rachel_sekely Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 i spent thanksgiving with my nephew today and noticed that he was very interested in my cameras. i decided that i would have to get him one for christmas, but i wanted to find something somewhat decent- a real camera, rather than a plastic "pokemon" one or some of the other kiddie cameras i saw when searching online. any advice on format or brand? i was thinking maybe a 110 point and shoot, as this is what my first camera was. i don't remember what brand it was but i got some pretty good photos and it seemed pretty durable. the kid is only 3, but he's a bright little bugger and i'd like something he could grow with, but that is also durable enough to handle what a child may put it through....thanks in advance for any advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denisgermain Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 many cheap cameras are available... 10$ and up (webcam quality) - let him destroy it...and have fun - I bought my daughter a cheap $90 polaroid camera a couple of years ago and I will get my 9YO son a Tiger video camera this year... They don't deliver great quality but it lets kids discover new things... and it is much better that the loaded gift I got 30 years ago,,,, a film camera! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachel_sekely Posted November 24, 2006 Author Share Posted November 24, 2006 thanks for the advice denis. i bet your kids are having a ball with those cameras! i actually found a minolta 110 zoom slr on ebay for dirt cheap (less than 10 bucks, including shipping). i was thinking maybe this one, although part of me wants to hang on to that find. i really was thinking of getting a film camera for him, but maybe didital is a better way to go...more instant gratification for a kid his age. a polaroid also seems like a wonderful option as he could see the results right away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochen_S Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 I just remembered my own childhood. We had fun playing with real toys up to elementary school. Digital wasn't around those days, so we played with empty probably defective film cameras handed down to us, like we also played with guns that couldn't kill. I'd give a kid something that clicks audible after winding, even without film. If it's a film camera for real use too, I would only give 35mm cheapos, because 110 film is even more expensive today. If there are parents capable of handling rechargeable batteries I'd suggest a primitive digital, but 3 years seem a bit young for a camera with frustrating high energy useage, to be left in the child's realm. Anyhow it will be a gift troubleing the parents, be it through processing costs or the hassle with rechargeable batteries. or storage of digital snaps on a computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachel_sekely Posted November 24, 2006 Author Share Posted November 24, 2006 jochen--it seems we live in a differnt era these days. i remember toy guns, pine cone grenades, atari 2600, and spending my days at the creek behind my house...sans supervision. my nephew today showed a lot of interest in the pentax me super i was using. i had it on a tripod and i showed him where to look through. he found "mommy" in the viewfinder and i showed him how to click the button. the camera was probably not focused well, but what's a couple lost shots for a child's happiness? he was not at all a grabby throw stuff kind of kid, he really listens and speaks well for his age. i asked my sister if i could get him a camera and got the thumbs up...so i think they will be ok with the price that goes with that, at least as much as my parents were in developping all the silly pictures of our house cats i took growing up. i'm just trying to think of something small enough to fit in his hands comfortably. Having a camera that clicks and winds audibly is a great idea. you are right, a small 35mm probably is a better option ...thanks for your input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_shaeffer2 Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Canon A530--a durable full featured digital P&S. That way the parents don't have to develop a lot of film, if the little guy goes nutty--with a $15 card reader the pics go right into any computer and can be viewed with any free downloadable software (a good one is Picasa 2 from Google). Price of the A530 is down to the point ($130 US) where it rivals the cost of a cheap 35mm and a few rolls of film plus developing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stwrtertbsratbs5 Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 I gave my son (now 7 year old) a Canon digital p&s last Christmas. He shot 189 photos the first day. He asked me 2-3 days later, "When will my prints be ready?" Better set expectations up front! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timcorridan Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 three years old i too young for any camera, unless you love wasting money. and if you buy him a film camera, you'll be doing the parents a disservice, because now they will have to pay for developing/printing a roll of film of a bunch of crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timcorridan Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 go digital. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_cook2 Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 In the UK we have a chain of shops called poundshops where everything is a pound. So for one UK pound you can get a disposable camera with a film in it. I suspect that something similar exists in the USA. My friend's daughter who is under five took some wonderful shots with one. The only downside is that the child may be upset that they cannot keep the camera when the film has been exposed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_cook2 Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 A friend took these with a similar disposable camera Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank uhlig Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Rachel, if that 3 year old nephew showed some interest and excitement playing "driver" behind the wheel of your new car, would you try to buy him one for Xmas, too? Which model would you choose; I am so curious! Just think of perspective here, please, and let this side for a while till he is 8-12 years old, and if he still has an interest, then ... Precocious aunts are antsy too early ... too badly ... too richly ... too senselessly ... Let the kid grow and live at its age, please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keith_van_hulle1 Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 If you have money to waste, get the new Fisher-Price kid-proof digital. