m73hollis
12-23-2004, 10:06 PM
I'm trying to help my parents choose a new digital camera. We're thinking something less than $400, but they might consider somewhat more if you can convince us it's the perfect camera.
My father: no photography knowledge, basic point and shoot kind of guy, but more savvy in using digital technology. Probably uses our current camera the most.
My mother: an artist, a painter. Has an Olympus rather fancy non-digital camera that she uses to take photos (mainly slides) of her work. Comfortable with manual settings in photography, but not all that comfortable with digital technology.
The current camera: I don't have it in front of me, but I think it's the Toshiba PDR-M71 or something quite similar.
We originally bought the camera for my mother, thinking that she would use it to make photos of her art, perhaps for the web. I chose the camera because it had 3 megapixels (which was on the high end at the time) and manual control options. In reality, though, my mother has rarely used it and no one has used the manual settings. I'm the only one who ever bothered to actually read the thick manual. It seemed to me that the "manual" controls were more like pseudo-manual, embedded in on-screen menus with cutesy icons. My mother just doesn't have the digital patience or know-how to navigate all that. A dial or simple system where she can choose the f-stop number is going to work much better for her.
We have used the camera mainly for snapshots, pictures to quickly send on the web or have fun altering on the computer. We've never printed any of the photos.
My parents are fed up with the camera now because it absolutely chews through its four AA rechargeable batteries. They prefer the idea of an internal battery, just plugging in the camera and having it recharge rather than dealing with external chargers. Some of the buying guides I've read have suggested that the AA batteries are more convenient if you find yourself afield and without power. I suppose my parents might consider another camera that takes normal batteries if they were assured that it would last considerably longer than the current one. So far they haven't taken the camera too far afield, though, mostly photos around the home, they are just sick of it being out of juice every time they pick it up.
So now that we're thinking of getting a new camera, the bigger question is what kind to get. I'm not sure my mother will ever be convinced to use a digital camera instead of her "real" one for photographing her paintings, or really for taking any photos where image quality counts. She's just not convinced that a digital camera is capable of producing high quality images (especially proper color), and perhaps she's right given our price range.
I think if we got another camera with manual controls it would need to be very straightforward or mimic the controls of my mother's Olympus. It would also have to have good enough image quality to make it worthwhile for my mother to learn how to use it. Otherwise, I guess we might as well get a simpler point and shoot-type camera to continue to do the basic convenience-type shots that the Toshiba has been relegated to. Image quality, especially good color, would probably be the top concern for either type of camera given my mother's artistic sensitivities.
At this point we've yet to even try printing photos, but I suppose it might happen. Maybe up to 8x10, I'm not sure. Movie capabilities and such are completely unnecessary. In fact, I think the simpler is better in terms of bells and whistles. I don't think zoom is super-important, but might be nice.
Well, if you're still reading this long post, any advice would be greatly appreciated.
My father: no photography knowledge, basic point and shoot kind of guy, but more savvy in using digital technology. Probably uses our current camera the most.
My mother: an artist, a painter. Has an Olympus rather fancy non-digital camera that she uses to take photos (mainly slides) of her work. Comfortable with manual settings in photography, but not all that comfortable with digital technology.
The current camera: I don't have it in front of me, but I think it's the Toshiba PDR-M71 or something quite similar.
We originally bought the camera for my mother, thinking that she would use it to make photos of her art, perhaps for the web. I chose the camera because it had 3 megapixels (which was on the high end at the time) and manual control options. In reality, though, my mother has rarely used it and no one has used the manual settings. I'm the only one who ever bothered to actually read the thick manual. It seemed to me that the "manual" controls were more like pseudo-manual, embedded in on-screen menus with cutesy icons. My mother just doesn't have the digital patience or know-how to navigate all that. A dial or simple system where she can choose the f-stop number is going to work much better for her.
We have used the camera mainly for snapshots, pictures to quickly send on the web or have fun altering on the computer. We've never printed any of the photos.
My parents are fed up with the camera now because it absolutely chews through its four AA rechargeable batteries. They prefer the idea of an internal battery, just plugging in the camera and having it recharge rather than dealing with external chargers. Some of the buying guides I've read have suggested that the AA batteries are more convenient if you find yourself afield and without power. I suppose my parents might consider another camera that takes normal batteries if they were assured that it would last considerably longer than the current one. So far they haven't taken the camera too far afield, though, mostly photos around the home, they are just sick of it being out of juice every time they pick it up.
So now that we're thinking of getting a new camera, the bigger question is what kind to get. I'm not sure my mother will ever be convinced to use a digital camera instead of her "real" one for photographing her paintings, or really for taking any photos where image quality counts. She's just not convinced that a digital camera is capable of producing high quality images (especially proper color), and perhaps she's right given our price range.
I think if we got another camera with manual controls it would need to be very straightforward or mimic the controls of my mother's Olympus. It would also have to have good enough image quality to make it worthwhile for my mother to learn how to use it. Otherwise, I guess we might as well get a simpler point and shoot-type camera to continue to do the basic convenience-type shots that the Toshiba has been relegated to. Image quality, especially good color, would probably be the top concern for either type of camera given my mother's artistic sensitivities.
At this point we've yet to even try printing photos, but I suppose it might happen. Maybe up to 8x10, I'm not sure. Movie capabilities and such are completely unnecessary. In fact, I think the simpler is better in terms of bells and whistles. I don't think zoom is super-important, but might be nice.
Well, if you're still reading this long post, any advice would be greatly appreciated.