Im looking for a retirement present for my father in law whos had to retire from work due to being diagnosed with early parkinsons. Does anyone have any advice about what to buy and where I could get one from ?
Hopefully he will get some enjoyment out of it for a few years and will get him a tripod to help with stability of the camera etc.
Dont have a huge budget, maybe 200 250

mpbphotographic often have some right bargains, and actually check the cameras work before selling them.

Buy him a remote shutter release as well, that way he doesn’t have to hold the camera to take a photo.

Also look at London Camera Exchange…

Gray’s of Westminster for s/h Nikon.
It’ll be indistinguishable from new.
Not the cheapest but a great shop.

Pennine in Rochdale are equally as good IME, often cheaper.

Have a look at TalkPhotography.co.uk It’s the STW of the camera world. Look at their for sale section in the classified reviews and you’ll often find a well looked after camera at a price below that of eBay or MPB.

Canon 40D is a bargain second hand if no video needed. Add a 50mm f1.8 and it’s cracking.

I’m not as familiar with the Nikon side, but a D70 was the one I was comparing with the 40D and I would think it would be reasonably priced s/h too.

Sony bodies are nice and cheap for the quality, but you’d have to make sure you can get a decent lens for a good price – again, I’m not as familiar.

+1 for MPB. Bought a lot from them. Good service and comes with a warranty.

The photo processing side of things is equally important.
Does he have a computer?
Lightroom is a fantastic piece of software if so – completely transformed by workflow and left me far less stressed after coming home with 100 new photos to go through!

So pretty much all of the mainstream retailers with a significant online presnce will have a great selection of trust worthy second hand cameras, ranging from the most basic PAS digital to medium format film. This includes Ffordes.com, Wexphotographic.com, Parkcameras.co.uk, mbp.com, calphoto.com and many others. You can buy from these retaileres with complete confidence.

I can’t really recommend a second hand camera and lens at this price point; I would however encourage you to stretch your budget just a little more if possible. £400 will get you a lot more than twice the performance I think than £200 as the £400 price point would mean you could get something like the Fuji XE2 or Sony NEX6 with lens second hand. Compared to something like a Nikon D200, D70 or Canon 40D etc, the Fuji and Sony mirrorless will have better low ISO performance and DR. They won’t focus as fast as their DSLR equivalents but I suspect that speed of focus won’t be an issue if your father is going to end up shooting more with a tripod.

That would buy a Nikon D90. Ffordes or Greys would be fine to buy from

Get an image stabilised lens like the 18-105 VR

Or if the budget is more limited the 18-55 VR

VR is Nikon for stabilised

I’d say a D70 wasn’t ideal. It has a vary small screen and limited focus points. Things have moved on

£179 from Ffordes

Less good camera. Less good view finder and less controls. But it will still be great of you see what I mean £129

£79

Greys have a 18-105 for £139

You’ll find all this for less on ebay. I would use ebay but vet the sellers very carefully

I’ve got a Pentax K100D that I’m looking to sell on. It has been extremely well looked after and would be a lovely first DSLR. I’d be looking for a price well within your budget. Email in profile if you’re interested.

This has given me some ideas for my other halves birthday. Cheers.

Spacey ygm. Thanks for the advice everyone. I am a bit clueless when it comes to cameras. Ill have a look on those websites you’ve recommended thanks

“I can’t really recommend a second hand camera and lens at this price point; I would however encourage you to stretch your budget just a little more if possible. £400 will get you a lot more than twice the performance I think than £200 as the £400 price point would mean you could get something like the Fuji XE2 or Sony NEX6 with lens second hand. Compared to something like a Nikon D200, D70 or Canon 40D etc, the Fuji and Sony mirrorless will have better low ISO performance and DR. They won’t focus as fast as their DSLR equivalents but I suspect that speed of focus won’t be an issue if your father is going to end up shooting more with a tripod.”

But the OP has a budget of £200-250. So pointless recommending something for twice that amount. 🙄

For the particular needs the OP states, a DSLR would be a much better option, as a larger camera will be easier to grip and hold. Small cameras with small fiddly controls won’t be very good for someone suffering from a degenerative physical condition like Parkinsons. A DSLR will probably be a little more robust as well. And many can accept an add-on grip which would offer a more comfortable hold when shooting in portrait format.

A DSLR will also offer far more scope in terms of other lenses, flash equipment etc. And even an older DSLR will probably offer better performance overall than a more recent mirrorless camera (if we’re talking about smaller sensor 4/3rds cameras). Ampthill’s examples are excellent options.

