Archive 2014 · Specific camera suggestion request

Anurag
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Specific camera suggestion request

A cross post from the Alternative Gear sub forum but I figured I would try here as well since the subject matter is relevant. Mods, forgive me if this is breaking the rules ~ feel free to delete either thread if found to be a violation of the rules. Thank you

I have a strange request of sorts for a camera to be used in a very particular set of conditions. Through my medical school, I am trying to follow along some pediatric patients (think oncology, PICU, general pediatrics etc) and their families and experiencing a day with them. The point of the project is to give young children some cameras (Fujifilm very kindly donated 20 single use film cameras to our club) and try to see the world from their perspective. I believe that even in the face of adversity, children have an uncanny ability to be optimistic where adults might perhaps give up hope. To my surprise, the person in charge of making all this happen at the hospital has said it would be ok for the kids to take pictures in the hospital itself! This was the original intent of the project but after being quoted HIPAA violations at 14 different institutions, I gave up the idea and suggested just giving the film cameras to kids to take home so they could take pictures of whatever they found interesting. We still plan on doing this. However, the kids being allowed to take pictures on hospital grounds comes with the stipulation that the camera they use be digital so that if anyone who doesn't sign a consent form accidentally gets photographed, the image can be deleted on the spot to keep everyone happy. As such, I wonder what camera would best serve this purpose. I personally own a D800 and a Nikon F5 neither of which are light enough to be handled with dexterity by someone admitted to a pediatric wing (I would guess). So is there a camera that fits the following requirements...

1. Light/small enough for a child to hold/operate without any issues.
2. Good enough image quality (the hospital wants to have some of these images printed reasonably large for a big event in March - maybe something like 11x17? I don't know what size for sure but I'll find out next Friday).
3. Ability to shoot in relatively poor lighting conditions. Hospitals are either lit with tube lights or have them turned off for the comfort of patients. Want to make sure that the camera has reasonably decent white balance (if shooting JPEG).
4. A wide lens or some measure of image stabilization. I myself don't have the most stable hands. I certainly wouldn't assume that anyone else does. So just in case...
5. Fast AF. Given my limited interaction with kids operating cameras, they don't seem to want to depress the shutter button half way for the focus to lock and then click to take the picture.
6. The camera is almost exclusively to be used inside the hospital so please disregard use outside. Better light will just be icing on top.
7. This is probably silly to mention but a neck strap, however flimsy, is kind of a must. We can't afford the camera accidentally being dropped. Most cameras probably come with one but just wanted to mention it in case they didn't. Although I don't know how much they cost on their own so if it is an inexpensive item, feel free to ignore this requirement.

The club's budget is ~$500 - I doubt #2 would be satisfied for anything less than that amount but please correct me if I am wrong. The budget can be stretched another $50 in a case where there is overwhelming support. From everything I have read so far, the Ricoh GR 'seems' to fit the bill especially with the snap AF mode (although I have only read about it - don't know how well it works in practice or how well it would work in this particular case). One of the variants of the RX100 family comes to mind as well but I have only ever used NEX bodies and don't know how well the RX100 would do in the conditions mentioned above. An x100 perhaps or would the AF be too slow?

Forgive the long post but I wanted to try to be as descriptive of the needs as possible.

Thanks,

Anurag.

Sep 05, 2014 at 05:36 PM

crteach
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Specific camera suggestion request

Don't know that this helps, but just to say that I got a grant for cameras in my high school science classroom. I ended up going with 6 Fuji FinePix P&S cameras and later got two more. The nice thing is that the lenses are all internally focusing, so I don't have to worry about a lens that extends out from the body and, therefore, could more easily be damaged. Also, they are "water, shock, freeze, and dust proof." That's pretty important for me in the classroom and outdoors when we are out at the pond or meadows on school grounds. I ended up getting some Op-tech straps with a QR buckle. I've had them now for 5 years and haven't had a single one break on me (knock on wood!).

Sep 05, 2014 at 08:24 PM

Jonathan Brady
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Specific camera suggestion request

I would start by thinking about features of the cameras. For instance, most kids are comfortable with using a touch screen and likely would be uncomfortable using an OVF. Also, high ISO is going to be VERY important for those dim rooms - when my daughter was in the hospital, the light inside her room was quite minimal at night and I took a picture of her sleeping (so, non-moving subject) at 1/30, f/1.4, and ISO1600. I would say you could expect to be at ISO6400 or higher sometimes with some of these shots (and that's if you managed to get 1/60 and f/2 in the same light I was in. Truthfully, with kids, you'd likely need an even higher shutter speed as they're going to be shaky and not as worried about steadying themselves. ISO12800 and 1/125 @ f/2 doesn't seem unreasonable. Now, to find a camera with halfway decent ISO12800 and an f/2 lens will be your challenge.

