Chances are if you use a digital camera within view of your young children they want to have a turn taking pictures. You may be reluctant to hand over your expensive digital camera to a 3- or 4-year-old, but wouldn’t it be fun to see what kind of pictures they would take?
With the increasing affordability of digital cameras, it might just be worth it to buy your son or daughter a digital camera of their own. There are many easy-to-use and durable “kids cameras” on the market now, and some of them offer special features like built in games and specialized software tailored to kids. Adding silly hats or cartoon characters to pictures can keep some kids entertained for hours.
Things to keep in mind when shopping for a camera for your child are durability, resolution, and ease of use. Most kids cameras are very durable, which sets them apart from regular cameras. The resolution and image quality is often significantly less than you would find in a regular digital camera, so keep that in mind if you would like to print the pictures your kids take. VGA resolution, offered by many kids’ cameras, is only 640x480 pixels, which is not big enough for even a 4x6 print, but it is the perfect size for e-mailing shots from your budding Ansel Adams to family members.
1. Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Waterproof Digital Camera
Featuring a two-eye viewer, big buttons that are easy for little fingers and rugged waterproof construction, this camera is good for toddlers who are just starting to take an interest in cameras. A 1.5-inch LCD screen lets kids see the pictures they’ve taken, and 64 MB of internal memory can hold up to 500 images, though they won’t be of amazing quality. The suggested retail price is $50.
2. VTech Kidizoom Camera
This camera comes with interchangeable faceplates and has simple games built in. Also included is picture-editing software that allows kids to add frames, funny hats and accessories, or monster features like wings and horns. With 16MB of internal storage. it can hold up to 200 pictures, or a few minutes of video. Try this one out in the store if you get a chance though, as some users have reported that the buttons are hard to push on some models. The suggested retail price is $59.99.
3. Polaroid Pixie 3.0MP Kids Digital Camera with Games
Intended for a slightly older audience, this camera features 3.0 megapixel resolution, enough for an 8x10 print. With a two-eye viewfinder and built in games, it’s easy and fun for kids to use. The internal memory isn’t sufficient for more than a few pictures though, so you’ll want to buy an additional SD card. Also be aware that this camera is known for going through batteries quickly. The suggested retail price is $79.99.
For toddlers and young kids, these cameras are ideal since they can withstand being dropped, and the buttons and menus are intuitive enough for young minds. A simple modification can make these cameras even more kid friendly: When taking pictures, children often get too close to their subject, causing the flash to be too bright and the image to be overexposed. A simple fix for this is to put translucent tape or tissue paper over the lens, diffusing and softening the light.
Once a child is old enough that you don’t have to worry so much about them damaging or losing the camera, they might be ready for their own regular point and shoot camera. It’s not hard to find a good quality camera, with much higher resolution and more advanced features than the children’s cameras offered, for less than $100. And there’s always the option of buying yourself a new camera and handing your older, but still functional, camera to your kids. You might be surprised by the creativity of the pictures they come up with!
