Food videography is a lot of fun, but it can be challenging to learn in the beginning. Photography and videography are similar in some ways and different in others. Although the foundations of photography are engrained in my head, I kinda felt like I had to relearn everything for video. Something that was very helpful with learning this new skillset, however, was having the right equipment to help me out. In this post, I’m sharing my favorite food videography equipment. So, whether you’re just getting started or are on the prowl for new gear, I hope my recommendations can be a helpful guide for you.
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Food Videography Equipment
When it comes to food videography equipment, there is a lot available to help you depending on your needs. Although this is a good thing, it can be tricky to know which gear to choose. Understanding the purpose and style of the food videos you want to create will help you make smarter decisions about the type of equipment that will support your creative vision and workflow.
What Is Food Videography
Food videography is the art of capturing food in motion through video. It’s about telling a story, evoking emotion and hopefully, making viewers hungry. Through movement, sound, lighting and thoughtful compositions, food videography brings dishes to life in an engaging way.
Think about a sizzling steak on the grill or a gooey drip of chocolate syrup over ice cream or the satisfying crunch of the first bite of nachos – these sensory moments are what food videography is all about. It invites the viewer to imagine the smells, tastes and textures of the food.
Food videography is used in a variety of settings including social media, YouTube channels, restaurant websites, promotions and commercials. Depending on your goals, the equipment you use can vary widely ranging from smaller iPhone setups to full professional rigs.
What Equipment You Need for Food Videography
Choosing what food videography equipment you need requires you to think about the video content you want to capture first. What story do you want to tell? Are you building a recipe? Do you want to highlight the ambience and vibe of a restaurant?
Once you have figured out your video content, it will be easier to choose the tools that will help you capture that footage efficiently and successfully. So, let’s dive into my recommendations!
Best Camera for Food Videography
Let’s start at the top. You need a camera. And, when it comes to what camera to use for videography, you just need a camera that can also capture video (most cameras support video now, including the iPhone camera). This post will focus on the best camera equipment for video and I’ll share the best iPhone equipment for video in separate post. 😉👍
When considering the best camera for video, it’s important to look at the following features:
- Video Resolution
- Frame Rate
- IBIS (in-body image stabilization)
Video Resolution
When you’re considering a camera for food videography, you’ll often see terms like 1080p, 4k, 6k and even 8k. These numbers refer to the video resolution, which is essentially the amount of detail your camera captures in each frame of video. Think of it this way: the higher the resolution, the more pixels in the image, which means you get more detail and clarity.
My recommendation is to make sure your camera can shoot in 4k for food videography. This resolution gives you crisp detail for capturing textures, movements and colors. It also allows more flexibility during editing, for things like zooming in or creating vertical crops for social media.
However, if you’re only sharing videos to your social media platforms, then starting with 1080p is absolutely ok, because most platforms compress your videos to 1080p anyway.
Frame Rate
Your frame is known as fps in the videography world and refers to the number of individual images or frames that are displayed in each second of the video. Most cameras will give you a variety of frame rate options including 24fps, 30fps and 60fps. Some cameras also offer super slow motion options like 120fps and 240fps.
Once you decide your frame rate, you will want to adjust your shutter speed to be double the frame rate. For example, if you decide to shoot at 30fps, you will want to set your shutter speed to 30×2, which is 1/60. If you shoot at 60fps, your shutter speed should be 60×2, which is 1/120.
Think about your footage and be intentional with what frame rates you choose throughout your filming. Below are some best practices when thinking about frame rates.
24fps is a traditional cinematic standard and can give that film-like look to your footage. It’s also best to use 24fps when capturing people talking to the camera (like an interview), just so the audio sounds normal.
30fps gives a slightly smoother look to your video footage in comparison to 24fps. It also works for well for audio.
60fps is great for capturing fluid motion with the ability to slow it down for a very cool, slow motion effect. I don’t recommend using 60fps for audio, however.
120fps and 240fps is great for ultra slow motion shots. Not all cameras will have this option though, so sticking to 60fps for slow motion footage is absolutely a great option. I do not recommend these frame rates for capturing audio, unless you want your audio to sound super slow and difficult to understand. 😉
IBIS
The next thing to consider in a camera for videography is IBIS, which stands for in-body-image-stabilization. This feature comes in handy if you’re going to be holding your camera while capturing your footage. Our hands are not very steady and this fact becomes very obvious in the beginning if you hold your camera while capturing footage. When your camera’s IBIS system is turned on, it simply helps reduce the camera shake that occurs when you are holding your camera.
