How Old?

[Steve's Girl]

If I did that and had my son do the actual picture taking, I could let them pay him instead of me. That would give him earned income that would satisfy the requirements necessary to open a Roth IRA. Photography and tax savings...to great tastes that go well together.

Ahhh, but then he would have to pay that nasty little self-employment tax! Well, on second thought, having 1st graders paying into the Social Security system might improve my chance of actually getting something out of it some day! Ok, everyone with 1st graders, get them working! I need to retire some day.

 

[photo_chick]

My DD is in first grade and she has mastered her digital point and shoot and all it's settings. I have started teaching her to use my film SLR. I give her black and white and process the film in the darkroom. THen I scan the film for her so she can play in Photoshop. SHe LOVES photoshop (she has Elements on her pc and her own Wacom tablet to work with) SHe wants to use my Rebel XT and I let her with me right there but I don't turn her loose with it. It is my only DSLR and I could not replace it at the moment if something happened to it. Although she is VERY careful with things.

I think it depends on the kid what age is right. My first grader could handle it, but many her age could not. But then my kids came out of the womb holding a mouse in one hand and an xbox controller in the other!

 

[fitzperry]

sigh, i see this so differently. i'd get the kid a camera he can use himself and set him loose...i like the "encouraging creativity" aspect so much more than "teach the techniques". imo if he enjoys expressing himself he'll learn the techniques eventually. course i was the kid with the blue colored snowman picture in first grade as well

Once again I tend to agree with you (great minds and all ). Others' mileage may vary, but my first grader is the type who would lose interest if it seemed like work. Sitting down and critiquing her images would probably put it into that category. She'll look at things herself and decide there is something she'd like to do differently, or if she's frustrated about something I'll help her get it the way she wants it (hence our discussions about the image modes), but I'm hesitant to do much beyond that at this point. She actually has a great eye for composition and is very creative, and I don't want to do anything to stifle that. And she's actually learning technique by seeing things she'd like to improve and finding ways to do that.

 

[YEKCIM]

Thinking this over, I thought of this analogy:

When I turned 15, my dad took me one Sunday afternoon to a local shopping center parking lot (nothing was open on Sunday in those days) to learn to drive. His car was a '67 Chevy II, manual transmission, three-on-the-tree, power nothin'. He patiently went over all the instructions for operating the car: accelerator, clutch, gear shift, brakes, steering, blah, blah.

Needless to say, I did not get it right the first time...nor the second...nor the third. That was a lot to assimilate, all in one swell foop. Eventually, I figured it all out, but it took a while.

It has occurred to me several times since that it would have been much easier for me to learn to drive a manual transmission car, had I first learned to DRIVE my mom's car, which was automatic transmission. If I'd already learned the ropes first, then added the gear shifting deal, I think it would have been a piece of cake.

Anyway, as it relates to this discussion, I think that, whatever camera you give a child, it would probably be best to just set it on "AUTO", or at least "PROGRAM" and turn 'em loose. After all, the most important thing about photography is being able to "see" a photo. Cameras today take so much of the guesswork out exposure, focus, etc, that that is not nearly the bugaboo that it was way back when.

If a child learns to compose a photo properly and lets the AF and AE take care of the technical stuff, they'll probably come back with good shots to begin with. Then, if they have an interest and aptitude, you can teach 'em the finer points of "shifting gears", photographically.

That make sense?

~YEKCIM

 

[Groucho]

I would fall on the "PnS rather than DSLR" side of the fence. I'd also consider a dustproof/waterproof one if you think that the child might expose it to some harsh elements.

Today's PnS cameras are quite responsive, especially if you haven't used one in several years. I don't really think that's a reason to avoid PnSs any more.

I'd go with a basic, reasonably cheap 3x-zoom compact camera. Too big and they won't use it nearly as much. (Can you see carrying a DSLR to school in your bookbag every day? Even a long-zoom PnS might be more than they want.) Yes, image quality will suffer, but so what? To a new photographer, that's probably not going to be so much of a concern until later, when their eyes become trained to see those flaws.

I would probably lean towards giving the camera, saying "look here and press the button here to take a picture", and see how it goes from there. Basic things like keeping the horizon level very well may come naturally. I wouldn't worry about ISO, aperture, etc until the child is already pretty comfortable with the camera and is in a situation where knowing that will help improve some problems that they're running into.

