msbarnes
Well-known
OK so my mom's P&S broke, but honestly, it was probably 10+ years old and obsolete. It deserved to die. lol.
I want to buy her a new camera, but not by Mothersday or anything like that. I'm unsure on which camera to get her.
Price-range: around $200-$500. I'll go used and a later generation too, probably. I doubt that any advancement in the newer generations will serve her better.
I'm thinking
-Canon S90/S95/S100 or Ricoh GRD III/IV
-Some M43 + Olympus 17mm f2.8 or Panasonic 14mm f2.5 (glued on, I don't trust her to have multiple lenses)
-Leica M9 + 35mm f2
I haven't had the chance to talk to her about this too much but I do know that she wants something small and easy to use but that's pretty expected for someone who has 0 interest in creating art--just snapshots and auto-everything.
The Leica was a joke, but I feel that she'd be more comfortable with a compact camera, but since older M43's are so cheap, I feel that I might as well get her one of those so that she can take advantage of the much larger sensor but at the expense of some bulk, ofcourse.
I talked to some of my non-photographic friends and they feel that I just want an M43, haha (I have no digital but I'm wanting a Ricoh myself). My thinking for ditching the Canon/Ricoh is that smartphones are producing some very good results, so pocket cameras, to me, are kind of obsolute for most people. (I personally don't think they're obsolute for those who have an actual interest in photography and/or those who don't have a smart phone).
1) Anyone have experience giving a non-photographer (spouse, sibling, friend, parent, etc.) an M43? Are they just as easy to use as point-and-shoots. My mom's previous camera was certainly not pocketable and she babied it. So I think an M43 would fit in nicely and probably blow her away in performance.
2) Do you iphoners find the IQ of the high-end P&S's comparable? I know the handling is different, but she isn't a photographer. She likes smart phones but her 3 year droid phone, isn't that great in my opinion, but shes getting a new one soon so i figured that her new one will be an iphone or something that is comparable in quality.
As a disclaimer, I have no experience with any of the cameras listed, so I'm not sure how much better/worse they are in terms of IQ/handling
I want to buy her a new camera, but not by Mothersday or anything like that. I'm unsure on which camera to get her.
Price-range: around $200-$500. I'll go used and a later generation too, probably. I doubt that any advancement in the newer generations will serve her better.
I'm thinking
-Canon S90/S95/S100 or Ricoh GRD III/IV
-Some M43 + Olympus 17mm f2.8 or Panasonic 14mm f2.5 (glued on, I don't trust her to have multiple lenses)
-Leica M9 + 35mm f2
I haven't had the chance to talk to her about this too much but I do know that she wants something small and easy to use but that's pretty expected for someone who has 0 interest in creating art--just snapshots and auto-everything.
The Leica was a joke, but I feel that she'd be more comfortable with a compact camera, but since older M43's are so cheap, I feel that I might as well get her one of those so that she can take advantage of the much larger sensor but at the expense of some bulk, ofcourse.
I talked to some of my non-photographic friends and they feel that I just want an M43, haha (I have no digital but I'm wanting a Ricoh myself). My thinking for ditching the Canon/Ricoh is that smartphones are producing some very good results, so pocket cameras, to me, are kind of obsolute for most people. (I personally don't think they're obsolute for those who have an actual interest in photography and/or those who don't have a smart phone).
1) Anyone have experience giving a non-photographer (spouse, sibling, friend, parent, etc.) an M43? Are they just as easy to use as point-and-shoots. My mom's previous camera was certainly not pocketable and she babied it. So I think an M43 would fit in nicely and probably blow her away in performance.
2) Do you iphoners find the IQ of the high-end P&S's comparable? I know the handling is different, but she isn't a photographer. She likes smart phones but her 3 year droid phone, isn't that great in my opinion, but shes getting a new one soon so i figured that her new one will be an iphone or something that is comparable in quality.
As a disclaimer, I have no experience with any of the cameras listed, so I'm not sure how much better/worse they are in terms of IQ/handling
jhthomasii
Established
i got an s95 off craigslist for $200 and its awesome. really easy to use so my wife can handle it but with lots of manual controls for me.
DRabbit
Registered
I told my 65yo mom to buy one of the Lumix compacts for her trip to Africa (she had a DSLR too). She's been REALLY happy with it. It's got a 10 or 12x optical zoom, it pocketable and shoots decent enough video for the occasions she wants to. And it's easy for her to use and seems to take nice enough pictures. Had her buy one version older at the time... it was a 10mp model I think. Less than $300 if I remember correctly.
enenrf
Asianenen
Canon S95 or LX5
msbarnes
Well-known
thanks for your suggestions, I'm starting to feel that a Canon/Panasonic is the more sensible choice.