I’m wondering whether a dSLR is the best choice here. Has he expressed an interest in learning photography as a hobby, or does he just want to “take better pictures”?

I don’t how bad his Parkinson’s is, but is he going to cope with changing lenses around and suchlike? It’s not vastly complicated but does require a degree of dexterity. (And if you’re not changing lenses, why get a dSLR?)

Unless he’s going to take it up as a retirement hobby, maybe a larger compact would be a better choice (especially given your price point)? http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-used-panasonic-lumix-dmc-tz70-digital-camera-black/p1598220 perhaps.

But the OP has a budget of £200-250. So pointless recommending something for twice that amount

Hence the word ‘encourage’ rather than ‘recommend’.

And even an older DSLR will probably offer better performance overall than a more recent mirrorless camera

That’s not my experience. The ‘performance’ advantages they offer is that they focus quicker typically speaking and, at the pro level, they are more robust (weather and dust sealing, generally build quality etc).

But Sony’s sensor technology easily out performs on DR and ISO even at the pro level and Fuji’s processing (they use Sony sensors) is sublime in the way it renders colour. I’m not personally a fan of the four thirds systems but they are similarly capable. That said I imagine most people wouldn’t really care about these things anyway.

The biggest advantage of the mirrorless approach is that you can see the picture you’re going to take before you take it. You don’t see that with a DSLR. This is such a benefit that Canon has apparently patented a design that combines a live view facility (via an EVF), with a traditional mirror/pentaprism arrangement that still allows for a dedicated Phase Detection AF module (rather than the on-chip designs you have in a mirrorless camera).

A larger camera may well be more suitable for someone with Parkinson’s, I honestly wouldn’t know.

budget £200-250

You can pretty much get brand new entry level DSLR’s for that.

I bought a Pentax KS1 before Christmas for £239.

Similar priced Canon’s and Nikon’s are available.

“I’m wondering whether a dSLR is the best choice here. Has he expressed an interest in learning photography as a hobby, or does he just want to “take better pictures”?”

DSLRs generally offer better control over camera functions, have better, brighter viewfinders (many compact cameras don’t even have viewfinders these days), and will offer proper manual focusing. So significantly better for learning photographic techniques.

“Hence the word ‘encourage’ rather than ‘recommend’.”

But still pointless.

The thing to always remember with s/h DSLRs though is that the body is only 1/3rd of the total cost. Unless you’re happy with 50mm as being your only focal length.

Cougar is right to question the motives – SLRs aren’t for everyone and certainly don’t produce ‘better photos’ without knowledge/effort.

But still pointless.

I guess that depends on how open minded you are.

Feel free to post any links to bargains (be that £200 or £400) 😉

My father in law has very early onset Parkinsons so at the moment is really really good. I cant even notice any issues with him. He had to retire from his job as he worked near train lines so the company viewed is as a safety issue.
At the moment hes been told to do models etc and keep active by the doctors. I thought a camera would encourage him to get out and moving.
Appreciate geetees advice but i cant really stretch to a 400 budget so was looking for something a bit cheaper.
Hes always had an interest in photography and used to develop all his own film.
Currently has a small compact camera but i thought a dslr might be a nice gift as he has more options with it.

Pentax is actually a good shout. Pentax K-series DSLRS can use any K-mount lens, and there are literally thousands of different lenses made that will fit. Older manual focus lenses can of course only be focussed manually, and you need to set the aperture on the lens, but there are some fantastic lenses available, and usually very cheap. Plus there’s all manner of close-up/scientific equipment that can be had for not much money, so a K-series DSLR opens up a huge world of photographic possibilities.

But Sony’s sensor technology easily out performs on DR and ISO even at the pro level and Fuji’s processing (they use Sony sensors) is sublime in the way it renders colour. I’m not personally a fan of the four thirds systems but they are similarly capable. That said I imagine most people wouldn’t really care about these things anyway.

A Nikon D90 has Sony Exmoor sensor. The newer sensors offer a fraction of stop better low light and the move to base iso of 100 has increased dynamic range. But I’d argue that the D90 has a sensor good enough for most applications including large dynamic range scenes

DSLRs use the same senors as Mirrorless. Surely the benefit of going mirrorless is size not sensors? But as far as I can see even used mirror simply costs more. Used NEX 18-55 costs £90 from ffordes. The only body they have that is a bargain is a NEX 3. Basically they want £20 but that is about what a NEX 3 is worth. Terrible user interface and glacial focusing

I notice WEX want £164 for a D90. They have several. They’ll also do the 18-55 for £68. That’s £232. If all goes well a 55-200 can be added for £89 in the future

PS I’m sure similar deals could be found for Pentax and Canon gear. I just don’t have the knowledge to pick out the correct bodies and lenses

” That said I imagine most people wouldn’t really care about these things anyway.”

