I bought a Canon camera

[bousozoku]

...for my mum.

As if you thought I'd gone mad and bought one for myself.

It's a Canon Powershot A430. 4 MP and it's not bad for an entry level camera. It even has video clip capabilities.

I had an Apple gift card and strangely they never have anything I need or want, so I thought to buy this camera.

In fact, it's not the first time I've bought a Canon point and shoot camera for her.

Here's hoping that it's just enough and easy to use.

 

[annk]

...for my mum.

As if you thought I'd gone mad and bought one for myself.

Heh, you fooled me. I thought, "Hey, isn't he one of the Olympus dudes?"

Here's hoping that it's just enough and easy to use.

I really like my Canon P&S, also one of the powershot models. I don't know the specific model you bought, but I bet she'll love it.

 

[bousozoku]

Heh, you fooled me. I thought, "Hey, isn't he one of the Olympus dudes?"

I really like my Canon P&S, also one of the powershot models. I don't know the specific model you bought, but I bet she'll love it.

It's fairly new. I probably would have bought a Nikon camera for her, but the online Apple store didn't have any at the price point.

This will be her first digital camera and she hates technology, so we'll see. (She bought an electronic typewriter because she didn't want to use AppleWorks or some other word processor. )

 

[ipacmm]

Heh, you fooled me. I thought, "Hey, isn't he one of the Olympus dudes?"

I was thinking the same thing.


I have heard good revies about that camera so hopefully she will enjoy it.

 

[andiwm2003]

....................................................
I had an Apple gift card and strangely they never have anything I need or want, so I thought to buy this camera....................................

what's wrong with you? i can send you a list of 5 things i need and 500 things i want from the apple store any time!!!!!

have fun teaching your mom to use the camera. my mom still takes pics, goes to the shop to get them printed and deletes them (although there is space for 250 more pics left)! then she hands me the prints and i scan them for my iphoto library.........

 

[bousozoku]

what's wrong with you? i can send you a list of 5 things i need and 500 things i want from the apple store any time!!!!!

have fun teaching your mom to use the camera. my mom still takes pics, goes to the shop to get them printed and deletes them (although there is space for 250 more pics left)! then she hands me the prints and i scan them for my iphoto library.........

I can promise you that she will not save them unless the store makes free CD-Rs of them.

 

[law guy]

...for my mum.

As if you thought I'd gone mad and bought one for myself.

It's a Canon Powershot A430. 4 MP and it's not bad for an entry level camera. It even has video clip capabilities.

I had an Apple gift card and strangely they never have anything I need or want, so I thought to buy this camera.

In fact, it's not the first time I've bought a Canon point and shoot camera for her.

Here's hoping that it's just enough and easy to use.

And... ... ... ....

 

[Abstract]

^^And what is that, Morse code?


And Canon p&s cameras are generally pretty good. Not too many things wrong with them.

 

[bousozoku]

^^And what is that, Morse code?


And Canon p&s cameras are generally pretty good. Not too many things wrong with them.

I like their P&S cameras and as I said, I bought one previously for her, but it was a 35mm camera. However, she sold or gave that to her sister and used the less expensive Olympus camera that did panoramic shots.

I'm considering a small P&S simply because I carry all the bits separately and by the time I assemble the camera, the shot might be gone.

(I think he was wondering how she likes it. Since it's due at her house on 10 July, I can't tell how she likes it at present. )

 

[annk]

I actually did the opposite for my own mother recently. I have Canons myself, an S2 IS and 350D, both of which I really like, and she had a Nikon P&S. She really enjoys using it, but mentioned many times that she finds the small LCD hard to see - she never really saw if she'd gotten the pic she wanted, until she could see it on her computer screen. So I got her an Olympus FE-140 last month. The screen is 2.5", and she says it's much easier to see.

I'm really impressed, she didn't use cameras much at all until she got the Nikon when she was app. 65 years old. And now she takes lots of pics and sends them to family and friends by e-mail, which she learned to do at the same time.

Sorry for the temporary high jack, back to topic...

