Starter camera for 5 year-old

April 9, 2010 7:33 AM

My 5 year-old is very keen to have a digital camera of his own. Although he's quite smart and dexterous, the camera will need to be robust, simple to use, and fairly cheap (in case it gets broken). Does anyone have any suggestions, please?
posted by kitfreeman to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (21 answers total)

Yep, I've seen some at toy stores and at Target (if you are in the US). They can be found in the toy aisle. I saw a couple different brands, including Fisher Price.
posted by imalaowai at 7:36 AM on April 9, 2010

I've seen the Fisher Price digital camera survive some pretty horrific torture, and it's shaped for little hands.
posted by crankylex at 7:39 AM on April 9, 2010

Thirding the Fisher Price. My niece wanted a camera of her own for her third birthday. I got it for her, and she loved it. She took photos of everything, including the inside of the mouth of one of her brothers. (That apparently resulted in a lecture of what not to do with babies, I understand.)

She stopped using it, and now one of her brothers carries it everywhere and takes pictures with it. He's about to turn four.

So it's lasted almost four years. Which is a pretty good run, and it doesn't seem to be breaking down yet.
posted by mephron at 7:42 AM on April 9, 2010

It depends on your definition of cheap - if $25-$35 is reasonable, I'd just go on ebay or craigslist and get an old Canon A-series (A410, A420, etc). They take AA batteries, are reasonably robust unless you dunk them in water, and very easy to use in automatic mode. They are real cameras, so you're going to get decent pictures out of them should he take any.
posted by true at 7:44 AM on April 9, 2010

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll check out the Fisher Price model. Just to clarify: I'm looking for a real camera, which will take decent photos, rather than a toy. (My boy currently borrows my Canon Powershot G10 and uses it in auto mode.) By 'cheap' I mean up to, say, $50.
posted by kitfreeman at 7:55 AM on April 9, 2010

Another vote for the Fisher Price; my next door neighbor's kid has had the Fisher Price camera for three or four years now. He's very hard on it (he has some behavioral issues) and it's survived and takes pretty good pictures.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:01 AM on April 9, 2010

My opinion, which is biased, is that you should go for the Disney Pix Jr.

I say this because it's just as durable as the fisher price, but having played with them both, the fisher price view finder is not a true sighting device. You will end up with a kid with a lot of photos of people with no heads, from my experience, and that might not be the experience you are going for.

I know for a fact from personal experience that if you throw the pix jr down a flight of stairs, it will survive. I got one of these for my friend's kid when she was three. She is still using it, still loves it, and has not managed to kill it at all. In my opinion, it's a superior product.
posted by Medieval Maven at 8:08 AM on April 9, 2010

I'd go for a used "real" digital camera from a generation or two back. My older son has used my old PowerShot A70 since he was a preschooler (five years now). If you can find one cheap and in working order, one advantage of an older digital camera is that it will take decent pictures. When I was looking into this same question for one of my kids, the cameras just for kids took crappy pictures and didn't have features like zoom, which my kids like. Maybe that has changed, but I wouldn't spend $60 for that Disney camera when I could get an older Canon on eBay for $100.
posted by not that girl at 8:26 AM on April 9, 2010

I'd also go for a real camera. When my then-5 year old stepson became obsessed with cameras we bought him a real digital camera (Nikon? Panasonic? I don't remember) for about $100 at Target. We gave it to him with a warning that he always needs to put the wrist strap on when he uses it so it doesn't get hurt. Almost 3 years later the camera is in great shape, and, as a side bonus, it's pretty adorable to watch him elaborately put the strap on every time he uses it. We thought about getting him a kiddie camera originally, but the features he has enjoyed the most--zooming up into people's noses, making movies of himself running around the yard, and hooking the thing up to the tv to make everyone watch his movies and up-nostril pictures--are not, as far as I know, available on the Disney and Fisher Price ones.
posted by girl scientist at 8:36 AM on April 9, 2010

I've tested the Fisher Price Kiddizoom out myself, and it is tough and has different features that might be fun for him to use. The resolution is low - 3mb though new models may be higher - but if you're really worried about something smashing easily then it's a good option until he's a little older.

