The Best Camera for Product Photography: Brand, Lens and Settings

7 min read

It is easier than ever to start an ecommerce business in today’s digital age.

Every day, more people are starting their own online physical goods businesses, even right out of their homes.

Of course, an essential part of selling products online is high-quality pictures. An online store needs to have great pictures of the product to show potential customers what they are getting and draw them into purchasing.

Professional product photographers typically use powerful and expensive cameras and equipment to get their shots, but this isn’t the only option. In fact, there are several excellent affordable cameras that sellers can use right at home to get clear shots for their listings.

That’s exactly why we have compiled the list below to help ecommerce business owners find the best camera for product photography.

Sony A6100

The Sony A6100 is a perfect all-around kind of camera. This APS-C mirrorless camera features a 24.2MP sensor that captures high-quality product pictures. It is lightweight and easy to use, which makes it an excellent choice for those just getting into product photography.

Sony A6100

It uses the Sony E-mount line of lenses, which features many options for capturing shallow depth-of-field images.

Price: from $748.00 on official website
Image stabilization: No internal (Has lens stabilization)
Megapixels: 24.2MP

Nikon D3300

The Nikon D3300 is another excellent all-around camera for product photography.

For those who don’t know their way around a DSLR camera, the D3300 features a built-in guide to learn about all of the features. It is one of the more affordable entry-level DSLR cameras, which is perfect for those just starting out.

Nikon D3300

Just like the Sony A6100, the D3300 features a 24.2MP sensor, which is plenty enough for taking shots of products.

Price: $599.00 on Amazon
Image stabilization: No internal (Has lens stabilization)
Megapixels: 24.2MP

Canon Rebel SL3

The Canon Rebel SL3, also known as the EOS 250D, still offers beginner-friendly modes, but it is typically suited for more advanced camera users. The Rebel SL3 features excellent battery life for those extended product photography sessions.

Canon Rebel SL3

One of the best parts about the Canon Rebel SL3 is that the EF/EF-S lens mount has a wide selection with several affordable options. This allows blossoming product photographers to upgrade as they learn more.

Price: $649.00 on official website
Image stabilization: No internal (Has lens stabilization)
Megapixels: 24.1MP

The Best Camera Lens for Product Photography

The lens of a camera can make a difference when it comes to product photography.

However, the lens that a camera comes with will often function well enough for beginning product photography. Investing in lenses can become quite costly for those who are just starting their ecommerce store.

Additionally, there is typically no hard, fast rule for what lens to use for a photography product session. It can also vary depending on the type of sensor that the camera has.

Realistically, there are a lot of details to consider when it comes to the nitty gritty of photography, and many of these details are learned over time.

Trying to jump into the complete art of photography immediately can be overwhelming for new product photographers. However, it can be a good idea to begin researching these various factors to understand them better.

The Best Camera Setting for Product Photography

The settings of a camera are another factor for ideal product photography. We won’t go in-depth, as there is a lot to this topic.

But, we will cover some settings that can make a difference.

ISO: In basic terms, ISO will brighten or darken a photo. It is essentially the camera sensor’s sensitivity to light. For product photography, it is often recommended to use the lowest ISO setting.
Aperture: The aperture is an adjustable opening in the lens that controls the amount of light that is passed through the lens. For product photography, it is best to start at the highest aperture setting.
Shutter speed: The shutter speed explains itself, as it is the speed at which the camera shutter closes or how long the sensor is exposed to light. When doing product photography, some like to use a slow shutter speed to capture sharp images.

The important thing to note is that these recommendations are not rules. Once again, it is important to play around a bit to get the ideal shots. New photographers can start with the above recommendations and adjust as they become more familiar with the practice.

Just like lenses, it can be a good idea to learn more about camera settings, as understanding their purpose will help to use them effectively.

Let There Be Light: Lighting is Key for Product Photography

While it is important to have at least a decent camera for product photography, the real key is lighting. Even the best camera for ecommerce photos can fall flat without the right lighting.

It will be difficult to detail all the important aspects of lighting in this article, but here are some quick options to try out.

Natural lighting
Studio lights
Reflectors
External flashlights

There is no universal way to get great product lighting, as every product will require different lighting. It is best to play around and take multiple test pictures to see how they turn out.

After that, it simply becomes a matter of trial and error to find the right combination or angle of light sources.

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Nov 22, 2023

About the author

Max has been working in the ecommerce industry for the last six years helping brands to establish and level-up content marketing and SEO. Despite that, he has experience with entrepreneurship. He is a fiction writer in his free time.