Camera for children

[becca-becca]

My DH and I want to get cameras (digital) for our 3 children for Christmas this year. We will be going to WDW and they will be opening them before we leave so they can use them.

The ages of the children are 11, 9 and 5. I know a 5 year old is probably too young for a digital camera, but I will just take the chance.

What is a good, yet cheap camera for a kid. We have purchased a really cheap one before and it was horrible. We will spend about $100-125 per camera as this will be their only present.

We would like one with decent MP, maybe IS and we prefer SD cards because they are so easy to get on sale. I did a search in DIS but could not find any threads like this.

If you know of any that are on clearance now or a really great sale, let me know. I can buy them at any time.

Also, is there some time during the year that has a lot of camera sales or closeouts?

THANKS!!!!

 

[MinnieMouse73]

I'm sorry, I don't know the answer to your question - just to say that I don't think 5 is too young for a digital camera. My DD was 4 when I bought a new camera and she had my old one - she's now 6 and has just inherited that camera too!

 

[elizke]

I got DD9 a Kodak for Christmas. I think they have the most user-friendly menu systems and the prices are good for the entry level cameras. I got her this one....
http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=9/11920/32/10761&pq-locale=en_US

Really a decent little camera with a nice big screen (very much what kids want.)

I also got her the dock...
http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuer...ID=S38132&Visible=false&navCategory=EKN032918

The dock is great. She always knows where the camera is and it's always charged and ready to go. It's also easy for her to transfer pics to the computer with it.

I ordered last Christmas when there was a good sale and a free 1GB card offer. I was looking at the HPs too. I spent more than I originally planned to with the dock, but she's wanted one for a long time and I knew I'd appreciate her pictures too.

 

[becca-becca]

I got DD9 a Kodak for Christmas. I think they have the most user-friendly menu systems and the prices are good for the entry level cameras. I got her this one....
http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=9/11920/32/10761&pq-locale=en_US

Really a decent little camera with a nice big screen (very much what kids want.)

I also got her the dock...
http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuer...ID=S38132&Visible=false&navCategory=EKN032918

The dock is great. She always knows where the camera is and it's always charged and ready to go. It's also easy for her to transfer pics to the computer with it.

I ordered last Christmas when there was a good sale and a free 1GB card offer. I was looking at the HPs too. I spent more than I originally planned to with the dock, but she's wanted one for a long time and I knew I'd appreciate her pictures too.

Is the dock something that if we had 3 of the same cameras, they could feasbily share one dock? Do you have to charge through the dock or is that just for printing/downloading?

 

[Gdad]

My older daughter (7) has a Nikon D40- my younger daughter (4) likes to use my Pentax W30- it is waterproof and dustproof so I figure it is pretty indestructable.

 

[elizke]

Is the dock something that if we had 3 of the same cameras, they could feasbily share one dock? Do you have to charge through the dock or is that just for printing/downloading?

You couldn't share the dock all at once. They would have to take turns charging/uploading.

 

[becca-becca]

Does anyone have the Canon A470? We are looking at that one and the Kodak Easy Share.

 

[cmwade77]

For the 5 year old, there are several cameras designed for little ones, I think Polaroid is the best one that I saw (I think it was a 4 Megapixel camera) which would be good enough for the 5 year old. The other options is you could by from Ritz Camera (Wolf Camera in some parts of the country) or online(note they charge no shipping or sales tax online). They have one of the best return policies and their extended warranties can't be beat. Another good option is to buy from Costco due mostly to their return policy as well.

As for good camera, these days there are a lot to choose from, but be sure to check out the reviews, my favorite site for the reviews and to find new cameras is http://www.dpreview.com

 

[Zoesmama03]

If you look at the "kiddie" cameras be careful. I got my dd the Little Tikes one it was half off at Kohls so I got it and even I don't get sharp clear pics. I haven't tried it outdoors yet because of my main complaint with it, the battery life SUCKS!!!! Seriously it doesn't stay running even an hour of combined time and its dead again. I know its not the batteries because they work fine and long spans in her Vsmile Pocket.

When I finally upgraded to my D80 last month I let her use my old p&s and she had it dropped and jammed within minutes. Blah! I should have taken the camera I got her back and tired another though its too late now.

