Camera for Granny

[Denyen]

Grandmas 80th birthday is coming up and I want to buy her a new camera. I've been looking at powershot A4050 IS
And Ixus 500 HS which are both on sale though the Ixus is more expensive. I don't know anything about the compact
Market so any advice in this segment would be much appreciated. The keyword is usability.

Thanks.

 

[Menace]

If it was my granny, I'd get her an iPhone or the latest Samsung offering - decent point and shoot capability plus all the apps / games / Skype etc etc to boot.

If on the other hand, you think granny will benefit from one of the two cameras you mentioned, get her the 500HS with a mono pod or a light tripod. IMHO.

Hope she has fun

 

[RLPhoto]

A 1Dx with a set of L primes, F/2.8 zooms and a 400 2.8L IS II 8) She'd be set for anything.

But an S100 would also work too.

 

[unfocused]

Does your grandmother use a camera now? Has she ever taken pictures as a hobby? Is she a technology savvy senior who surfs the internet and posts on Facebook, or does she need your help in working the DVD player on her television?

If she hasn't used a camera since her Instamatic broke, then you might want to consider something else.

If she wants one or you think she would use one, I'd go for something with a large screen on back, modest zoom range and simple controls. Get an extra SD card, because you'll probably be the one sending the pictures to the corner drug store and you will want to be able to switch out cards when you go over to visit. That assumes, of course, that she's a typical 80 year old. Now, if she used to work for the Daily Mail and still has her F1 and FD lens collection, it might be another story.

 

[distant.star]

.
Pretty much the same as Unfocused said.

I will add one suggestion, Powershot A1400. It can be had for under $100. It's reasonably simple with not a lot of buttons and dials. It has an optical viewfinder, albeit small. It has digital image stabilization. It uses AA batteries so give her a lifetime supply!

Worth a look.

 

[Sella174]

The perfect camera for Grandma is one which I've been screaming at manufacturers for years they should make ... not too big and not too small; prime lens, no zoom; accurate optical viewfinder ... a true "Point & Shoot" camera. Well, someone finally did ... the Fuji X100s.

Anyway, I'd also explore the Olympus Tough series ...

 

[paul13walnut5]

I got my girlfriend an ixus107 a few years back, its so easy to use, compact and takes brilliant snapshots.
Like all compacts you probably wouldn't want to print much higher than 12x8's or view at 100% in PS, but fir it's very modest cost it's great.

Got the mother in law an a4100 (or something, runs on lithium not aa's) same kind of spec and size and iq as the ixus, she loves it.

The current ixus equiv is the 127 which is on a few deals with case card etc.

The ixus 500 is chunkier and heavier. It's also a bit older and as I recall the zoom range isn't so useful at the wide end.

I have an sx230 for the glovebox and holidays. Nice enough cam, ok iq, good for a compact in fact, works great in green square auto, awfully cumbersome interface apart from that: too few butttons trying to do too many things. Even having used EOS cameras for 23 years and powershots for 12 years, and spent 6 years in camera retail, and being a full time camerman, I struggle to operate it properly.

So avoid the sx's.

The basic ixus has few buttons. Has good images. Is fairly inexpensive and a lithium battery with a decent life.

I would go down that route. The fuji's and the s powershots are way beyond what granny will need or want probably.

 

[paul13walnut5]

The ixus 125hs is £80 on amazon just now. Please see above, the predecessor to this cam is pretty great within segment.

 

[michi]

Like others said, we need a little more info about her. My grandparents wouldn't know what to do with a digital camera. They are confused navigating around Windows, don't really understand emails etc... They have a digital camera but don't use it because it just doesn't make sense to them.
Simple is definitely key. Maybe get them a Eye-Fi card and set it up for them so they don't have to mess around with copying pictures from one device to another. The iPhone isn't even that bad of an idea, as with automatic syncing and so on. Shame Apple hasn't made a camera that is as simple to use as the iPhone camera concept. Or maybe there is something like it? I'm not completely up to date on the point and shoot scene.

 

[Vossie]

Indeed it fully depends on her needs and her general level of technical understanding.

I just bought a Nikon Coolpix S31 for my 3-yr old. She always wants to make photos, and I do not want her to tough my 5D3 nu herself, so I got her this low-cost (no big loss if it breaks down), water- and crashproof (at least to some extent), and very easy to use (you can't change any settings) camera. Ok, I do not expect that the IQ of this little machine will yield (m)any 'keepers' for the family album. But the purpose is more for her to enjoy taking the pics than to create large format prints.

 

[wayno]

The perfect camera for Grandma is one which I've been screaming at manufacturers for years they should make ... not too big and not too small; prime lens, no zoom; accurate optical viewfinder ... a true "Point & Shoot" camera. Well, someone finally did ... the Fuji X100s.

Anyway, I'd also explore the Olympus Tough series ...

I have an x100s and it is excellent. But it is not suitable for grannies, IMO.

 

[sandymandy]

Fujifilm Instax ....if only the polaroids werent so expensive T_T

Perhaps Eos-M

 

[sama]

I would suggest a Lytro. She doesn't have to worry about focusing with this new toy.

 

[mb66energy]

I would check if your grandma
* will use an optical viewfinder or the display
* needs a zoom or will prefer a prime lens
* has problems with small (or tiny) buttons
* want's to go the digital route (=data management) or
can use a bunch of cards e.g. with a flat screen with card reader.

Perhaps the combination of a medium large camera
with a large Li ion battery and a bunch of 4GB cards
with mechanical write protection might be a good
solution. Cards can be used like film cardridges and
- if it is a 100D - the camera has a large capacity
battery + can be used in a full auto setup.

Just provide a little bit time to make backups of the
cards ...

My 2ct - Michael