First notice that the bracket bar covers the entire bottom of the camera. This is a problem because you have to have access to the camera bottom in order to charge the battery, insert a new battery, change memory chips, or transfer pictures into another device such as a computer. Every time you want to do one of these operations you have to disassemble the system in order to gain access.

An alternate possibility is to use a more expensive camera which doesn’t have this problem but all the basic cameras I looked at had this failing. Grandma Oddball has a somewhat more expensive camera which can be used with this system (a Canon SX10IS) which from a brief test doesn’t have this failing along with some other advantages which I’ll comment on later but the basic problem is that use of this more expensive camera almost triples the cost of the system! For those of us on a fixed income this is not an option.

Note, if you decide to use a more expensive camera then mounting the bracket can be tricky. The shutter release button on these cameras are at an angle with respect to the bracket so you have to mount the bracket such that cable release strikes the button on the high side.

UPDATE: SRB-Griturn has just updated their web site to include additional brackets for various cameras. You can see the variety of brackets here including a bracket for compact cameras with an angled shutter release button.

Finally, if you have money to burn you can buy an even more expensive camera that uses an electric shutter release cable and you may then dispense with using the bracket.

A personal note: If you can afford it and can hangle the weight I’d recommend buying a more expensive camera as long as it solves this problem and mitigates the other bugs listed below. Grandma’s Canon SX10IS works well except for the zoom control as noted. If you go this route you will probably want to use the bracket for angled shutter release buttons.

Another problem I encountered with using a compact camera was that the tripod socket was not centered but was located at near the camera side. This made the point and shoot operation somewhat awkward for me but the system was usable. The more expensive Canon didn’t have this problem.

For those of us who are disabled and weak weight is an issue. The new compact digital cameras are ideal in this respect. Grandma’s Canon is just about the most weight I can handle.

One failing which became glaringly apparent is that the new compact digital cameras don’t have a view finder. In sunlight the LCD screens on these cameras are just about impossible to view. I couldn’t see what I was photographing in the sunlight and basically had to guess at what was being photographed. When you have the use of two hands you can use one to try and shade the LCD screen so you can somewhat see what you’re photographing but this is a problem even for the abled body. The more expensive cameras like Grandma’s Canon have a viewfinder so it is usable in sunlight. The compact cameras work fine indoors.

The compact cameras don’t have a neck strap like Grandma’s Canon. This turns out to be an important consideration for people like me who use a wheelchair. I ran into several problems trying to carry the camera from one place to the next. Putting the system on my lap was not effective because it would fall off. I pushed the handle into my seat belt to hold the system but since you cannot over tighten the screws the system would often become misaligned from movement and the pressure.

And then there was the use of rest rooms. Another important consideration for those of us using wheelchairs. Where do you put the camera system so that doesn’t fall and get damaged while using the rest room? A neck strap helps with these considerations but the compact cameras only have wimpy hand straps which are ineffective. I suppose if you had an attendant to help then perhaps the lack of a neck strap wouldn’t be as important as it is for me.

One problem with using my system is using the camera zoom. On both my compact camera and on Grandma’s Canon the zoom control is located around the shutter release button. In order to use the zoom I have to place the camera on my seat and guess at the zoom setting. It takes time to compose a shot. The cameras are designed for people who have two useful hands. Those of us with one hand are just out of luck.