Cameras for Children

fish

We're thinking of getting a digicam for my 11yo boy. The important details are probably:

* Robust.
* Easy for small hands to hold.
* Reasonable feature set (at least some manual capability)
* CF card
* Reasonable resolution (3mp or so) and image quality
* CHEAP

I was considering letting him use my Coolpix 990, but I'm too attached to that one to watch it hit the concrete deck.

Suggestions?

dkapp

fish wrote:

We're thinking of getting a digicam for my 11yo boy. The important details are probably:

* Robust.
* Easy for small hands to hold.
* Reasonable feature set (at least some manual capability)
* CF card
* Reasonable resolution (3mp or so) and image quality
* CHEAP

I was considering letting him use my Coolpix 990, but I'm too attached to that one to watch it hit the concrete deck.

Suggestions?

I just gave my Sony U20 to my godson ~4yrs old. Its all metal & solid. It seems to be doing good so far. At 2mp it prints a good 4x6.

I'm sure an 11yr old can handle a better camera. I would still recommend a solid metal body design P&S like an older canon or something.

I noticed you are in the Bay Area. Try looking for a good used one on Craigslist.

I have spent a lot of time on dpreview looking at cameras for myself and my gf over the years. Its a great database for buyers.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs.asp

Let me know how your search goes.

Dave