Photographing pets is not far from photographing people, however, with the not-so-small difference that pets are somewhat more unpredictable and restless and can cost more to photograph. Surely many times your pet seems a thousand times more beautiful in person than in the photos you take and you don’t understand why. And there are tricks to photograph pets and achieve professional-level photos. If you click on the link from now on, the photos will do justice to the beauty of your little or big furry friend, but one of these tricks is to use the proper target. That is why we are here today with the best objectives to photograph pets.
The characteristics of a lens for pets must always be adapted to what type of animal you want to portray and even to what your way of photographing is. We will see it in the following lines. But let me recommend this guide first, in case you have any questions regarding numbers, abbreviations, mounts and compatibilities, etc., when choosing your next lens.
What to look for when choosing a goal for pets?
To choose a lens for pets or, in general, for any type of photography you want to do, the first thing is to ask yourself what does that kind of photography require specific. Will I need light? A lot of angle? Too little? Will a fixed lens or a zoom lens be more useful? First define the type of photography you are going to do and then you can narrow down the essential features you will need.
In this case, consider, for example, if you want close-ups of your pet or if you prefer to photograph it surrounded by a beautiful landscape.
Give your pet the portrait it deserves
focal length
Recommending one focal length or another is not always easy when we talk about portraits. With other types of photography like landscape or macro photography, it’s easier to be specific, but the focal length of portrait photography It depends a lot on the style of the photographer. who takes the photos. In this case, you.
Let me explain, there are those who take spectacular portraits with a 35mm because their style is to add context to the image; there are those who enjoy more with a 50mm, to have a somewhat more closed angle; and there are those who prefer to stay away and get closer with a 100mm lens.
Each focal distance It responds to a specific style and needs, but I would move in this range to photograph pets: from a 35-50mm focal length to 80 or 105mm. In short, I would recommend between a “standard” lens and a “short tele”.
The crop or conversion factor
If your camera is not a full format camera, you should always take into account the conversion factor, which depends on the model of your camera (for example, for Nikon it is usually 1.5 and 1.6 for Canon). If you don’t know what the crop factor is, here we explain it clearly.
depth of field
When choosing a focal length you should also take into account how it affects the depth of field of the image. The greater the focal length, the greater the blur and vice versa, the shorter the focal length, the less the blur.
the luminosity
Regardless of the type of photography that catches your attention, the brightness of a lens is vital when choosing one option or another. My recommendation is that you always get the brightest lens you can afford.
The brightness of the lens is set by the f/ value. The lower this value, the higher its brightness. For example, a lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.4 is brighter than one with a maximum aperture of f/4.
Photography with 50mm f/1.6
Image Stabilizer
If you have the possibility to choose a lens with an integrated image stabilizer, it is a good point to consider, especially when it comes to telephoto lenses. Photographing a pet, as you well know, is not always easy and, in terms of sharpness, all help is little.
Image taken with a 35mm focal length
Fixed lens or zoom?
The main advantage of a zoom lens is, mainly, its versatility but also its price, since with a single outlay, you have different focal lengths. Against they have to be less bright than fixed optics. Having more mechanisms are also less resistant and they are not as optimized to respond perfectly at every focal range.
If you are looking yes or yes for a zoom to photograph pets, I would recommend a 24-70mm, that brings together most of the focal lengths that I have recommended in the focal length section.
On the contrary, a fixed lens is usually brighter and better built than a zoom lens since it is optimized for a single focal length.
If you have doubts about the advantages or disadvantages of a zoom lens compared to a fixed one, take a look at this article.
The price
Price is always a deciding factor when choosing a lens. My recomendation? Invest what you can, if you can save a little more, then much better. But always try to be realistic and set a maximum budget, otherwise you will go crazy. Once you have it, look for the best within this range.
Puppy photographed at f/2.2 35mm
User reviews
The opinions of people who have bought and tried that lens you have your eye on before you can be a good clue and tell you if you are on the right track or, on the contrary, you should opt for other options 😉
There are construction, finish or aberration problems, which if they are not testing the lenses, are difficult to know, so the opinions and ratings of the users are one more clue when choosing a lens.