Of course, every kid is different... but those would be my thoughts.

 

[DVC Jen]

Working with young children on a daily basis I have to wonder if your son/s are really showing an active true interest in photography - or just wanting to be like Daddy (whom at this stage of their life is their hero).

By all means foster your sons interest in photography - but I personally feel that by trying to get into all of the technical aspects - which he may not be cognitively ready for - you could overwhelm him and turn him off of it for good.

Also there is the consideration that children that age really have no grasp on the value of a dSLR in relation to a much cheaper camera.

I am sure your first grader is beginning to grasp that - but your preschool I can confidently say is not at that point yet.

I would not (if this were my child) go to the expense of getting a dSLR for a 6/7 yr old. Instead get him an easy to use point n shoot that is going to let him have FUN - and explore his own eye.

He may not take anything but hundreds of photos of his shoelaces - or bugs - or something else that HE (with his young mind and eye) find fascinating. There is also a chance that he could grow bored with it after a few weeks and then you are left with an 800.00 camera that is just sitting there.

Mark, I do not know your son. I could be 100% wrong with this - but I spend most of my time with young children and I have yet to find one that is able to fully grasp the techical aspects of photography - or even one who would care to. I have seen a lot who love to follow in their awesome Daddys footprints and mimic him.

I have to agree with a point n shoot - foster his creativity and love of photography - and let the technical stuff wait until he is older.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I'd also consider a dustproof/waterproof

That's a good thought. If I bought something like a Pentax W30, he could use it pretty much anywhere and it's cheap enough that an accident would be more annoying than horrifying. Now wouldn't it be ironic if a Groucho suggestion led me to buy a Pentax?

I guess I'll talk to him and see what he wants. Of course, he's going to be stuck with the 10D for a while until we see whether his new passion for photography is just a quick fad.

 

[SimbaCub]

My friends have 2 kids interested in photography. The youngest was 2 1/2 when she began to beg me to work with her on taking pictures with my digital p&s. I have been working with her for a year now and she is taking great pictures. I taught her how to use the zoom, macro setting, and turn on the flash. She is improving each time we go somewhere and take pictures. The last day of one of our trips she asked me to use the "big camera" I use--my DSLR. I held her and helped her with holding the camera since it is bigger than she is used to and she pointed the camera where she wanted the picture and zoomed by turning the lens. Her parents keep waiting for her to lose interest but it seems to be getting stronger. We are planning on a trip to Disney the week before Christmas and I can already imagine her asking me to help her use the "big camera" again.

Each kid is different. I say foster their interest but don't get upset if it disappears. It may return!

SimbaCub

 

[Groucho]

That's a good thought. If I bought something like a Pentax W30, he could use it pretty much anywhere and it's cheap enough that an accident would be more annoying than horrifying. Now wouldn't it be ironic if a Groucho suggestion led me to buy a Pentax?

I actually considered writing, "There are a few good Olympus and Pentax models, if you could hold your nose long enough to consider one."

Seriously, good luck whichever way you go - but man, a DSLR for a child seems like overkill.

Oh, one other thing I was going to suggest, if you think he might like playing with some more advanced settings, what about an older film SLR? A basic mostly-manual SLR can probably be picked up for relatively cheap (if you don't have one lying around already) and it will probably be less fragile than a modern, electronics-filled DSLR... and even if it does break, it's still a lot less valuable than a ~$700 XTi.

 

[photo_chick]

Oh, one other thing I was going to suggest, if you think he might like playing with some more advanced settings, what about an older film SLR? A basic mostly-manual SLR can probably be picked up for relatively cheap (if you don't have one lying around already) and it will probably be less fragile than a modern, electronics-filled DSLR... and even if it does break, it's still a lot less valuable than a ~$700 XTi.

My DD who is finishing up her last day of first grade today (WOO HOO) uses my old all manual Pentax. I have a hand held light meter that I taught her how to use since the camera does not have one on it. She is not really creative with it yet, but she can read the meter and set the shutter speed and aperture to what she needs. I say as long as they are interested encourage them as far as they want to go, just don't push more than they want to do. But only you know how much your child can handle.

 

[DizGeek]

Have you ever tried teaching a youngster to use a DSLR/SLR? How well did it work? Any advice?

Never tried it, but...why not just let him play with the setup you mentioned? Why go out and buy something inferior only to find out he's not interested?