You’d be right. A lot of it’s marketing guff anyway. Although the high-end Sony stuff looks very, very interesting.

“The biggest advantage of the mirrorless approach is that you can see the picture you’re going to take before you take it. You don’t see that with a DSLR. “

Sorry, what? 😕

Watching with interest. Been thinking about a s/h DSLR to place old school Canon 300EOS, the USM lenses (15 years old ?) will still work yes ?

OP I think this sounds good idea, camera on a tripod and remote release, get it all set up/lined up and go. Landscapes etc or put camera on multi-shot mode so as not to require absolute timing with shutter release. Chapeau I think it’s a great idea.

Sorry, what?

I mean that while you see the ‘scene’ with a DSLR, you don’t see the actual photograph itself, so you can’t view things like exposure values, depth of field, white balance etc before you take the picture. The live view feature of mirrorless is along with their size, the compelling reason to use them. With live view, you’re not constantly ‘chimping’.

Although the high-end Sony stuff looks very, very interesting.

They are indeed and they are about to launch an even bigger shift in camera technology with a rumoured 70-80MP pro level body. Still not clear whether that will be ‘medium format’ full frame (which would require a whole set of new lenses) or 35mm FF but it’s will be a massive step. As ever, it’s the benefits for DR and ISO performance that will make this development most interesting. No one printing smaller than A3+ ‘needs’ 24MP if we’re honest let alone 42mp or higher. Still the IQ of the Sony A7rII is just wonderful.

DSLRs use the same senors as Mirrorless

Yes they do, apologies I had a feeling that would not come over as I meant it. So yes:

Surely the benefit of going mirrorless is size not sensors?

…I would agree. My argument here was clumsy and it’s more about the manufacturer rather than the design (which has nothing to do with sensor performance).

Also can I just apologise to the OP – I know I’ve been largely responsible for derailing the thread. I didn’t mean to, I’m just having a slow day.

“I mean that while you see the ‘scene’ with a DSLR, you don’t see the actual photograph itself, so you can’t view things like exposure values, depth of field, white balance etc before you take the picture”

I’m still not with you.

I’m still not with you.

What is it that you’re not understanding or are you just being obtuse in order to start an argument?

I think he’s trying to say with a DSLR you see ‘scene’ as you would with your naked eye.

With mirrorless, you see the scene as the camera/lens processes it i.e. blurry backgrounds with larger aperture values, over-exposed or under-exposed areas etc.

I thought I’d explained that but I guess I didn’t too good a job. Apologies for any genuine confusion.

The live view feature is really interesting; I think it’s far more valauble than the reduction in size. The new Leica SL is a behemoth if you use it with their native SL lenses so it doesn’t offer a size benefit but Leica still went ahead with it as a mirrorless design.

“What is it that you’re not understanding or are you just being obtuse in order to start an argument?”

Not at all. I just don’t think you’re explaining things very well.

With mirrorless, you see the scene as the camera/lens processes it i.e. blurry backgrounds with larger aperture values, over-exposed or under-exposed areas etc.

Right I see. I have a depth of field preview on my camera, and use the viewfinder to compose and shoot. I understand those mirrorless features, but have never felt the need for them. Just a different way of doing things I suppose.

I just don’t think you’re explaining things very well.

So it would seem! (Not meant as sarcasm :D)

There is one other significant benefit of live view, which is that it’s much easier to focus manually with it. You can use both focus peaking and magnified view together to make manual focus very easy to achieve. I realise that most people on this forum won’t use manual focus only lenses but lots of people do.

I’ve had some 2nd hand bargains from Mifsuds over the years.

There’s a Canon EOS 400D on there for £99. I sold many pictures with that camera and the kit lens. I can recommend it.

My friend has a Canon 600d with the kit 18-55 and a Tamron 28-300 only 1275 shots, with boxes for £250

I have used ffordes and was impressed.

About 3 or 4 years ago I bought a used DSLR and chose Sony as they were cheaper than the equivalent Canon or Nikon.

My dad is a keen photographer and has a Canon G12 which he loves. He does not want a dslr…