Camera recommendations for 8yr old

[piglet too]

Sorry if this is already covered somewhere else on this thread.

My DS8 1/2 loves taking pictures and really wants a camera for Christmas. We were hoping to get him something a bit more advanced than a simple point and shoot, but can not afford a DSLR by any means. So far we have found three cameras, but don't know which way to go.

Fuji S700 (S5700 at Ritz) is the one we were shown when we asked at Ritz. It is more than we had planned to spend, but is now the high point of the price range at $230.

Kodak EasyShare Z712 is a bit cheaper and seems to be in the same general area as far as what the camera can do.

Canon A720 IS is one I found after Helenabear (here on the DIS) suggested we may want to go with a Canon. It is the same price as the Fuji.

So what do you all think? Are one of these really good or is there another camera that I have missed?

We would like for him to be able to have some manual control, but I am not sure if any of these truly have a manual focus or not. Since he is so excited about photography, and seems to have a knack for it, we want him to have a camera that he can do more than just take snapshots with. $230 is as high as we can really go in price. He has asked for money from his aunts and grandparents so he will be using that combined with the amount we would have spent on smaller gifts. I have read a few review sites, dcresource being the main one. The sites give a lot of info, but I am not sure how to take all the goods vs. bads a pick a camera.

Thank you in advance for any help you can give us.

 

[AndrewWG]

Ok, I would only go with Canon because that's what I do. No other real reason. That being said, you can get the Canon A720 IS at Amazon right now for $195 and you get a free 2GB Kingston SD card with it. Be sure to enter the copon code for the free card. The camera and coupon code are here:

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerSh...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1196642719&sr=8-1

This seems like a nice learning camera. Actually, it seems like a nice p&s camera in general. The 6x optical zoom is nice to have. Sure, it's not 12x like a S3IS or S5IS (I think they are 12x) but 6x is just fine. The IS system is nice too because nothing will turn him off to photography more than getting nothing but blurry pics all the time. It has all the modes you would ever need like Av, Tv, M, Auto, Movie, and all the preset modes like landscape, sports, etc. It seems like a good deal to me. Hopefully he will grow into a great little photographer! However, he will need to get a job before getting a DSLR! Just kidding.

Also, none of these will have real manual focus, but you may be able to set it so that you can pick what it will focus on. That is a bit tricky with a p&s, but sometimes the cameras offer that option. I never found the manual focus all that good on the S2IS that I used before my DSLR. The camera has a better eye then I do I guess.

 

[Got Quattro?]

I gave my then 5 year old my old Nikon cool pix 2300.

That camera is bullet proof. she has dropped it a few times. And she has learned a lot from it. She can now at 6.5 take good pictures with my DSLR. i still get nervous she will drop it, but she is getting good. The sooner you can get a kid a camera, the better.

 

[piglet too]

Ok, I would only go with Canon because that's what I do. No other real reason.
Also, none of these will have real manual focus, but you may be able to set it so that you can pick what it will focus on. That is a bit tricky with a p&s, but sometimes the cameras offer that option. I never found the manual focus all that good on the S2IS that I used before my DSLR. The camera has a better eye then I do I guess.

Thank you!

I gave my then 5 year old my old Nikon cool pix 2300.

That camera is bullet proof. she has dropped it a few times. And she has learned a lot from it. She can now at 6.5 take good pictures with my DSLR. i still get nervous she will drop it, but she is getting good. The sooner you can get a kid a camera, the better.

Thanks, I will check it out.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I bought a used Canon S2IS on Craigslist for $200. My DS10 uses it. I got to check it out before buying it and it came with the original box and accessories, so if DS wasn't aware of the purchase, he wouldn't have known it wasn't brand new.

Although the manual aspect of it isn't like traditional manual cameras, there are many features which make understanding manual "principles" possible, which I would like my son to develop an understanding of also. So for him this was a good choice. I have the S3 myself and all of us in the family use the 2 cameras so we're learning together. These cameras have an excellent video function so that would also be something your DS would enjoy.

We've made it clear to DS this is not a toy. Regardless of the price we paid, it's a serious hobby camera which we use also so he has to be really careful with it. He has to wear the strap around his neck at all times when using it. I have to say he's been really good with it. We all drop and bump things now and then and that's fine, but I just wanted him to know that he has to respect the equipment as much as possible (if there's any hope he'll be allowed to use my future DSLR ). He surprised himself (and us) when he won a photography contest this summer so it's motivated him a lot. Kids sometimes have a knack for this type of thing which is great. (Remember the water drop experiment on the S3 thread, Andy? LOL)

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Frantasmic]

I second the Canon A720.

office depot has ALL cameras at 20 percent off according to the 12-2-07 Office Depot ad.

The A720 would be about $185 at that price. The amazon deal quoted above is a good deal with the 2gb memory card; however, if you have to pay shipping, it might be better, if you have an Office Depot locally, to buy the A720 there and pick up a 2gb card somewhere (they're always on sale these days) and forego the shipping.