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Which is better for product photography: prime or zoom lenses?

EtherArts

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Which type of lens works better for product photography — prime or zoom? Share your thoughts, experiences, and what you recommend for capturing the best product shots.
 
Personally, I choose a lens that works best for my needs in a given situation regardless if it is a prime or a zoom. Technology has come a long ways to where zooms are rivaling primes with the added flexibility. You have to evaluate your shooting environment.

Are you working in a studio?
How much space do you have in this said studio?
How large are your subjects?
Is this a lifestyle product shoot outdoors?
Are you working in varying subject distances?

You really cannot go wrong with either a prime or a zoom but one may be better suited than the other depending on your needs.
 
I agree with 3Rotor. Years ago, zooms were inferior, but now there are superb ones.

I think 3Rotor's questions are on target. If you have very small objects, you will want a macro lens, and even though many zooms are labeled "macro", none really are. So if you want a zoom for small stuff, check the maximum magnification of the lens.

I do flower close-ups and macros, which have a lot in common with indoor (small) product photography. I have to use a macro lens. the drawback is that with any prime, you can only change the size of the product in the frame by moving either the product or the tripod. It's a lot easier to zoom.
 
The modern high end zooms tend to be very sharp, although the bokeh may not be as good as a prime lens due to slightly higher levels of astigmatism, also zooms tend to be more limited in terms of maximum aperture.

So in general I would say the only time to worry about it is if you composition relies on tightly limited depth-of-field and/or smooth bokeh.

Traditionally a 90 mm tilt and shift lens was often used in product photography so the photography had control over the plane of focus and could avoid issues like the camera kit reflecting in the product. But this is a specialist tool, I would not recommend it unless you really know you need it.
 
Unless the zoom lacks certain features you need, I would pick the zoom every time. Leaving the camera where it is on the tripod and being able to zoom in or out to adjust your framing for different product sizes is a massive time saver.
There really isn't any reason not to use a zoom unless you need a wider aperture, but this generally isn't the case for product photography. Sharpness / distortion is a non-issue these days.
 
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