 

[bousozoku]

I actually did the opposite for my own mother recently. I have Canons myself, an S2 IS and 350D, both of which I really like, and she had a Nikon P&S. She really enjoys using it, but mentioned many times that she finds the small LCD hard to see - she never really saw if she'd gotten the pic she wanted, until she could see it on her computer screen. So I got her an Olympus FE-140 last month. The screen is 2.5", and she says it's much easier to see.

I'm really impressed, she didn't use cameras much at all until she got the Nikon when she was app. 65 years old. And now she takes lots of pics and sends them to family and friends by e-mail, which she learned to do at the same time.

Sorry for the temporary high jack, back to topic...

Since she's used to an optical viewfinder, I don't think it's going to be a huge problem, esp. since I don't use the LCD as a viewfinder and find it annoying. (Don't mind my threads on Live View LCDs on digital SLRs.) I'm glad it works for your mother.

I'm surprised, though, because I read so many times that people have trouble using Olympus P&S digital cameras because of the software. Olympus sells way too many of them to be hated but almost every review gives the menus negative marks.

 

[annk]

I think my mother found she couldn't use the Nikon's viewfinder at all - I know I feel that way about the viewfinder on my S2 IS. It wasn't till I started considering a dSLR (and saw the Olympus 330E) that I went into a store and asked about the viewfinder/LCD issue. I was relieved to learn about the difference between and optical and digital viewfinder. I use the screen only on my own P&S, but it didn't take long to appreciate the viewfinder on my 350D.

I think for my mom, the digital viewfinder made using the LCD a necessity. And the extra real estate on the Olympus's screen makes such a big difference for her, that any menu/software issues won't be a big deal, but I'll know more after she's used it for a while.

I followed along on the thread where the LCD/viewfinder discussion happened, and it helped me see that using the viewfinder is the way to go, but I'm still interested in trying a 330E sometime. The tilting screen must be very nice for macro when you have to get into impossible positions to use the viewfinder.

Ok, sorry for yet another mini-hijack.

 

[bousozoku]

I think my mother found she couldn't use the Nikon's viewfinder at all - I know I feel that way about the viewfinder on my S2 IS. It wasn't till I started considering a dSLR (and saw the Olympus 330E) that I went into a store and asked about the viewfinder/LCD issue. I was relieved to learn about the difference between and optical and digital viewfinder. I use the screen only on my own P&S, but it didn't take long to appreciate the viewfinder on my 350D.

I think for my mom, the digital viewfinder made using the LCD a necessity. And the extra real estate on the Olympus's screen makes such a big difference for her, that any menu/software issues won't be a big deal, but I'll know more after she's used it for a while.

I followed along on the thread where the LCD/viewfinder discussion happened, and it helped me see that using the viewfinder is the way to go, but I'm still interested in trying a 330E sometime. The tilting screen must be very nice for macro when you have to get into impossible positions to use the viewfinder.

Ok, sorry for yet another mini-hijack.

No worries. Your experience and your mother's is helping me before I deal with my mother's experience.

I tried a couple of digital cameras that had electronic viewfinders, such as the Nikon Coolpix 8700, and found that terrible. So, it's either an optical viewfinder or an LCD as a logical choice, as far as I can see.

The E-330 and its Panasonic cousin are quite interesting. I'm someone who usually has no problem lying on the ground to get a shot, though it makes people wonder a lot. I think that a lot of people will use those two cameras to be much more creative. The Panasonic model has a widescreen mode, as well as a video mode, which might please ChipNovaMac. I'm not sure I'll partake since it's twice as much as the E-330 and I'm not thrilled with the extra expense involved in the LCD and Live View.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

bousozoku, I'm disappointed in you. Why didn't you get your mother a nice 600, 700 or even 800 µ digital (aka stylus digital)?

 

[Abstract]

The E-330 and its Panasonic cousin are quite interesting. I'm someone who usually has no problem lying on the ground to get a shot, though it makes people wonder a lot.

I am too, but one time I still couldn't get low enough.

The thing I'm concerned about with the Olympus is the optical viewfinder. I heard it would be dark because some of the light that's meant to pass to the viewfinder is actually passed to a sensor, which allows for the LCD viewfinder to exist. Sounds logical to me, but it doesn't sound appealing. I'd use an SLR using the viewfinder around 98% of the time, I'd imagine.

