All of this is understood. She's been doing pretty good with her phone. I'm more interested in the really close up stuff, but haven't had a chance to rig up a lighting solution, etc. I have extender tubes, but haven't had a chance to try them out.
One solution to the lighting I've seen years back was an LED ring that slips over the lens. It was designed for smaller point-and-shoot cameras, but would work on a DSLR just fine I imagine. My interest would be in designing one with good color.
I'm actually pretty excited for a newer camera. The MP is just too small on this one for the zoom and macro shots we want to take, and a good fast prime lens will be nice for lots of other things.
I tried repairing our tv last night. The PSU circuit board failed out again and I was unable to fix it with new Caps. I told the wife we might have to hold off on her new camera for a while and she made it quite clear we can move the TV from the bedroom to the living room before that happens! (I ended up moving my oldest's TV from the younger daughter's room instead. It wasn't getting much use in either room and I wanted to watch some football last night!)
If she's doing food photography, she probably needs a light box. Search amazon for portable light boxes. Relatively cheap (hint: Xmas/bday gift).
Regarding the tv thing, which is way OT, maybe start a new thread or PM me. I've fixed all sorts of tv's, from CRT to my current plasma. I've got lots to say there