food photography less than $1000

[Dream Merchant]

To maintain a "safe" distance away from the food? (which maybe hot and "fuming")

The 'distance' part is correct, but for the wrong reason.

You'll want a bit of distance from the tripod and set-up, simply because you'll be fussing and adjusting the food and set-up a great deal. A tripod mounted 50mil, to take a pax shot of a single dish - your tripod will be banging into the table-top already.

Then throw in stands, lights, reflectors etc etc etc ... it becomes not only inconvenient, but dangerous as well. :sweat:

TS, given your budget constraints, you'll be hard pressed to find anything more value for money than the Tamron. But bear in mind, Singapore doesn't have more intensive service support for Tamron lenses so anything other than the most minor problem, have to send back to Japan. I assume if the lens is out of warranty, end-user has to pay for the shipping.

One alternative is the Sigma macro lense of similar focal length. Sigma has a service and repair center here in SG.

 

[EatMySHot]

Camera - any dslr will do. The lens is the devil when it comes to food. 90% of the time the range is somewhere from 50mm to 100mm. 28-70 will suit your purpose best. The lens should have macro capability because you will need to come in real close to shoot that one piece of sushi. If macro lens is out of budget consider extension tubes
I am a food photographer and my favorite lens is canon 28-70L 2.8 and i often use canon extension tube ef12 with it.
Good luck.

 

[darkSide]

ok, i really gotta agree with some of the brothers that doing basic food shooting does not require and too high end cameras. Me myself do some food shooting before with D40 and the kit len. It's how you make the food alive!! Haas. I used my house fluorescent lamp and DIY white box. Thou i hope to get a sigma 30mm or D300 to play more with the food. So it;s really up to you.
Oh ya..and about keeping distance away from the food. i do eat them up when I touched them. LOL. The peeps juz let me have them when I am done! Haas.