Camera for wife?

<p>My wife asked for a Cannon Digital Rebel for Christmas. I would rather get her a Oly or other 4/3 camera. She needs a simple point & shoot camera. Is there an Olympus digital Pen which will suite her and yet enable me to use my OM lenses with a suitable adapter? I have no experience with digital cameras, still using film, so I need all the help I can get.</p>

<p>LIke bath towels, and deodorant and toothpaste, Robin, let her pick <em>her</em> camera and you stick to your OM film camera that you know and love, best idea right off the bat. <br /> However the technical but not necessarily tactical answer to your question is that <em>yes</em> there is a way to use your OM lenses on a digital Olympus or Panasonic body. Any micro four thirds interchangable lens camera will work with an adapter. Adapters go from 40.00 up to 200.00 ....She might enjoy trying out almost any of the very small light Pen model Olys and the G series Panasonics, but remember the Rebel is a popular good camera as well and has appeal, her Canon choice has merits. Good bang for the buck there. <br>

And, a footnote to the above is that any E series Oly body, (only one of which is still in production unfortunately) will fit OM lenses with an adapter but it is the complicated heavy model. <br /> You may not like the adapted idea because you lose autofocus and other features of so called native lenses. <br /> My help advise is "Get her her Rebel with lens attached package." Be a sport for the holiday IMO . Sharing in this case is not prudent I am suggesting. I do wish you both well with this generous gift.</p>

<p>If she wants a Rebel, and the camera is for her, I agree with Gerry, buy her a Rebel. Buying her the camera that <strong>you</strong> want instead of the camera that <strong>she</strong> wants is like buying a cordless drill with the pretense that it's for her: you aren't fooling anyone. A Rebel can be just as point and shoot as any micro 4/3 camera, and both are just as nice if you choose to leave auto mode and want to use more "serious" settings.</p>

<p>As for adapting lenses, the problem with micro 4/3 cameras is that they don't have focus peaking, and worse, they have a crop factor of two. This means that when I use a Nikon adapter to put my F lenses on my Panasonic G2, even my ultra wide 24mm is a normal 48mm lens. So, I've found that for me, the only lenses worth adapting are a 50mm (becomes a 100mm nice for portraits), a 135mm (becomes a decently compact 270mm telephoto), and a 300mm becomes a supertelephoto. If you want to adapt your OM lenses, the Rebel is actually a decent choice, as it has a more manageable 1.6 crop. And the current go-to camera for adapting lenses is the Sony NEX system, since it has both focus peaking and a 1.5x crop factor.</p>

<p>Since "<em>I have no experience with digital cameras" </em>- so you have no ground to challenge your wife's camera selection.</p>

<p>Your choice is clear:<br>

<em>"My wife asked for a Cannon Digital Rebel for Christmas."</em></p>

<p>She nade it ckear she wants a Rebel. Get her a 4ti with the kit lens (unless she also stated a preference for a particular lens).</p>

<p>I've been married long enough that I would go shopping for a Canon Digital Rebel if my wife asked me for one.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>I've been married long enough that I would go shopping for a Canon Digital Rebel if my wife asked me for one.</p>

</blockquote>

<p><br />I've been married long enough that if my wife asked for one, there wouldn't be enough money left in our account to buy it!</p>

 

<p>My advice is to take her to a camera store and let her hold various models in her own hands. While your Oly might be great for you, it might not suit your wife at all. The bottom line here is that if the camera is not comfortable for her, it isn'y going to be used, thus money wasted. Besides, it's one thing to want any particular model, but that can change once you get a feel for it in your hands. A good example is while Canon models are fine, they don't fit my hands as well as Nikon models do. Comfort and ease of use is not to be discounted, it's very individual.<br>

If it isn't possible to take her to a camera store then she has expressed her choice in models, and if you buy from Amazon, you get a 30 day return policy. Other vendors have their own return policies, check them out. </p>

<p>One year my wife told me she wanted a mop bucket for Christmas. Yes, a mop bucket. Not just any mop bucket, but one of those fancy ones with rollers to squeeze the water out of her mop. I got a lot of laughs over the years when I told people I got my wife a mop bucket for Christmas, but not from any woman I told the story to. How dare I, eh? Well, I also got her something else that year. What kind of moron would give his wife <strong>only</strong> a mop bucket? The point is I got her what she asked for. Buy your wife a Rebel.</p>

<p>Are you saying I should get my wife a second gift besides the pots and pans set I picked out? They're very nice pots and pans. I'm serious.</p>

