Ok /p I need your help. I am trying to bond a bit with my emotionally reserved father over photography (pic somewhat related, but he is even older). He never was the type to express his feelings, but now as he is getting older, I fear there is not much time left and I want to make use of what remains. He likes photography and so I thought we might spend a day snapping pictures, similar to how others would go fishing with their father. Boy was that a mistake.

To really paint the picture: my dad is the epitome of a Nikon boomer. He has thousands in dollars in Nikon gear, with a D5, lots of 2.8 zooms etc. He considers a D850 a nice and leightweight camera and despite all his gear I don’t think he ever took a picture worth noting. So on said day I arrived proudly sporting my gear: a Panasonic GX85 with two primes, perfect for walking around and taking pictures while being relaxed. My dad looked at me with a mixture of pity and disgust and asked me why I am using a „womanˋs camera“. Upon my explanation that this was a comfortable kit, he uttered something about me being a limp wristed noodle arm faggot under his breath.

Anyway, he grabbed an enormous Lowepro backpack and khaki hat and off we went. While I tried to be somewhat stealthy to capture the „decisive moment“ on the street my dad just went up into peoples faces and rudely took pictures while loudly letting off sexist comments about everything that looked remotely female. The whole shitshow only ended early because he wanted to go home to micro adjust the focus on his zooms for the 100th time.

So long story short: now that you know my father what camera should I buy to impress him? Fuji, M43 etc obviously are the wrong choice, if I appear with a Canon he will probably just shoot me on sight, but if I try a Nikon he might think I want to one-up him. Maybe a D300? Still big and heavy, but at least I can afford it? Pls help