The Best lens for car Photography [ Nikon, Sony, Canon & Drone]
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Are you in the car Photography Business, Searching for the top lens for 2023 CAR photography? We have everything you need, so stop searching!
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For their work, CAR photographers want the best image quality. With the greatest lenses for each of the major camera brands, this guide gets right to the point.
Photographing the international supercars in luxurious settings, top Formula One driver in the pit lane, or even your friend’s cool new Maserati car parked at the neighborhood mall.
We can now better appreciate, examine, and recall the cars we adore thanks to automotive photography. However, how are these vehicles and events documented?
We’re going to concentrate on the three lenses that are absolutely needed to get you started: a versatile zoom lens, a prime lens, and a telephoto lens..
Looking for the ideal camera body for your driving photography? Visit our complete buying guide to find the finest camera for photographing automobiles.
Our Reviews are Genuine. In any post like this on our site for Cameras and lenses, we( Our Research team) have either tested them Or Spoken to someone that used/tested the cameras & lens personally. In this list post, we spoke to a few car Photographers based in Melbourne, Sydney & London that have used these Cameras.Check out our Product Review Disclaimer here
What is the best lens for Car Photography in 2023
The best lens for car Photography
35mm f/1.4 – The Prime Car Photography Lens
- Nikon: Nikkor 35mm f/1.4 Prime Lens | Alternative Sigma Art 35mm Prime Lens (for Nikon)Sony: Sony Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 Prime Lens | Alternative: Sigma Art 35mm Prime Lens (for Sony)
- Canon: Canon 35mm f/1.4 Prime Lens | Alternative: Sigma Art 35mm Prime Lens (for Canon)
70-200mm f/2.8 – The Telephoto Car Photography Lens
- Nikon: Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 Lens | Alternative: Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 Lens (for Nikon)
- Sony: Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G-Master Lens | Alternative: Sony 70-200mm f/4 FE Lens
- Canon: Canon 70-200mm Lens (f/2.8) | Alternative: Canon 70-200mm Lens (f/4)
24-70mm f/2.8 – The All-Purpose Car Photography Lens
- Nikon: Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 Lens | Alternative: Sigma Art 24-70mm f/2.8 Lens (for Nikon)Sony: Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 Lens | Alternative Sigma Art 24-70mm f/2.8 FE Lens( For sony)
- Canon: Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 Lens | Alternative: Sigma Art 24-70mm f/2.8 Lens (for Canon)
Drones for Car Photography – Aerial Car Images
- DJI Mavic Air 2 – Cool & Lightweight | Cute & portable | 4K video|48MP images.
- DJI Mavic Mini – Most Budget friendly| Ultra compact| HD video| 12MP images| Ideal for hobbyists & newbies
- DJI Mavic 2 Pro – Editor’s pick! Incredible high-quality images (1″ CMOS, 20MP) and video (4K)| High-Quality Images in low light
Lens Buying Guide for car Photography
How do I pick the ideal lens for photographing cars?
The correct tools can make automotive photography a lot of fun. You can acquire what you want more directly from every angle if you have the correct lens. Consequently, selecting the ideal lens for automotive photography is crucial.
1. A zoom and prime lens
If you’re constructing a scroll wheel, a zoom lens is considerably simpler to operate. Depending on how near you are to the action, you’ll want to be able to zoom in and out. Additionally, you can’t always control how the automobile moves.
Prime lenses are useful for getting up close to vehicles, such as their badges, and for blurring the backdrop to make the subject stand out. However, I discovered that using an aperture smaller than 2.8 did cause the back part of the automobile to be out of focus.
2. Aperture
A lens’s aperture indicates how much light it can focus. It is symbolized by “F” numerals like 1:4, F/2.8, and F/4. A lens with a lesser number concentrates lighter when photographing vehicles than one with a greater number. They lack sharpness but are typically excellent for night shooting.
3. APS-C or full frame?
When examining the focal length, the camera’s sensor must also be taken into account. Sensors for cameras might be full-frame, APS-C, or tiny three-quarters. We will only discuss full-frame and APS-C in this article. The full-frame lens’s focal length was previously described.
APS-C lenses, on the other hand, have a focal length clipping factor of 1.6. As a result, the effective focal length will be 56mm when using the same 35mm lens on an APS-C camera (35 x 1.6).
As you can see, this has the potential to dramatically alter the lens’s capabilities and the kinds of pictures it can take. When looking at the focal length of an APS-C camera, you must take the clipping factor into account.
4. Focal distance
The composition of automotive images can be greatly influenced by the focal length you use. As a result, you need to decide what kind of car photos you want to take. Do you intend to take pictures of the inside and the small features of the vehicle? Perhaps you’d want to take a photo of the entire car against a different background?
