Food Photography: Affordable Camera?
Hello everyone!
Can anyone suggest or recommend and specific models of affordable digital cameras, that will be used primarily for food photography, close-ups, etc.
Thank you very much. :)
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31 Comments:
Too many choices to discuss... Basically, anything with a macro lens setting and a thread for a tripod will work fine. For the rest of the story, look here:
www.dpreview.com
gb944 at 7:03PM on 04/13/08
How much is affordable? I bought an Olympus and like it very much, but I do find the "cuisine" mode doesn't give me anything that I haven't managed without using it. I believe it's supposed to put it in closeup and cut back on the flash, but I can change the "macro" myself, and it doesn't seem to actually affect the flash. To my very amateur way of thinking, I could have gotten a less elaborate one.
lemons at 7:03PM on 04/13/08
Truth be told, I don't have the camera or skills to be posting on this thread. I have, however, been lusting over SLRs on the Internet. Randomly, I noticed that David Lebovitz recommends an SLR (on his Amazon page, it's linked on the right column of his blog) for $440. For me, that's a lot of money. Still, for an SLR, it's cheaper than many of the manufacturer refurbs I've seen.
I always assume the good food photography I see on blogs is done with SLRs. It's a requirement for reasonably professional-looking photos, right?
blackolive at 7:29PM on 04/13/08
I have the same question as lemons... What do you consider affordable? I have a Olympus E- volt 510 slr. Wasn't cheap but wasn't the most expensive of the bunch I looked at either. I don't have a cuisine mode but it takes wonderful pictures and I have them developed at my local lab. The pictures turn out beautiful not at all digital looking. Make sure that whatever you get has a macro setting.
Remember sometimes it's not the camera, it's the person taking the pictures. I have friends who have thousand dollar cameras with all the lens and their pictures stink. Expensive camera does not equal great pictures.
Also, go to a locally owned photo lab/ camera dealer (i.e. not best buy) and tell them what you want they will guide you in the right direction.
http://www.evilchefmom.blogspot.com
evilchefmom at 7:36PM on 04/13/08
I have a Canon A560 that I take most of the pics at http://www.blogsmonroe.com/food/ with. It was
LunaPierCook at 7:48PM on 04/13/08
If you want to go budget, get something that has a good macro mode, and don't use the flash. Look for a model with high ISO capabilities.
Personally, I like using an slr with a fast lens.
I agree with evilchefmom, the big box stores will not be a good source of info. If you go to a camera store, you will be able to try them out and talk to people. Try taking pictures of things on the store counter, that will give you a good idea of the macro capabilities of the camera.
laura dot at 10:18PM on 04/13/08
I took the advise of Deb from Smitten Kitchen and last winter got the Canon Rebel XTi. It was not cheap but it is the best camera I have ever owned every pic I take with it is spot on. I also took Deb's advise and bought the 50mm lens and this is just the best matchup I have ever owned.
JerzeeTomato at 11:38PM on 04/13/08
I have to agree with Jerzee on the Canon Rebel. I am lucky enough to have a Canon 20D and a 30D to use for food photography, but you may not choose to spend that kind of money. What exactly is your price range? I know several people with Rebels that absolutely love them. That was my SLR choice until my hubby came home with the gift of the 30D. Just get a small tripod to use tabletop. You can get beautiful glass for the Rebel also; just about anything you want. Go to a small reputable camera shop in your area where they can answer your questions in detail, or check in to a local camera club. Those folks just live to talk about cameras 24-7.
frederika at 2:07AM on 04/14/08
THANK YOU to everyone that posted. Because of this thread, I am already better educated than I was yesterday. By the way, my idea of affordable in this situation would be $500.
Why I started this thread today....
Just moments ago, I uploaded and published my first fast-food review on my brand-new site. http://www.FastFoodCritic.com
I must admit I'm disappointed with the photo results. I took those shots with a 5 year old, 1 mega pixel Kodak digital camera that was laying around the house. Photography is not a hobby, and those photos prove it.
With this new site being my 'baby'... it's obvious I need to invest in a better camera.
FastFoodCritic at 4:17AM on 04/14/08
P.S. - I could go to $750, but I would hope for some special features, or super-high quality at that price point.
I don't mean to sound like a cheapskate.
FastFoodCritic at 4:21AM on 04/14/08
We got the Rebel at jr.com. http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4131345
They had it at costco too. I got the lens at Ritz.
For tripiod I bought a gorilla. http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4089555
Get the 50MM lens for shooting food. I am very pleased with the Rebel.
JerzeeTomato at 6:19AM on 04/14/08
Gee ... that'll teach me to use a 'less than' symbol in these comments ... my comment should have said the Canon A560 was less than $200 at Target.
But since you've mentioned $750 I'll agree with Jerzee about the Rebel. Over on Jaden's Steamy Kitchen you can see the results it gives with the inexpensive Lowel Ego lighting.
