Best Digital Camera for Kids

best Digital camera for kids

Introduction

We all know how convenient our smartphones have become and how easy it is to capture photos with them, no matter your age and previous knowledge of photography. But, still, you wouldn’t want your kid running around with your smartphone just to take photos with it, wouldn’t you?

There’s always the danger of it being dropped and damaged or your kid gaining access to your private data. There’s also the fact that children shouldn’t be spending too much time with their eyes fixed on the screen, no matter if we’re talking about a computer, television or a mobile phone.

So, are there any other options out there that will allow your kids to have fun with photography, but also learn a thing or two? Well, there certainly are and they cover a wide variety of age groups, from young children to teenagers. Our list below covers all the important types, but also while keeping the cost and the ease of use in mind we will give you information on the best digital camera for kids.

VTech Kidizoom Camera Pix

The VTech Kidizoom is a perfect camera for smaller children with no previous experience in photography. It’s very affordable, easy to handle, comes in two different colors and is powered by standard and easily replaceable AAA batteries.

It won’t provide you with very good image quality, but it has just about enough resolution for the kids to know what’s in the photos and learn about taking them, while also having fun with some added filters and games. While not being waterproof, the camera itself is durable enough to survive a lot of abuse and accidental falls to the floor or the pavement.

The Kidizoom can also record voice and video, but again, don’t expect it to excel at either of those two things, since it mostly focuses on still photography. There’s also a Selfie Mode on board, which is capable of detecting a face and automatically taking a photo once it does so. Your kids will also be able to experiment with up to 35 different photo effects.

Canon IXUS 185

If you’re looking for a camera that’s fairly priced, portable, easy to use and has the ability to zoom in and out fairly well, then the Canon IXUS 185 will surely satisfy your needs. Design-wise, it’s a fairly standard compact digital camera. It has a zoom lens, a number of different buttons, a proper flash unit, a memory card slot and battery compartment.

It shouldn’t take a long amount of time for your kid to get the hang of its basic functions and learn to operate it comfortably. The clean and quick to navigate Canon’s user interface also supports that fact. The IXUS 185 may not be as robust as some of those cameras designed for younger children, but it’s at least small and can easily fit in any bag for extra protection.

One thing that most kids will find extremely entertaining about this camera is its ability to capture subjects that are far away, thanks to its 8x zoom range. A feature like that will allow them to explore their surroundings even more and maybe even take some interest in photographing animals or wildlife in general.

Fujifilm Instax Mini 9

If your goal is to move your children away from all the technology and the screens on every corner, but you still want them to enjoy taking photos, the Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 will serve you greatly due to its analog nature. It’s one of those instant film cameras that prints photos the moment you take them and we all know how much fun can be found in that.

Having images in a physical form is a whole other thing when compared to looking at them on a computer or a TV screen and will allow your kids to be more creative with them, share them among friends, make photo collages and more. You could also put some of them on your fridge using magnets to be reminded of all the moments with your kids everyday.

The Instax Mini 9 also has an optical viewfinder to help your child frame his or her photos, but also let them learn how to use one since it’s an integral part of all the serious digital cameras in the word. There’s also a built-in flash unit to help with low light photos and the selfie mirror on front of the lens.

Canon Rebel T100 + Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens

The Canon Rebel T100 coupled with a 18-55mm lens is a great combination for anyone looking for an entry-level family DSLR camera capable of producing high quality photos, but also one that can be used by kids when set to its Auto mode. It’s also an excellent choice if you care about handling and durability.

While DSLR cameras themselves don’t target kids in particular, the more affordable ones are very capable tools to help anyone learn about photography, lenses, manual controls and more and the same can be said for older kids and teenagers. The EOS T100 can be used both as a simple digital camera as well as an advanced imaging device.

The big imaging sensor inside the T100 will allow you or your kid to capture very nice photos, even in low light and will also give you enough image quality for decent sized prints, in case you want to put your photos in a physical form, frame them and hang them on your wall or put them in an album, just like the old times.

Oaxis myFirst Camera 2

Are your kids big fans of water, but are also fascinated with taking photos and recording videos at the same time? If yes, then you should check out the myFirst Camera 2 from Oaxis. It’s a kids-oriented camera that’s also waterproof and can be safely used underwater thanks to the included protective housing.

So, no matter if any of your kids find themselves playing or swimming in the ocean, sea or the pool, they will be able to easily capture anything that’s happening around or even under them. The myFirst Camera 2 has an 8 megapixel sensor, which means that it will be able to produce a decent amount of detail, which will certainly satisfy the needs of your children.