However, if your camera doesn’t have IBIS, it’s not a deal breaker. There are other ways to help stabilize your camera while you capture footage, and we’ll discuss this later on in this post.
The mirrorless camera I use for my video content is the FujiFilm XT5 and it’s amazing! It supports the resolution, frame rates and has IBIS (in-body image stabilization) that I need and has helped me create some really beautiful videos like this restaurant feature.
READ MORE ABOUT: THE BEST CAMERA FOR FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
Best Lens for Food Videography
Next up, let’s talk about lenses. When choosing lenses for food videos, it’s important to consider your shot list and the perspectives you want to capture first. Once you’ve created your shot list and noted the angles and perspectives of those shots, you can ask yourself, will you need to be at a set focal length throughout the whole video (for example: recipe videos) or will you need to be pulled back for some shots and zoomed in for others (for example: story-telling videos)?
Prime Lenses
Prime lenses have a fixed focal length. You will have to physically move the camera closer or further away from your subject when using prime lenses.
The prime lenses that I have in my line up are:
- Fuji 16mm (wide angle)
- Zeiss 32mm 1.8
- Fuji 80mm 2.8 (macro)
Zoom Lenses
Zoom lenses allow you to zoom in or out from your subject by manually adjusting the lens yourself. And, while this generally works out well for food photography, it doesn’t always work out well for food videography.
This is because when you manually adjust your lens during filming, the lens has to adjust to the surrounding lighting and this can cause a noticeable flicker in your footage.
The zoom lens that I have in my line up includes:
My recommendation is to use prime lenses for video footage. However, if you only have a zoom lens, that’s ok too. Just try to keep your zoom lens at a set focal length after you hit record and physically move closer or further away from your subject (instead of zooming in or out) to avoid that flicker.
There are also some other tools to help smoothly move your camera closer or further away, like the sliders by Edelkrone, but they can get pretty pricey.
READ MORE ABOUT: THE BEST LENSES FOR FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
Best Light for Food Videography
Lighting is very important for food videography, just like it’s very important for food photography. The challenge is making sure you have enough light to work with so your video footage is exposed correctly.
You can experiment with both natural and artificial light with your video content to see what works best for your workflow. Let’s talk about some best practices when using natural light or artificial lights for your food videos.
Natural Light
When using natural light for your food videos, make sure you have a lot of it to work with. It’s best to shoot during the day and next to a large window in order to get the best lighting. Keep in mind that natural light is always changing and this may be more visible in your video footage.
Artificial Lights
There are a lot of great artificial lights available to help you with your video footage. For video, you will want to use a monolight or a continuous light. These lights don’t flash. You turn them on, adjust the power and the color temp and position them to where you need them to be. Then, attach your light modifiers to help you create a soft or hard light (depending on your creative vision) and you’re all set!
A couple of important factors to consider when thinking about artificial lights for video include:
- Light Power
- Color Temp Control
- Battery Powered vs. Plug In
Light Power
Your light’s power refers to the wattage. The higher the wattage, the more power you’ll get. The higher the wattage, however, the more expensive the light may be. Keep in mind that with lower wattage lights, you may need more than one. Whereas a more powerful wattage, may allow you to get away with using only one light. So, it’s good to do some price comparisons. I recommend choosing a light that is no less than 200w.
Color Temp Control
Not all artificial lights will let you control the color temp and I found this to be rather limiting. When you can control the color temp, you have the ability to give your lighting more of a cool look (blue) or more of a warm look (yellow). Having this ability can help you create some really beautiful lighting for your food videos.
Battery Powered vs. Plug-In
Battery powered lights will give you the flexibility to move your light around and position it wherever you need it to be. It’s important to make sure you have a battery charger or an extra battery as a backup, because some lights can run out of battery power pretty quickly.
Plug-In lights can be a little more limiting, because they have to be plugged in. This can restrict moving your light around freely and where you can get set up. However, a nice solution is to have some extension cables on hand to give you more flexibility with light placement. Just be mindful of having too many cables laying around, because you don’t want to trip over one.
The artificial lights I have used for my video footage include:
- Amaran 200x (plug-in, extension cable recommended)
- Profoto B10x (battery powered, backup battery recommended)
The light modifiers I use include:
- EZ Glow Softboxes (requires a bowen’s mount)
Camera Stabilization
Being able to stabilize your camera for video footage is really important. While, it’s ok to hold the camera, you will quickly discover how unstable and shaky your footage can be without some tools to help you. So, when it comes to food videography equipment, I highly recommend investing in some way to stabilize your camera so you can get smooth footage.