GraflexLefty
Member
Leica M9 + 35mm f2...
Can I be your mom?
Can I be your mom?
Archlich
Well-known
Comparing to previous models, the S100 is very refined, the ultimate form of digital P&S with small sensors. Hard to think any other options.
GaryLH
Veteran
Panasonic ZS series like the ZS7 or LX3 if u want sharper lens with same form factor as LX 5. The 3 is cheaper because one generation older and is a 24-60.
Canon s95 and s100
Fuji x10, if u were shying away because of "orb" issue, they announced a hw fix
Hope that helps
Gary
Canon s95 and s100
Fuji x10, if u were shying away because of "orb" issue, they announced a hw fix
Hope that helps
Gary
Peter_wrote:
Well-known
no m4/3 when she has not that big interest in photography. pocketability first. and a grd is for nerds too...
i think a nice all around pocketable would be better in this case.
but personally i wouldn't buy the s95/s100 for my mum, either. no need for raw output and such things, and i'm not very pleased with the colors of the jpgs it produces... on the other side, i think canons have the best user interface. but there are other canons...
maybe a Canon PowerShot Elph 300HS like suggested in this thread http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=118693?
have u thought of some kind of panasonic p&s?
i think a nice all around pocketable would be better in this case.
but personally i wouldn't buy the s95/s100 for my mum, either. no need for raw output and such things, and i'm not very pleased with the colors of the jpgs it produces... on the other side, i think canons have the best user interface. but there are other canons...
maybe a Canon PowerShot Elph 300HS like suggested in this thread http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=118693?
have u thought of some kind of panasonic p&s?
setyotomo
Established
i have this same situation a few months ago, i decided to get her lx5 or s95,
but ended up buying fuji x10 that she really2 like (she bring it on a europe trip the next day), and return with some amazing result for her standard.
but ended up buying fuji x10 that she really2 like (she bring it on a europe trip the next day), and return with some amazing result for her standard.
Deep Fried
Established
My Mum has my old S90 and it works perfectly for her and Dad. I had to show the old feller what the flower button did, but other than that you just aim it.
I have used my father in laws new Oly m4/3 and it is a point and shoot if you want it to be. They both have full autopilot. Given the cheap prices on older m4/3 I would go that route. There are some older versions with kit lenses for very good prices out there. M4/3 quality is not overkill. In my experience its satisfactory. Also, Canon p&s jpegs do have funny colour as mentioned. Skin tones were always too pink.
I have used my father in laws new Oly m4/3 and it is a point and shoot if you want it to be. They both have full autopilot. Given the cheap prices on older m4/3 I would go that route. There are some older versions with kit lenses for very good prices out there. M4/3 quality is not overkill. In my experience its satisfactory. Also, Canon p&s jpegs do have funny colour as mentioned. Skin tones were always too pink.
msbarnes
Well-known
I'll look into the Canon PowerShot, but I figured that I should go atleast S90/S95 caliber because the pictures from those cameras were much better than any digital p&s camera that I've seen. But keep in mind, I wasn't looking very hard.
I haven't thought about the Panasonics and Fuji's so seriously. My mindset was that if I wanted to go small, then I should go Canon. The other offerings don't seem much more compact than M43's. How is the viewfinder on the X10? I don't think that she would care for a viewfinder, but if she has interest, it better be a useable one.
Deep Fried
Established
you're on the right track. Canon p&s are all pretty good for what they are. I think we see better images from s90/95/100 because it's billed as a 'photographers' camera and the users are getting the most out of them. If size is important then get a little canon. However, there are some pretty small m4/3 rigs and they aren't expensive. Besides, women always have big purses so it will fit
The difference in shutter lag alone would make the decision for me.Ronald_H
Don't call me Ron
My mum bought a Lumix compact. She has no interest in photography whatsoever, but she avidly puts snaps on facebook of her granddaughter
Griffin
Grampa's cameras user
I bought a Ricoh cx3 for my mom two christmasses ago. She was and still is so happy with it. Don't go m43 unless she's more serious about photography.
I looked at some other compacts and the little Ricoh had the simplest user interface.
I looked at some other compacts and the little Ricoh had the simplest user interface.