A camera for my father....

[paul_lordan1]

Hello all......my mother is looking to give my father a camera for the holidays...he's in his

early 70's and not exactly crazy about change....he does a bit of travelling, so ideally the

camera would be on the light weight/compact side....she is looking to spend around $400 -

$600....he does not need many bells and whstles, just a dependable unit that takes quality

pictures...he currenly is using a film camera, but I would not rule out a digital one....as

always, I am open to whatever recommendations you folks have....

Thanks.

 

Paul

[klix]

Ordinarily, I'd say Canon A95 -- you can't go wrong with that selection.

 

However, for someone in his 70's, the HUGE 2.5 LCD on an Olympus Stylus is great. Check it out.

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

Does he want to shoot digital or film? If film, look for a nice Contax rangefinder - either a Zeiss Ikon IIa or IIIa from the late 1950's (restored by Henry Scherer would be best) or a Contax G2 with autofocus and metering.

 

Leicas are nice, but a bit pricey.

 

http://www.zeisscamera.com/

 

Or he might like digital, but that may be different from what he's used to.

 

Robert

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

A nice film SLR is a possibility. Nikon or Canon. I don't know him, so I don't know what to suggest.

 

What did he own before? What camera did he dream of owning as a young man? What type of photogtaphy does he like? Does he want interchangable lenses? Does he shoot portraits? Landscapes? Does he use, and enjoy, computers?

 

If you opt for a DSLR, the Nikon D50 is nice and is $575 from KEH.com. Add a 50mm lens for $100 and he's ready to go.

 

Robert

[Michael R Freeman]

"he's in his early 70's and not exactly crazy about change..."

 

Then he is unlikely to be happy with the complexity of a DSLR (out of your budget anyway), or even a simple compact P&S digicam. My dad is in his early 70's as well and would not touch a digital camera with a 10' pole. He just takes family snapshots. He puts a roll of 35mm film in his little P&S Pentax, takes some pics of the grandkids, hands the film off to the grocery store mini-lab for processing, and is perfectly happy with that. Nice and SIMPLE. No digital self-serve kiosks, no white balance controls, jpeg quality settings, etc. Film in - push button - pictures out. Same as it was for him 40 years ago.

 

If he is happy using a film camera now (you haven't indicated what he is using now - SLR or compact), then you can look to pick up a nice entry-level or higher end film SLR kit. Film isn't going anywhere soon. But I think we need more info about what he is using now, and what kind of pics he likes to take, before we can offer any useful advice.

[andrew_hall1]

Michael is right. An AF film camera is the way to go - <i>I </i> wouldn't want to focus and compose with that Contax IIa/IIIa at half his age.<P>

 

The Canon Rebel T2/300X will fit the bill nicely. Very adaptable to lenses from other makers too.

[andrew_hall1]

BTW, buy the body only and get a better lens like this:

 

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-28-135mm-f-3.5-5.6-IS-USM-Lens-Review.aspx

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

It's pretty easy to focus a Contax, even for me at well over 1/2 his age. I asked questions because I don't know the gentleman. Some folks want to get the cameras they lusted for in their youth. I know guys that are over 70 who use Leicas, and they have no issues with focus. Others, like my own father, adopt the latest and greatest auto-everything digicams (he'll be 80 in about 6 months and used a baby Speed Graphic in his youth).

 

So, rule out digital. Does he want something compact that will fit in a pocket? The Contax T3 is nice, but out of production. Maybe a p&s Leica would be good.

 

Robert

 

Robert

[fmueller]

My Dad is approaching 70. He owned a Dakora rangefinder in his youth, and is currently using a Minolta X-570 that I gave him, as well as an Olympus mju zoom 140 that he got from my brother. He likes both cameras for different occasions, but REALLY liked my brother's Canon 300D when he was checking it out! He also hangs in front of the computer a lot, and uses email on a daily basis. So once I get a DSLR myself, maybe I should start saving up for one for him as well ;-)

 

Anyhow, if your Dad would enjoy digital really depends on his computer literacy. If he doesn't use computers now, stick to a film camera. Also, if his eyesight isn't the best anymore, AF is a great plus. I know a lot of fellow manual focus Minolta shooters who were forced to switch to AF for that reason - and Minolta is known for producing cameras with bright screens that are easy to focus.

[paul_lordan1]

thanks for all of your responses so far....here's a bit more info about my dad's situation: if he

sends 4 e.mails a week, then he'd be setting a new record, so for better or worse, digital is

probably out.....as for his eyesight, it's a little better than his computer skills, but not much,

so af would be a must....the only thing i know about the camera he is using know is that it's a

piece of crap - he's had nothing but problems with it, from the auto loading mechanism

which works about 1/2 the time, to even getting the lens to open...a simple well made

camera that he can carry around on trips without getting a hernia, has auto focus and dials/

buttons he doesn't have to squint to see would be ideal.........thanks again, and i hope you

keep the advice coming

[Colin O]

If your dad isn't familiar with manual photography (i.e. setting apertures and shutter speeds), and isn't interested in learning, but would rather use a camera simply to record vacations and family get-togethers etc, then maybe something as simple as an Olympus Stylus/mju autofocus point-and-shoot might be more suitable. I don't know if you want a zoom lens, but the fixed lens ones are supposed to be optically quite good. It would also fit in a shirt pocket and many of them are rainproof. I'm sure they're simple to operate. No point spending $400-600 just for the sake of it.

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

The Leica C3 is nice. And you can get one from bhphoto.com for $430.

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=NavBar&A=search&Q=

 

Robert

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

Well, the link failed. But just look under:

 

Home < Cameras & Photo Gear < Digital & 35mm Film Cameras < 35mm Film Cameras < 35mm Film Cameras < Point & Shoot < Cameras & Kits < Point & Shoot Cameras

 

Robert

[ericd]

My mother will be 70 on December 23. She's an disposable camera user but her photographs have improved since she had grandchildrens. Motivation ?

 

I've decided that it was time for her to have a real camera. I've buyed an Olympus Stylus Epic, the basic version with the fixed focal but fast and sharp 35/2.8 for her. You mother should get one for around 100$ (I'm French, I don't know the right price in the USA).

 

With the remaining money she could by a bunch of Fuji Superia X-Tra 400 (the right film with this camera - It works very well with home-processed Tri-X too but that's another story) and pay a very god restaurant to your father (A French one, they are the best).

 

BTW you known how does a Frenchman to change a light bulb ?

 

Answer : He just hold the bulb and waits for the world turning around him...

[harris_goldstein]

I'll put in a plug for my favorite P&S travel camera: Rollei Prego 90. Why?

 

- Reasonably compact, but not so small as to be difficult to use controls

 

- 28mm minimum focal length - IMHO required (assuming you don't have a 24mm) for travel

 

- 90mm max focal lenth - IMHO good for head and shoulders portaits or to isolate a large subject (such as building) when you just can't get close enough

 

- excellent optical quality - in part due to a reasonable zoom range

 

I'm sure there are other cameras with similar charactoristics.

 

Biggest drawback is the slow lens, but that's acceptable if using 400 print film.

[paul_lordan1]

thanks again for all of your advice/suggestions.......

paul