# What camera do you use?



## jonnyjonny_uk (Feb 27, 2012)

What camera do you use for your food photography? I love taking photos and my camera has broken so need to buy a new one and just wondered if any of you like taking photos of food and posting on here or on your blog what would be your choice specifically for taking food photos? Any suggestions gratefully appreciated


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## Andy M. (Feb 27, 2012)

I use a Sony W290.  http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Cyber-shot-DSC-W290-Digital-Stabilization/dp/B001SEQPGK

You can see some of my food pic in my album.  Discuss Cooking - Cooking Forums - Andy M.'s Album: Some Of My Successes


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Feb 27, 2012)

I use a Kodak EasyShare DX6490 that I bought back in 2002, but it still takes great pictures, has all the functions I want, and best of all, it's *American* made.


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## bakechef (Feb 27, 2012)

I use a Samsung (made by pentax) DSLR, with a kit lens, along with a vintage lens.

I also have a Canon S3 IS that I adore (about 5 or so years old).  I really like Canon and Pentax cameras.

I have several other cameras too that I don't really use anymore.

Digital cameras have come a long way, even inexpensive (under $100) do a spectacular job nowadays.


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## Dawgluver (Feb 27, 2012)

I use my iPhone camera.


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## GB (Feb 27, 2012)

I have three I use. My iPhone 4 camera is an excellent camera for what it is. I use it frequently and have gotten some great shots with it.

I also have a Canon S90 which is an excellent little point and shoot. It is exceptional at low light photography. I hardly use it anymore though since I got my iPhone. The Canon is the better camera, but I have the iPhone on me all the time so it gets used. 

My favorite camera is my Nikon D7000 with a lens ranging from 11-300mm.

What type of photographer are you? Do you know what you are doing or do you want to just push a button and have the camera figure out the rest?


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## TATTRAT (Feb 27, 2012)

Nikon D80, with 28-80 2.8, I like the 50mm Prime 1.4, and sometimes, the 28-300 3.6 with MACRO.

You can see the results here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tattrat/sets/72157626468938807/



50mm






From the 28-80





From the 28-300


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## GB (Feb 28, 2012)

Awesome shots Tatt! I especially like the last one.


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## Rocklobster (Feb 28, 2012)

My earlier photos were with a Canon Rebel t21. But, since my separation, I have left it at the house for my daughter to use. I am now using a Sony Cybershot.  It has a "Food" setting and I don't really see any difference from the automatic setting....


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## Andy M. (Feb 28, 2012)

Actually, I think camera brand is less important.  Any of the major camera brands will do the job.  What you have to decide is how involved you want to be and how much you want to spend.

As with cooking, good tools do not guarantee a good result.


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## GB (Feb 28, 2012)

Andy M. said:


> Actually, I think camera brand is less important.


I have to disagree here. There are huge differences between some brands. Actually, what you said was any*major* camera brand. I supposed since you said major camera brand that I can agree with you somewhat, but not completely.

Dedicated camera companies like Canon, Nikon, Leica, etc are pretty much at the point where the big differences are between features and not optics. Thee are still differences between them though. For instance, I find Nikons to have slightly sharper focus than Canons all other things being equal.

Some cameras do not reproduce colors as accurately as others. This is especially noticable with brands that are not only camera brands (Think HP and others like that). 

The most important thing to getting a great shot is the photographer. A photographer who is good can get great shots with any camera. Now if you are like most people you want great shots, but don't really have an interest in actual photography then you will want a point and shot that all you have to do is press the button and you are done. Major camera brand point and shoots are what will work in that case, and as Andy says, it will be the features and level on control that you will be looking at.


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## jonnyjonny_uk (Feb 29, 2012)

GB said:


> What type of photographer are you? Do you know what you are doing or do you want to just push a button and have the camera figure out the rest?



I know what I'm doing when it comes to taking photos as my father and my uncle were both professional photographers back in the day but it's more if it's worth spending that extra bit of money for a DSLR if a point and shoot can still get good results when it comes to food photos. I must admit I like taking shots of food with the background blurred out and with a point and shoot that will be difficult if impossible I guess to achieve?

Thanks for everyones comments so far and also the great photos and feedback


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## bakechef (Feb 29, 2012)

jonnyjonny_uk said:
			
		

> I know what I'm doing when it comes to taking photos as my father and my uncle were both professional photographers back in the day but it's more if it's worth spending that extra bit of money for a DSLR if a point and shoot can still get good results when it comes to food photos. I must admit I like taking shots of food with the background blurred out and with a point and shoot that will be difficult if impossible I guess to achieve?
> 
> Thanks for everyones comments so far and also the great photos and feedback



You can get that blur with a point and shoot, but not to the degree that you can with a DSLR.  The portrait setting on a point and shoot can help with this.


