Digital Cameras for Kids

This past week not one...not two...but three mom friends contacted me after seeing a camera for kids in a picture of Eli that I posted to Facebook. I know the feeling! Before we bought that camera for Eli for his fifth birthday last week, I contacted some friends for feedback and read lots of reviews too. Since Christmas is coming, seems like it might be handy to post a product review. If anybody wants to add their thoughts or experiences in the comments section, that would be great!

Why buy a camera for a kid? I adore photography, so in part I simply love sharing my hobby with my child. But as someone with a bachelor's and master's in Art Education, I know it is important to give children creative outlets. My son doesn't seem to like drawing very much (at least right now), so a camera of his own invites him to look closely and record things that interest him. Sometimes if I'm looking for a way to coax Eli outside or get him interested in a new place, we'll do a "Camera Walk." We both have our cameras while we wander and then look at our photos when we get home. Sometimes we'll pick a theme together for these walks -- taking pictures that show the season, objects of a certain color, things that move, etc. (Click HERE and HERE to see examples as blog posts.) Another reason to buy a kid a camera is to help with transitions. We got Eli a toddler Fisher-Price camera when we moved from California to Georgia when he was three and a half years old. He loved it and it did seem to help. (Click HERE to see more about that model camera or about using a camera as a "good-bye tool.")

So why did we buy another camera if we had the Fisher-Price already? The photos are fairly grainy from that camera and it is chunky enough that Eli never wants to carry it around. (Frankly, I'm not happy hauling it either.) It also has no zoom and looks more like a young child's camera. It was great when Eli was a toddler. In fact, I'd recommend it for a younger child or one rough on toys. Still, a few months ago Eli started asking for something more and we knew it was time to move on.

Kid Camera vs. "Real" Camera -- I debated about whether to just get Eli a cheap real camera. There are some reasons why cameras for kids are not as good. First, none of the kid cameras I found have a flash, so indoors the pictures are always going to be blurry. To get any kind of indoor image at all, you'll have to teach a kid to stay very still while pushing the shutter button -- hard for them to remember in the moment! Also, kid cameras have fewer megapixels. That allows kids to snap away without taking up too much digital space, but the resulting images are somewhat grainy rather than sharp and clear.

So why chose a camera made specifically for kids?

Sturdiness -- The main benefit of a camera made for kids is that it should last longer. Since my kid is pretty gentle and careful, a grownup camera might be an option. Still, the chances of him (or his buddies) bonking the camera against something, dropping it, or falling down while the camera is in hand are high enough I thought a kid one was a better idea. If we are inside and Eli wants to take some pictures, he can use my point-and-shoot camera for a little while.

Safer Batteries -- The battery compartments of most adult cameras pop open fairly easily and most are on the bottom of the camera, allowing the contents to fall out. You don't want to lose the batteries. More importantly, swallowing batteries (particularly the "button" batteries in some cameras) can kill a child. Kid cameras have child-safe battery compartments.

Designed for Kid-Thinking -- Another big reason to go with a kid camera is ease of use. It can be frustrating to kids if they can't understand their own camera. They may not be able to read the menus or understand some of the vocabulary on regular cameras. Also, many of the buttons on regular cameras have multiple uses, which can be confusing.

Viewfinder Options -- Kid cameras usually have a viewfinder for both eyes. That's handy because closing one eye doesn't come easy for a lot of kids. They can also use the digital screen on the back to compose their images.

Size -- A real camera can be too small for young hands to hold securely.

Eli in Canyonlands National Park last summer...

After talking to some other moms and reading reviews, I settled on the VTech Kidizoom Camera Connect. Why?

Price -- In November I found Eli's camera for $30 online. (It is more than that now.) There are some kid cameras with more features but that cost quite a bit more.

Features -- The VTech Kidizoom has a camera, video/movie camera (with playback), and voice recorder. It also lets kids get a little creative, editing their pictures or using downloads to add fun backgrounds, clip art, or animation. The camera also has three games on it, which I'm not as thrilled about. I hope the camera will increase his interest and interaction with the world around him rather than encourage him to sit on the sofa like a lump playing electronic games. Sigh.

Ease of Use -- The VTech is particularly intuitive, in my opinion. The icons make sense and added sounds give kids cues about what the buttons are doing. Before we even fished the manual out of the box, Eli was doing well with this camera's various features. In particular, Eli seems to like having a zoom. He pushes the button with the large tree on it to bring objects close and the button with the small tree on it for the image to "back up." A thumb toggle (like a gaming console) makes it easy for Eli to scroll through old images or chose more complex features. A multi-step process makes sure he doesn't accidentally erase photos.

Batteries -- This camera uses four AA batteries. For a kid camera, that is helpful because you can either buy regular batteries or use rechargeables; you're not stuck with some dead odd-sized, rechargable-only battery when your kid is suddenly dying to use the camera. (Note: The camera comes with a brief user's manual, hand strap, and USB cable but no batteries, so add batteries if you give this as a gift.)

Size -- Eli's old Fisher-Price camera was so chucky that it was like carrying a small brick around. The size of the VTech is just right. It is admittedly heavy enough that Eli doesn't want it in his hand all the time on long hikes, but he carries it in his small backpack quite easily. I can carry it in my coat pocket or back jeans pocket for him too.

Want to see some pictures from Eli's new VTech? Scroll down past the product links.

Comparing the VTech (top) and the Fisher-Price V2751/V2752 (bottom):
(Sorry that the cameras aren't quite flush with the ruler. I had a small person "helping" me take these reference photos.)

The VTech Kidizoom Camera Connect:

Older Model:

Newer Versions of Eli's Old Fisher-Price Camera:

Eli's VTech Photos (Unaltered)...

We're happy with our purchase. We hope to use this camera for a few more years before getting Eli an inexpensive "real" point-and-shoot camera.

Comments

Helpful post! Max loves to take pictures-- with his leappad, with my iphone, even with my SLR (though that's a bit dangerous for the SLR, of course!) So, I've contemplating getting a camera for him as well as the kid vs. cheap adult camera conundrum.

By the way, given your recent request for folks to buy books through your Amazon affiliate link, you should totally put in a link for the items you discuss in posts like this! (assuming it's on amazon, which I assume since basically everything is!)

Posted by: Molly | 16 December 2013 at 01:38 PM

I would also add that if you decide to go with a "real" camera (or any electronic) for a kid, a good option is to buy a reconditioned item. I think most of my 8 year old niece's electronics are reconditioned. These items work just fine but if something happens, you are not out as much money.

Posted by: Mandi | 16 December 2013 at 04:43 PM