IMO, Sears CEO bankrupted the company by feeding off it for his hedge fund. I have never seen such poor management and treatment of employees.

i have a physical condition called "Essential Tremors." It is age, not Parkinson related. It causes shaking of the fingers and hands. Therefore I almost entirely use Shutter preferred mode or flash when taking photos [auto ISO] to eliminate camera shake. I typically shoot at 1/320 or faster. The results are satisfactory.
JC

Paid $649 last Feb. at Wolfe Camera, Topeka, KS.

I use a Nikon D7000. DX camera [crop frame] The majority of shots are done at 250 to 350 mm. Image of grandson shown was taken from the bleachers at about 300mm. Notice the water rolling off his face and back.

I use mine for competitive swim meets. I have taken shots both from the bleachers and from on the deck; Auto ISO, shutter preferred @ 1/400th, 8 fr/sec, autofocus. Depending upon the lighting or backlighting, I may override +.3 or +.7 overexposure. It is perfect in this environment. Maybe a little heavy, but, Oh Well.

Amazon has about 30 different converters [scanners] for converting slides and negatives to digital. I have had one for about 8 years and it does a good job. I assume the newer ones are even better. Prices range from $50 to $300. You can load 5 to 20 images or negatives is some of the converters. My old one loaded five at a time.

Last August, my wife and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary. About three years ago, our home was robbed of all easily found electronics, including TVs, stereos, cameras, digital HDs, and computer equipment. Therefore, the only early wedding images we had were from boxes of slides and negatives that had been stored for years in the basement. Converting those images opened up many delights, from seeing our child as a todler, to cars, motorcycles, and boats we have owned, pictures of flowers and landscapes, to old friends from Army days.

I recommend to all of you that you digitize those old images. Some of my old images were excellent photography. Others were just snapshots. All were enjoyed.
Sadly, some of the slides had grown fungus, or faded. I had waited too long for those. Some of the damaged images were salvaged to usable state in Photoshop. Don't wait like I did.

Jim Carter

Its range is almost perfect for competitive swimming events.

I agree that the new mom doesn't need a DLSR. It would be far too bulky and awkward for her to tote around with all the other "new mom" equipment. The cell phone camera may be a solution for her. If she wants a little more than that, I would suggest the Fugi XP130. It will easily fit in a pocket or purse [or diaper bag], it is waterproof and shockproof to about 65' and 6' [stuff happens - especially with a baby]. It has 5x optical and 10x digital zoom. I bought mine when we took a trip to South Dakota, where we did hiking, swimming in pools below waterfalls, and got "shook" by our dog after she swam in the creeks and pools. The underwater shots we took were fun. It has a simple menu [I use "sport" most of the time to ensure steady shots]. It got better night shots of the stage program and lighted Mount Rushmore than my Nikon DSLR got. There is a wide variation in price from Sams, to Walmart, to Best Buy, to Amazon. Even the camera color you choose [out of 5] can make $10 to $20 difference on Amazon. expect to pay between $150-$199.
Hope this helps.
JC

Don't throw it away. They are dangerous. Take it to a battery store for recycling.

It just wouldn't be the same taking the D&S behind a diesel.

Robin mom feeding young in nest under the eves of a neighbor's roof.
Nikon D7000, 1/400th, Tamron 18-400 @ 400mm+ 30% crop. Mid day.
JimC

The 18-400 has become the only lens in my bag with my D7000. I occasionally do close up work, but most of my photos are of competitive swimming, travel, and family shots where I need a variety of focal lengths. I am very pleased with the lens. The first pic I'm including was taken at about 350-400mm from mid bleachers at the pool with relatively poor lighting, at 1/400th. The second, was of my grandson's graduation. It was taken at near 400mm from mid bleachers, from the opposite end of the Wichita State University Koch basketball arena [full court length], also at 1/400th.
Jim C.

Apr 10, 2018 15:55:00 #
repleo (a regular here) Joined: Mar 19, 2016 Posts: 2107 Loc: Boston

"OOOOH!! Bad idea! Being father of the bride is a job in itself without the added responsibility of being a back up photographer. Trying to play host and lug around a bunch of gear will ruin the day for you, your daughter and the guests"

Agree completely. I took the pictures of both my sisters' and a niece's weddings. "Through a viewfinder" is no way to watch a family wedding. If you wanted to take a single camera and take some candids those would be appreciated.

JimC
"

I appreciate all of these great suggestions.
Jim

I am looking for an inexpensive, light, compact, waterproof camera for my grandson? It should have at least a 5x optical zoom. He is a competitive swimmer, loves to hike, will be going to the ocean, and will be visiting Yellowstone soon. Any suggestions? Any experience with cameras of this type. I would prefer to keep the cost below $150. Last year, Sams Club had some, but does not have this "seasonal" item any longer.
Jim