Give my kid my camera? Are you crazy??!!??

My last post talked about how novel it can be to give a child a camera.  Of course, digitial cameras are significantly more fragile than the film cameras of the past.  Some people understand this phenomenon though experience.  Some people still seem ultimately surprised when their digital camera breaks (You're carrying a computer in your pocket.  I'm watching you swing it around from the wrist strap.  You're suprised that its broken?)  Working behind a camera counter, I was never surprised by the stories behind the broken camera...dropped in the mud, spilled a glass of wine on it, ran over it with the car, left it out in the rain, dog chewed on it...The list goes on and on.  So now you're asking once again, you want my kid to use my WHAT?

Of course, most parents have good intentions and decide to buy their child their OWN camera.  Great.  However, they go out and buy a $50 camera with Superman decaled all over it.  They get it home, open it up.  It loses photos, the kid can't figure out how to use it, all the photos are dark (there's usually no flash), it won't sync with the computer.  Yup, its a $30 piece of garbage.  But my kid wants a camera....

The solution is a low end "adult" camera.


This Fuji is just one example.  A little smart shopping and some ad watching can result in a great camera that a kid can use with zero frustration.  Even better, when your kid does get that great shot, the quality will be there to make prints and really celebrate a job well done!