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachel_sekely Posted November 24, 2006 Author Share Posted November 24, 2006 thanks for all the replies everyone! after some research i was thinking of getting him a polaroid one600. they go for about 30 bucks, but the fim is around 10 dollars for 10 pics. however, after reading some of your responses i am possibly considering just getting him a toddler puzzle and saving the camera gear for another year. thanks for your help...and no i wouldn't let him drive a car if he showed interest, but i would buy him some hot wheels toy cars...or a tricycle (which he already has and uses). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charles_stobbs3 Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 I don't disagree with any of the comments above but only with your prejudice against plastic. The three oldest cameras (1940's) I own are plastic. No tarnish, no light seals to replace. I wouldn't rule out plastic if a camera meets your requirements otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stwrtertbsratbs5 Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 My son, Tim, age 7, really enjoys B&W darkroom work. He shoots an old Zeiss Box Tengor (6x9) and a Nikon SLR that he bought by saving his allowance. But he shoots digital, too, because he has an itchy shutter finger and really blows through film. So we test with digital before pulling out the film camera. Otherwise film gets expensive. As for waiting another year - it might be the right choice. My son started at age 5 and it seems to have worked out well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachel_sekely Posted November 26, 2006 Author Share Posted November 26, 2006 charles, i have no qualms with plastic, i just wanted to avoid the real kiddie cameras as i didn't think they'd give good enough results to keep a kid interested. infact, plastic is lighter and probably easier to handle for him. just wasn't sure what to get him, and i end up getting overly excited about cameras for myself (which are generally metal).--robert, thanks for posting a more positive response. i think i'm gonna wait a little longer on a camera, as he is young. that's a great idea with the digital first, and then film. it can get expensive. having only film cameras myself i should know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammi_ridgeway Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 I bought my 5 year old neice a Fisher Price Kid Tough Digital and it wasn't a waste of money at all. She loves it. The handles on the side make it easier for her to hold it steady. All the buttons are larger and simply marked. And, like the name says, it's hard to hurt. They can choose to keep or delete pictures. They can download and print. It's like an adult camera. A lot of the cheaper kids cameras have really terrible consumer reviews. We found a lot of complaints saying they'd been bought for birthdays and were broken by the end of the day (or didn't work straight out of the package). I would highly recommend this for younger kids. She has tons of pictures of her puppy and new baby brother. She calls them her "collection". Only thing is that you may want to throw in an extra memory card (we had one laying around the house). The built in memory will hold only about 60 pictures. I think any little kid would love this one. By the way, I'm not a fan of digital (I'm a darkroom diehard). However, the reason we decided on not getting a film camera is that we worried that she'd lose interest if she had to wait on her prints. Also, with a kid who is really into it, developing could get expensive really quick. This way she gets that immediate satisfaction - which 5 year olds seem to appreciate. The important thing is encouraging that creativity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachel_sekely Posted November 26, 2006 Author Share Posted November 26, 2006 thanks for your input, sammi. that fisher price camera is starting to sound like the perfect choice. i will keep it in mind for a later date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_powell2 Posted November 27, 2006 Share Posted November 27, 2006 Over Thanksgiving, a friend of mine also purchased the Fisher Price digital camera for her young nephew. It was apparently a very big hit! Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug_harhai Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 Rachel, I bought my daughter (then 3 years old) a Canon AE-1 SLR with a 50 1.8 at a garage sale for $20. This camera was several hundred dollars new. Every once in a while a frame comes out blank, but that doesn't matter. She loves using it. Now she is to the point that she firsts tells us that she will manually focus the picture before she snaps the shutter. I never used to put film in, but I have for the past year, just some B/W (I have a darkroom so it is pretty cheap to do so). A pretty neat way for a child to start into the art. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_powell2 Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 To add to the above, both children and adults should also be careful to not touch the shutter curtain, when they load film in 35mm film SLRs. A friend of mine lost his AE-1 when his wife accidentally pushed her finger into the shutter curtain. It would have been a $150 repair at the time (7 years ago)! Sincerely, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susan_hannah Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Hi rachel: I've been buying disposable cameras with the processing included for my grandchildren since they were 2 years old. They have a great time, it doesn't cost the parents anything, they get a small album to hold their pics, and are very happy. I am also considering getting the Fisher-Price camera as a christmas gift for the now three-year-old. It isn't costly if they are shown how to choose good pics to save to a computer, and gives them a serious interest of their own. This is not at all like buying a car, this is accepting that children of that age have valid views and interests and are capable of taking on some responsibility. I'd say if it's not a huge expense for you (you won't be really upset if it's broken) --go for it! good luck! Susan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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