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## GB (Feb 29, 2012)

Something you might want to consider is a micro 2/3 camera. If you are not familiar with them they are like a cross between a point and shoot and an SLR. They have smaller sensors and smaller bodies, but do have interchangeable lenses. They give you full manual control like an SLR. The issue I have with them though is that they are not much less expensive than an SLR and because they are pretty new there are not a whole lot of lenses available yet. 

You can get great food shots with a point and shoot. If you are looking to not spend a lot then absolutely get a P&S.


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## jonnyjonny_uk (Feb 29, 2012)

bakechef said:


> You can get that blur with a point and shoot, but not to the degree that you can with a DSLR.  The portrait setting on a point and shoot can help with this.



I never realised that, thanks.



GB said:


> Something you might want to consider is a micro 2/3 camera. If you are not familiar with them they are like a cross between a point and shoot and an SLR. They have smaller sensors and smaller bodies, but do have interchangeable lenses. They give you full manual control like an SLR. The issue I have with them though is that they are not much less expensive than an SLR and because they are pretty new there are not a whole lot of lenses available yet.
> 
> You can get great food shots with a point and shoot. If you are looking to not spend a lot then absolutely get a P&S.



I have seen them and was a little put off with paying that price when you could get a full SLR. Having said that I liked the look of the Canon G12 because it was small and compact but has most of the features a SLR has. I'm looking around the $600 mark and now it seems a toss up between the Canon G12 and an entry level Canon or Nikon SLR.


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## GB (Feb 29, 2012)

I am not sold on the micro 2/3's either. If they were say half the price of an SLR then it might make more sense, but the prices are so close to a full SLR that why not go that way?

Check out the Canon S90 S95 or S100 (they are all version of the same, just updated through the years). They are within your price range and are one of the best P&S camera I have ever seen. They are amazing at low light, which often times is an issue with food photography. It also has full manual controls and they are easy to use unlike some P&S with full manual control. 

The blur effect comes from the aperature size. The larger the aperature (small the f stop number) the more blur you will get. SLR's make it easy to adjust the aperature and different lenses will give you different aperatures. A P&H can get the same sort of effect just usually not as damatic as the aperture on a P&S is usually smaller and less easily controllable.


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## jonnyjonny_uk (Feb 29, 2012)

Andy M. said:


> I use a Sony W290.  Amazon.com: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and Super Steady Shot Image Stabilization (Black): Camera & Photo
> 
> You can see some of my food pic in my album.  Discuss Cooking - Cooking Forums - Andy M.'s Album: Some Of My Successes



Thanks Andy, just goes to show you don't have to spend a fortune on a camera to achieve good shots. I still want the ability to mess around a bit which is the only reason I'm thinking about something further up the range.

Cheers,

Jonny.


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## Andy M. (Feb 29, 2012)

jonnyjonny_uk said:


> Thanks Andy, just goes to show you don't have to spend a fortune on a camera to achieve good shots. I still want the ability to mess around a bit which is the only reason I'm thinking about something further up the range.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Jonny.



I agree with GB that a DSLR is the way to go if you're serious.  They allow much better and easier control of the important photo factors of aperture and shutter speed.  That and the availability of different lenses gives you a better tool.


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## GB (Feb 29, 2012)

Here are the S95 and S100 i was talking about.

Canon U.S.A. : Consumer & Home Office : PowerShot S100

Canon U.S.A. : Consumer & Home Office : PowerShot S95


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## Addie (Feb 29, 2012)

Sir_Loin_of_Beef said:


> I use a Kodak EasyShare DX6490 that I bought back in 2002, but it still takes great pictures, has all the functions I want, and best of all, it's *American* made.


 
Ditto what he said. I try to buy American Made any chance I can. It is getting harder and harder. Oh yeah! I have the same Kodak also. 

Unfortunately they are going belly up. Their downfall started many moons ago when Polaroid came out with their first camera. Kodak came out with their own version of the Polaroid type camera but lost the lawsuit for patent infringement.