It can also be easily recharged using a standard Micro USB cable, which is a familiar and widespread standard, meaning that you won’t have to worry if you forget or misplace the charger on any of your travels, since it will be quite easy to replace it. You could also use an external power bank to top up the camera if you find yourself far away from a power outlet.

Kodak Mini Shot 3 Retro

If you like the idea of a film camera that is simple to use and can immediately print any photos you’ve taken with it, but you also want the ability to transfer those photos to your smartphone or any other device over Bluetooth, then the Kodak Mini Shot 3 Retro is the device for you.

The Mini Shot 3 Retro manages to combine a digital 10 megapixel sensor with a 3 x 3 photo cartridge slot and a color printer, making it an extremely convenient tool for any casual photographer, as well as a kid, no matter his or her age. You only have to press the shutter button to take the photo and that’s it, it’s that simple.

The printing process, as well as the process of editing photos and adding filters does require the use of the Kodak 4Pass application, which makes the Mini Shot 3 Retro a little more complicated to use in that regard when compared to traditional instant cameras, but at least you are given the option to manipulate and perfect the images before printing them.

Kodak 16 Friendly Zoom

If you’re looking for a budget digital camera for you or your kids, but you also want it to have a very wide zoom range that will allow you to capture everything from landscapes to animals, then the Kodak 16 Friendly Zoom will certainly satisfy your needs without hitting your wallet or bank account too hard.

All the flexibility and versatility can be attributed to its 15x optically stabilized zoom lens. At 24mm it can give you a wide field of view for every day shots, but it can also reach 360mm which will put you firmly into the telephoto territory and give you the chance to capture any kind of far away subjects, no matter if its family or friends or pets running around.

What’s also great about the Kodak 16 Friendly Zoom is that it manages to pack it all up inside a fairly lightweight and portable package, which can’t be said for many other similar cameras on the market. It also has a built-in pop up flash unit on the top to help you with indoors and night photography.

Technical Explainations

Full Frame sensor – Also called a 35mm sensor. It’s the type of imaging sensor found in most professional cameras, but also used as a point of reference for comparing the sizes of all the other sensors found in cameras, smartphones and other devices.

So, when you hear the term “35mm equivalent” it refers to the field of view or focal length of an APS-C or Four Thirds lens as if it were used on a Full frame sensor. If you don’t own a Full Frame camera, it isn’t something you should be worried about at all.

APS-C sensor – The most common type of image sensor found in many mirrorless cameras and DSLRs. It’s smaller than Full Frame, but still big enough to give you very good image quality and great low light performance.

Four Thirds sensor – The type of image sensor that’s half the size of a Full Frame sensor, which generally means that it’s image quality is slightly below APS-C sensors, but on the flip side, allows for even smaller and lighter camera bodies and lenses.

EVF – An Electronic Viewfinder. It will allow you to compose your photos by putting the camera to your eye, instead of looking at the main screen. It often offers better visibility in direct sunlight, makes it easier to focus on your subject and also gives you more stability when holding the camera.

RAW – The type of imaging format that will give you the most flexibility and creative freedom while you’re editing your photos. Your camera will usually produce decent enough images in its default JPEG format, but shooting in RAW will give you more room to adjust the colors, brightness, contrast and sharpness to your own liking, after taking those photos.

Film simulation modes – The types of photo filters exclusively found on Fujifilm cameras. Their main goal is to imitate the look of different film types found on older manual cameras, which can give some additional character to your photos.
So, for example, the Eterna mode will produce less saturated and more soft images, Acros will give you sharp black and white photos, Provia will produce a very balanced look and so on.

FPS – Frames Per Second. It’s a term used to measure the number of images a camera can take in only one second. Since taking photos of moving subjects is never easy, having the ability to take a lot of photos at once will improve your chances of getting a sharp photo that also puts your subject in a position you desire.

CONCLUSION

We hope that our article has helped you get a better look of what the camera market currently offers and which is the best digital camera for kids to use. We’ve managed to include everything from simple, toy-like devices to portable compact cameras to a real DSLR with interchangeable lenses.

All of them offer different levels of versatility and control, but we wanted to make sure that even the most advanced ones can be used as point and shoots and without any extra input required from your child. It will be up to your kids to decide when they’re ready to learn more about photography and dabble with things like focus, exposure and image quality.

We also wanted to make sure that all of them are priced fairly and offer a nice balance between features and cost, so you can tailor your purchase decision depending on how much your kids are interested in photography. It’s always best to start with a more simple camera, let them experiment with it and see where it goes from there.

Best Digital Camera for Kids