Posted on November 28, 2006 at 4:41 PM in thoughts
Note: The below is an archived entry from Earthling, formerly EarthLink's official blog. The blog itself has been decommissioned and is no longer updated, and comments are trackbacks are no longer accepted.
My sister asked me what digital camera she should get for her toddler daughter. She looked at the options made specifically for kids, like the Fisher-Price Kid-Tough, but didn't like that they take such small photos. So she's thinking maybe she'll buy a used point-and-shoot that would be no big deal if it got dropped and broken. Any suggestions for specific cameras to watch for on eBay?
I wrote a while back about ways you can find answers online, and am somewhat surprised I haven't found a satisfying answer to this one yet. The first page of a Google results set gave me this from 2004, plenty of reviews of the one specific camera for kids, and this pretty useful list of suggestions from Photo.net. On Yahoo Answers I found these Two questions, but few, if any, answerers give any actual camera recommendations other than "buy something cheap".
Update: Some recommendations on Ask Metafilter.
Comments
After having taught photography to 8th through 12th graders for 25 years, I discovered the "throw-away" camera. They do produce fairly good photos and if the camera lasts till the film is used, you can request a disc along with your processing. It just depends where you want to spend your money..at the beginning of a learning situation or at the end.
Posted by Margee | November 29, 2006 5:07 PM
My three-year-old LOVES my camera, a Sony Cyber-shot. We put it around her neck, turn on the flash and load in the rechargable batteries. She's generally gentle with it, and it produces excellent photos. I did give her a throw-away, but hated the quality of the shots. (Maybe the camera was old, don't remember). In any case, I suggest a quality older model digital camera. Ours is the DSC-S40.
Posted by Janean | December 11, 2006 4:15 PM
I agree Janean – my nephew loves playing with “grown up” digital cameras, and as long as they are secured with a lanyard, the camera will usually survive the experience. I also own a Sony Cyber-shot, and I’ve put mine through some pretty rough times. If my camera can survive falling down a steep incline, getting banged on rocks, getting stick something or other all over it, then I’m pretty sure it can handle just about anything a kid can throw at it! Just keep an eye on him or her and go over some rules like not banging the camera on things and keeping it away from drinks. My sister gave my nephew disposable cameras, too, but she found the cost of buying him cameras and getting the prints developed was a little more than she wanted to deal with. Giving him the digital camera for an hour makes him just as happy and costs absolutely nothing.
Posted by Digital Camera | May 22, 2007 9:19 PM
Also, I found that there are a lot of digital cameras that can take video too. The Sony Handicam is one. It is very durable and my nephew loves that he can make little movies. It is not only giving him something fun to play with, but it is also sparking the creative side to him early and adding to his intellectual development. Even if he does not end up doing something artistic, least I can feel good that I helped expose him to the arts at a young age and give his mind more depth. Also, it gives me something to pull out when he is older and show at family gatherings to embarrass him. We all had it happen in our lives, but least these I can show and tell how very good he was at such a young age. Some of the best childhood memories, come from the view of a child.
Posted by Digital Camera | June 13, 2007 1:43 AM