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## bakechef (Feb 29, 2012)

jonnyjonny_uk said:
			
		

> I never realised that, thanks.
> 
> I have seen them and was a little put off with paying that price when you could get a full SLR. Having said that I liked the look of the Canon G12 because it was small and compact but has most of the features a SLR has. I'm looking around the $600 mark and now it seems a toss up between the Canon G12 and an entry level Canon or Nikon SLR.



If I had that budget, I would go with an entry level dslr!  Even entry level dslr will be better than most point and shoot.  Dslr cameras have full auto settings so they are easy to use right out of the box.  Once you get a feel for the camera, and learn a bit more, you can use the manual settings.  I haven't had my camera on auto in a long time!

If you go with Canon, there is a lens that some call the "nifty fifty" (50mm fixed) that is very inexpensive and will be awesome for food pictures and portraits.


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## GB (Feb 29, 2012)

bakechef said:


> If you go with Canon, there is a lens that some call the "nifty fifty" (50mm fixed) that is very inexpensive and will be awesome for food pictures and portraits.


The nifty fifty is not just Canon. I have one for my Nikon.


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## Margi Cintrano (Feb 29, 2012)

*I have 2 Cameras*

I truly prefer my 35mm camera, that I have for a few years, despite the size, weight etcetra ... Mine is a Nikon. The seascapes, landscapes and portraits are stunning with this no fail camera. 

However, for the Ephiphany ( 3 Wise Men Day ), I received a German Benq digital which takes excellent food / plate fotos ... However, I would not use this for topography shots or long distance shots.

Thanks for posting.
Margi.


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## CharlieD (Feb 29, 2012)

I have an older Sony Syber-shot. But I just do not take enough pictures. I had SLR Canon camera, that I finaly sold, becasue it was seating without being used.


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## Vanilla Bean (Feb 29, 2012)

I use a Fuji FINEPIX


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## Claire (Feb 29, 2012)

My friends'!  We just don't take enough pics any more and find ourselves, in spite of having periodically gone through boxes and albums, still having more photos that we'll ever look at.  I finally sent most of my old family pics to my ... well, family (don't have kids).  Now if we're having a party or an event, we ask our friends to please bring cameras.  Now that it's so easy to transmit pics on line, I get them from my family and can look and delete.  

At some age you have to look around and say, _who is going to want all this stuff?  Who is going to have the time and desire to go through it all in hopes of finding something they want?  I'm just creating more landfill with dozens of pics of us and our dogs and our friends, who no one in my family will know._.  So, we let my sibs & nieces & nephews bring their high-tech cameras and take pics of family affairs, and we never replaced our last camera.


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## bakechef (Feb 29, 2012)

GB said:


> The nifty fifty is not just Canon. I have one for my Nikon.



I didn't know that!  I wish that I could find a decent, inexpensive auto focus 50mm for my Pentax, I have a manual right now that is fantastic, but would love auto focus.


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## GB (Feb 29, 2012)

Claire said:


> At some age you have to look around and say, _who is going to want all this stuff?  Who is going to have the time and desire to go through it all in hopes of finding something they want?  _


_
My grandfather passed away a few years ago. I went down to Fl for the funeral, along with the rest of our family. One night my uncles, aunts, cousins, brother, parents, and I sat around the dining room table with a bottle of grandpas favorite liquor and boxes of his old photos. We went through each and every one. 99% we ended up throwing away. They were people none of us knew like his old war buddies. But the photos we kept meant the world to us. Each of us found photos that were important to us. Not only that, but because of that night I learned things about my family I would not have otherwise know. The memory of that night, even though we wee together for a sad reason, is one I cherish. I will remember sitting around that table laughing and drinking and reminiscing for the rest of my life._


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## GB (Feb 29, 2012)

bakechef said:


> I didn't know that!  I wish that I could find a decent, inexpensive auto focus 50mm for my Pentax, I have a manual right now that is fantastic, but would love auto focus.


What do you consider inexpensive? You could get a Sigma 50 f2.8 autofocus for $370.


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## bakechef (Feb 29, 2012)

This is why I love my DSLR.  This is a 50mm lens f2.0







I could likely find a sharper lens but this one was free (handed down from my dad)


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## bakechef (Feb 29, 2012)

GB said:


> What do you consider inexpensive? You could get a Sigma 50 f2.8 autofocus for $370.



That's more than I spent for the camera including kit lens.  I think that it may have "fallen off a truck"   I bought it online at a, too good to be true price, and it came brand new completely sealed, a bargain!

I do realize that good glass often costs more than the camera, but I'm not quite sure that I am there yet as far as spending hundreds on a lens.


