I’m working on a piece for a magazine where I’m going to talk about various elements required to do product shots. It is very important to have a camera that allows you to manually set things like the aperture and shutter speed. This post is not something to teach you the right settings or even what those settings control. Using a phone or a point-and-shoot camera are not appropriate tools for the job so I’m going to list a variety of DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras at different price and feature points. Note that all prices listed are the current price I see on Amazon as I write this. The price you see could be higher or lower as prices change constantly.

There are two big dogs in the fight and that is Nikon and Canon. Some other new players have come along to join in the market. I know the Canon line-up the best and I’m a Canon shooter myself so the cameras I list will all be from Canon. This is not to say they are better or worse than those from other companies. Before picking one, you may want to find out what brands are used by others you know as they might be able to help you learn a new camera. It could also be good if you could borrow a lens or other accessory on occasion.

If you are just jumping in, you’ll probably be happy with one of the lower priced options. As you become more accomplished in your photography, you may want to move farther down the list and get something with even more features. Most of the camera are available in various configurations (with or without lenses) and I have listed “kits” for the first few and “body only” for the last couple.

• Canon EOS Rebel T5i with 18-135mm Lens (currently selling for $1099.00)
• Canon EOS 60D with 18-135mm Lens (currently selling for $999.00)
• Canon EOS 7D with 18-135mm Lens (currently selling for $1599.00)
• Canon EOS 5D Mark III Body Only (currently selling for $3299.00)
• Canon EOS-1D X Body Only (currently selling for $6799.00)

Yes, the higher-end models can be quite expensive. While these cameras will undoubtedly give you a powerful tool for shooting pictures, it is very important that you learn how to take advantage of that power and not simply leave the camera in automatic mode!