Who knows point and shoots?

Something I noticed a while back with digital art programs marketed towards consumers is they were so over simplified that they became complicated to someone who has only used pro programs.
Now that I am trying to buy a really good digital camera for my mother (who used to shoot with a film SLR) I can not figure out what is good in a point and shoot. She needs a viewfinder because of her eyes but other then that I don't know what would be good to look for.
Anyone else notice how complicated point and shoots can be?

Well if her eyes aren't good I would recommend a P&S that uses the LCD screen as a viewfinder.

She has had that kind of point and shoot for the past few years and she can't see the screen because she has to hold it too far from her face. She has played with one of my DSLRs and she says she sees better through the view finder.

watchtherocks wrote in post #9109654
Well if her eyes aren't good I would recommend a P&S that uses the LCD screen as a viewfinder.

Except in direct sunlight. I personally prefer the old P&S cameras that had optical viewfinders .. but they don't seem to make them like that anymore.

Perfect_10 wrote in post #9109705
Except in direct sunlight. I personally prefer the old P&S cameras that had optical viewfinders .. but they don't seem to make them like that anymore.

+1

The Canon G10 has a viewfinder, though I have no personal experience using it.

IMO the only use for the LCD view is for cameras that don't have a 100% viewfinder. When I gave my wife an XTi I was amazed that the picture you take is so much different then the picture you framed. I am pretty sure that makes composing a shot very difficult.

Maybe have her try a camera with an electronic viewfinder, like the SX10 or SX20.

What is an electronic viewfinder?

Lumix makes what looks like a really good camera and it has an electric viewfinder. I still don't know exactly what that is and if that is the same on the eyes as an optical viewfinder

Basically with an electronic viewfinder you are looking at an LCD screen display in the viewfinder, instead of the image through the lens (TTL) the way most SLRs are set up.

The advantage of this is that the electronic viewfinder can be brighter than an image reflected off a mirror, displayed on a focus screen and viewed through a pentaprism.

The downside to an electronic viewfinder is that it can be slower to update. There are a couple newer ones that are a lot faster than they've been in the past. I don't have any specifics. You'll have to shop around.

Canon Ixus has an optical viewfinder. I bought one for my father, and it looks like a really nice little camera, capable of producing some really nice photographs.

It sounds like your mother does need a good old TTL optical viewfinder. If she is having problems with her eyes focusing on the LCD because it is too close, then a electronic viewfinder might not be a good solution.


I would think a G10 might be the best bet for having advanced feature set with easy to use controls.

I have a SD700IS ELPH which is small and it has a optical viewfinder, but to use any of the manual controls is quite complicated (as you have noticed).