 

[bousozoku]

bousozoku, I'm disappointed in you. Why didn't you get your mother a nice 600, 700 or even 800 µ digital (aka stylus digital)?

Tell Apple to start handling them and to send the appropriate replacement. Still, note my earlier-posted concern about the software they have. Besides, I just don't like their SLRs. I think they're quite good with other products, including their P&S cameras.

I am too, but one time I still couldn't get low enough.

The thing I'm concerned about with the Olympus is the optical viewfinder. I heard it would be dark because some of the light that's meant to pass to the viewfinder is actually passed to a sensor, which allows for the LCD viewfinder to exist. Sounds logical to me, but it doesn't sound appealing. I'd use an SLR using the viewfinder around 98% of the time, I'd imagine.

One of the problems of hearing things from someone else, even an acclaimed "expert" is that you haven't tried it for yourself. Olympus has enough dealers in the world that you can try the camera to see if it works for you. If it doesn't, they have two other, more traditional bodies at present.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Tell Apple to start handling them and to send the appropriate replacement.

You're in the wrong Country, look what I can get from AppleStore Norway:

 

[bousozoku]

You're in the wrong Country, look what I can get from AppleStore Norway:

View attachment 52229

Yes, yes, but even in the winter here, it's 10-25 degrees C during the day.

Considering that it's not for me, I'm less concerned. I'm sure she'll be happy with whatever brand it is.

 

[sushi]

I'm considering a small P&S simply because I carry all the bits separately and by the time I assemble the camera, the shot might be gone.

Back in the real film days, I had a Canon A-1 and an Olympus P&S.

The Canon took wonderful pictures but was a pain to carry. The Olympus on the other hand, I carried all the time and got some really cool shots.

Now that digital has arrived, I will be doing much the same.

No matter how good of a camera you have, if you don't have it with you when you see the shot or cannot get it ready to take the shot, then the shot is lost forever.

 

[PlaceofDis]

Yes, yes, but even in the winter here, it's 10-25 degrees C during the day.

Considering that it's not for me, I'm less concerned. I'm sure she'll be happy with whatever brand it is.

i hope she enjoys it. Canon P&S are generally good. i especially like the Elph series only because of their portability. but i have Powershot myself. easy to use and simple enough.

 

[bousozoku]

Back in the real film days, I had a Canon A-1 and an Olympus P&S.

The Canon took wonderful pictures but was a pain to carry. The Olympus on the other hand, I carried all the time and got some really cool shots.

Now that digital has arrived, I will be doing much the same.

No matter how good of a camera you have, if you don't have it with you when you see the shot or cannot get it ready to take the shot, then the shot is lost forever.

I'm not very good with a P&S, but my first digital camera was a P&S since they didn't have digital SLRs available to me in 1997. It did okay, I suppose but I didn't. You can see by the file I've attached.

However, I find that carrying the SLR with me gets in the way of eating and drinking and shopping or whatever.

 

[law guy]

^^And what is that, Morse code?


And Canon p&s cameras are generally pretty good. Not too many things wrong with them.

It was the pregnant pause waiting for something more. The first post didn't seek advice or share an impression/discovery or share a story or relate much more than a very brief fact - that a Canon P&S was purchased for a parent (which is a nice gift, by the way. I've enjoyed my Canon P&S's although I like my older elph more than my newer one). So I was hoping for a little more insight into the thread's goal, or point, or direction.

 

[bousozoku]

In 4 years, I've probably asked for help in 6 threads and 3 of them have been completely ignored. I tend not to bother anymore.

It was mostly meant to surprise but also to get some idea of how other people have dealt with such a situation.

By the way, Best Buy had a deal on PNY 1 GB SD cards: $69.99 - $40.00 instant rebate = $29.99 + tax. I suspect that it's a good deal, though the original price was high.

 

[form]

Sister got a Powershot A610 for her birthday a few months back. She seems to like it.

 

[bousozoku]

It's interesting to me how you can have a zoom and not have the viewfinder affected by it in some way. It would seem the LCD display is the only way to gauge the effect but the LCD on this camera is 1.8 inches--rather small.

I suppose this is why there are electronic viewfinders in expensive models and bigger LCDs in less expensive models.