Question by Angie Manone: What’s the best DSLR camera for someone visually impaired?
I have to take a Communication Photography class next semester and the department is all digital now so I’m required to use a DSLR camera. I have absolutely no experience with them. I also have a visual impairment, my vision is only 20/200. I also want to keep things on the lower end of the price scale, though I understand that these cameras are expensive.
Best answer:
Answer by broncothebear
Any camera that offers a live view feature where the shooter does not depend on the viewfinder. The entry level SLR’s for Canon certainly have them.
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
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Nikon D300 is awsome!
Hey,
Well I’d recommend you a Digital SLR that has Live View.
The cheap, good models with Live View are:
- Canon EOS XS
- Canon EOS XSi
- Nikon D5000
I have an article on my blog about ‘Which DSLR to buy’, what’s important, not, megapixels, brand, which models I recommend… You can read it here – http://the-digital-photographer.blogspot.com/2009/11/what-dslr-should-i-buy.html
I assume you wear some sort of corrective lens which is common. Most DSLRs have a dioptric adjustment built into the eye-piece to correct for variations in vision due to varying levels of impairment. On most DSLRS, there are dioptric adjustment lenses that fit over the eye-piece to provide additional correction beyond the built-in adjustments. I don’t currently shoot Nikon but, such dioptric adjustment lenses for Canon DSLRs are typically less than $20 each. You will probably need to ask your opthalmologist or optometrist what diopter adjustment would be required based on your visual acquity or lack thereof.
Live View is an option on models that offer it but, it takes away from the primary benefit of any SLR camera. That is, the ability to look through the lens used to capture the image with your own eye. Auto focus in live view is also typically much slower than it would be if you are able to look through the eye-piece. While I am a committed Canon and Nikon shooter, Sony’s implementation of Live View uses a secondary imaging sensor that allows the camera to continue using the faster phase detection systems that DSLRs have long used for auto focus. If you go the Live View route, this is something worth exploring.