Camera for Food Pictures

[MsAnya]

Hihi

I hope this is the right forum to post this in. I am looking for a camera and would love your recommendations.

I want one so that I can take pics of my recipes and post them on my blog. Right now I am using the camera on my blackberry and yea, uh, it leaves more then a little to be desired.

I dont have very much money so inexpensive is the best please.

Any suggestions you have for taking great pictures for my food blog would be much appreciated!

 

[kitchenelf]

I was just watching a talk show where they gave out a camera with a "gourmet" feature just for food.............oh........what was that show!!!!!!!!!!??? Let me see if I can search it.

EDITED - here ya go! Don't know price, sorry.

 

[TATTRAT]

I would search your local craigslist for a decent used higher end point and shot, or a used DSLR. I use a Nikon D50, and D80...but depends on the budget you are staying in. Sony makes some GREAT point and shoots!

 

[CharlieD]

Buy the most expensive camera you can afford, don't forget you'll benefit from having trypod.

 

[GB]

I do not agree with that advice Charlie. Well I agree about the tripod part, but buying the most expensive you can afford is not good advice. If you are not a photographer and do not plan on learning about aperatures and f stops and other things then buying a very expensive DSLR will be a waste of money. It will not get you better pictures and could even get you worse pictures than getting a decent point and shoot.

 

[GhettoRacingKid]

how serious are you about these pic.

I got a $125 kodak camera which has a upclose setting. I pop that on when I take pics of my food. Ill try ti upload some examples for you.

 

[GhettoRacingKid]

here is a pic from a wedding at tavern on the green. It was just a quick pic. I could have tried lighting and etc... but you get the point.

 

[Andy M.]

You can take food pictures with just about any good camera (not camera phone). More important than the equipment is the lighting and exposure. These two factors can make the difference between a good and poor picture.

The pictrure on the grill is a much better picture than the picture on the plate of the same ribs a few minutes later.

The light surfaces surounding the ribs (from the white plate and light counter top) effected the exposure meter so the plate and countertop are properly exposed but the ribs are too dark.

The dark grill surface is about the same darkness as the ribs so the exposure there is better.

 

[GB]

Actually you can take great food pictures with a phone camera if you know what you are doing. It is really not so much the camera as it is the photographer. Some are obviously better than others, but I have seen some amazing photographs taken with phone cameras. I even saw a gallery of photos in NY taken only with phone cameras.

 

[Jeekinz]

It's not necessarily how expensive or how new the camera is to take good close-up photos. I use a Kodak Easy Share Z700 and it's by far the best I have used for close-ups. Other cameras you have to depend on the megapixels and zoom to get good results. With the Z700, I just steady the camera, point and shoot. The only drawback to this particular camera is it has a little red tint to some of the shots. (which you may have never noticed until now)

Get one while they last.

Here's some unedited close-ups.

 

[suziquzie]

I have a very nice camera and cant take a pic worth a lick.

 

[GhettoRacingKid]

nice Jeek

I think we jsut discovered that kodaks are great for close up shots.

Ive had 2 of them and love them both.

I think i got the kodak z735 or somethng like that currently

 

[Jeekinz]

I like this camera alot. You just have to be real steady on the close-up photos. I was thinking about getting a small tripod to alleviate any blurryness. I tried taking close-ups with other more expensive cameras and couldn't get these results.

I prefer my own lighting, so the flash is always off.

 

[CharlieD]

I do not agree with that advice Charlie. Well I agree about the tripod part, but buying the most expensive you can afford is not good advice. If you are not a photographer and do not plan on learning about aperatures and f stops and other things then buying a very expensive DSLR will be a waste of money. It will not get you better pictures and could even get you worse pictures than getting a decent point and shoot.

I see your point. But this is where I was coming from. The message said that there was not very much money, so I assume, maybe wrongly, that we are talking about couple hundred dollars max. Well, if that's the case you can't get anything professional. And then couple of hundred bucks isn't going to buy anything that is good enough for food picture taking. Unless of course we are talking to a millionaire and not to much money is couple of thousands, but then I doubt we would be asked for a suggestion.

 

[Barbara L]

I have an Olympus 7.1 megapixel Stylus 780. It has several special settings (which are quick to change to), and one of them is the Cuisine setting. It says it is "For still life photography. Vividly reproduces colors of fruit, vegetables, flowers, etc." I love it!

Barbara
P.S. The nachos picture is a little weird because they had mostly been eaten, but I wanted to show the vivid pink color of their tortilla chips.

 

[love2"Q"]

these are from a nikon d40 ...
i love this camera ..

 

[falcontook]

Im using a samsung myself that cost 150 dollars and absolutely love it. I agree with Jeekinz, turning the flash off and using your own lighting gives the picture a more natural look =)

 

[GB]

Here is a hint for those using cameras with a built in flash, especially when doing close up photography...put something over the flash like a piece of tissue paper or paper towel. This will help diffuse the harsh bright light of the flash and will not wash out your photos as much.

 

[QSis]

MsAnya, go with the one that Jeekins posted the link to. There are two left, and I might just buy the other one.

I'm always drooling over Jeekins' photos!

Lee

 

[love2"Q"]

thats a good tip GB