Let's say you want a camera for a five year old...

[Rick A]

Im a member of the buy a cheappie at the Godwill store camp. I bought kids a pile of P&S and zoom models for a buck apiece.I have a Pentax IQ zoom 140 that lives inmy car, bought it for a dollar. Its an amazing little camera. Have an Olympus trip 35 I bought for my daughter too.

[summicron1]

i see the olympus stylus at the local thrift store on a regular basis. Nice little cameras for $2. That's inflated?

[landscapepics]

My kids sometimes use a Canon EOS300 35mm SLR (the film version - no D at the end). You can put it into "green mode" which makes it point and shoot - but if I want to use the camera then manual mode, aperture priority, and shutter priority are all available.

I paid £5 for the body and used existing prime lenses.

The children call it the "awesome camera" because in comparison with digital compacts, you can actually see what your composition on a sunny day.

[Stephanie Brim]

the holga will shoot more than 12frames with the insert ..
box cameras are a no-brainer ...
expired 120 film is cheap as dirt ...

I forgot the Holga. I'd need to get my hands on a C41 kit, though, as processing for medium format around here is basically dead and all mail order.

For toy cameras, I have a Lex35 that I could let her shoot outside. Also THIS thing:



But I only have a few 127 rolls left and the film advance wheel is really turning hard so I have to help with that. I'm cleaning it up for her to use today.

[pentaxuser]

The mju II is an ideal size for a 5 year old's hands. It will also fit into his/her pocket as well. It is quite rugged and sealed to a reasonable extend against "the weather".

Fully auto gives instant success which is important for kids. If he/she loses interest then it is still a good carry around camera for use in instances where bigger cameras might be less manageable or less appropriate.

The plastic Kodak Brownie 127 looks like a "real camera" to a child and it is but it is a bit flimsy and maybe too big for a 5 year old's hands and with the demise of Efke are there any makers of 127 film left?

It also has a proper looking case which would fit around the childs shoulder so he/she can look like a proper photographer just like mum/dad.

pentaxuser

[Stephanie Brim]

The mju II is an ideal size for a 5 year old's hands. It will also fit into his/her pocket as well. It is quite rugged and sealed to a reasonable extend against "the weather".

Fully auto gives instant success which is important for kids. If he/she loses interest then it is still a good carry around camera for use in instances where bigger cameras might be less manageable or less appropriate.

The plastic Kodak Brownie 127 looks like a "real camera" to a child and it is but it is a bit flimsy and maybe too big for a 5 year old's hands and with the demise of Efke are there any makers of 127 film left?

It also has a proper looking case which would fit around the childs shoulder so he/she can look like a proper photographer just like mum/dad.

pentaxuser

I don't think there's any other makers of 127. I haven't found any. Unless the Lomo people have some of the film left, getting more for the Bella is going to be a pain in my backside.

I have 7 rolls of Efke R100 left. Once those are gone, my Bella becomes nothing more than a conversation piece unless I cut down 120.

[cliveh]

I don't think there's any other makers of 127. I haven't found any. Unless the Lomo people have some of the film left, getting more for the Bella is going to be a pain in my backside.

I have 7 rolls of Efke R100 left. Once those are gone, my Bella becomes nothing more than a conversation piece unless I cut down 120.

For a child of that age, would not a digital camera make more sense?

[BrianShaw]

For a child of that age, would not a digital camera make more sense?

Despite this forum being "APUG", I'd agree wholeheartedly. The immediacy of results is a great teaching tool and increases motivation for a child to see like a photographer. There is plenty of time for a 5 year old to learn exposure, etc. later in life.

[Stephanie Brim]

For a child of that age, would not a digital camera make more sense?

I'd rather go about this as a learning experience for her. I've let her use the DSLR (with AMAZINGLY CLOSE supervision), but this will be her first real introduction to any film process. She was too young the last time I had the cameras out.

[cliveh]

I'd rather go about this as a learning experience for her. I've let her use the DSLR (with AMAZINGLY CLOSE supervision), but this will be her first real introduction to any film process. She was too young the last time I had the cameras out.

And she still is.