Looking for camera to lure girlfriend into photography

[Gavjenks]

Classy, gary.

Nikon 1 J1 looks like it would work! Or SL1 is smarter (better controls, my lenses, bigger sensor, quicker) if she has the carrying capacity for it after all (will discuss). One of those two will fit the bill I'm sure.

 

[NedM]

Counter point: Why?

Here is the list of things I have bought for my wife to try to get her into the same hobby I enjoy:
1 Snowboard, boots, bindings, jacket, pants, gloves, goggles.
1 Guitar (electric)
1 Guitar Amp
1 Fishing pole with tackle
1 Mountain Bike

Guess how many of those things she uses? Not a single one. Save you're money, buy her a pretty shiny thing or take her out on a nice date.

And you married this woman?

 

[Gavjenks]

Seriously, what's up with all the relationship shared hobby pessimism?
I myself got into photography precisely that way: an ex girlfriend many years ago sharing her DSLR and being motivated to share hobbies.

 

[robbins.photo]

She has a pretty good eye, but only has a cell phone camera with horribly small sensor, and a penchant for using instagram as a crutch.

So I'm looking for a "real" camera with exposure controls and a bigger sensor (and sneakily cutting her off from convenient instagram access), that is pocket sized so she will actually bring it with her. She isn't too fond of the idea of film (was my first attempt). Budget is maybe $250, used is fine by me. Even if I might be willing to spend more, she'd be annoyed with me for not spending it on other more "practical" things if I go much above that.

So:
* Any brand, anything at all (fixed lens is fine, whatever, "outdated" whatever, 8-10MP only? Whatever), subject only to the below constraints
* Ideally pocket sized if not then purse sized is okay.
* Significantly larger sensor than a cell phone (Nikon CX or M4/3 or larger ideally)
* Able to reasonably directly control exposure aperture, ISO, shutter
* =< $250 (used)

I would have thought there'd be a ton of stuff fitting these criteria, but I'm actually having some trouble.

Canon powershot SX-40 should fit the bill nicely, you might be able to get into something like the SX50 used for that price but you'd have to wait for the right deal to come along I think - haven't priced them in a while so worth a look. Not pocket sized but certainly purse sized.

 

[runnah]

Seriously, what's up with all the relationship shared hobby pessimism?
I myself got into photography precisely that way: an ex girlfriend many years ago sharing her DSLR and being motivated to share hobbies.

Not pessimism, pragmatism.

 

[Gavjenks]

Wow, assuming that's not also too big, Sx 40 looks pretty epic for <200 used.
Don't as much mind the smaller sensor in exchange for having, like every single bell and whistle to learn on.

 

[Gavjenks]

Not pessimism, pragmatism.

Okay, you want to be pragmatic. Let's be creepy and pragmatic! What would the dollar value equivalent to me be if this project is successful?

* More fun together when we are out doing almost anything, by sharing another dimension of activity that applies any time. Especially since we already enjoy hiking and road trips and things that go well with photography.
* More time together if anytime I would have gone off on a photography excursion by myself previously, she wants to come along too.
* More shared excitement and things to talk about.
* Better relationship outlook when you share more things in general
Including selfish benefits too:
* Better photographic opportunities for me. If we are both slowing down to compose photos of things we pass, then I'm less pressured to be quick about it.
* Gaining car transportation to sites for photography. Which she might do for me already but I don't want her standing around bored.

If I could just pay for all that to be true 100% for sure right now? Maybe worth $3000 to me.

Thus, for $185, it's a pragmatic investment if there's even a 5% chance of it working, which I believe there absolutely is (much more than that)

 

[JacaRanda]

Counter point: Why?

Here is the list of things I have bought for my wife to try to get her into the same hobby I enjoy:
1 Snowboard, boots, bindings, jacket, pants, gloves, goggles.
1 Guitar (electric)
1 Guitar Amp
1 Fishing pole with tackle
1 Mountain Bike

Guess how many of those things she uses? Not a single one. Save you're money, buy her a pretty shiny thing or take her out on a nice date.

Runnah for Prez after whatever date I gave Lenore the last time.

 

[bribrius]

why even buy her any? im sure you have more than one camera. Bring her shooting with you. And if she picks it up then she can buy her own. Much better off bringing her with you anyway because im sure she wants to spend time with you, it will be much easier to expose her to photography that way than getting her a camera and hoping she is using it.

 

[SquarePeg39 1]

I have a small Sony HX30V that I use when I don't want to carry a camera bag. It fits in my purse, has 18 mp, a 20x zoom, image stabilization, hd video, wifi and has M or P modes to adjust exposure. There are a dozen auto/scene settings that I don't use but a few I like such as panorama and bracketing. Another plus is the histogram display.

The biggest con is menu diving to change settings. Other inconveniences - the manual is also in the menu so no hard copy to look at and it's annoying that there is no view finder but if your gf is used to using a phone then that may be a plus for her.

 

[runnah]

Okay, you want to be pragmatic. Let's be creepy and pragmatic! What would the dollar value equivalent to me be if this project is successful? * More fun together when we are out doing almost anything, by sharing another dimension of activity that applies any time. Especially since we already enjoy hiking and road trips and things that go well with photography. * More time together if anytime I would have gone off on a photography excursion by myself previously, she wants to come along too. * More shared excitement and things to talk about. * Better relationship outlook when you share more things in general Including selfish benefits too: * Better photographic opportunities for me. If we are both slowing down to compose photos of things we pass, then I'm less pressured to be quick about it. * Gaining car transportation to sites for photography. Which she might do for me already but I don't want her standing around bored. If I could just pay for all that to be true 100% for sure right now? Maybe worth $3000 to me. Thus, for $185, it's a pragmatic investment if there's even a 5% chance of it working, which I believe there absolutely is (much more than that)

All I can say that trying to force your passion in a hobby onto your mate is a recipe for turmoil. It would be one thing if she was coming to you wanting to expand her interest and it's another thing to presume her interest level.

I am just trying to save you headache and $300.

 

[JacaRanda]

Seriously, what's up with all the relationship shared hobby pessimism?
I myself got into photography precisely that way: an ex girlfriend many years ago sharing her DSLR and being motivated to share hobbies.

Keyword search came up with ex & girlfriend. :Joker:

 

[JerryLove]

My girl *likes* DSLRs. She likes small ones for her hands, but she got into them in a way that smaller cameras never interested her.

I don't know what will interest your GF. Perhaps if I took her out on a few dates to get to know her better I could make a suggestion. When is she free?

 

[gsgary]

Classy, gary.

Nikon 1 J1 looks like it would work! Or SL1 is smarter (better controls, my lenses, bigger sensor, quicker) if she has the carrying capacity for it after all (will discuss). One of those two will fit the bill I'm sure.

The last thing i want is her coming out and spoiling my shoot

 

[bribrius]

if it were me, in all honesty. I would worry more about if she could cook a good dinner or please in other ways than if she like photography. :mrgreen: