Point n Shoot for Pops

[sherm]

Looking for some reccomendations from the gang...... I'd like to purchase a P/S for my father's upcoming birthday. He's addicted to film which makes a son very proud, but his eyesight is such that manual focus is not an option (the ravages of diabetes)

He's had a lot of different models over the years and for the longest time has used the Olympus Stylus. I'm happy to say that I'm in a position to give back these days and would like to give him something special. The camera would be only a small token when compared to the love and support that this fine man has shown me and now continues to do with his new grandson. I often look at my young son and wonder if I wil be able to do half as good. My apologies for the extended anecdote but the "big guy" always evokes these feelings.

So here goes, I'd like to hear the good the bad and the ugly of what you have used or are currently using. The camera should have a small footprint, auto everything and a zoom lens. If you could post examples or links to photos with your reccomendations that would be even better.


Thanks to all in advance for your help with my "special project"


Scott🙂

 

[sherm]

Thanks "Zen".......... I'll take a look at it

 

[sherm]

Has anyone used the Minilux that Zen suggested????

 

[FrankS]

I have a Leica Minilux with 40mm Summarit lens for sale....

 

[dmr]

He's had a lot of different models over the years and for the longest time has used the Olympus Stylus.

My carry-everywhere camera is an Olympus Stylus Zoom. Mine is the black model, about 10 years old, and still going very strong.

They still make a number of variants of this, with different zooms and features.

If you could post examples or links to photos with your reccomendations that would be even better.

Most of the daytime shots on these pages were taken with this camera. (There are some with the Pentax and various RFs too.)

http://www.letis.com/dmr/pics/vegas/vegas.html

I've done several very nice clean and clear 8x10s from this camera.

 

[sherm]

I have a Leica Minilux with 40mm Summarit lens for sale....

Frank,

I'm going to read up on the camera and let you know. Do you have any photo examples with the Mini ?

Thanks again,

Scott

 

[pcfranchina]

I recently got a Stylus Epic. It was about $100 with a case, strap, battery and remote. Nice 2.8 lens. Weatherproof. Really pocketable and quick. So far so good. I just got it as a fun little toy.

 

[RdEoSg]

Well if you want to spend a lot of money, the Contax TVS III is supposed to be nice. I have never used this model but I absolutely love the T2 model.


http://www.contaxusa.com/product.asp?itemnum=310500

 

[shadowfox]

The word 'special' can mean so many things 🙂

For quality, consider Olympus XA, which is my everyday always in the pocket shooter. It's not auto-everything, but as I'm sure many here will attest, the quality of both the camera and the pictures it takes are very, very good.

For nostalgia, you may search for a black Olympus 35 Trip (rare), it's zone focused, auto exposure, it's hip, and it requires no battery.

For cute, the aforementioned Olympus O, or a red XA, or Pen D2 like this:

For expensive and rare, search for Minolta TC-1 (lot's of pictures of the camera and sample photos on flickr, just do a search, my internet conn. is so slow today otherwise I'd post some here).

 

[clintock]

If you are looking at the newer point and shoots, like the olympus stylus and newer, you may wish to see one in person in order to look through the viewfinder.
Many of these little things have a viewfinder that is nearly impossible for a person with perfect vision to manage to use, much less someone with impaired sight.

 

[sherm]

Thanks to all for your suggestions.......... I'm going to go on the hunt this weekend and see what I can test at some of my local camera shops.


Scott

 

[Terao]

If you are looking at the newer point and shoots, like the olympus stylus and newer, you may wish to see one in person in order to look through the viewfinder.
Many of these little things have a viewfinder that is nearly impossible for a person with perfect vision to manage to use, much less someone with impaired sight.

Was just talking to my Dad (he's 68) about this. Interesting conversation went something like this:

"Yeah, basically there's no point to them (digial compacts) for someone my age, I can't see the $&*$)££ screen. Just give me an optical viewfinder with the option of manual aperture and shutter control and I'm done. Why can't I get a digital sensor thing stuck in my old camera? These $%&£(£" camera manufacturers don't understand that there's loads of people my age with a truckload of money who grew up with manual cameras, that's all we want just without the hassle of film"

He then went on to talk about Ricoh cameras from the '60s and how he liked them as an alternative to the Nikons and Canons (he never bought an SLR but stuck with his Ambi Silette). Was interested when I told him about the GR-D, maybe I can swallow the noise issue and get one with the optional optical v/f for him. Or maybe (whispers) an SLR from Olympus or Pentax

Quality bonding session that raises a point - why don't the big guys cater for all these 60-somethings who know their way around a camera? Is it that difficult to stick a decent optical v/f, manual & analog aperture and shutte)r speed dials (with autofocus and aperture priority support for those P&S moments) in a compact? These people know what they're doing - my Dad shot slide without a meter and produced rolls and rolls (I can tell by Kodak's slide numbering) of shots with no significant exposure mistakes...

 

[Terao]

Agree Memphis - but none of those are digital. If he didn't want to go digital one of those would have been on the list and if he wanted to get really serious I'd have found a Contax G2 for him (needs to have AF and auto-metering for those P&S moments when Mum is using it...)

I just wish someone would come out with a digital Leica CM, Leica have missed the boat IMO with all these rebadged Panasonic compacts...

 

[IGMeanwell]

Well if you go digital for him ...

You can wait a little while for the new Nikon P5000

Has full manual controls, VR, decent zoom lens (no RAW support unfortunately, and an optical viewfinder (though not very big)

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0702/07022006_nikonp5000.asp

Its just a thought

 

[clintock]

Perhaps Memphis was responding to the original poster, who wanted a film type..
As to digital and poor eyesight, I wonder if the types with the lcd screen inside of the the viewfinder, like the Kodak p880 would work. My sister has a p-880 and it is quite suprising how good it is- results wise anyway, i've never handled the camera to know just how the finder is compared to an optical one, but it's got to be better than arm's length squiinting in the bright sun.

 

[Terao]

Ah, of course (re Memphis' reply)

As to EVFs I did wonder about that option for him and looked at the Digilux 2 or 3 (and Panasonic equivalents) but I think they're too big - he's used to carrying a typical size film compact. I hope the GR Digital will suit him, if not will buy the Sigma DP-1 when it arrives, and then wait for someone to come out with a compact short-range zoom compact (28-70 will do).

All he says he needs is something he can hold up to his eye, he ends up using digital compacts at arms length by which point the screen is tiny and symbols difficult to see, and he has trouble knowing when the AF has worked. Has had a couple of bad experiences using other's cameras and has been put off them as a result.

 

[Zugzwang]

If your not stuck on a zoom lens then I can recommend a Contax T3. It's viewfinder is very bright and the lens is very sharp.

 

[Jeremy Z]

Man o man. So many people seem to have not bothered reading your original post.

I think I would go with a Contax TVS of some sort. It could even be a clean used one. So there's the part that answers your original question.

However, like many of my cohorts above, I would say it's a shame that it has to have a zoom. It's a shame to buy such a nice camera, but then to lose so much optical quality & speed in a zoom lens.

May I suggest giving the trusty Rollei 35 a good thought? Manual focus is not an issue, as you guess the focus. The shutter speed & aperture are already set before bringing it to one's eye. The viewfinder is fantastic. Then, one has all the character & quality of a German camera with Zeiss glass but without fussing around with lining up the vertical lines.

Maybe buy the Contax AND a Rollei 35. Keep the one he doesn't like after asking him to try a roll in each one... 😀