I found this post that promoted a few cameras, but didn't really seem to have enough information and real life experience for me, so I continued the hunt. THEN....I ran upon this post that was superb, so great in fact that I pinned it to my Pinterest board for later reference. This post surveys well known food bloggers and gives the honest pros and cons to the camera of their choice, with sample shots of each camera. If you're searching for a camera for food blogging, I highly recommend you go there and read the information.
Based on this research, I chose these two cameras to look at further:
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| Nikon D3100 14.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens |
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| Canon Rebel XS 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black) |
Both of these cameras run anywhere from $500-650 depending on where you go and if it's on sale or not. Now this seemed a little out of my comfortable price range for an amateur blogger who only blogs for fun, not for a living. I talked to some people who had the Nikon and they said it's really for a more experienced photographer who wants to adjust their f-stops, etc. I'm not looking for something that's going to take 3 hours to read a manual on and that my hubby can't pick up and take a photo. If I want to travel, I also don't want to lug around something that heavy, expensive, and with attachments. So, I decided to check a little further and found this mid-range camera:
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Canon PowerShot SX260 HS 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 20x Image Stabilized Zoom 25mm Wide-Angle Lens and 1080p Full-HD Video (Black) |
This camera runs anywhere from $250-375, depending on where you go and current sales. I found it on Amazon Wednesday for $265. I also found someone that owns this camera and took food photos with it. The quality isn't as awesome as the $600 camera, I'm sure, but it's worlds better than my little Kodak EasyShare camera. He even took photos of a baseball game from the nosebleed seats with the 20x zoom and the photos came out crystal clear like he was sitting on the front row. So, half the price, less than half the weight, and point and shoot with the ability to make high-end manual adjustments sounded pretty good to me. I bought it Wednesday from Amazon and it should be here tonight. I'll let you know how it works and post some photos with both my cameras so we can all see the real-life difference.
So, what kind of camera do you have? Do you blog with it or is it just for family use?
We have one of the Nikon D60 DSLR cameras. We do use it for everyday things but I tend to use my cellphone camera a lot for blogging, just because it's more accessible.
ReplyDeleteI hope your camera gets here quickly and it's fantastic!
My 15 year old is begging for a good camera for christmas...thanks for this review...i think i will add this to my Camera's to buy list!
ReplyDeleteI have a Nikon D40 and I love it!! After 4 years of having the camera I am just starting to learn how to use the aperture, shutter speeds, and all its fancy features. I want to go professional and I have my eyes on a Canon EOS 7D DSLR Camera (which costs no less than $1900, tikes!)
ReplyDeleteHave fun with your new camera!!
Sofia
From PDX with Love
I've been thinking about a camera upgrade and just haven't had the time to research options so loved this post!
ReplyDeleteI too am in the market for a new camera. Currently I use my cell phone and I can't seem to find the battery for my old digital camera but it needs replacing anyway. I haven't decided on one yet. I am trying to upgrade my computer first.
ReplyDeleteWe have a Nikon...I can't remember the model number but it was one of the more expensive ones. My husband loves it and it takes great pictures. I need to take some time and learn how to use it.
ReplyDeleteI love your choices and research. I need to invest in a new camera soon too, so thanks!
ReplyDeleteI am looking into buying a new camera, thank you for the review..
ReplyDeleteI am an avid photographer...this is a very interesting post
ReplyDeleteI own the Nikon D3100! I love it! Simply love it! One of the best cameras I ever bought.
ReplyDeleteI have the Canon Rebel XS. I love it. I got it in great used condition from ebay for 200.
ReplyDeleteI actually have both of those Canons and love them both. I could never justify spending the money just for blogging, but to take pictures of my baby, well that's another story! :)
ReplyDeleteI purchased a Canon Rebel T2i and I absolutely love it. I use it both for blogging and personal reasons. It is very easy to use with a basic understanding of DSLR cameras.
ReplyDeleteWe have both cannons, the two most recently released. They are great for blogging and for personal. I also own a fuji I purchased from QVC for point and shoot. I really love it. It is purple and goes in my purse!
