What should I look for when buying a kids digital camera?

waterproof digital cameras at target image

steph

Answer
If I were buying a camera for a child, it would be the Olympus Stylus 850SW. Why? Because it is waterproof to 10 feet and shockproof to a 5 foot drop. Dropping and drowning are the leading killers of digital cameras so why not eliminate them with the 850SW?

You can shop these on-line stores with confidence:

http://www.keh.com
http://www.bhphotovideo.com
http://www.adorama.com
http://www.beachcamera.com
http://www.uniquephoto.com

The 850SW should be available at Best Buy or Target or Wal-Mart or Circuit City if you prefer shopping locally.

What are some good digital cameras that aren't wicked expensive?

Megan

Answer
Here's my standard "Best Cheap Camera" answer...

Some of our best answerers always recommends the Fujifilm FinePix F20 camera as the best-for-less choice. I have to say that I like the sample images at Steve's site (below). If Morey000 or SpaceCowboy show up after me and make this recommendation, choose them as the best answer, because I'm just passing along their suggestion. I have no personal experience with this camera. I see it at B&H Photo (available through Yahoo! Shopping) for $150; $190 with a 1 GB Sandisk memory card.

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2007_reviews/fuji_f20.html
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Fujifilm/fuji_finepixf20.asp

My brother has the A540 and my mother-in-law has the A530 - on my recommendation - and neither one has stopped speaking to me yet. Based on this and experience with other Canon Powershot cameras, I am now recommending the A550 as a nice and relatively inexpensive camera.

Canon just introduced the A550, which has more pixels, but offers less user control. I'd be happy with the A540, but the A550 is probably also worth considering, especially since the A540 has been discontinued. I've seen it for $140 in some stores like WalMart and Target.

The A550 costs $160 at B&H and, of course, you'll need a memory card.

A550 review: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2007_reviews/a550.html

Steve's reviews updates the "Best Camera" list periodically:
http://www.steves-digicams.com/best_cameras.html

Consumer Reports from May 2007 has a short article on digital cameras and they recommend 10 different point and shoot cameras in the following order within groups according to camera design:
**COMPACTS**
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2 (Overall score 75) [$410]
Kodak EasyShare C875 (Overall score 73) [$165] - Rated better for shutter lag
Nikon Coolpix P4 (Overall score 65)
**SUBCOMPACTS**
Canon Powershot SD500 (Overall score 72)
Casio Exilim EX-Z850 (Overall score 72)
Sony Cybershot DSC-W50 (Overall score 70) [$180] [Similar to W55] - Rated better for shutter lag
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX3 (Overall score 69) [$200] [Similar to FX-10, FX-12]
Olympus Stylus 720SW (Overall score 61) [Similar to 770SW - $360] (Waterproof)
**ADVANCED COMPACTS ("Near SLR")**
Fujifilm Finepix S6000fd (Overall score 77) [$300] - Rated better for shutter lag
Fujifilm Finepix E900 (Overall score 73) [$250]

[Things change so quickly in digital cameras that I can not find all of these models listed for sale and it's not even May yet. Prices are from B&H Photo, April 2007.]

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