The EOS M with the 22mm f/2 (FF equivalent of 35mm focal length and f/3.2 aperture) has a touch screen where they can touch the screen to take a picture. It also goes to ISO12800. Performance at that ISO isn't exactly great, but it works. And if you converted to B&W it would hide the grain even more. Also, the JPG engine is pretty darn good so noise will be handled fairly well in-camera. They were recently on sale for $250 new via eBay.

I think a prime lens make sense as kids are often used to taking pictures with their parents cell phones which don't offer a zoom. And it's one less thing for them to worry about.

This may not be the best suggestion, but it's the only one I've got as I really only pay attention to Canon equipment.

Sep 06, 2014 at 12:57 PM

Anurag
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Specific camera suggestion request

crteach wrote:
Don't know that this helps, but just to say that I got a grant for cameras in my high school science classroom. I ended up going with 6 Fuji FinePix P&S cameras and later got two more. The nice thing is that the lenses are all internally focusing, so I don't have to worry about a lens that extends out from the body and, therefore, could more easily be damaged. Also, they are "water, shock, freeze, and dust proof." That's pretty important for me in the classroom and outdoors when we are out at the pond or meadows on school...Show more →

Thank you for the strap suggestion.
---------------------------------------------

Jonathan Brady wrote:
I would start by thinking about features of the cameras. For instance, most kids are comfortable with using a touch screen and likely would be uncomfortable using an OVF. Also, high ISO is going to be VERY important for those dim rooms - when my daughter was in the hospital, the light inside her room was quite minimal at night and I took a picture of her sleeping (so, non-moving subject) at 1/30, f/1.4, and ISO1600. I would say you could expect to be at ISO6400 or higher sometimes with some of these shots (and that's if you managed...Show more →

Jonathan, I will only be accompanying the family during visitation hours (I am thinking 8-5). I'd love to spend an actual full day to get a better appreciation for what the inpatient kids go through but I have a feeling that might be stretching things a bit too far. As such I don't think there will be any need for an ISO that high but even with a D800 I can't imagine getting anything useful at 12800. Do you really think a lesser body will give me any semblance of a decent shot at such a high ISO? I am not sure I will even be allowed to edit the images as there is even more paper work involved with that. But it is something I can discuss in private with the parents. One would hope they would understand that my intentions are good and that I am not going to abuse the privilege I have been given. The canon M and the nikon 1 series are the most recommended cameras so far. I'll look into them more seriously tomorrow.

Thanks to you both.

Sep 07, 2014 at 11:08 PM

Chris S.
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Specific camera suggestion request

Anurag,

I'd suggest taking a close look at second-hand specimens of the Panasonic Lumix LX5, which are selling on eBay for around $150. The lens is a 24-90mm equivalent gem made by Leica. I use my LX5 when I can't (or don't want to) tote my full-frame gear. Surprisingly, for such a tiny camera, I never feel as if I'm shooting with a toy--it feels like real gear, and produces images like real gear. It's just really small, and on the used market, it's gotten really cheap. I usually shoot mine in manual mode, but have lent it to my parents for their world travels, after having set it to "Intelligent Auto" mode and told them to point it and shoot. The quality of the images they bring back is amazing.

It does come with a neck strap (and, if I recall correctly, a wrist strap as well). Whether or not the straps are included in an eBay auction, of course, depends on the auction. Low-light performance should be good enough for most hospital situations. Nothing like my full-frame Nikons, of course, but good enough for my picky eye at ISO 200, and good enough form many jobs at ISO 400 or 800.

BTW, I really like the idea of what you're doing. A few years ago, I went on vacation with a couple of friends and their two young daughters. My friends gave their daughters a digital camera, and it was fascinating to see what the vacation experience looked like through their eyes. Very, very different from how I or the other adults perceived it. A chance to view hospital experiences, through a child-patient's eyes, is an extremely compelling idea.

Good luck!

--Chris

Sep 07, 2014 at 11:49 PM

Anurag
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Specific camera suggestion request

Thanks for the kind words Chris. In addition to seeing how the world looks from 3-4 feet tall, I think it's going be therapeutic for them. My advisor kindly offered his own lx5 after reading this suggestion. We are still going to try to get one donated or purchase one as I don't want to risk damaging his. Thanks for the suggestion.

Sep 10, 2014 at 08:06 AM


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