Some camera stabilizing tools that I recommend include:
- Video Tripod & L-Bracket
- Small Rig
- Gimbal
Video Tripod & L-Bracket
A video tripod is a great option for stabilizing your camera. I also recommend getting an L-Bracket to attach to your camera for when you want to capture vertical videos. The only downside to using a tripod is that it can be a little more challenging to move around to capture different perspectives. However, if you are just planning to shoot from one angle, it is a great option for capturing stabilized footage.
Small Rig
A small rig is another option to consider if you want more freedom to move around with your camera. This tool helps to stabilize your camera, because it has ergonomic dual handgrips. It’s not as stable as a tripod, but it definitely helps reduce camera shake. It’s also a more convenient than a tripod, because it allows you to “carry” your camera on the rig and move around more freely for different angles and perspectives.
Gimbal
A gimbal is another great option when thinking about food videography equipment (they also make gimbals for smartphones). However, it does take a little time to learn how to use it. A gimbal requires you to ‘balance’ your camera before you can use it, which can take a little getting used to. But, once you see how helpful it can be, it’s worth the learning curve.
A gimbal offers more stability than a small rig AND it’s easy to move around. So, in a way, it’s like a tripod and a small rig combined into one. Not to mention the app controls that it offers for super, silky smooth panning is pretty amazing. Just make sure that the gimbal you want is compatible with your camera model (this will be noted in the product description).
I have the Ronin-SC and it’s been really fun option to have depending on the type of footage I want to capture.
Best Video Editing Software
We’ve covered quite a bit of ground when it comes to food videography equipment, but let’s not forget about the post-production phase – also known as – video editing! Once you capture your footage, it’s time to put it all together into that final video form. Choosing what editing software to use is really up to you and what platform makes the most sense for your needs. They’re all great, but it’s just a matter of preference which one works best for your workflow. I frequently use Adobe Premier Pro for all of my video editing, along with Davinci Resolve.
There are three popular video editing software options to consider:
Adobe Premier for iPhone
Formerly Premier Rush, Adobe Premier for iPhone is a mobile-friendly video editing software. It’s a streamlined version of Adobe’s desktop version, Premier Pro. This is popular for content creators, because they can capture, edit and share videos on the go. The biggest strength is that it helps content creators who need fast, clean edits without diving into more complex software.
With Premier for iPhone you can do the following:
- Import video clips, photos and audio directly from your phone
- Trim, cut and rearrange clips easily on a timeline
- Add transitions, color corrections, titles and voiceover
- Use built-in templates and soundtracks
- Export high-quality and share instantly to social media platforms
Adobe Premier Pro
Adobe Premier Pro is a more professional editing software used by professionals around the world. It’s a part of the Adobe Creative Suite, so you’ll get seamless integration with other Adobe tools such as AfterEffects, Photoshop and Audition. One of the biggest strengths is its customizability and how well it can handle more complex workflows. It’s designed for professionals, but with some learning, creators at any level can produce broadcast-level work.
With Premier Pro you can do the following:
- Edit high quality video in almost any format and resolution
- Cut, trim and arrange footage on a multitrack timeline
- Add effects, color grading, transitions and motion graphics
- Work with audio including mixing, syncing and applying effects
- Collaborate with teams using shared products and Adobe’s cloud services
Davinci Resolve
Davinci Resolve is a powerful, all-in-one editing software used by many professionals. It combines editing, color correction, visual effects, motion graphics and audio post-production all in a single platform. This is great software to use if you want professional tools without having to bounce between multiple apps.
With Davinci Resolve you can do the following:
- Professional color grading
- Non-linear video editing
- Fairlight Audio
- Fusion Video Effects
- Collaboration
- Free vs. Paid
In conclusion, food videography equipment is readily available to you depending on your creative vision, workflow needs and budget. Take the time to think through these things first before investing in video equipment.
Reach out with questions any time and be sure to follow me on Instagram!
Happy Creating!
This post may contain affiliate links which means if you click or make a purchase through my site, I might make a small commission (at no extra cost to you). I only promote products and equipment that I actually use for my photography business. Your support helps me continue to produce educational content about photography. Thank you!
All images ©Regan Baroni 2025.
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