simple cheapish point and shoot very fast autofocus

[Norfolkandchance]

My mum (70) gets very frustrated that her "point-and-shoot" camera takes too long to focus meaning she misses the grand children doing something good. I'd like to buy her a cheap (sub £50) camera for just this purpose - snapping grand children inside and outside. She won't use any options or settings except maybe flash on or off and then only then if she tries it on auto and doesn't like the result!

Am I being to ambitious, given price?

Thanks

[rottie102]

Norfolkandchance said:

My mum (70) gets very frustrated that her "point-and-shoot" camera takes too long to focus meaning she misses the grand children doing something good. I'd like to buy her a cheap (sub £50) camera for just this purpose - snapping grand children inside and outside. She won't use any options or settings except maybe flash on or off and then only then if she tries it on auto and doesn't like the result!

Am I being to ambitious, given price?

Thanks

Yes

Hth

[Zoon]

Whatever you do, don't buy a Nikon 1.
Absolute garbage, the marketing spiel states it can focus before you press the button. Reality is it takes about 5 seconds, by which time your subject has disappeared or moved completely.

[Simpo Two]

POS cameras use a different focus system which is simply slower than the ones DSLRs use.

I have a Lumix XS3 for shirtpocket snaps. A bit more than £50 but fast to start up, very small and good for the price. And a focus assist light too.

This is the red one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-DMC-XS3EB-R-Comp...

[K12beano]

Simpo Two said:

...for shirtpocket snaps.

Pretty sure I've seen that gallery - all the shirt pockets were particularly in focus.

[Simpo Two]

That's beyond groan...

[K12beano]

So, OP.... There are no miracle cures, since all cameras are built down to a price point, which means compromises.

Bigger sensor with more light would be good for turning the ISO up and keeping the aperture down - thus making the focus point less critical......except that as you make the sensor bigger you are, guess what..... making the focus more critical!

Personally, if there was a choice go for a shorter focal length lens, or if a zoom lens one that's not too extreme. Then at least you haven't got the camera making long, slow (relatively) focus and focal length adjustments for half a minute.

[rottie102]

There is a big chance that her phone will be better at taking those snaps than <£50 camera anyway, Maybe try to recommend that?

[LongQ]

Back in the early days of small digital cameras there were a few with non-zoom fixed focus lenses.

Something like that should be somewhat quicker to be ready if you can find such a thing these days.

Image quality could be quite good bit of course that was down to the simple lens set up.

Not unlike the Box Brownie of old that found favour with many people at the time.