[Leica] WTB - Starter Camera for 12 yr old

[Jim at hemenway.com (Jim Hemenway)]

Wade:

I would recommend a Spotmatic.  They are now very inexpensive, $50-100, 
compared to just a few years ago. The excellent Takumar lenses are going 
for peanuts and the Spotmatics can still be repaired if necessary... as 
opposed to the ES models for which parts are hard to find.

The K1000 doesn't have a DOF preview button as does the Spotmatic, and I 
think that's something he would use if he's really interested in 
learning about photography.

There's one on ebay now for under $15... low enough to have it 
recalibrated for a silver oxide battery... cheap, cheap, cheap!

Jim


Wade Heninger wrote:

>>It seems to me that your friend should have a talk with the kid re a
>>digital camera.  I would think a 12-year-old would consign a non-digital
>>camera to the closet with the drums in pretty short time.
>>If they spent a grand on the drums, maybe they can raise the stakes a
>>bit.
>>Examples I might suggest are Canon G3, used; Panasonic (Leica zoom)
>>DMC-FZ10, used.
>>These are nice cameras and can be used in manual mode.  They are
>>expensive
>>enough that, even used, they should be in good condition.
>>
>>If I were 12 and getting a camera, I'd want one like my friends have, that
>>shows the picture right away.  In addition, the savings from film
>>processing and prints in a few months will pay for almost any camera
>>being
>>considered.
> 
> 
> The family has a digital camera or two lying around to use if he wants.
> 
> He is more interested in learning the basics, and that is so much easier to
> do with a manual SLR.
> 
> If he gets into it, he'll move up to something else.
> 
> The PS digitals have too much crap on them and most just shoot in automatic
> because it?s a pain to change anything with all those menus, screens and
> such.
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>