Camera for kids

[ChristineF]

Do your kids have their own camera? How old are they and what camera do they use? How old were they when they got it?

I want to get my kids into scrapbooking and project life. So I was thinking of giving my 4 year old his own PL album with a few mini kits and pockets to fill with pictures of his friends and his view on the world. And then he's going to need a camera. I have an old nikon pocket camera, but it's not very robust and probably wouldn't last more than a day. I need something that can take a beating and that doesn't cost a fortune. Any recommendations?

[Kiana]

When my kids were younger they had those kid cameras in the toy area that were able to take a beating. LOL


One now has my old Canon that my puppy chewed on. It still takes pictures and stuff, but the zoom doesn't work great. My other one got a new Nikon for her birthday this past year, just a P&S. She's 12 and the other one is 11.

I think you should give him your old one. At least if he does break it you won't be out a lot of money. Also, if you teach him to be gentle he might surprise you.

[Nettio]

Do you have any old phones that have a camera? I know my little cousin has a tablet she uses which works great because she can easily show people the photos which is really all she wants to do. There's also a lot of tough cases out there so it might be easier to protect.

[breakingbrie]

I got my kids a discovery camera when they were real little, and they loved it, but always used up batteries fast and the photos were crap. Since my girls were about 8 they've been using my old Olympus stylus tough camera. It's shock proof and water proof. It's fallen off the top of the fridge and a 20 foot balcony - though it's only rated for an 8 foot fall lol. It's been in pools and rain. Still going strong after we've had it for about 5 years and we bought it used! It's a tough little camera that still takes great pics.

[MamaBee]

When my son was 4 - I got him a vtech kids camera... again, quality was horrible, but he would go in spurts of wanting to use the camera and he liked the little digi stickers he could add to the photos. Then when he was 7 or so, I gave him an old canon point and shoot camera. He only just recently got into taking movies and loves the movie feature on the old canon. Otherwise, for one offs, he usually just uses my phone or camera. At 9, I don't worry - he has always been a very careful kid. I hope next year to do a photography study with him in the summer... start him young knowing about how to properly take photos.

[rach3975]

When my kids were very young, they used one of the kids' cameras-maybe V-tech? Now they're 7, 10, and 12. They all have Fire tablets with cameras, and they use my old phone if they want to take a camera with them. If you want better quality than a kids' camera, you could try looking for used cell phones with a case like an Otterbox Defender. Mine is still going strong after being dropped often. I'm worse than the kids when it comes to dropping things-my phones have survived falls down concrete staircases, being knocked off tables, etc.

[lovely1m]

When Nick was that little, he had one of those kids ones. Recently I gave him one of my old point and shoots. I was thinking of getting him a photo printer for Christmas or one of those new style polaroid cameras.