The Best Lens for Flower Photography (Still Life)

Photo by Hector Achautla

We do a lot of flower photography around here. We don’t do macro photography, we do still life photography of our florals. There is one lens that we use more than any other.

The best lens for still life flower photography is a 50mm. We use the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM.  We find this to be our favorite lens that we use over and over again. This lens works great at F10 and we find it to be very sharp. We find it places us close enough to the florals to get some nice detail. But far enough away so the picture doesn’t feel warped. 

This is our personal preference, but let’s look into this lens a little more so you can see why we love it. (If you don’t have a canon, look around and find a 50mm for your camera in your price range.)

Build Quality and Price

The Canon 50mm is not expensive. It’s cheap as far as lenses go. When lenses cost thousands, this lens comes in at $125.00. Fantastic. Many photographers use this lens because it is so cheap. They don’t have to worry about banging up a nice lens when this one is ready to get out there and be rough. Obviously, this puts them into a bit of a pickle because it is limiting, and you have to move your body to zoom in or out.

Like I mentioned earlier, this lens is a fixed lens, meaning that there is no ability to zoom at all. The closest you can get to your subject is 1.5 feet. This makes it a little limiting when you are going for detail shots. They make a macro version of it that allows you to get a little closer. 

The autofocus works well, but I like using manual. I find it satisfying when I get a good shot with a cheap lens on manual. Not that you need to do that, but it can be fun. The nice thing about still life is that is still. So take your time and have fun!

Sharpness

This lens is very sharp. It is surprising how sharp it is for the money. It is almost as sharp as their L series 50mm and is sharper than their next price tier up. There have been countless articles written on this so I won’t go into much detail. Just know that it is sharp enough for still life photography. 

Lightweight

Since the body is made of plastic the lens is very lightweight. In one sense this is awesome because it makes your overall camera weight lower. This makes a difference when you are shooting for a few hours. 

One thing that is not good is since its plastic it is fragile. I dropped this lens once, and the body flexed open in places it was not supposed to open. I snapped the frame back together and everything worked like it used to. I guess in one sense it’s amazing that it didn’t break. But obviously, this was not an ideal situation. 

No Image Stabilization

This lens does not have image stabilization, if that is a negative for you then you might want to look elsewhere, but at this price point, it really is a no-frills lens. Get yourself a tripod and get some more light into your shot so you can raise the shutter speed.

Photo by Joshua Hanson

Our Other Favorite Lens

We love the Canon EF 24-105mm 1:4 L IS II USM. This lens is considered a pro lens and is extremely versatile. Why we think the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM is better is just simply because of the price. The EF 24-105mm 1:4 L IS II USM is just as sharp as the 50mm but offers you some great options of focal lengths. This simply means that it zooms in and out. It has image stabilization that is silent. This makes it great for video. The autofocus is also very quick and silent in its operation. Overall this lens, although pricey, is a great all-around lens that many photographers own and use every day. It works wonders in still-life applications because of how convenient the lens is due to its features. We use this one quite often, and if I can only take one lens with me, it is usually this one.

If we wanted a sharper image, we would choose this lens. The Canon EF 24-70 2.8 II is an amazing lens. But in my opinion, the price is too high to not include image stabilization. But the images it produces if you can keep your shutter speed high are amazing.

Since we shoot mostly around f8, the 24-105 suits our needs. It is more affordable, and the extra reach on the long end is a nice addition.

Conclusion

I think the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM is the best lens for still life photography because of its price, and how sharp the images are. The fact is that is a lens that you can buy today, start using immediately, enjoy until it breaks, and then replace it with ease. It will last you years unless you drop it. Like me. This is a take with you anywhere type of lens, but when it comes to up close and personal still life photography, the 50mm will shine.