Rugged camera for a four year old?

[Anonymous]

Well, we bought a rugged camera for our 7 year old after he broke mine while taking pictures. I learned my lesson. We got him a Lumix for about $200. (I of course got flamed on DCUM for posting this when responding to another post about cameras for kids.) Still don't regret the decision and he loves taking pictures.

I've had good luck with CNET reviews.

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-6501_7-57428068-95/best-waterproof-rugged-cameras-and-camcorders-compared/

[Anonymous]

not as sexy as what you are thinking of- but we got the kids a VTECH camera 2 years ago for Christmas. It was the previous model of this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0053X61WU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&keywords=vtech%20camera&qid=1358827249&sr=8-2

The children were 3 and 5 when they got it and a year + later it still works, and they enjoy playing / taking pictures with it. There is also a cute game feature that they love.

Put some things to be aware of:
1. Although we have a lot of technology, the kids do not play with out phones.
2. They do not have any other childrens hand held technology - no leapster, ps2 or whatever the hot item is.

This may influence your child's POV on the camera and game feature.

[Anonymous]

My daughter has always wanted to take pictures. At an early age (less than 2) I taught her some rules - strap on the wrist, how to hold it etc. She did really great and when she was almost 3, she got a $50 Canon camera for Christmas. She followed all the rules, but got excited and it hit the ground (a couple months later) leaving it to no longer work. Fast forward a year, and we got her another $50 Canon camera. We talked about the rules and so far so good.

We looked at the Vtech cameras, and while they may be tough, they take terrible pictures. I want my daughter to enjoy her pictures, so that is why we got a real camera.

[SAM2]

Our kids have been through several cameras over the years. Some were relatively nice adult cameras that we grudgingly let them borrow (and watched get broken), others were inexpensive cameras (which also got broken), and others were kid-tough cameras (which inevitable suck and sometimes got broken, but more often just got abandoned). I eventually decided that it's best simply to buy solid, moderately priced, used cameras off ebay. That way, the quality is enough to keep the kids interested, and the price is low enough that I won't feel disappointed if it breaks. I just picked whatever brand/model combo I could find for about $40-50 at the time, and it usually would last for about 2-3 years, which was satisfactory ROI for my limited purposes.

If you want to go this route, ask your friends and relatives for cast-off cameras. With the rise in iPhones, many people have old point-and-shoots just sitting in drawers. They'd probably be happy to give them to a good home.

Good luck.

ETA: For whatever it's worth, I followed this same strategy with kid ipods and other tech items, and it works there too. I buy inexpensive used ones, and while I encourage responsibility and safe use, I also don't get stressed when they inevitably get lost or broken. Works like a charm.

[Anonymous]

SAM2 wrote:Our kids have been through several cameras over the years. Some were relatively nice adult cameras that we grudgingly let them borrow (and watched get broken), others were inexpensive cameras (which also got broken), and others were kid-tough cameras (which inevitable suck and sometimes got broken, but more often just got abandoned). I eventually decided that it's best simply to buy solid, moderately priced, used cameras off ebay. That way, the quality is enough to keep the kids interested, and the price is low enough that I won't feel disappointed if it breaks. I just picked whatever brand/model combo I could find for about $40-50 at the time, and it usually would last for about 2-3 years, which was satisfactory ROI for my limited purposes.

If you want to go this route, ask your friends and relatives for cast-off cameras. With the rise in iPhones, many people have old point-and-shoots just sitting in drawers. They'd probably be happy to give them to a good home.

Good luck.

ETA: For whatever it's worth, I followed this same strategy with kid ipods and other tech items, and it works there too. I buy inexpensive used ones, and while I encourage responsibility and safe use, I also don't get stressed when they inevitably get lost or broken. Works like a charm.

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