Parent friendly digital camera

November 30, 2005 1:26 PM

I am looking for a digital camera for my 60 year old parents...any suggestions?

In their words: "a digital camera that is not real small so that our clumsy fingers can manipulate it."

My siblings are shooting for something under $200.

Thanks!

posted by cgs to Technology (10 answers total)

I am looking for the same type of thing...
couple of more things to consider....
Actually size of buttons aren't too big of deal... but.. having too many of them is. (I am not trying to hijack your question but hoply help eachother out with little more details to think about)

My parents seems get confused with all those other buttons... The problems is not that they can't find shutter button... but they accidently press those other buttons like menu, flash... etc...

Any one has anymore ideas?
posted by curiousleo at 1:52 PM on November 30, 2005

I'd like to up the ante and see if we can find something for my octogenarian dad.

I think the important features are:
Ease of use
Good sized buttons
Able to compensate for shaky hands

Less important:
Image quality, memory, tons of features, etc.

I think my dad actually purchased a camera not long ago but returned it because the buttons were too small.
posted by justkevin at 2:23 PM on November 30, 2005

I was just doing similar shopping for my niece; she needs a simple starter digital camera. I'm getting her the Kodak C340. The Kodak's are easy (thus the "EasyShare" name); I'll suggest that you get them a model that comes with a dock, or buy the dock. Easier to deal with than dealing with a card reader or battery charger for clumsy fingers.

One thing I will note, and I could be wrong; most cameras that compensate for shakiness are pretty expensive. Even the pretty cheap ones are autofocus though, if that was a worry.
posted by weirdoactor at 3:09 PM on November 30, 2005

Let's just make this the most hijacked question ever: I'm also camera-shopping for the elderly, and have been looking at the Kodak EasyShares. There are several out right now. I am not sure that I'll be buying the printer dock because I actually think this will be a drawback. My recipient would never buy the right type of paper, I just know it. Do the Kodaks have a standarized memory card that can be taken to any Walgreens, Wal-Mart, etc. for normal cheap photoprocessing, or do they have a proprietary memory card that can only be taken to those stupid Kodak machines?
posted by peep at 4:24 PM on November 30, 2005

I have and love a Kodak Easyshare DX6490 - uses a plain old SD card, of any brand.

Its so easy to use (though mine is full featured) I'd recommend any of the lower priced models in the line.
posted by AuntLisa at 5:41 PM on November 30, 2005

The FE-100 from Olympus is specifically designed for this demographic. It's also inexpensive. And 4mp, which helps out if they don't have the computing power to handle larger files. Less frustration. 4mp is plenty for an 8x10.
posted by mmdei at 5:43 PM on November 30, 2005

My mom bought herself a Sony Cyber-Shot camera. She was looking for a BIG LCD screen, and most of the models have at least a 2" LCD screen. (Though, I'd say hers is 3 inches.) I'm not advocating a Sony camera, but I'd say get as big a screen as possible. It's much easier on the eyes.
posted by hooray at 6:10 PM on November 30, 2005

I have a Canon Powershot A series camera that I would recommend. The shutter button is huge, the settings dial is pretty straightforward, and it primarily uses a 4-point pad on the back for most other stuff. Also, it uses AA batteries, and most old people love hoarding batteries.
posted by MrZero at 6:26 PM on November 30, 2005

I would recommend one of the newer Konica-Minolta things with anti-shake, like the Z3. You can generally get stuff cheaper than at B&H too. The Z3 is easy to grip, has fewish buttons & is fairly simple to operate. LCD is only 1.5" though, but you'll pay a lot more if you want a camera with a 2.5" screen.
posted by polyglot at 8:27 PM on November 30, 2005

Another vote for the Canon A-series. I have the A-95 myself and it's an excellent value.

The A-520 in particular seems to hit the price/form-factor sweet spot.
posted by schustafa at 5:59 AM on December 1, 2005