Tiny SLR for a kid?

apconan said:
A 6-year-old doesn't even have a good grasp on the world around him, how is he supposed to photograph it? He doesn't have full motor skill development, or the cognitive ability to even understand what photography means.
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You should talk to a 6-year-old some time, you will be astonished at how much they know.
 
apconan said:
This thread is just weird. A little bit disturbing.
A 6-year-old doesn't even have a good grasp on the world around him, how is he supposed to photograph it? He doesn't have full motor skill development, or the cognitive ability to even understand what photography means.
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"It’s marvellous, marvellous. Nothing will ever be as much fun. I’m going to photograph everything, everything!" Jacques-Henri Lartigue, 1901 (age seven)

I suspect it depends on the kid. It's generally thought that the age of reason is around 7 so for some kids 6 is going to be alright. I would say that it took until maturity for me to have any idea of artistic spatial awareness whereas I've met youths who were astoundingly tuned to it.

Here's another fun quote:

"One day while Ronald Knox was suffering from a serious bout of insomnia, he was asked how he occupied himself during his sleepless nights. "I lie awake," he replied, "and think about the past." Knox was four years old at the time."

(I'm a Knox fan). And while we are about it :

'There is nothing wrong with sobriety in moderation'.

Nothing much to do with the subject, however.
 
I agree that a fully programmed camera would be preferable so you could "point and shoot". However, if one could live with a shutter preferred camera, I'd like to suggest a camera I've seldom if ever seen mentioned on RFF. It's the Mamiya NC1000 or 1000s. It's essentially the same size and weight as the Olympus OM-1 or Pentax MX. Typically with a 50/1.7 lens it goes for $35-40 on eBay. Can be more or less depending on condition, any accessories, etc. but nearly always cheap. 28mm, 35mm, and 135mm lenses are not scarce, and usually $40 or less. I think a 135mm one just went for less than $12 recently, certainly the exception though. There is even an adapter to use M42 lenses with automatic aperture actuation. Stop down metering is required. However, these things are impossible to find. It uses the readily available S76/357 batteries and even has interchangeable focusing screens. Contrary to what you may read, both models take interchangeable screens. By the way, the Sears 1000MX AUTO CS is the same camera.
 
I shot an SLR at six and had a great time with it. It was a Konica, although I forget the model.

But why do you have the idea that there is only one or a few suitable models? Just about any SLR from the late seventies should serve fine! Take your son with you to the local pawn shop and let him help to choose! I'd recommend against cameras like the Pentax K1000 which meter continuously whenever the lens cap is removed, though: a power switch is probably better!

May I also recommend starting off with a 35mm lens? Children like to get close to things, and the focal length will also give more margin of depth of field than a 50mm.

Seriously, though- I think your son will like the camera more if you let him help pick it!

R
 
Hi Eugene,

At this stage of photography and technology, I would give my 6 years old son a digital Powershot camera.
Film cameras in ten years from now will be a sort of extravagancies of the past. Not that there will not be film, but you are sending your son to a niche, more complex to oprate than a Powershot.

So if concentration on the image is agreed as the most important feature to start with, the LCD monitor is much bigger and easy to address than the eye viewfinder of an SLR

Cheers,
 
apconan said:
This thread is just weird. A little bit disturbing.
A 6-year-old doesn't even have a good grasp on the world around him, how is he supposed to photograph it? He doesn't have full motor skill development, or the cognitive ability to even understand what photography means. You're pushing your hobby on him, and before you tell me "he likes it" have you thought that 6-year olds are incredibly impressionable, and anything he sees you do (and then you proceed to put in his hands), he will seem to like? Does this mean that he is enjoying it for what it is? No.

I'm sure you have the best of intentions (photography brings you great joy, and you'd like to see your children experience that too), but let him be a kid, and find his hobbies on his own (better yet, let him experience that period of childhood where he just plays, not even having hobbies) . It'll be that much more rewarding when he gets somewhere himself.
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good comment. as long as its acknowledged a play, and toys can (and probably will) take a hit, it should be fine.
 
apconan said:
This thread is just weird. A little bit disturbing.
A 6-year-old doesn't even have a good grasp on the world around him, how is he supposed to photograph it? He doesn't have full motor skill development, or the cognitive ability to even understand what photography means.
Click to expand...
I understand that it was well-meant, but seriously, you make a benign activity sound like child torture. I shudder to think what'd you say about him taking karate classes, with undeveloped motor skills and all that :)

There is no question at this age he will not understand what photography is, if you mean as the art form, the visual media. Just as most adults don't understand it. But he has pretty solid understanding that photography is taking pictures with a camera.

