Too often, I hear people complain that their "entry-level" camera and kit lens isn't good enough. Well, read on...
I recently purchased a Nikon D3400 and 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 kit lens from B&H Photo for $396.95 (on sale due to the holidays). I purchased this for the school in case someone needed to borrow it during the Photo Essentials class because they came in with the wrong camera for the class.
Anyway, I had the chance to use it on my most recent cook of pulled pork on my new 14.5" Weber Smokey Mountain smoker. I was immediately impressed with how clean the image looked and how rich the colors were! Of course, I used one of the new Balanced Exposure Custom White Balance Reflectors to set the custom white balance... something I could never do with an iPhone for the food photos on my food blog. The images were SO GOOD for a camera and lens combo of only $396.95!
My very first digital camera was a Nikon D100 which cost $1999 at the time (without a lens). That camera was a 6.1 MP camera with terrible color in comparison to today's cameras. I used this to take "professional" photos! Today, the entry level D3400 is 24.2 megapixels... much larger than the old camera! It is so much more capable than my first digital camera and for a lot less money.
So, don't think your basic camera can't take a good photo... it can! You just need to be sure your exposures and color balance are correct and your composition is right. This image of the pork shows how rich the colors can be. There's ample shallow depth of field too from the lens. Also, look at the bricks behind it... very accurate colors if you saw the real bricks.
Make the most of the gear you have! Shoot correctly and you'll have very satisfying images.
Oh, if you want to see more images from this cook to compare the quality, check it out on my food blog: https://foodforruss.blogspot.com
Happy Holidays everyone!
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