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## GB (Feb 29, 2012)

Yeah I hear ya! Glass can get damn expensive! I think I finally have all the lenses I need so I can sit back and just enjoy using them now. 

Your cookie shot is great! I love the depth of field.


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## bakechef (Feb 29, 2012)

That lens is circa 1980, and it helps me get decent shots with no flash and available light.  It was neat popping on such an old lens on a very modern digital camera.  I still have the film camera that it was used on, but now it's just a display piece.

Thanks for the compliment!


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## Addie (Feb 29, 2012)

Claire made an excellent point. As each child got married and left home, I went through the pictures and picked out the ones that related to them. They each got them to start their own family albums to show their kids when they were small. I also when I first strted this, wrote on the back who it was, age and any other infor I could remember. Now of course we upload them to the cmputer. When I do I immediately place the info right under each pic. I also make sure my camera is set for the right date. I don't have the date on the pic, but I do add it in the info. Each one goes into an album for that date. I have recently been downloading them onto CDs. If it was for a Xmas at someone's house, they get the CD. My computer also prints out labels for CDs. Now it has run full circle. The kids are bringing them back to me to scan into my computer, then load onto a CD with a label.


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## bakechef (Feb 29, 2012)

I have all my pics uploaded to Picasa and organized.  When I went home to plan my dad's funeral, that came in handy.  My sister and her husband had been sitting in the waiting room making a slideshow of memories for the funeral and I told her "I have just about every family photo online" we were able to make a really nice slide show!


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## Addie (Feb 29, 2012)

bakechef said:


> I have all my pics uploaded to Picasa and organized. When I went home to plan my dad's funeral, that came in handy. My sister and her husband had been sitting in the waiting room making a slideshow of memories for the funeral and I told her "I have just about every family photo online" we were able to make a really nice slide show!


 
When Son#2s wife died, they did that and had "_It's a Wonderful World"_ playing in the background. I couldn't help harmonizing with it. I think if my sister had been there, we could have given a concert.


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## TATTRAT (Feb 29, 2012)

GB said:


> Yeah I hear ya! Glass can get damn expensive! I think I finally have all the lenses I need so I can sit back and just enjoy using them now.
> 
> Your cookie shot is great! I love the depth of field.



I think that glass is always going to be more than what the bodies are worth. Sure, the tech in the bodies changes, but mainly the sensor. optics, and good quality optics, cost money, BUT also retain their resale value 10x what bodies do.

Good glass, like a good set of knives, is an investment in the future, and can last lifetimes.

The nifty 50 for example, the 1.8 can be had all day long at $117, and my ole D80 body can now be had for $300. In 5 years, provided there are no scratches/dust/fungus, I can still get $100 for my prime 50, the body, who knows. . .when the d80 first came out, it was one of those $800 bodies.

Investing in a camera is just like any other set of tools, you get what you pay for, and you know going in, that it isn't always a cheap hobby, when you want to do it right.

New glass has brought new life to my now considered "out of date" body, but I am just not wanting to make the jump to full frame, as my rig suits my needs.


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## jonnyjonny_uk (Mar 3, 2012)

Thanks to you all for all your comments and suggestions! I finally made the decision and I'm now the proud owner of a Nikon D3100 I thought about all your advice and I know if I had spent almost the same amount on a point and shoot I would be frustrated that I could not play around more and change lenses etc so now I'm going to learn how to use it properly and hopefully take some photos of my culinary creations soon

Thanks so much everyone!


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## Addie (Mar 3, 2012)

Looking forward to the pics. Make me hungry.


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## jonnyjonny_uk (Mar 3, 2012)

Addie said:


> Looking forward to the pics. Make me hungry.



They won't be long Just made some tomato sauce to spread over my pizza base and now thinking about the toppings and what cheese and then we'll be in business


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## bakechef (Mar 3, 2012)

Congrats!  I am very glad that I bought mine, it gives me so many options!  It can be a point and shoot with the kit lens or a nice portrait/food camera when I am willing to do some tweaking.


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## jonnyjonny_uk (Mar 3, 2012)

bakechef said:


> Congrats!  I am very glad that I bought mine, it gives me so many options!  It can be a point and shoot with the kit lens or a nice portrait/food camera when I am willing to do some tweaking.



Thanks BC I'm sure it will be money well spent and even using it as a point and shoot it's coming out well and the menu system is so easy to understand and even ventured onto manual already and taken a few shots


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