 

[fitzperry]

Wrt to risk of breakage, we got an extended warranty and a neckstrap when we bought our then 7yo a camera. The neckstrap is thin and lightweight, and I don't think she's ever dropped the camera, which is more than I can say for her Nintendo DS, which went sailing down the stairs yesterday. Fortunately that has a Nerf case.

As for the model, I'd just look for the best deal I could find on something with a large lcd and fairly simple controls. My dd loves to play with all the different picture modes on her camera. Also, video capability seems to be a big deal to the kids. The only thing dd dislikes about her camera (Nikon L4, IIRC) is the lack of sound in the video mode. I'm not thrilled with the shutter lag, but it's a couple of years old, and I understand the newer models of that camera are much improved in that regard.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

My suggestion would be to buy cameras that your kids could "grow into" if they show more than a general interest in photography.

I was going to say there's a young lady here who has a dSLR, but I see Gdad beat me to it. What a great skill for a child to learn so early!

My DS10 loves photography and has been learning the techincal aspects of it alongside Mom. He's been using our Canon S2 and S3 bridge cameras for a while now which have been great for learning. I recently got a dSLR myself and he inherited my S3, but he prefers to use my dSLR which makes our photo shoots kind of interesting. I can definitely see him moving to a dSLR someday.

DD10, OTOH, also likes taking pictures, but she doesn't show the type of interest in learning photography that DS does. I've debated whether to buy her a point and shoot, but then I think where she's also used to using the S2 and S3 it would be good for her to continue to learn as much as she can on them. I'm undecided. Some people are perfectly happy with a small point and shoot to throw in their bags so it just depends on the person, or in this case, child.

For the youngest one, I don't think I'd buy anything that was really junky (like I've read the Disney type cameras are), it would just be a waste of money. I'd probably find a model that wasn't too expensive but spend a lot of time teaching them how to take care of it, knowing it's probably going to get bumped and dropped quite a bit. My first digital camera was an HP which had a rubber based body and I loved that thing. It took a lot of abuse for many years as I kept it in my purse and dropped it many times myself until a piece of it finally broke. I've considered buying another one like it if I could find one used. I later bought another HP and the battery life was awful so I'd be careful which one you buy. Read reviews on whatever you decide before you buy.

 

[becca-becca]

Is there any good time for sales on cameras or are they just depending on each store/site? We are really looking at the Canon Power Shot A470. It is $110.00 without accessories. I would like to pay a little less if possible, so a great sale would be nice (maybe I am asking too much). Also, this camera uses AA's and I am trying to decide if that is a negative (ie: buying a ton of batteries or we can get the charger type).

Also, do they make generic or brand specific "housings" out of rubber, etc. like someone mentioned the Nerf case for the DS to help guard against drops and bumps?

 

[fitzperry]

Is there any good time for sales on cameras or are they just depending on each store/site? We are really looking at the Canon Power Shot A470. It is $110.00 without accessories. I would like to pay a little less if possible, so a great sale would be nice (maybe I am asking too much). Also, this camera uses AA's and I am trying to decide if that is a negative (ie: buying a ton of batteries or we can get the charger type).

Also, do they make generic or brand specific "housings" out of rubber, etc. like someone mentioned the Nerf case for the DS to help guard against drops and bumps?

Seems like there are always some great deals on black Friday. As for the batteries, my dd's camera uses AA's. We have a bunch of rechargables for various things, so she just uses those. It's never been a problem.

I've seen rubber "skins" for dslr's (http://www.cameraarmor.us/), and I'd swear my dh found some similar things for a few p&s models, but I didn't come up with anything in a quick search. Maybe try eBay?

The Nerf cases for the DS's are great. My kids didn't like them at first because they are thick and they cover up the pawprint on the DS, but in the 3 1/2 months since Christmas, it's likely that both of ours would be broken if they hadn't been using those cases. The skin type covers I've seen for cameras would not absorb shock like the Nerf material does. They would offer at least some protection, but I'm not sure that an extended warranty covering accidental breakage wouldn't be a better investment.

 

[Evad]

My dd received the HP Photosmart E337 for Christmas and loves it. The picture quality is outstanding. Very few features though but for children this can sometimes be a benefit. She just has to point and shoot, it's that simple.

 

[S. C.]

Does anyone have the Canon A470? We are looking at that one and the Kodak Easy Share.

If i remember right the Canon A470 has the movie feature but no sound. I thought they all had sound untill i read that.