Advice for daughter learning photography

[lookitsjonno]

My 12 year old daughter is getting quite into taking photos with her phone and has shown an interest in learning photography. Naturally, it isn't quite my forte so I was hoping for some advice on what models she should be considering to make her small budget go far.

£100-130 budget so was thinking maybe second hand is worth considering??

She enjoys taking photos of nature - scenery, insects etc. Ideally something simple to use but have plenty of features for her to use once she progresses her knowledge.

 

[GMac11]

All I can do is offer my opinion on this, certainly don't take what I say as gold. For me, I would be looking to at least double that budget - probably not what you wanted to hear.
For the £100-130 budget you have stated will just about buy you a low end Compact or Bridge camera. If, as you say, your daughter may want scope for learning different settings and all the nuances that come with learning photography then there is only one place to start and that is DSLR/mirrorless - and even then you will most certainly have to go second hand.

Model wise I haven't enough experience of different systems - I've only every shot Canon and Fuji myself. So in line with your budget you probably want to be looking at a Canon 2000D/4000D or maybe a Canon Eos M/M100 if you want to go mirrorless.
Again, I'm not specifically recommending those particular models - think of them more as a starting point for deciding what you want to purchase. Although I did recommend the 2000D to two friends last Christmas and they're both very happy.

 

[Swanster]

I recently got a second hand Nikon D3100 with kit lens for ~£130 to play with, which I'm pretty happy with (figured if I end up not using it, I've not lost too much). It's simple enough to use in auto mode, but also has the features you'd expect from a "proper" camera (I think ).
With a DSLR, I guess you'll also have the option of getting a macro lens in the future for small stuff like insects, etc.

I should probably add that my experience of different systems is somewhat less than GMac11... it's limited to this one camera...

 

[EMarkM]

As an extra little gift, buy her a copy of Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure".

It's not the only book out there, and I haven't read them all, but she'll gain a good understanding of how to do it "correctly" rather than relying on automatic settings that relinquish creative control.