Nikon L11 6mp 3x zoom $64.95 shipped, uses 2 AA

[pRICE cUBE]

http://www.adorama.com/INKCPL11R.html

We got this one for the folks for their travels. Uses Alkaline AA or Nimh so it was nice for them not to have to pack a charger. Also nice for shooting last minute where you forgot to charge the batteries. Of course, keep on hand fresh batteries or charged nimh.

Another prime candidate would be a cheap cam for the kids to use.


Precision 37.5 to 112.5mm (35mm equivalent) 3x optical Zoom-Nikkor lens
Large 2.4-inch 115,000-dot LCD monitor with brightness adjustment
Slim, compact design optimized for ease of operation and maximum enjoyment
High light sensitivity up to ISO 800 equivalent enables faster shutter speeds and better exposure in lower light
Compatible with widely available AA-size batteries
Face-priority AF can detect a human face to provide sharp focus automatically
In-Camera Red-Eye Fix detects, then corrects for the red-eye effect sometimes caused by flash
D-Lighting corrects images compromised by insufficient flash or excessive back light
BSS (Best Shot Selector) automatically selects the best shot from a series of consecutive images
Direct printing to PictBridge-compatible printers

[The UnDoug]

My 5 y.o. daughter is asking for a camera, and I'd like to give her a digital.

I am more in the $30 or less range, though, so I'm looking at e-bay and Craigslist.

I know the camera likely won't be as nice, but I'm afraid she'll break it, and I don't want to be out too much money.

[pRICE cUBE]

[quote The UnDoug]My 5 y.o. daughter is asking for a camera, and I'd like to give her a digital.

I am more in the $30 or less range, though, so I'm looking at e-bay and Craigslist.

I know the camera likely won't be as nice, but I'm afraid she'll break it, and I don't want to be out too much money.
5 year old? When I was 5 I had to walk uphill to school in the snow, I had to make my own camera, then learn how to use it. Kids these days. Yeesh.

[OWC Jamie]

All other pros/cons aside, I prefer a non-retracting lens with kids.
(some older kids, too)

[cbelt3]

Un-
My dad bought me a camera for my 8th birthday, as self-defense because I went out with grass cutting money and bought a cheap instamatic. He bought me a used viewfinder 35mm with a light meter, but everything else was fully manual. Focus, F Stop, speed, etc. OK, sure, it was a late 1950's model (Baldessa, as I recall).

It taught me everything about using a camera. Then it was stolen when I was sitting in the Orly airport in Paris when I was 14. With a full roll of shots from the City of Light. Sigh.

I'd go for minimal automation and maximum ruggedness for a kid. Just be happy you don't have to pay for developing.

[pRICE cUBE]

[quote billb]All other pros/cons aside, I prefer a non-retracting lens with kids.
(some older kids, too)
Adorama carries the non protruding ones also, I think the S9 id $99.

[Racer X]

[quote pRICE cUBE][quote The UnDoug]My 5 y.o. daughter is asking for a camera, and I'd like to give her a digital.

I am more in the $30 or less range, though, so I'm looking at e-bay and Craigslist.

I know the camera likely won't be as nice, but I'm afraid she'll break it, and I don't want to be out too much money.
5 year old? When I was 5 I had to walk uphill to school in the snow, I had to make my own camera, then learn how to use it. Kids these days. Yeesh.
You don't have to tell me. One day, my dad came home with a shoe box. I was so happy. SHOES! I had never had shoes. Then the old fart told me it was just the box. He then forced me to make a pinhole camera out of it, and then sold me to the US army, where I was sent overseas to be a combat photographer at age 6. No shoes, 6 years old, and developing sheet film in a dank rat hole.......