I want to buy my digital cameras for my sons. Both are elementary school aged, and I’d like to buy them cameras that won’t break the bank, are (hopefully) cheap enough not to be targets for theft, and still make decent pictures… so, what do you think? Can I get a camera that meets all of these requirements?
I’ve seen a few under-50 dollar cameras at department stores, but I assume that the image stinks. Are there any cheap cameras that work well? I’ve also given some thought to buying used cameras through craigslist. Any other suggestions?
Ok, I’m going to be absolutely no help, but Suburban Planton and I were just talking about getting our 8 yo son a digital camera, but hadn’t had time to post here about it. Thank you for doing it for us! I look forward to reading the answers you get.
The $50 cameras are crap. A child might be OK with one, but you’ll never get a reasaonable print off of it, even a 4x6. I wouldn’t bother, they are really toys.
There are a few resonable cameras in the $100 range at the low end of the HP, Kodak, and Olympus lines. You will probably want to buy a bigger memory card or your child will be limited to 10-20 photos. Most of these cameras take AA batteries, so you will need NiMH rechargables or they will only take 5-10 photos before draining the batteries.
Buying used is also a good way. People trade up all the time so you can probably get a reasonable deal on Craig’s List, which may include a memory card and/or batteries.
A few years ago, I bought a cheap (under $25) digital camera at my local Walmart.
Sure, it had no bells and whistles (no zoom, no flash, minimal memory), but it took some damned fine photos and was more than ample to take pictures, print and email to friends. I still have it and lend it to friends from out of town who didn’t bring a camera and just want a few shots walking down The Strip. If they lose it or drop it, who cares.
I have since bought a far better Sony (for about $290) and although it certainly is a much finer camera and I upgraded the chip to allow for movies, the cheapo cameras are just fine and dandy for someone starting out - kids or adults - who want to play with digital photos before investing in an expensive camera they might never or only rarely use. You will learn to upload the photos to your computer, and you can even email the photos to your local Walmart/Walgreens/Target etc and pick up prints an hour later. You can also do some decent prints if you have a color printer and buy some photo stock paper, but the ink gets a bit pricey and with kids, you might be slamming through a lot of ink cartridges with 6 dozen pictures of daddy passed out on the couch again, or whatever…
I say go for it…they are about as cheap as the throw away regular cameras and you don’t have to worry about buying film - just get some re-chargeable batteries and let the kids (and you) go wild taking hundreds of shots…the odds are some will be pretty good and you aren’t wasting film to find out.
I can tell you one not to buy: DGX-308.
Taking pictures with this camera is like going back a hundred years, where everyone had to sit still for a very very long time.
It also eats batteries like candy and taking shots indoors with the flash is useless. Nothing but big white blobs.
But hey, it was cheap. I think it cost around 60 on sale. Outdoor shots aren’t too bad. It was good enough for my daughter for a year or two.
Thanks all. Dmark, is there any chance of your posting your camera’s brand and model?
So far, I’m leaning towards buying something off of craigslist. The older cameras that I have seen there get good reviews for everything except battery life.
Rhiannon8404, I think it’s neat how kids get a completely different perspective on things. Sure, there are a lot of guickly-shot pictures of who knows what, but every once in a while, the framing, subject matter and effects (over/under exposure, vignetting, etc.) come together to make an incredible shot that adults would have never seen.
[Insert name of famous photographer here] could take great pictures with a cheap digital camera. Don’t worry about getting a bunch of bells and whistles. If your sons have an eye, they’ll come up with ways to capture compelling images. It they have the interest, they’ll spend the $$$ themselves to acquire more expensive cameras.
You are so right! My 8 yo son spent quite a while taking a picture of the sunsetting over Lake Tahoe this July 4th. Some of his pictures are breathtaking. I didn’t know he was taking pics of the sunset. I thought he was taking random pics of boats or people.
The brand is Argus and it came in one of those impossible-to-open-without-a-chain-saw clear plastic clam shells, with a CD to upload on your computer and an attached cable for a USB port, and I am sure it was under $25…might even have been cheaper ($19.95?). They are hanging on the wall display at your local Walmart camera section. I think the kids will love it and you can upload the pics and put them into slide shows and all sorts of fun things. Have fun!
There is a place called academic superstore that has really good discounts if you are a teacher or a student, and I saw the had a few cameras in your price range (here’s a link em - http://www.academicsuperstore.com/market/market.html?category_id=262559 ). I’m pretty sure that you, as a parent who has a kid in school, can buy stuff for them - let me know if that works.