Adaptive Camera

Hi Folks!

I am a teacher in a High school visual design program and I currently have a student who, due to the medication he is on, has a really serious palsy and his hand shakes uncontrollably. He also has some anatomical issues with his hands that make manual dexterity a problem. The thing is, he has discovered that he LOVES photography and it is fabulous that we have found something that has turned him on so much.

I have him put his camera on a tripod and that helps, but the tripod itself poses problems just schlepping it around. Does anyone know of a camera body that can be adapted to this sort of situation? Any ideas out there?

Thanks!

-Marcia

I think a tripod with a remote shutter release will be the best solution. It's what most serious photogrphers use anyway. Also, he may be able to get by with a momopod??? If in a wheelchair, it's quite easy to do a chair mount.

I'm sure that there are motion control devices, but they would be heavy and very, very expensive.

Good luck and it's great that you are helping out.

TF

Thanks, TF! Now I feel like I'm on the right track. I have a tripod for him (he isn't in a wheel chair) but I didn't think of the remote shutter release. That is brilliant! It may exactly do the trick.

-Marcia

Check the responses in the Viewfinder forum (the Nikon was moved to Viewfinder). I think you will find lots of knowledge here. - TF

I agree ... the first thing (and cheapest solution) that came to mind was a remote release. There are also "wireless" remotes, which can eliminate the "tether" issues (which can lead to occasional tipping accidents).

With some of the advanced DSLRs (α700, α850, & α900) ... you can remotely operate the cameras from a PC through a USB cable. That may be worth a look, too.

The wireless remote does not offer access to shutter, aperture, or any other metering changes though, whereas a computer does offer this. I would also very specifically look for a camera that has two control dials for aperture/shutter adjustment. Otherwise changing one or the other becomes a cumbersome chore, it is much easier with two dials. This isn't usually included on entry level models. the higher end models also tend to have more control immediately accessible in the cameras control panel, whereas entry levels tend to bury much of the function within the menu - requiring more menu hunting which sounds like a bad idea for your student. In Sony/Minolta mount, the Minolta Maxum 7D and Sony A700 offer most of the important variables within the tactile control panel. The 7D being only some ~$400, and the A700 now being ~$900. If money is not an object, the A850 or A900 are at $2K and $3K. All of them also include in-body stabilization. Canon's rotating control dial can be really useful too, which is on everything outside of their Rebels.

Live view may also be a useful feature, perhaps moreso. If so, finding one that does all of what I stated plus live view will be tough, I believe only Canons 40D/50D is capable of containing all of those features.

Hello,

This setup may be way more than your student needs, but browsing through the Flickr DIY group may spark lots of ideas. I have seen a few things that I want to try.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/diyphot...7621980580931/

I think it is wonderful that you are so interested in helping. Good luck.

Phil