What is the best camera for taking food photos?

What is the best camera for taking food photos? Several of my readers have been asking what type of camera I have been using to take all those amazing photo that I featured. You might be surprised if I tell you that I just used a compact digital still camera, it’s an old Panasonic DMC-TZ1 camera. I have been using the camera since I started Overseas Pinoy Cooking sometime in July, 2007.

My old Panasonic DMC-TZ1 camera

The camera was actually bought to be used in my work. At that time I needed a digital camera that is easy to use, durable and I could carry around. I wanted a camera that could take macro photos and with high zooming capabilities, a camera that could take fast and steady photos as I will be using it candidly and sometimes at difficult places. The camera has to have a decent megapixel picture quality and the camera has to have a battery that could last longer.

Photo on oily food

The Panasonic DMC-TZ1 at that time was my best choice. It has all the features that I wanted. I was not a fan of full size SLR cameras, they are bulky and difficult to use. In fact I ended up selling my Nikon SLR camera complete with a massive telephoto lens, to tell you frankly they are difficult to use and require a lot of attention and maintenance.

Photo at natural lighting

The Panasonic DMC-TZ1 on my food photography, well I could not ask for more. I just set the dial to macro and all I do is point and shoot and with the camera’s Optical Image Stabiliser feature every shot is perfect I rarely have a jittery photo. I could use it without especial lighting I could even use in dark background.The camera has also a video capability but I rarely use it.

Zooming even in complete darkness

The camera is also useful when taking food photos at restaurants because it is a compact digital camera with a comparable picture quality to a SLR camera I could shoot food photos discreetly and using the 10X optical zoom features I could even take photos of food of other unsuspecting diners several tables away.

Photo at low light background

Now to answer the question, its my old Panasonic DMC-TZ1, its the only camera I have used for my food photography anyway.

TIPA official comment taken out from the Panasonic official site:

"The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 is the world's smallest digital still camera with a 10x optical zoom, and this is made possible by the world's first integrated retractable lens system with folded optics technology. The TZ1 allows unlimited consecutive shooting up to the capacity of the 13.4 MB built-in memory or the SD memory card. Panasonic has also equipped the TZ1 with its globally recognised Optical Image Stabiliser feature. O.I.S minimises the jitter from shaky hands that causes many photos to look blurred. Offering high quality image output, the TZ1's new Venus Engine III also dramatically reduces noise levels even at increased ISO settings.".

Features:

* 5 Megapixel Effective with 10x Optical Zoom Leica DC VARIO- ELMARIT Lens

* Intelligent ISO Control - Reducing Blur Caused by a Subject Moving

* 10x Optical Zoom Leica DC VARIO- ELMARIT Lens

* Mega O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabiliser) - Taking Hand-Shake Out of the Picture

* 2.5 inch Large & High-resolution LCD Monitor