be gradually fading out, the 90D still holds its own against mirrorless counterparts with its excellent features and impressive performance that food photographers will appreciate.

The APS-C sensor boasts an impressive 32.5 MP resolution, a rarity among crop-sensor cameras. You can shoot at a 100 ISO setting, and the DIGIC 8 processor ensures top-notch results with every shot.

The 45-point cross-type AF system provides excellent focusing for food photography, and the eye-detection AF feature is perfect for capturing human subjects, whether it’s chefs in the kitchen or bakers in the bakery.

With a 10 fps burst mode, the 90D is quick for a DSLR. The autofocus fully supports the burst mode, allowing you to capture sharp action shots.

The Canon EOS 90D is also one of the best DSLR cameras for video, capable of high-quality 4K recording and 120 fps slow-motion videos in Full HD.

This well-rounded machine is suitable for food photography and many other styles. Its Wi-Fi connectivity and rotating screen add to its convenience. While we haven’t covered all of its great features, the Canon EOS 90D is certainly worth considering if you’re looking for a reliable, high-performance APS-C camera.

Conclusion

If you want to photograph food professionally and have the budget, opt for a full-frame camera. You can even purchase a used one from a reputable dealer if a new model is out of reach.

For those new to food photography or shooting for a blog or website, starting with a budget-friendly crop-sensor camera is a wise choice. As your skills improve and you decide on the direction you want to take your photography, you can upgrade to a full-frame camera.

When shooting in-studio, it’s beneficial to have two cameras on hand in case one malfunctions. As a photographer’s assistant, I’ve seen this happen, and nothing is worse than a camera failure when a whole team relies on you to get the job done.

The Fujifilm X-T5 is our top pick for a versatile camera that ticks all the boxes. It’s affordable, performs well in low light, and captures fantastic details. Plus, it’s lightweight, making it perfect for on-the-go jobs and overhead flat-lay shots.