Which camera for 8 year old?

SiHH

SiHH

SiHH

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Happy to go second hand, need something that takes good quality pics as he is no baby anymore.

Would my Fuji F31fd be suitable or something easier to use?
 
I'd say a Hassleblad H4D-200MS would be a good first camera.

I'd get him a film camera to compliment the fuji as well.

Maybe even an instant camera, so he can see his results immediately and learn to treasure the shots as he'll have limited film.
 
I think my dad bought me a little film camera when i was around that age. It was plastic and rubbish but that's besides the point :D

Disposables can actually take really nice pictures, in good enough light. But the truth of the matter is that they aren't going to get into photography unless they discover it of their own accord. By all means, buy them a camera. Just don't expect it to be used for much other than facebook pictures ;)

If you want to go film (which is probably a good idea, not just because of the superiority but also because it will work out a lot cheaper if/when they break it) then obviously you'll want a P&S, but make sure it's something that doesn't look old.

If you want to go film (which is probably a good idea, not just because of the superiority but also because it will work out a lot cheaper if/when they break it) then obviously you'll want a P&S, but make sure it's something that doesn't look old. Aesthetics matter to an eight year old, you don't want them thinking you bought them a rubbish camera or one they'd be embarrassed to use in public. I'll see if i can find some suggestions, post them in the morning.
 
SiHH said:
Happy to go second hand, need something that takes good quality pics as he is no baby anymore.
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I have two suggestions:

1) Disposables. Cheap to break :-)

You can get waterproof disposables that they can use in the snow, sand, water etc without fear.

2) A digital camera with an internal (periscope) lens mechanism, such as the Sony T series. Compacts tend to get broken in the hands of children by the lens mechanism being crushed. The cameras with an internal mechanism don't have that problem.

Andrew
 
PermaBanned said:
I think my dad bought me a little film camera when i was around that age. It was plastic and rubbish but that's besides the point :D

Disposables can actually take really nice pictures, in good enough light. But the truth of the matter is that they aren't going to get into photography unless they discover it of their own accord. By all means, buy them a camera. Just don't expect it to be used for much other than facebook pictures ;)

If you want to go film (which is probably a good idea, not just because of the superiority but also because it will work out a lot cheaper if/when they break it) then obviously you'll want a P&S, but make sure it's something that doesn't look old.

If you want to go film (which is probably a good idea, not just because of the superiority but also because it will work out a lot cheaper if/when they break it) then obviously you'll want a P&S, but make sure it's something that doesn't look old. Aesthetics matter to an eight year old, you don't want them thinking you bought them a rubbish camera or one they'd be embarrassed to use in public. I'll see if i can find some suggestions, post them in the morning.
Click to expand...

Thanks look forward to your suggestions :)
 
Gaffer said:
I have two suggestions:

1) Disposables. Cheap to break :-)

You can get waterproof disposables that they can use in the snow, sand, water etc without fear.

2) A digital camera with an internal (periscope) lens mechanism, such as the Sony T series. Compacts tend to get broken in the hands of children by the lens mechanism being crushed. The cameras with an internal mechanism don't have that problem.

Andrew
Click to expand...

Not keen on disposables to be honest, would rather go digital so he can learn about transferring files etc.

Will check out the Sony :) thanks!
 
SiHH said:
Thanks look forward to your suggestions :)
Click to expand...

Well for starters, it's worth noting that there are (of course) advantages to both digital and film. With digital you could just give it to them and then go away to watch TV/go on OCUK or whatever ;) But with film you would spend an afternoon with them, walking them through it, explaining how it works and going out to take a few pictures together. I think if you do that then you're far more likely to give it a special place in their mind, to actually get them interested in the hobby rather than just see the camera as a tool/toy (same thing really, aye? :D).

I guess the most important factor in this choice would be the child themselves. What do you think they're going to be interested in? Instant results or care and attention? Some people simply aren't interested in photography. You're the one that knows them :p

Although film would be the best choice re. image quality, which you did say you were concerned about with your old compact. With a digital the sensor is going to be about the size of your little fingernail. Every 35mm film point and shoot is a full frame camera. Though the 'disadvantage' here would be the actual cost of film/developing. I'd suggest looking for pound land film, which is always a great place to start. Developing you could price check Asda/Boots/Tesco, those sorts of places. There is potential to see what would happen if say they were to buy the film out of their pocket money (which would ensure that they don't go through a roll every ten minutes taking pictures of literally everything), but obviously that's up to you.

As for what film cameras i would suggest... well the consensus seems to be that pretty much any £10 full auto P&S would be fine. But then there are really two definitions of auto. There's full auto, and there's zone focus (and there's simply completely fixed focus, but whatever). Which really can be just as easy. You set it to either close, medium or far with easy to understand symbols and you're set.

So for a zone look for say an Agfa Optima 335.. maybe a Canon Demi if you can find one for the right price in the right condition, which is quite rare. Can't not mention the Oly Trip 35, although i feel the looks may put them off.

Full auto your best bet will probably be an Oly Stylus Epic (known as the Mju-II over here). There's also the XA in it's various forms, some of which (probably the more expensive ones) might be getting a bit too involved. A Konica Big Mini could be a good shout too. If you want something a bit more 'child friendly/childish' then have a look at the Konica Pop. Or if you think they would like something professional looking then a Nikon One Touch/L35AF. Yashica made some great P&Ss as well, especially with the T series - but only if you can find them for a decent price.

For other ideas there are a lot of good cameras in this thread:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/ishootfilm/discuss/72157621751779998/

It's just a shame there are no cheap to buy/use Polaroids any more, would be perfect for this sort of thing :(

The bay is usually great for these sorts of cameras, but you can end up paying over the odds due to lomo fanatics and bloody Ken Rockwell pushing the prices up :D If you can't find what you want for a reasonable price then try some smaller sites, or local charity shops/boot sales and you can often pick up a bargain.

Just out of curiosity - what relation are you to them? :)

/massive wall of text... not sure why i've put so much time into this. Maybe i'm thinking about what to do for my nephew when he "comes of age" :D
 
When I was a kid, I used to use these little 35mm cameras which were shaped like monsters. They were very basic, they had two little plastic squares that pulled up to form a viewfinder, a winder and then a shutter button.

Here's one I took when I was about 6:

Horse.jpg


The only things I really had to learn was that you need to keep your finger out the shot, which I think is what I struggled to remember the most. The other is obviously only taking a picture when you think you want to remember something, because you've only got a limited number of shots.... I never struggled with that part though.

I'd imagine it must be quite a different world for kids these days. For one thing, you don't want to give them anything expensive, which is why little 35mm cameras were so great in the past as they cost nothing. Also, you don't really want to give them something with loads of buttons on, which is again why the simple 35mms were so easy to understand and use for a child. It's obviously only as they get older than they may find they want to take photography more seriously.
 
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