LunaPierCook at 7:14AM on 04/14/08
Ohhhh... 10 Megapixel. Wow!
That old Kodak I used was 1 Megapixel. ONE!
FastFoodCritic at 12:07PM on 04/14/08
After looking thru all your sites, and links to sites.... and checking out all the food photos, I'm now eating everything I can get my hands on inside my refrigerator because all the food pics made me hungry.
LOL :)
FastFoodCritic at 12:15PM on 04/14/08
I agree with the Canon Rebel XTi people. I added a 100mm Macro lens to mine (~$350) and it takes amazing food photos in natural light. For someone like me -- a relative novice on anything behind the camera -- It can take a little while to figure out the manual settings, but that's half the fun!
BrianPrestonCampbell at 1:07PM on 04/14/08
"That old Kodak I used was 1 Megapixel. ONE!"
@fastfoodcritic, I have one of those, a Kodak DC3200. The kids call it "The Brick" and we still use it on rare occasion because it still works! There's duct tape holding the battery compartment closed though. ;-)
LunaPierCook at 2:03PM on 04/14/08
Brian -- Thanks for taking the time to reply. Another recommendation for the Rebel, noted.
LunaPierCook -- Yes, that's it exactly... DC3200. I'm looking at the model number right now!
FastFoodCritic at 2:50PM on 04/14/08
I think you will be happier with an SLR such as the aforementioned Canon or perhaps the Nikon D60 that just came out. Personally I like to use a fast prime lens like the affordable Nikon 50mm f.1.4 which produces lovely pictures in low light. When not using my SLR I get good results from the Ricoh gx100: http://www.adorama.com/IRCGX100.html?searchinfo=ricoh%20gx100&item_no=13
It recently came down in price to under $450.
Nick Solares at 3:12PM on 04/14/08
@fastfoodcrtitic, I hear one of these beasties went for $0.01 on eBay recently. ;-)
LunaPierCook at 4:19PM on 04/14/08
A Nikon D50, for about $300 on eBay, along with a macro lens for another $300 or so, add some natural light and you're set. Here's a few that I've taken with that very setup:
http://greenolivemedia.blogspot.com/2008/02/joel-food-photos.html
greenolivemedia at 4:41PM on 04/14/08
One thing to note:
On smaller point & shoot cameras (i.e., non-DSLRs) don't bother getting anything with a picture size of higher than 6-8 megapixels. Simply put, the sensors in those cameras are so small, going much higher than 6MP drastically increases the level of noise in the image. Also, a 6MP image will give you a very high-quality printout at 8x10" - and will be much bigger than anything you would use on a website.
Other tips: Don't use a flash. Use a tripod when possible. Use the lowest ISO you can for less-noisy images. A slow ISO (shutter speed) and a no flash will probably necessitate a tripod. Look up information on setting the f-stop and how that impacts 'depth of field.'
stratusgd at 4:41PM on 04/14/08
I have a Canon A630, which I use for food photography (and on vacations, etc.). It does really well. I usually use the "indoor" setting and no flash, and my pictures almost always turn out well. I also have a little tabletop tripod that I got free with the camera. I don't know what brand it is or anything, but it works well. The only thing I have against the A630 is that if you don't know a lot about cameras and you decide to use the Automatic setting, you will get bad pictures. Or at least the automatic never worked for me.
Cadence at 4:44PM on 04/14/08
I take it you're going to be using the pictures for the website, and not doing any kind of huge prints. If that's the case, the only range you really need is 4 to 6 megapixels. That said, there are a plethora of options out there that will probably seem overwhelming. And I think someone said it earlier, but alot of times, it's not the camera, it's the photographer. I've seen excellent food shots taken with the cheapest of digital cameras. The secret? Macro function, (which has been mentioned repeatedly already), and good lighting. Good lighting is alot easier than you realize. Alot of people say to use natural ambient lighting, but that's very hard to predict sometimes! Me personally, I use my incandescent desk lamp, and a white background, and that usually does the trick. Flash is usually too harsh, unless you have a speedlight where you can control the strength in addition to exposure compensation. But don't let that fool you. Speedlights are very expensive, and don't assure good photos.
Overall, a steady hand, a good macro function, and plenty of light (set to the right white balance) will make any food pictures as good as professional.
Julian at 5:46PM on 04/14/08
I continue to read and educate myself, with all the great tips, advice and information. I appreciate everyone who's taken the time to reply. Thank you very much. I have a question for you guys...
I noticed Ed Levine (founder of Serious Eats) uses a Canon Powershot SD800 IS. Or at least he used it on his most recent serious eating tour. This is a $300 camera.
http://www.flickr.com/cameras/canon/powershot_sd800_is/
I found what appears the be the same camera, with a slightly different model at my local Best Buy tonight. I almost bought it -- but I wanted to get feedback from you guys first.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8469212&type=product&id=1184768166165
What do you think?
