hello,

i want to get the wife a 35mm camera - point and shoot type effort. She has a minolta thing but it appears to be bust. Anyone have any recomedations, or know of websites where i can read reviews?

budget is about £200

tia.

:)

Hi PC, for a couple of hundred quid you could get a budget SLR or a half decent second hand model...would get her started in the "real" world of photography and she'd get better quality results than with a compact. Worth thinking about?

STi - i've already got a contax slr - she won't use it. i've also got a digi camera which she doesn't like either. what can a man do?

:confused:

no question,a s/h GR1

Argh - I see the problem! :) Reckon you can't go wrong with whatever you choose in the point and shoot department if you stick with the bigger names (Nikon and Canon, maybe Olympus). Not really my market tho' (SLR person meself) and I reckon the other camera buffs will be along shortly to offer their opinions.

<budget increase>
You could surprise her (and yourself) with a nice little Leica - she'll love you for it!
</budget increase>

just had a look at the GR1 - nice :cool:

almost as cool as a little leica. where can i get one from?

this is quite nice, too:
http://www.harrisoncameras.co.uk/shop/prodi/alison7.jpg

even more over budget, though.

Charlie, make sure you go for an A/F as opposed to a fixed focus pile of pants.

Dont forget about Friday!!!

Happy snapping.

BB:)

bb - maybe 'i'll buy her a brownie instamatic and save my money for beer.

see ya on the lash.

:)

dba - is the GR1 no longer made? ca't find any mention of it on the ricoh website.

I used to use a Yashica T4 35mm compact camera - fixed focus lens, but a Carl Zeiss Tessar T* lens, so pin sharp. Great wee camera and gives superb pictures. Think it may have been superceded by the T5.

If you only want a fixed foxus lens, this is a great choice.

[edited to add that my google searches have now shown this great camera to have been discontinued.....shame really, but I guess in this new digital age, manufacturers are going to have less of a market for decent quality 35mm point & shoots.

You can see reviews comparing it to the Contax & Ricoh P&S's here :

http://www.photo.net/equipment/point-and-shoot/intro#sensible
]

Proper Charlie
I think they have moved onto newer models (not that close to it anymore) but your best bet is to go to Jassops website.You can source a product from anywhere in the country and they will move it to a branch near you.
or try here

https://secure.ffordes.com/index.htm

clcik on used equip then compacts

Ffordes are very reputable,and you cant go wrong with a T2 or GR1 at those prices.The Contax compacts are awesome, (i have one) but i still think a Gr1 is the best bet for the missus

thanks dba and imlach.

i have found a GR1 on ebay and put a bit on - see what happens. if i don't win it i'll take a look at jessops or ffordes.

:)

had to go out and was outbid (by £2 :rolleyes: )when the auction ended for the GR1 - however, found one at harrisons cameras and have ordered that - it's the GR1S as well.

anyway - another problem sovled by SN - and all before dinner time.

:)

its a lovely camera,for the money,s/h,you just can't go wrong with it

For £200 isn't she better off with a digital camera? You can send the better photos off to an online photo processing place (or take them to Boots) and you get real photos like you do with a 35mm. The difference is that of course (a) you have a preview through the LCD and (b) you can ditch the ones that are crap at no cost.

Once you discover the wonders of "no cost" shooting, you'll find that you take 10 times as many photos so the ones you print are always good.

There are plenty of sub £200 Canons, Nikons and Pentaxes on www.internetcamerasdirect.co.uk that look pretty good.

carl - i agree entirely but please see post no. 3 in this thread:

i've already got a contax slr - she won't use it. i've also got a digi camera which she doesn't like either. what can a man do?
:confused:

sometimes you just have to give in to these irrational female whims - as i'm sure you know.

:)

What sort of digital camera do you have? I have a Minolta Dimage 7i which wifey refuses to use, but I would have thought one of the compact "point 'n' click" jobs would have been OK?

TBH I usually use the Minolta in fully auto mode... :rolleyes:

well that is prolly half the problem - it's an olympus E20, and therefore doesn't fit into her handbag.

if only i hadn't left my little olympus C3030 on the 23:49 to Kings Cross :rolleyes:

Probably too late now, but the Canon Ixus range are handbag friendly, so I'm told I hasten to add. :)

Cheers

Ian

i have the Ixus II,its a superb little thing,much better than the Fuji i had,and it fits in my handbag