It is advisable to use a 24mm or 35mm lens with an equal focal length while taking pictures of vehicles. These lenses feature a sizable quantity of backdrop and enable you to frame the car effectively.
A shorter focal length (like 50mm), which would accentuate the car more in the cropped, more condensed image, could be preferable.
Finally, a telephoto lens with a focal length of 75mm or greater is preferable for capturing small details or up-close shots of various automotive components.
24-70mm f/2.8 – The All-Purpose Car Photography Lens
A zoom lens with a focal length range of 24-70 millimeters and a maximum aperture of 2.8 is regarded as a workhorse by many professional photographers. You are undoubtedly already aware of this fact.
Due to its flexibility to zoom from wide to telephoto and its quick f/2.8 aperture, it is a very versatile lens that can be utilized for a wide variety of photographic applications.
Regrettably, the development of such a lens that is capable of sustaining high levels of performance throughout the entirety of its focal range is not a simple process.
As a result of this, the majority of 24-70mm f/2.8 lenses that we have tested in the past have either exhibited optical compromises or performed quite well at the penalty of having a massive size and a significant amount of weight. Ta
35mm f/1.4 – The Prime Car Photography Lens
The 35mm f/1.4 prime lens is a multi-purpose tool. For automotive photography, the 35mm focal length is the preferred choice because it captures cars without any lens distortion.
Sharp details are produced by the small depth of field, silky smooth bokeh, and excellent low-light performance when combined with the wide-open aperture.
One of these vehicle photography lenses with the best shallow depth of focus is the 35mm when it is opened wide between f/1.4 and f/4.
Your bokeh is wonderful, and there is a clear distinction between the foreground and backdrop. It's a fantastic lens for clearly separating the automobile from its surroundings.
70-200mm f/2.8 – The Telephoto Car Photography Lens
But let's take a step back for a second. In general, I'd say that the VR II version of the lens was very sharp at 70mm, dropped quite a bit in the intermediate range, and then improved to be very sharp once more at 200mm.
This was my experience with the lens. Without a doubt, the centre was exceptionally acute at the two ends.
The word "outstanding" is the one that comes to mind for describing that level of sharpness. The new version is just as sharp at 70 millimetres, but it is noticeably sharper in the medium range, and it is noticeably sharper at 200 millimetres.
This degree of sharpness is what I'd refer to as "superb." Therefore, the previous lens was fantastic for the middle of the frame, while the new one was superb.
Drones for Car Photography – Aerial Car Images
Even though it’s not a lens, a drone is a terrific addition to any automobile photographer’s toolkit. With much more control than taking a helicopter trip, using a drone enables you to capture breathtaking aerial panoramas that would not otherwise be available (and a lot easier on the wallet, too).
There is a good selection to choose from, whether you’re a professional or a hobbyist, ranging from the sturdy Mavic Pro to the affordable Mavic Air. We advise purchasing the Fly More Combo option for any drone you choose if you want the greatest value with additional batteries and accessories.
The DJI Mavic 2 Pro is now the model that everyone looks up to for aerial photography because it strikes an excellent mix between camera quality, portability, ease of use, and safety.
In spite of the fact that it is one of the most sophisticated off-the-shelf drones now available, even inexperienced pilots should have no trouble controlling it.
This is the drone you should choose if you want to take pictures of beautiful vistas while still having the ability to take off at a moment's notice.
As every adjustment for the Hasselblad camera can be made with the touch of a button, it is simple to produce excellent compositions in almost no time at all.
When combined with DJI's selection of one-touch flight modes, you will be able to take and edit cinematic photographs and movies as soon as the package is opened.
Wrapping up Note
Use a variety of lenses when taking car photos.
On a full-frame camera, get an 80mm telephoto lens if you want close-up shots. Use a 20 mm wide-angle lens for ultra-wide-angle lenses.
Because prime lenses have a greater aperture setting than zoom lenses, they are appropriate for situations when there aren’t enough lines of light. So, try f2.8 primes if they are available.
Additionally, rather than walking back and forth as you take a picture, you can move more cameras.
Additionally, zoom lenses can be helpful while photographing automobiles, especially older automobiles that may need to be moved numerous times after each shot to achieve the optimum composition, lighting, etc.
Use a Tripod
In poor light or with long lens lengths, tripods are extremely useful for automotive photography. Of course, the sort of camera and lens you have affects your ability to take quality pictures. In other words, it aids in maintaining a sharp image.
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Manny Acharya is the co-founder of Artmellows. Your go-to place for Design, Digital Art, Digital sculpting, Photography, Design Tools and gears Info, and Product Reviews. Manny is a Digital Artist, 3D Sculpt Designer, Ardent Photography, Drone flying Enthusiast, and tech Lover. He supercharges Digital Art and design by crafting memorable 3D sculptures & 2D Design and art. Learn more About Manny:
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