My wife would like me buy her a 35mm point and shoot camera. She has a manual SLR and would like something easier to use. When I suggested a digital camera to her, she said she doesn't want to mess around with a computer just to see her pictures. OK, she's technologically challenged. How do I convince this woman that digital is the way to go? Or should I just get her the 35mm and keep quiet?

My mom is the same way.
There are a few new printers on the market that all you have to do to get prints is plug the camera or media into the printer and press print.
Show her this and see if it helps.
http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story.asp?StoryId=

http://www.costcentral.com/proddetail/Epson_Stylus_Photo_R320/C11C582001/E77559

Bruce:
I would try to convince her that "going digital" can be simple or complicated, depending upon your needs. Some people will while away hours in Photoshop, others will use Brady's suggestion above.

Past the technoloy, though, digital offers SO many advantages that, for good reason, you never see anyone go back to film. There is so much freedom in seeing your image right away; it allows you to get more creative when you feel confident in the results or tweak a shot a bit more. You'll shoot more when you're not considering any cost for film, processing and printing. Traveling is easier (unless we're talking an extended vacation that would require offloading chips). You can alternate daylight/indoor Tungsten/B&W one shot after another without having the "wrong" film in the camera. You can see if someone blinked, and take another...etc..etc...etc...

Really, it's the way to go (even for computer-phobic people if they use one of the printers as Brady mentioned).

my wife has the Canon Elan SLR, and wanted a smaller, more compact camera to have for everyday use. after doing some investigation, she decided that a digital was hands down, the best way to go. the initial cost is more, but you end up saving in film, prints, developing, etc...

i bought her the Canon A95 for christmas, and i swear, she never puts the dang thing down. she carries it more often that her cell phone. the versatility and ease of operation are second to none. the software and instructions for loading pics from the camera to the computer are very easy(even i can do it), and its extremely user friendly.. and like bray mentioned, now they have printer modules that you just set your camera on, and it prints automatically.

i know i am just basically reaffirming your stance on geting the digital, but maybe if you tell her of other peoples experience, she might be more willing to change her mind. my wife is very pleased with her digital, and i dont think she will EVER go back to a regular film camera. at least not for point and shoot models. in fact, she is already hinting she wants a digital SLR.... lord help me..

bigjohn

I agree with all of the above. Quick editing and instant feedback would be the main selling points for me. No more wasting a few rolls of film trying to capture "johnny" run around the backyard with the dog.

Bigjohn you need to convince your wife you need an ep500 first and foremost.

In reply to:

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Bigjohn you need to convince your wife you need an ep500 first and foremost

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that would be wonderful, but not gonna happen.

i have been trying to get the go ahead on a used SVS 20-39 PC+.. its like pulling teeth with her.. i have no idea why i ever agreed to a budget.. but, this is another thread..

back to the cameras!!!

bigjohn

Actually, my wife is cool on digital cameras, our problem is with me! I still prefer to use my old Nikon F2A I bought back in the 70s(which replaced the Nikon F Photomic T I bought in Japan in the 60s)for most stuff, and my cell phone for the rest!! What makes her mad is when I ask her to carry my camera in her purse when we go somewhere where I use only an old workhorse zoom lens. She wants me to get a new digital camera that isn't so heavy!!

Oh yeah, that's right, the original question:

My wife really prefers digital herself, and there are a number of ways to avoid the computer: There are always the new systems that use a dedicated docking port with built-in printer. And-like our printer/copier with built-in card reader that can take information directly from the cameras' memory card and produce prints outright-you don't even need the computer turned on! Then of course there are the TVs that have the card readers built-in as well!

Near endless posibilities, and more all the time!
Hey! I gotta get me one of those!!!
Rich.

I can synpathize with you and your Nikon. I was a Canon F-1 man for many years

buying a Canon T-90 just because I needed a motor drive for some action shooting.

Hell, I never owned an autofocus camera till very recently!

You should look into the Nikon D70:

Great reputation, and Nikon just dropped their price to compete with a new Canon that's out.

D70 is a nice camera. Its exactly the same as the Fuji S2 pro which you can find pretty cheap now that they came out with the S3 pro. I say cheap, it is still around $1000.00.

Yup, that F1 is the type of camera also listed as a blunt weapon used for taking pictures!

Auto-focus? oh yeah, that's right, heard of that; wonder if that "new" stuff really works?(Shucks, even my cell phone camera has auto-focus and aperature!)

Golly, but that Nikon D70 looks tiny though. Nope, not much room for film or mechanical complexity in there! Probably can't use it for whompin' wheel covers back on, but I imagine it takes good photos! And let's face it, you're right, it's probably a lot cheaper to "delete" the shots you don't want, than to develope 36 prints of Namu or Shamu that nobody really wanted in the first place, but just took them out of some form of false obligation, just cause you were there! Plus the ability to leave the filters at home, and bring the imagination!!

Now if I could only use my manual Nikkor lenses!

D70 huh? I AM going to look into it!!

I purchased an Olympus digital camera for my wife's birthday. She takes a few pictures with it, so it's about time to upload them to the computer. So, what do you think happens. Nothing, nada except that the software informs me that it can't find a connected Olympus product. A-A-R-R-G

If she's already got a 35mm SLR for quality, why not suggest something in "fits in the purse" size, like the Canon Elph series. They're APS, but smaller than an American hardpack of smokes, APS does mid-roll rewind, and some other toys. The neg quality suffers, of course, but for snapshots that you get that you wouldn't unless you lugged around a camera bag, it's not bad.

Bren R.

Bren,

My genius son snuck in the house in the middle of the night, transferred the pics to the personal confuser and selected one of them as a wallpaper for the shock value. I guess we'll have to have a one on one. Now we'll have to train grandma how to email a picture so Amie can include my hole in the wall of sound.