[clug] Digital Camera selection help

[Andrew Janke]

>> > Does it need to be digital?
>>
>> Yes. It's for an elderly, non-technical person, with severe arthritis...
>> changing film or lenses, removing sdcards etc are all out.
>
> If that's the case, the generally high eye-point on the Nikon [d]SLR
> bodies would probably be an advantage.
>
>> I should have mentioned that the end user has little feeling in the
>> extremities (chemo+radiotherapy).

Given all this I would get a low end DSLR, I am a canon bigot for no
other reason than it is what I have. You can now get a 500D for around
the $1200 mark with a single 18-55mm lens.  In full auto mode they are
ridiculously easy to operate and "just work".

The reason I suggest a full size (or perhaps 3/4 -- but they are
pretty exxy) camera like a 500D is that it is light and the zoom ring
will be easy to use. It also will handle a lot of moving about and
unstable hands a lot better than a compact with its bigger glass,
aperture and CCD.

My arms and wrists for one are pretty marginal (tendinitis + carpal
tunel -- woo!) and while I find compacts difficult, I luuurve my 500D.
I have tried things like 7D's but have trouble with their weight.

Why not just head of to domayne/hardly normal/etc with your camera-ee
and have a fiddle.  As others have said, in terms of "linux support",
pretty much anything ticks this box if you take the card out.  If you
dont want to take the card out you can always get one of these and
have it do "magic" every time the camera comes home, no fiddly cables
required.

   http://www.eye.fi/


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