ReplyDeleteWe have two older but nicer cameras. A lovely Panasonic my Beau has had for YEARS and I just love it. Model? Clueless and it's actually with him today so can't check. But it's simple, has easy on/off flash and it is super quick to adjust and change out for wider lenses and such. We use it for everything. We also have a Sony that his mom bought for us last year and although I like it - it's a bit too complicated for daily use for me. It's great for photoshoots and special things we are prepped for with tripod and want sharper images on without any editing. I leave that one for him to use though!
ReplyDeleteI have a Canon t1i that I love. I use it for *everything*. It's the only camera that I can actually get shots of my kids smiling since the autofocus light doesn't bother them. I used it to shoot at Sesame Street Live and got some awesome shots. I've used it for food, for action shots, family portraits, nature shots... Literally everything.
ReplyDeleteReally wanted to have a DSLR camera for the longest time because it takes quality photos but because of its price, for the meantime I can do away with a Samsung 12MP digital cam. =)
ReplyDeleteIcar
mycharmedmom.com
My 15 year old daughter is the photographer in my family. Right now all she has is her iphone to take pictures with. I've been looking for a good camera that won't break the bank. You said crystal clear from the nosebleeds? Sounds like a winner to me!
ReplyDeleteI have a Canon PowerShot SX40 HS. It is amazing. Not just for regular picture taking, but amazing for my blog reviews.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to see some of them, you can browse my reviews. I've never been disappointed :)
I have my hubby's hand-me-down Canon-something. :-) He's got one of those fancier camera's and I use the point and shoot. I take a LOT more pics since I've started blogging and I think that makes DH happy. He'd let me get a new one, but I'm the one that's too cheap for that, as long as this one works!
ReplyDeleteCelloDad got us a Panasonic Lumix (after the usual huge amount of research). It fits in his jeans pocket and in my purse. It does extremely well at low light conditions. And it's a cinch to download the photos.
ReplyDeleteThis is an older (not the absolute latest) version that he got at Adoramix. This seems to happen a lot, that people like older versions of the same model better than the new "improved" ones.
I really need to take more professional pictures for my blog. This camera sounds and looks really nice for that. This is def. a purchase down the road. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your research. I'm currently looking for a new camera - my son broke our old point and shoot (which was fine... I've been wanting to upgrade anyway) so now we're in the market. I need to take a lot of pictures of food (for blog recipes) and small items (for my etsy shop), not to mention general family photos, so I want something nice, but the $500-600 range is not in the budget. Glad to see you found a good one at a much lower price!
ReplyDeleteI have a Canon PowerShot SD790 IS that is 4 years old now and still works great and is even used a lot for all my blog photos!! It's definitely far behind as far as pixels and all that goes, but I'm amazed at how good my photos turn out still (with editing which is really what you have to learn to make your photos great, so I've heard). I'm starting to do research though and will probably get another Canon PowerShot since it's been so great. I'm just thinking it's only a mater of time before this one poops out on me!! haha
ReplyDeleteI have a canon 60d. I love it and it takes very nice picures. You can do food photography with any camera. THe higher the quality the sharper the picture.
ReplyDeleteI really want a Canon Rebel. I currently have an older Nikon, and honestly my iPad and Ipod's give me better quality now! Using the iPad is great for blogging since the picture is available instantly, but it still doesn't take the quality of pictures that I prefer. Thanks for the reviews!
ReplyDeleteI only have my cell phone camera! I really need one
ReplyDeleteWe're a Nikon family. I really need to start blogging with our DSLR, I usually only have time to grab our point and shoot and don't mind if it gets ruined (two young kids). For me, it doesn't matter what I shoot with, I'm a cr@ppy photographer...
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your decision.
Besos, Sarah
Zookeeper at Journeys of The Zoo
My boyfriend is a camera fanatic... he's a graphic designer so anything relating to arts, near or far, he loves it! I will make him read this post, it really good!
ReplyDeletePortrait, Wedding, Newborn Photographer.... I research the camera's I want the go to Ebay or Amazon and buy one used. Get one a few years old, I have had excellent results by doing this. By doing that I was able to buy Canon from their Flagship model 1d mkiiN. When it was new it was nearly 7,000.00 I bought one for 500.00 but it is about 10years old but I love it. It is more about the sensor size and them putting in a more advanced and better sensor not the pixels. Just an idea.... love the blog, connie
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