It is also nice to hold as others say above.
posted by mippy at 8:39 AM on April 9, 2010

Whatever you decide, stay far, far away from the Crayola kid's cameras. We never got ours to work, and when we took it back it to the store for a refund, the guy behind the counter said its was the 5th one that day to be returned (this was after Christmas). Amazon reviews are dismal as well.
posted by Otis at 8:45 AM on April 9, 2010

If your kid is seriously using your G10, then he'll be disappointed (or maybe you will) with the picture quality of any of the toy cameras mentioned here. He'll also destroy any of the used "adult" cameras you find on eBay, the minute he drops it with the lends extended.

After much Amazon-surfing, I got my 3 y.o. a Vtech Kidzoom Plus, and she's thrilled with it. Meaty handles, a big shutter button, and a real viewfinder so you can squash it against your face like binoculars and literally "point and shoot." Plus you can throw the damn thing against a tree and it won't break. Picture and lens quality are cell-phone-esque, but it's a toy, after all.

But if you really want to raise a mini Ansel Adams, why not buy an underwater case for your G10, and let him go crazy?
posted by turducken at 8:48 AM on April 9, 2010

Seconding true's recommendation: "I'd just go on ebay or craigslist and get an old Canon A-series (A410, A420, etc). "

They are really well made and tough. Buy two of them for $50 so you have an instant backup lest the first one go in the chocolate milk somehow.
posted by bz at 8:53 AM on April 9, 2010

I'm in the same boat - I want to get cameras for our 3.5 and 6 year olds. I've looked at the kid-specific cameras, but they seem pretty underpowered and mediocre photo quality (from reviews on Amazon, etc.).

I've been considering getting two HP photosmarts. Only $30 (no tax, no shipping costs), no optical zoom (which is OK for the kids). At that price, I'm willing to take a chance on its robustness.
posted by nightwood at 9:50 AM on April 9, 2010

I have a Canon point-n-shoot (about 4 megapixels) that was my first digital camera I bought over six years ago for a hundred bucks. Even though I've bought several nicer cameras since then I still use this old Canon regularly for hiking and any time I just want a good camera that fits in a pocket. I have dropped this camera many times on pavement and in puddles and on rocks hiking. It just keeps ticking. The rechargable battery is held in with tape. That's how much abuse this camera has endured. But it still takes amazingly clear and beautiful pictures. The interface is very easy to use (even a child could figure it out with a little instruction). So I would suggest a low end Canon. Check out what they have on display at Target (they often clearance display models for really cheap). And choose one with a rechargable battery pack.
posted by FairlyFarley at 9:56 AM on April 9, 2010

Get a real camera, not a toy one. My (soon to 5 year old) son played with the Fisher Price one for all of 15 minutes. But daddys camera is better.
posted by ducktape at 10:05 AM on April 9, 2010

We got our son the Argus Bean Digital Camera. It has stood up to him quite well. It is simple to use and tough. He loves it and has had it for two years.
posted by onhazier at 11:29 AM on April 9, 2010

Every Canon A-series I've owned (4 of them, now) has died the first time I dropped them. Specifically, the automatic lens cover has refused to open. Finally, I just had a camera repair guy remove the cover, and have had no problems since.

Of course, I also started using a wrist strap.

The more fuller-featured the camera, the better it will be for your 5-year-old.
posted by coolguymichael at 12:36 PM on April 9, 2010

look at the drugstore...i picked up a keyring camera for like $10 that's been a lot of fun...it's super tiny, about the size of a box of matches...very 'spycam'...also doubles as a webcam, and makes movies...it's only 640x480 resolution, but i think they've gotten an upgrade to 1 or 2 MP (i got mine a few years back)...might be more of a 'toy', but it is definitely the sort of thing he could take anywhere...
posted by sexyrobot at 2:21 PM on April 9, 2010

I'm nth-ing the "get a real camera" crowd. I picked up a used 4 megapixel kodak at a flea market for 5 dollars.
posted by the_W at 5:19 AM on April 10, 2010

Got one for my brother (A fujifilm one that was maybe 3-4 years old) on craigslist for like $35 and it is comparable in quality to anything you'd find at Best Buy. It's got the added benefit of being 'weather proof' which means it can take a bit of abuse water wise and just in general.

I suggest checking there, they had many in my price range of much higher wuality than anything you'd find new.

Also, I'm sure ebay could be similar, though then you'd probably want models to search for, which is harder.

We've had some experiences with the kiddie digital cameras, and don't go there. A 5 year old is more than capable of handling an adult camera. Plus, the adult cameras usually take video, which can be fun.
posted by R a c h e l at 8:46 PM on April 10, 2010