Camera wanted for a none techy

mikew

mikew

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I have a acquaintance i used to work with who is retiring at Christmas,he is single and no real mates and no hobbies,he used to fish and i was telling him to think about it again as he does not appreciate the loneliness he could face in retirement,any way he has decided he wants to do a bit of digital photography and wants me to find him a camera.
He does not own a computer or know anything about them,he would take his card to the shop and print the pictures he wants,he would not be able to cope with menus ect so ime looking for a camera that he can switch on and take pictures,he wants to do natural history birds insects flowers ect so the other important feature. would be a long zoom.I have a Olympus i looked at selling him but it would be too complicated, for a start you cant even delete a picture on it without going into the menu,so it looks like a bridge camera that he couldn't accidentally change the mode i put it in and he could delete images without using the menu.
I know he should go with fishing bur he wants to try photography,

Budget 150-200 £s

Thanks
 
When my mum wanted to talk to my brother in Australia I bought her a lap top. I got her the simplest one out there and gave her notes to help her log on and get to Skype. It worked for a good while and served a purpose.
Maybe you should do similar with the chap you know.
As with anything it is daunting to start with, but with time and effort you can get there with it. Maybe a lap top would be good for your friend too. Oh and a basic computer course.
 
I know you said non-technical, but I would seriously consider a camera that has the option of connecting to a tablet. At the outset he could, as you say, just print stuff but if he progresses he could at least view the images on the tablet and IMO tablets are a lot easier for new comers as the environment is a bit better controlled - less likely to fill up with crapware than a PC
 
Thanks for the thoughts but this guy doesn't even record with his video recorder (mind you i dont know if you still can anyway) he only plays tapes he buys,myself i feel its mission impossible but just thought i would throw it out in the open.
 
Not sure such a thing exists, can't think of a camera that isn't menu based in some way or another.

Maybe a phone with a decent camera or a film camera, no menus on them
 
Just add another problem when he retires i will not come across him,i only have contact now because my wife works at the same place and i see him when i pick her up.
 
tijuana taxi said:
Not sure such a thing exists, can't think of a camera that isn't menu based in some way or another.

Maybe a phone with a decent camera or a film camera, no menus on them
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My first thoughts where a film camera but i dont think there is one with a long enough lens and stabilizing built in,i was hoping to find something which i could set to program mode and it would have a trash facility on the back.
 
As said, phone cam is the answer but you are on a hiding to nothing. If he didn't sort out what he was going to do before he retired he is not going to do anything now.
 
sphexx said:
As said, phone cam is the answer but you are on a hiding to nothing. If he didn't sort out what he was going to do before he retired he is not going to do anything now.
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Your probably right,he never used to like taking a weeks holiday as he got bored so would take two days at a time,having been retired now for two years i know there is all of a sudden a lot of time to fill,especially if its raining and i cant get out with my camera;)but i wouldn't go back.
 
If you are prepared to offer a bit of help with the computer, then I recommend installing something like Teamviewer.
Free for non-commercial use and allows you to easily see what is on their screen and take over if you need to.
I use it to support an 80 year old photographer - typical cries for help go along the lines of "All my photos have gone". I connect to her desktop, she shows me the problem, I have a browse around, work out what she has done and can show her what to do next. Way easier than trying the same thing with a phone call (or Skype).

If this is too much, then a really non-technical option is what my Mum does.
She snaps away, deleting images on the camera she doesn't want to keep.
If she wants prints, or the card starts getting full, then she goes to the camera shop and they burn all the images onto DVD and formats her card.
She's very happy with this, but it only works because she doesn't take (or keep) a huge amount of photos.
 
DuncanDisorderly said:
If you are prepared to offer a bit of help with the computer, then I recommend installing something like Teamviewer.
Free for non-commercial use and allows you to easily see what is on their screen and take over if you need to.
I use it to support an 80 year old photographer - typical cries for help go along the lines of "All my photos have gone". I connect to her desktop, she shows me the problem, I have a browse around, work out what she has done and can show her what to do next. Way easier than trying the same thing with a phone call (or Skype).

If this is too much, then a really non-technical option is what my Mum does.
She snaps away, deleting images on the camera she doesn't want to keep.
If she wants prints, or the card starts getting full, then she goes to the camera shop and they burn all the images onto DVD and formats her card.
She's very happy with this, but it only works because she doesn't take (or keep) a huge amount of photos.
Click to expand...

Something along the lines of your mums system is what he will have to do,I dont want to get myself into a ongoing support roll.if he was a mate it would be different but he is just a guy i used to work with before i retired.
 
OT really, but +1 for TeamViewer. I use it to support my younger friends and relatives who are less tech-savvy than I -- I'll be 80 next year so careful what you assume about us oldies ;) .
 
Bumped into him again today while i was picking my wife up from work,persuaded him to stick with his film camera,convinced i did the right thing but thanks for the ideas.
 
film sounds ideal - a friend of mine is about 50 and hates anything remotely technical and still uses the same basic film camera he has used for years (a yashica t4) - photography is not a "hobby" for him and he mainly uses it for holiday snaps. He does not even own a mobile phone!
 
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