grinerphoto

Thomas902:

You make some good points but could have done so without being judgmental and dismissive.

This forum is intended to share our thoughts in SUPPORT of others seeking and sharing advice. Your comments and viewpoints are certainly welcome here, but keep the snotty comments to yourself.

eeisman

When I was 11 years old, I was developing my own film and making contact prints. (I did not have an enlarger). SLRs had not been invented yet, but I'm sure I could have mastered one.

Johannes Mac Loc: Greater Cincinnati Area

I'm sure he'd be happy with one of the Canon bridge cameras once he got over the initial disappointment of not having exactly what he wants. I have a Canon SX50-HS just because it has a ridiculous long range (up to 1200mm ff equiv). It will shoot in Aperture Priority, Program, Shutter, Auto or full manual. Great little tool to learn on. I've had Nikon, Pentax, Olympus and am soon to get a Fuji but still love my Canon for wildlife and birds etc. Not so good for birds in flight but great to get close to wildlife otherwise. Shoots in jpeg or raw. The only difference between it and a DSLR and some of the Mirrorless is that it has a fixed lens. Of course you are limited to a maximum of f/8 and it's not ideal in low light circumstances.

Do what you feel is the best to do. The heck with all of everyone trying to shame you into something else. That's what the hell is wrong with this world; instant gratification. Let him develop his skills and work for what he really wants and he'll be thankful to you for it and become a better person as well!

Aside from that Sony's quality control and their customer service sucks. Instead of fixing problems with current models they come out with a new models making the previous models obsolete. There's that and the fact that there isn't a lot of Sony glass out there as opposed to other manufacturers.

RRS Loc: Not sure

Then I would tell the kid to work and save his money and buy what he wanted and this worthless old fart would have more money to do whatever I pleased. And what would you do if the kids research had made him decide that he wanted a digital Hasselblad?

I know you designed buildings and I don't have a clue but I taught photography. The college had set requirements to learn the fundamentals and that was with a 4x5, I know it was in the stone age. First was B&W and then on to color and by the way 35mm was also covered.

I don't know how much interest this young man has in photography or if it's a passing thing. His grand father knows him and he will have to decide what he's going to do. Too many people want today, right now, and aren't willing to wait or work for what they want.

RRS Loc: Not sure

Weddingguy Loc: British Columbia - Canada

Ed Commons

He want as Sony but a DSLR would cost less and probably easier to learn with. He probably doesn't want to listen to you. Take him to a Camera store, not a department store. Call ahead and tell the person about your grandson. When you get there, introduce your grandson to him and then let the expert work with your grandson and make recommendations to him. Your grandson will probably be more receptive to an unbiased 3rd party.

Speaking of third party. Are there 3rd party lenses for Sony? If not lenses could be expensive. Olympus comes to mind. Olympus lenses are expensive, because there is no real 3rd party competition

johnbee418 Loc: Manchester Conn.

Yeah...tell him to get a job first. When he saves up enough money, he can buy his camera. We grampas are not rich.

BlueMorel Loc: Southwest Michigan

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burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

I borrowed my first SLR at 13, made money selling prints to friends and my school's yearbook advisor, and bought my own SLR (Nikkormat FTn) at 14... Don't even suggest squashing a kids dream. My parents damned near squashed mine, but I spent 33 years in the photo industry anyway.

donald4u Loc: California

Canon t 3 or nikon 5100. check out amazon or ebay. Or what I did with my son years ago. I said you have good taste. This is our budget. He wanted to learn. Good luck. His was the nikon D 40. We went to air shows. Botanical gardens and sport events. He is on his own and is shopping. Boy they grow fast..

sirlensalot Loc: Arizona

There is nothing better to learn on than a MILC. It will do everything a DSLR will do plus having the benefit of an EVF and features like focus peaking and focus magnification. If he asking for a mirrorless, he is on the right track and shows he has done his homework. It appears it will be the future of photography, so why not start him out in the best direction? May I suggest a Sony a6000 with the 16-50 kit lens. New, refurbished, or used, they are reasonably priced. If budget can withstand the impact, the a6300 is not horribly priced either.

bikertut Loc: Kingsville, MO

Architect1776 has a great analogy with the firearms.

My question: Have you taken your grandson on a "photographic outing"?

You might take him out with a P&S and your easiest DSLR and let him take pictures with both. Take some of the same picture with both so he can see the comparison. Turn him loose with first one and then the other. Compare shots while you are out and also after you come home and can review them on a computer screen.

Oh, and be sure to go someplace interesting like a zoo.

After that both you and he should have a better idea what he would like and would use.

And to Architect1776: I too dislike shooting 44 Mag, but 44 Specials in a big Ruger are fun.

rcl101

Buy a used camera. I suggest a Fuji X-100. They work great and make a great image (I am a former owner of an X-100, an XE-3 and now the X-Pro2). There is a fixed lens on this camera so that he will have to zoom with his feet, although you can buy adapter lenses for moderate wide and tele use. Using this kind of camera will make him think about the shot a bit more since it is a very basic camera. Some users like them so much they change over to them completely. Then they sell off all their old cameras and lenses. This type of camera helps you to appreciate the experience of image creation in a more elemental, or more basic way. He will also learn that the basic machine will handle about 95% of all of his photo needs. Carrying all the accessories and extra lenses that he could have just adds unnecessary confusion to the new photographer and since it is more trouble to carry all that stuff around it is also likely that his interest will wane unless he has great success right away. I have been active in photography since the late 60's and today my equipment is very basic. I usually carry a body and a 18-55 zoom or a 14mm fixed lens. I usually leave the 55-200 at home. The simple solution is best. Here are a couple of photos taken with the X-100T. The X-100 series cameras only weigh around 15 oz with lens hood and neck strap attached and most people seem to think that it is and old film camera. I am often asked what kind of film have i got in there when I carry one around. People seem not to mind having their photo made with it either. I strongly suggest that you give this a try. If he loves it, you win. If he loses interest, take it back, you win again.

jccash Loc: Longwood, Florida

Very nice picture of the leopard.