Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/08/03

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Recommended wanted: 1st camera for 10 year old
From: Adam Bridge <abridge@mac.com>
Date: Fri, 3 Aug 2001 16:40:13 -0700

Well, this will probably be an unpopular choice but I'd suggest a digital camera with as much
control as you can afford. Failing that something like a Pentax Supra which you can get used for a
couple hundred dollars would be good.

The digital has cheapness of ownership going for it. You learn to see and compose. Mistakes are
cheap - you just dump the images you hate. With someone to help him learn to see and compose he'll
be over the first big hurdle. And he'll have prints to share with friends on the net. That's
definately cool.

I don't know what's available in the digital line at the low end that isn't fully automatic. I guess
it goes with your price range.

I think the ME Super has lots to say for it - you can learn in automatic but it has a fully manual
mode for when he has learned that there are images he'd have LIKED to make but couldn't with the
limitations of the fully automatic camera.

I taught my kids to drive, the basics in our Windstar. But when it came time to teach them to pass
and to drive on the freeway we shifted to the BMW because it was so much more stable and would do
what they asked it to: changing lanes didn't rock the car so they felt secure. (I felt secure).

With a good tutor your R8 could open a whole new world for him -- and this gives you an opportunity
to interact with your 10 year old nephew in a very different way. It's a great opportunity.

But first, help him learn to see. If he has that gift then the world will open up to him and he'll
never be the same again: trips, the movies, magazines will have wonderful things to offer him that
are lost on many.

Enjoy!

Adam Bridge

On 8/3/01 at 4:41 PM, schroter@optonline.net (Andrew Schroter) thoughtfully wrote:

> My nephew recently celebrated his tenth birthday and seemed interested in
> taking picturres using my R8. Does anyone have a suggestion regarding a
> camera that might be a good 1st camera for him?  Are there any good
> introductory books for a person that age?
>