Avoid this lens when photographing pets
Whether to photograph pets or for the type of photography you want to do, this is the lens that I least recommend and the one that you should avoid at all costs. I explain it to you in this video.
Best lenses for photographing pets
after this not-so-brief Introduction I leave you with the list of what I consider the best lenses for photographing pets:
35mm f/1.8 lens
It may not be the most suitable for close-up portraits, but it is very interesting if your style is more documentary, if you like to add landscape or surroundings to your pet photos. In short, it is the ideal lens for photographing pets in context.
A 35mm is a very versatile and that you can get for very good value for money.
You have it for Nikon for €209.90for Sony (FE) for €556.00 or for Canon (f/2) by N/A
If you have a slightly larger budget, the Sigma Art series with an f/1.4 aperture it’s wonderful.
Image taken with a 35mm focal length and an f/2.2 aperture
50mm: The king of lenses
One of the best goals in terms of versatility and quality price is undoubtedly the 50mm f/1.4. A lens with a standard focal length, which makes it very suitable for all types of photography, including pets. It is very bright, not very bulky and has a very acceptable price for the impressive quality it offers.
That is why it is Mario’s favorite and he baptized it as “The King of Objectives”, dedicating this very complete article to him telling you why it is his favorite. Now, if your budget is somewhat more limited, don’t miss out on the “Prince of Objectives“, another very good option for somewhat tighter budgets. You have both for different brands, you will find them in their respective links, as well as example photos.
85mm f/1.8: to capture your pet in close-up
An 85mm lens is perfect for close-up portraits and with a brightness such as f/1.8 you will achieve some heart-stopping blurs.
If you are a Canon user, you have the fixed focal length Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM, ideal for photographing pets, not only because of its focal length but also because of its good brightness. It does not have an integrated stabilizer, but being so bright, it is something expendable. In addition, it has many and very good reviews on Amazon. All for about N/A on Amazon.
We also have it in the version for Nikon, equally recommended and costs about €549.00. A light lens, with good brightness and a very interesting focal length for photographing pets. With good sharpness and beautiful blurring, it’s a great choice for portrait lovers.
Also available for Sony (E mount) and for Fujifilm (for the brands Samyang or Viltrox)
telephoto lenses
We already get into focal lengths from 100mm, telephoto lenses that allow you to photograph your pet from further away and achieve greater blurring in the background.
Canon EF 100mm f/2 USM lens
Somewhat less bright than the previous one but with a longer focal length, this Canon lens is also a great option for taking close-up shots of your pet and isolating the background.
You can find it by N/A.
Nikon 105mm f/2.8 (FX) lens
This telephoto lens for Nikon is also very versatile. Although its price is not low, it is a very good quality lens, with an image stabilizer, which generates a beautiful bokeh and offers great sharpness.
You can get it for about N/A.
Sigma 105mm f/1.4 lens
A high-end, super bright, sealed lens of exceptional quality. By cons, it is quite heavy and bulky.
You can get it for:
Zoom lenses
if you are looking for one greater versatility and you don’t mind giving up some image quality, a zoom may be your ideal lens. Remember that it is important not to look for zooms with an exaggerated focal range because they are built prioritizing versatility over quality. The best thing is that you focus on a focal range that is not too exaggerated and that you look for a lens that is as bright as possible.
Here are some recommendations for zoom lenses to photograph pets:
24-70mm f/2.8: the bright one
It is a very versatile focal range, especially if you like pet photos that include the landscape around them. It includes a range from wide to standard to short tele.
Despite being a zoom lens, it retains a very good brightness (f/2.8), is very well built, with an integrated stabilizer and spectacular bokeh. got it for canonfor Nikon or for sony.
Sigma 24-105mm f/4: the all-rounder
Although in terms of focal length this lens seems like a panacea, you should keep in mind that it is less bright than the 24-70 (one step difference).
However, it is an interesting option to take into account if you are looking for a single lens to photograph pets, since it covers many scenarios and situations and, although it is not as bright as a fixed lens, for the focal length it offers it’s very nice.
It has a focus stabilizer and good sharpness, without a doubt a good all-rounder to chase the most restless pets ;). Got it for NikonCanyon and sony.
macro lenses
Pets also shine for their details: the…