Digital P&S with prime lens?

[photorat]

My 7 year old daughter really enjoys taking photos but my R-D1 is just too complicated for her, even with scale focus wide angles. So I'm looking to get her a digital P&S that will help her develop her composition skills without having to think too much about exposure or focus.

I would also prefer something without a zoom lens. I find this feature is too much of a distraction for children. They are too focused on photographing "objects" rather than composing "pictures". A prime lens/fixed focal length would force her to think about how to position herself in the scene and compose an interesting photograph.

The X1 looks great as does the GR Digital III but both are way over my budget. Under $400 would be nice. I'm thinking a second hand GRD II. Thanks for any other ideas...

 

[emraphoto]

ricoh grd 1

set it up on aperture priority, snap mode and maybe even an external finder. cheap as chips and great black and white camera.

 

[jasperamsterdam]

My boy is only 2 months but if i would have buy him a camera it would be this:

http://theonlinephotographer.typepa...apher/2009/10/retro-digicamdigital-holga.html

 

[thegman]

Sigma DP-1, should be under $400 second-hand?

 

[Frank Petronio]

For $400 you could buy her a Nikon D70 with a 50mm lens!

 

[Gary Sandhu]

I got my 5 and 3 year olds an Olympus e 410 with a 25mm pancake lens: fast focus, no zoom, minimal shutter lag and optical viewfinder.

 

[Pablito]

For $400 you could buy her a Nikon D70 with a 50mm lens!

Frank I was thinking exactly the same thing. I just did that, actually, the body was $225 here in RFF and even if I buy a new 18-55 kit lens I'm still well under $400. This is for a college student, though.

Re. the Yashica linked to above, ironic they can put an optical VF on that camera but Pany, Oly, Leica and so many others can't do it on cameras costing 5x, 10x or 20 as much........

 

[bmattock]

Seven? http://www.amazon.com/Oregon-Scientific-DCA68-07-Barbie-Digital/dp/B000HVVIDA

 

[Brad Buszard]

How about indestructable?

How about indestructable?

How about this Argus Bean?

http://www.arguscamera.com/products/cameras/bean5.html

It's tough and very simple. I got my 3-year old the little bean sprout and he loves it:

http://www.arguscamera.com/products/cameras/sprout.html

And it even has the venerable Argus name. Say "Yes" to Michigan?

 

[pvdhaar]

For $400 you could buy her a Nikon D70 with a 50mm lens!

A DLSR the size of a D70 is way too big and heavy for a 7yr old to handle..

 

[Frank Petronio]

Well maybe carrying it all day around their neck, but my petite six-year daughter grabs and shoots with my SLRs all the time.

 

[jasperamsterdam]

Pentax 67?

 

[kermaier]

I had exactly the same issue.

I gave my older daughter, for her 3rd birthday, an old Casio Exilim EX-S2. Small, simple, metal body, optical VF, fixed 35mm equivalent lens, 2 MP, fast operation (fixed focus). Pros: Recharging docking station, SD cards. Cons: Not great image quality. The weak link was the shoot/review mode switch, which is plastic: She had no trouble, but her cousin (same age) broke the first one a year later, and her younger sister broke the same switch on the replacement I got her.

So this year I got her an old Olympus D-395: A bit bigger and easier to grip, simple, plastic body, optical VF, fixed 35mm equivalent lens, 3 MP, slower operation (crappy auto-focus). Other cons: 2xAA batteries (CR-V3 won't fit in the chamber), xD Picture Cards.

If it were available now, I'd definitely go for one of those Yashica EZ-F521 cameras.
The GRD-1 is an interesting option as well -- don't know what the price is like now, tho.

::Ari

 

[bmattock]

I had exactly the same issue.

I gave my older daughter, for her 3rd birthday, an old Casio Exilim EX-S2. Small, simple, metal body, optical VF, fixed 35mm equivalent lens, 2 MP, fast operation (fixed focus). Pros: Recharging docking station, SD cards. Cons: Not great image quality. The weak link was the shoot/review mode switch, which is plastic: She had no trouble, but her cousin (same age) broke the first one a year later, and her younger sister broke the same switch on the replacement I got her.

So this year I got her an old Olympus D-395: A bit bigger and easier to grip, simple, plastic body, optical VF, fixed 35mm equivalent lens, 3 MP, slower operation (crappy auto-focus). Other cons: 2xAA batteries (CR-V3 won't fit in the chamber), xD Picture Cards.

If it were available now, I'd definitely go for one of those Yashica EZ-F521 cameras.
The GRD-1 is an interesting option as well -- don't know what the price is like now, tho.

::Ari

Consider the Kodak C530. 5MP, fixed focus 38mm equiv. Small, AA batteries, easy to use, durable. Good photos. Out of manufacture now, but available as remaindered new and slightly used units on eBay for very little money. I'd rather have a child tell me they dropped or lost or had a bully take away a $20 camera than a $400 camera.

 

[BillBingham2]

The Yashica 521 looks interesting but I think it's too much of as step down. The GRD I would be my first choice. You can get them used (but not abused) between $300 and $400 and it's well worth it. The manual can be found on line and is straight forward. Controls are well designed and easy to manage. The lens quite frankly ROCKS. The size small but not too small for me with big hands to use. Only thing I would add is a 28mm finder, but not a requirement up front. Runs on AAAs when you main battery runs out of power.

B2 (;->

 

[BillBingham2]

.....I'd rather have a child tell me they dropped or lost or had a bully take away a $20 camera than a $400 camera.

Knock on work, my kids are very good with not loosing or breaking thing when they know what they have. Not a bad way to show trust and build self-esteem.

B2 (;->

 

[bmattock]

Knock on work, my kids are very good with not loosing or breaking thing when they know what they have. Not a bad way to show trust and build self-esteem.

To each their own. I am obviously in the presence of people for whom $400 is an insignificant sum. My own best camera body barely cost that much.

 

[climbing_vine]

To each their own. I am obviously in the presence of people for whom $400 is an insignificant sum. My own best camera body barely cost that much.

Seriously. If you're a millionaire, well, I guess it's your money to burn even if it's silly. But it doesn't matter how good your kids are, stuff gets broken/lost/stolen/smashed-by-neighbor pretty often. Spending even $100 on a camera for a little kid seems unwise.

 

[btgc]

I can't talk for all kids, though I got Konica POP (1 peanut) for 6 y.o. and new boxed Konica KR-10x with 50/2 (20 peanuts) for 16 y.o. girls.

If they loose interest or cameras go route they happen to go, there are no worries. Ah, they aren't digital. In that case I'd go for 20-peanut digicam. I don't say I'm right and others are wrong though kids can have upgrade cameras when they have spent lots of efforts taking pictures. That's only we adults can buy new lenses before old ones are explored to their limits....

 

[urban_alchemist]

ricoh grd 1

set it up on aperture priority, snap mode and maybe even an external finder. cheap as chips and great black and white camera.

Agree. Apart from the slow RAW-write speed, I prefer it to the GRDII, and it is substantially cheaper.

Can't speak of the GRDIII, though - I'm waiting for the X1 and rumoured interchangeable lense Ricoh before I choose where to go...