Help finding a camera for a technophobe

What's her current SLR camera? I ask because there's a chance that her lenses may work, at least in some fashion, with a new DSLR. To me, that would be a consideration since it would reduce some of the cost to picking up a new camera.

As for the camera itself, most manufacturers have decent level entry DSLRs which allow for full manual function as well as aperture or shutter priority so she should be able to have as much control as she'd want. Mirrorless can be a good choice but one consideration there is that often some of the controls are buried in menus and not as quick to get to.

If possible, get her in to a shop to play with a variety, since she'll be the one to use it.

 

Who knows... once she see's what she can do with raw images and, say, Aperture or Photoshop Elements, she may change her mind.

I'm an older gent (61, but I can be taken for, oh, maybe 60 in dim light), and when I went digital, after years of film, my main worry was not being able to cope with this this new-fangled techy stuff. Maybe the saying is right, and you can't teach an old dog new tricks...

Well, the change to digital went OK. Not without some minor traumas, 'cos there's plenty to learn. But it's been a lot of fun. I hope your aunt finds it fun too...

 

Heres my suggestion.

Suggest to your aunt she attend a local photography club. I can guarantee there will be people of all age and skill level, and she should bring her film SLR single lens reflex (the D is for Digital).

The club I belong too here in Michigan we have 40 ish members age 18 thru 70s, and we have fun.

Then, she can touch/feel others, heck she might find a great used deal.

 

Leica M9 with the 50mm f/1.4 Summilux ASPH.

 

Nikon 1V with lens kit. You can get an adapter to connect DSLR Nikon lenses to it.
http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-Digital...=UTF8&qid=1345337661&sr=8-1&keywords=nikon+v1

 

At risk of offending the super-tech guys... have you considered a fully automatic digital non-SLR?

Lightweight and purse sized with resolutions to match the DSLRs. Something like a Sony with Leica-designed lens?

No learning curve. Good results. Simplicity. Nice big viewing screen for older eyes. (Incidentally... Yashica was NOT very far up the quality index for 35mm cameras)

 

If you want cheap Leica stuff, might as well buy a Panasonic Lumix POS since all of Leica's POS is made by Panasonic. Lumix with Leica lens, not Leica-desinged lens.

 

Before CADCAM, when lenses were virtually hand-made. Leica meant something. As far as I know the Sony cameras feature lenses made and designed by Leica, and mass produced in an Asian factory.

Let's not get too sniffy about this

 

Also, DSLR stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex. You'd be hard pressed to find a "film DSLR" like you said! It's either DSLR or film SLR

 

Having gone down a somewhat similar route, I'd start less ambitiously. For some the intimidation factor with digital cameras has little to do with the camera, and lots to do with the workflow from camera to computer to finished product. Odds are frustration will start with "how do I get this into the computer?" "to how do I print these?" before you get into whether the camera has decent white balance settings or what ISO to use....

So I'd start with a small, really small, investment in a no brainer P&S that will connect up to her existing computer and software easily and have her mess with that till she gets set up and comfortable with how the whole system works. Then get into some editing, and only then move on to a new camera. You might even start by introducing her to editing of her old photos by scanning them for her.

An example of why this is needed is her preference for B&W. Does she even realize that she can do that in editing rather than shooting B&W?

 

Haha okok, I'm just speaking from experience. I have a Lumix that was remodeled to make a Leica. But if you know the details, i'm off.

 

My Yashika uses an M42 mount. It is easily adapted to Canon's DSLRs (maybe other brands too, but I'm pretty sure Nikons won't meter with them). On my T2i, not only does it meter perfectly, but I also bought the adapter with the focus confirm chip, so I still get the audible and visual confirmation when I am in focus. Obviously, autofocus doesn't work as the mount and my lenses don't even support it. This may give the opportunity to reuse some old lenses.

 

A classic 5D can be had for under $1000. She is coming from film world and might like full frame better. Pair it with the 50 1.8 and its a cheaper deal than the x100. I've owned the x100 and its great but auto focus is not that great and manual focus sucks since its fly by wire.

 

Yeah, if it wasn't made by the gnomes of Bavaria, it's not real Leica.

 

If she has some Pentax lenses, you should check to see if they have a bayonet mount (as opposed to a simple screw mount). If so, they will mount and meter on any Pentax DSLR--no adapter necessary. Not having to buy a lens would definitely bring down the overall investment for her.

 

Except that Leica are based in Hesse, not Bavaria.

 

*Laughing*

So we are getting sniffy.

The point is that with current lens technologies for design and manufacture there is probably little or no optical difference between brands.

All those clever gnomes died off years ago in the post-war paparazzi riots that followed Snow White's Playboy centrefold. Leica replaced them with a Mac.

Dare I mention Rodenstock, Schneider and Zeiss?

Sniff

 

I'm laughing too, but will now show my age by asking you to distinguish between Zeiss-Jena and Carl Zeiss.

Rhetorial question, of course.

 

Sorry. My Leica gear pre-dates 1960 and was designed by gnomes

 

Of course.

I admit that I have never owned a Zeiss lens, but I am still using Schneider and Rodenstock lenses on a Sinar P.

Lucky it was rhetorical otherwise I'd have to Google it

 

Further hijacking this thread . . . your response made me think of odd lenses I've had. One of them I picked up at a military-surplus place back in the 60s. It was for aerial photography -- all I can remember is "red-dot Apotar."

Wasn't Apotar a Schneider line?

It was a big thing, with focal length specified in inches, but I can't remember how many inches. I cobbled together something to make it mount on an old 4x5 view camera I had, but I couldn't get it to focus, so it went in a drawer and eventually I gave it to somebody.

 

Yes but the gnomes commute

I would buy her an entry level nikon or cannon.

In my experience the older generation are just as capable with technology as anyone else...sometimes people just need some encouragement to tackle the unknown.

 

Canon t3i is on closeout in most places, ever since the t4i came out.