What is a good camera for someone with arthritis?

You might look at the Canon G16. BestBuy would probably have it in the store so it can be actually handled. It should offer better quality than most compacts. It has an optical viewfinder. The G15 and G16 have abandoned the articulated LCD, but these models are lighter than their predecessors in the Canon G line. Much lighter than a DSLR.

Maybe the Nikon P7800. A little bit heavier, harder to find in stores. It has an electronic eyepiece viewfinder, and it has articulating LCD. More zoom range. Compatibility with ML-L3 remote.

For $400 you can get him a nice bridge camera... that's a cross between the cheap point and shoot models and the more expensive dslr cameras. dslr cameras, given their lens weight, are often heavy.

I own two of them and they can weigh on your neck and hands.

A bridge camera, I recommend either Canon or Fuji, is normally much lighter but will give him some nice photos.

Here's a good place to start your research. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

I have problems with grip in my right hand. I use a Canon DSLR with a battery grip. The battery grip lets me get a much firmer hold on the camera.

THat is out of your budget though! $500 for the camera and another $150 for the grip!

A refurbished DSLR with optical viewfinder like this example of a Canon T3i.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/827671-REF/C...

On the other hand, OLED electronic viewfinders are now so good that he may be pleased with one of the Sony alphas (A58 is entry level). The viewfinder image is as large as what we used to enjoy on the top spec 35mm film cameras.

The tiny tunnel optical viewfinders on the Canon G* may not really please him.

It seems like she is falling asleep like this R/T the improper use of medications. I say this because she is in enormous pain and everyone react to pain differently. It appears that she is putting her body through SHOCK by not taking her meds. Although there is not much that can be done about RA she can still take meds and the pain med. Motrin is also good to help with the pain. Try some homeopathic remedies for her also. Warm sitz bath, hot climates and heating pads are beneficial. If your mom is an older lady its even harder to convince her to take meds. HOWEVER SHE MIGHT NEED TO GO TO THE DR. here sleep pattern isn't normal !!!!!!!!!!

I really loved my canon G10. Very nice camera, but kind of heavy. I have a T3i now and really like the hand grip. I have arthritis and a couple of other things and I can easily use this camera.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/887285-REG/P...

It's a bridge in full dSLR-like size and weight. Get one each for the both of you and enjoy shooting together!