FastFoodCritic at 11:39PM on 04/14/08
Here's the link to Ed's new post...
http://www.seriouseats.com/eating_out/2008/04/eating-out-in-fort-worth-texas-babes-chicken-dinner-house.html
Those pics look pretty good to me, and $299 looks awesome!
FastFoodCritic at 11:52PM on 04/14/08
De-lurking to say...
- Re: New SLR... Unless you intend to really put some time into educating yourself, you may be just as well off with a high-end point/shoot, like that Powershot. If it has macro, a decent depth of focus, and the ability to set the white balance, you're in pretty good shape. I use an old Powershot G2 and it does fine. (Flickr food set here.) The most current generation, the G9, has had some brilliant reviews and retails for about $400.
- When you're dealing with the web, as much as 50% or more of your photo quality has nothing to do with your camera, skill, or lighting. It's all in how you optimize and compress for the web colorspace you're working in. I have seen incredible shots that look grainy and washed out on the web. I would concentrate on taking good photos but also realize that you need to learn how to present them for the web. Some of the photos you were disappointed with on your site could be easily cleaned and brightened up with Photoshop.
- Again, unless you want to go semi-pro and really have the time to learn it, don't go for the full version of Photoshop ($650). If you have it, great - spend some time studying out compression, levels, color balance, sharpening, and other optimizing fixes. But the $79 Photoshop Elements should do just fine for all these basics.
- Lots of resources on food photos on the web - you can practically get a college education for free! The site I read the most is Lara's Still Life With... She gives a great overview of colorspace.
- Also, I have a few really basic tips here: Food Photography Tips.
Have fun! So much of food photography really is in the learning, exploring, and experimenting. Do as much as you can with the camera you have before you upgrade; push against its limits and see how far it can take you before you spend a lot of money on a new tool.
mekuno at 12:34AM on 04/15/08
I want to thank everyone again for taking the time to reply, and share your experience and advice. This is a great forum.
Well, this is the weekend I purchase. I'm going to spend Saturday and Sunday shopping around. I have all the major electronics store close to me, plus several camera stores.
I'm coming home with something! :)
FastFoodCritic at 6:23AM on 04/19/08
@FFC remember, you have to let us know what you get. Samples are required as well! ;-)
LunaPierCook at 8:30AM on 04/19/08
I say if you have the money to burn, an SLR will probably get you the best results. However, I take all of my food pictures with a Kodak DX7630 and I think a lot of them are pretty presentable. And I don't use a tripod, but I know that it would help.
Good luck!
nevereverforever at 11:08AM on 04/19/08
I should never go into electronic stores. And the thing, is I KNOW THIS. I went to buy a 32-inch LCD on sale not too long ago, and was sure it was the right model for me. I had researched it, and was confident in what I was going to get. My plan - IN and OUT of the store with my new TV.
Well... Instead of IN and OUT, I was there for 2 hours, and came home with a larger more expensive 42-inch, and instead of LCD it was Plasma.
Before that, I was going to buy a Nintendo Wii just for fun when there's a house full of people -- Today I'm the proud owner of BOTH the Sony Playstation-3 and Microsoft XBOX-360. And I didn't even get the damn Wii.
Don't you see? See why I shouldn't go into these stores?
Anyway, I went to get my new camera, and before I knew it, the excitement of all the bright and shiny technology got me again, and instead of just a camera, I had a $1,000 'hybrid' in my hands. It was a full blown digital camcorder, but also took high quality still-shots.
The wheels in mind are turning..... "Sure, I need this because I want to eventually do my own video segments on the site. Maybe even video reviews. Yeah man, I NEED this. BUY IT - BUY IT - BUY IT"....
Anyway, God Blessed me with a good friend, and that friend came with me this weekend, and reminded me that I was getting carry away... again. He reminded me that I just starting a brand news site, and this was no time to suddenly try to become Steven Spielberg. And that my previous electronic adventures created debt that took a long time to pay for.
So today my friends, I stand before you with the same old 1 megapixel clunker, and I've decided instead to purchase my new camera ONLINE, away from the lure of the hands-on world of the brick and mortar retail store.
I will provide an update, and hopefully a happy ending to this story, soon.
FastFoodCritic at 9:24PM on 04/21/08
I bought my new camera today!
Canon PowerShot -- SD870IS Digital ELPH.
I'm playing around with it right now, and my first impressions are VERY GOOD.
I've already taken a couple shots that are better than anything I've ever taken before. Period. WOOHOO! :)
Keeping in mind I'm a photo-newbie, with no idea what I'm doing.
This sweet little point-and-shoot is only $300, but it packs a lot of features and quality for that price. Within my first hour, I've already taken some impressive shots of... my pizza I had for dinner tonight, my guitars, my cat, a plant that's growing on my next door neighbor's patio that may or may not be illegal, and lots of other stuff.
I am very happy with this purchase so far. Is there any way to upload a pic here in the forum?
FastFoodCritic at 3:25AM on 04/27/08