<p>While the Rebel is an entry level camera, it is an interchangeable lens SLR correct? That is not the same as a simple point and shoot. I think you need to both ask her what she expects to do with the camera, and also take her to a store to see and handle different ones.</p>

<p>If it's just a P&S there are dozens to choose from, from Olympus, Nikon, Canon. . If she wants to explore further, check out the Olympus PENs. You can use your Oylmpus lenses with the PENs. I like to stick with Olympus because I use their image software and it may be easier for you too. She may still want the Rebel, then get her the Rebel.</p>

<p>Be aware there are good deals on eBay for the PENs and Rebels kits where you can save 50%. Lots of people use a camera once or twice then decide it wasn't for them and they appear on eBay. I just sold a like new E-PL2 kit on eBay for a great price when I upgraded to the OM-D.</p>

<p>Pots and pans are great Christmas gifts, and you shouldn't feel as though you need to add anything. Many women, however, take offense when a man buys them a gift that even remotely hints at work, or what is perceived as housewifely work. Somewhere in your circle of friends, family and acquaintances lurks a woman waiting to pounce on you for giving your wife such a contemptable gift.</p>

<p>I *might* (if the time is right) ask my wife what made her choose that particular camera. But I'd do it in a very casual way, without in any way hinting that she hadn't done her research (because she very well might have, and decided that the Canon Digital Rebel was the best choice). In that way, I might find an opportunity to mention some other options, and discover whether she had considered them. I might also discover what her intended use for the camera was, and mention any other brands that I thought might work well in that application. We might also happen upon a Canon display while out shopping, which might offer the opportunity for a little hands-on time.<br /> <br />But, I would be *very* careful and discreet in my questioning. I, too, have done the "just get me what I said I wanted" thing, and it has worked out well. I'm also not above getting a second, unrequested present. Pots, pans, handmade and expensive casseroles, knives and other kitchen tools are Right Out as Christmas gifts. This has been clearly explained to me, and in a way that I do not require any further explanation!<br /> <br /> (this year, it was a new set of skis, model and length clearly specified...and sitting in the basement as I type)</p>

<p>"Might"? What's wrong with just having an adult conversation about what she might, or might not, know about her available choices and how that choice will govern her photography? </p>

<p>Just start a general discussion. Has she ever shown an interest in photography? If not, there's your opening to ask her what she wants to accomplish or use the camera for. Mention that you're curious why she decided on the Canon, while you explain that you'd have thought she would choose Olympus since that is what you are into.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Camera for wife</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Sounds like a fair exchange. What sort of camera are you offering?</p>

<p>@Carl - Aside from my (perhaps too subtle) attempt at humor, sometimes my wife reacts poorly when she thinks techie me is trying to tell her what she wants. In order to avoid triggering that reflex (which, I might add, is probably justified), I need to approach with caution.<br>

I hope the original poster's wife gets what she wants for Christmas.</p>

<p>I wouldn't trade any of my cameras for another wife, Steve. No thanks.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Camera for wife?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>This topic should have been called <em>Camera or wife</em>?</p>

<p>Camera for wife business:</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Sounds like a fair exchange. What sort of camera are you offering?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Craigs List imagined ad:</p>

<p>Will trade one (1) housewife, domestically skilled, fair skinned, Irish/ German ancestry, in prime of life, comes with basic wardrobe and accessories, and a shitsu pet dog, for one (1) low use professional (see footnote for <em>professional</em>) camera with good quality lenses, Bellingham bag and heavy duty tripod. German makes preferred. All reasonable offers considered.</p>

<p>If you love your wife and photography -you may go full frame Nikon D800 and only .!!!</p>

<p>If you love your wife and photography -you may go full frame Nikon D800 and only .!!!</p>

<p>Moderator may not delete second time error to provide stronger and proving advise on value !</p>

<p>Thanks for all the suggestions including the humorous ones. So I asked my wife what she wants in a camera. She wants to take action shots of the grand children. She doesn't want to bother with aperture or speed etc. She wants to point and shoot. On further questioning she wants a camera that can be used by my daughter to take portraits. My daughter at one time worked for a studio, now defunct, taking portraits and weddings. At one time I tried to interest my daughter in using an OM2n, but she wasn't interested, film is too slow, she wants instant results. So I now need a digital camera with full auto functions for the wife, but advanced functions for the daughter. It would be advantageous to me if the camera could use OM glass. Any suggestions?</p>

<p>It seems that the camera needs a program mode and at least an aperture or manual mode too. Your wife will want a pop-up flash and your daughter may want bounce flash.<br>

Interchangeable lenses will annoy your wife but possibly delight your daughter.<br>

You need to buy two cameras.</p>