It is certainly possible for a parent to project their aspirations onto child, and maybe I'm too biased to see it. But I wouldn't have gotten this idea if he wasn't playing with my cameras on his own, or coming over to count time for me when I flip film tank at the sink. He takes snaps of himself, his parents, his toy monkey and collection of cars. If he gets bored with it in the end and puts it aside - so be it. As any parent here knows it is extremely hard to push a kid into activity they dislike anyway.
 
Roger Hicks said:
Nikon EM?

Manual focus and aperture priority, but not beyond a smart 6-year-old.

And an add-on winder with six AAA cells: a real 'system'.

Cheers,

R.
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Roger, the FG I think is essentially the same camera with the upgrade of the option of manual exposure, takes the same SBE flash, winder, etc? At this point the price should be about the same as well, almost free. You could probably find a spare, but I used them as a second light weight body, they were reasonably durable. I do not recall the differences between the FG 20 and the FG, a couple of them are lying about though.

Regards, John
 
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Depends on the kid. It is said that Mozart wrote his first composition at 5, so I do not think pressing a button should be too difficult.

As far as the camera, I think I have the perfect one - I think it fits all your criteria except one. How about the Pentax Auto 110? Certainly small enough; AE, manual focus, manual advance. 110 film is still available, and he can load it himself! And KEH has a few around $50 - $60. Heck, at that price I may pick one up myself just for fun.
 
Ruben, yes, a Powershot was what I tried first. I disagree that it is any easier to operate for a kid, with substantial shutter lag and plenty of mode-altering buttons in all places. We have a tiny video camera though that he often plays with, so it's not like I'm casting him back to stone age with a film camera :)
 
Oh yes - I looked into Pentax 110 Auto, as it is much lighter than anything else. Not sure however if any local labs are up to processing/printing 110 film, maybe I should check that.. It's so simpler with 35mm, as all workflow already taken care of.

The EM with 28 kindly offered by Jack is very tempting.. I'd feel bad though if it doesn't take off for in the end, and a gift will just sit there collecting dust!
 
Or maybe you could try to find an APS SLR with good manual focus qualities? Or that will take older MF lenses? They tend to be a little smaller and lighter than 35mm, and quite cheap.

(I like weird film formats. So sue me.)
 
iamzip said:
Or maybe you could try to find an APS SLR with good manual focus qualities? Or that will take older MF lenses? They tend to be a little smaller and lighter than 35mm, and quite cheap.

(I like weird film formats. So sue me.)
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The Pronea is an excellent camera, enough film is around, and I did print some negatives using a 35mm holder up to 11x14 with ISO 200 with very good results. Cameras are available at give away prices, I have a spare one -- I think the whole kit would be in the range of $100 with a couple of lenses. I stocked up on APS film, but it seems to be generally still available.

I even have some B&W.

J
 
I be surprised if a 6-year could hit focus more than 20% of the time, but I wouldn't hesitate to invest in a bargain 1990s AF camera, like a Nikon N50 or similar. I had a Nikon N80 last year that worked great, I just didn't like it because it was too light.
 
ciao Eugene
I won't discuss the merit of your thread although to be honest I think we should understand something more. If you want a SLR just to show him how it is done, then ok, whatever aforementioned is fine, otherwise if you mean him to use it to take pictures, I'd say an AF at this stage would be a better tool, thus would lead to an F80 that you could proficiently use as backup body too. It has flash and grid lines so that you might teach him how to frame inside. A 50mm is equally cheap nowadays.
 
Pentax P30t
can be had for a song and has all what you ask for in conjuction with pentax A lenses.
Or a Pentax ME Super

From the Nikons the N2000 is similar but a lot bigger

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varjag said:
I'm now looking to get an SLR for my son, who soon turns 6, and would like to appeal to collective wisdom of RFF for exploring the options. The priorities are:

  • light-weight
  • AE, preferably program mode
  • compact size
  • manual focus
  • manual film advance
  • takes normal 35mm film
  • doesn't fall apart too easily
  • not too expensive

Lens mount, manufacturer, glass quality, finish, colour (as long as it ain't pink) are not that important. Looking so far at Nikon FG which weights in at about 380 grams.. are there any other contenders?
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