The 3 best lenses for car photography
Depending on the type of car photography you’re looking to do, there is a lens that will out perform others to get you better looking photos. Think of it as choosing the best tool for the job. The great thing about lenses is that once you get the right one, you can hold onto it for a long time - as they continue to work with newer camera models.
These are the best camera lenses you can use for car photography:
Note that this is also the order in which I would purchase the lenses!
24-70mm F2.8
If you could only afford one lens upfront, the 24-70mm would be your go to. At 24mm, you can get great shots of the interior, and at 70mm you can really zoom into the areas hard to reach/access. I’ve used this lens so often for photoshoots I usually don’t find myself ever having to swap it to something else. This lens is also an essential one when it comes to rolling shots, as you will not always be the perfect distance with a fixed (prime) lens. With a low aperture of 2.8, you can still achieve great photos which put emphasis on the subject.
These lenses also have notations for standard shooting focal lengths, such as 35, 50, and 70mm.
When doing photoshoots, I find this lens is what I start and finish with. The wide angle 24mm allows you to get more in your photos, especially for interior shots.
With exteriors, setting the lens at 50mm will also produce some natural looking shots. One downfall of this lens is that it can be heavier than prime lenses, making it not the most ideal for walking around town with. If you’re okay with that, you should have no issues.
35mm F1.8
The 35mm is a nimble lens that can take some beautiful photos. The lower aperture of 1.8 can help shift the focus to the finer details a car has - interior or exterior. This lens is a good setup for walking around town, as these lenses are typically light and produce great shots.
I personally got a lot of use out of this lens when I was taking some behind the scenes photos of a detailing team working on some cars. For some shots I wanted to really focus on the detailers actions - like brushing the interior trim pieces.
The only downside to this lens is that it is a prime (or fixed) lens - meaning there are no zoom options. If you want your subject to take up more of the photos, you have to get closer.
The 35mm F1.8 is a staple lens that is in most photographers bags. What’s also great about this lens is that it is relatively light weight, so taking it around the city isn’t a pain.
When I find myself interested in doing some carspotting this lens is a must have. Discreet, lightweight, and great images that come from it.
70-200mm F2.8
The 70-200mm is a standard lens you’ll want to use when shooting at the track or drag strip. In these environments, quite often you’ll find yourself shooting farther away from your subject, so having a variable zoom lens that can get tight photos will be handy.
The 70-200mm lens is the last lens that I would get to complete my gear setup. I find there would be more scenarios that the 24-70 or 35mm would do very well.
When using this lens you will need to consider the space you’re working with, as tight spaces won’t be forgiving and may not allow you to get everything in frame.
You will often find yourself shooting cars at a higher aperture
When you’re purchasing your next camera lens, understand that most often times you’ll be shooting at a higher aperture between 4 -7.1 in normal daylight situations. With this aperture, you’ll be able to get the entire car in focus. In a typical photoshoot the only times I would be dropping to a lower aperture like 1.8 or 2.8 would be to show off some finer details of the vehicle.