What's the Best Camera for my Dad?

[RobertETH]

What camera(s) would be a choice for my dad who loves to shoot digital photos? Dad will shoot several hundred pictures in a day and download the good ones for all to share. But first I need advice that will meet a few needs for him and I suspect many other photo shooters. As dad has gotten older, his hands are not as steady. That little shake in his hands blurs many an interesting picture. It is extreamly noticable shooting indoor flash pics. Second, he finds that the act of pressing the shutter button moves the camera and blurs the focus. My question then is what camera(s) have a higher shutter speed in flash mode to allow the capture of better quality photos when hand shaking is a problem and... a shutter button that is a soft press. Dad has many CFII and SD memory cards, but we could get other styles. Dollar wise, I'd like to stay under $500.00. Thanks!!!

[ratcheer]

Sounds like you need to find a camera with an "image stabilization" feature. I think the Canon Powershot S2 IS should work, nicely. And I believe it is about $500.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canons2is/

Tim

[northbeach]

I hadn't realized you could get stablization for around $500.

I think something to be considered is the size of the camera. If it's too small and light that might make it difficult for your Dad. Something like the camera mentioned here will have a little bit of heft to it.

Also, in addition to his hand held shooting do you think your Dad would use a tripod at times if you got one for him? Do let us know what you get and how he likes the camera.