If you have budding photographers in your family then you are likely familiar with the colorful, chubby digital cameras made just for kids. They are all the rage in my daughter’s playgroup and those kids are all under 4 years old. But the cameras are not only popular with our friends; I’ve seen the Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Digital Cameras (pink for girls and blue for boys) being toted around by random children at various public venues from the zoo to the state fair, the aquarium to the children’s museum.
Despite the fact that my daughter’s pals have digital cameras and she is as snap happy as I am, I decided not to get her one for Christmas this year. (She’s only three and is just as content using the disposal cameras I give her.) However, if your little ones are serious photobugs, but the idea of allowing their sticky fingers to grip your expensive digital camera is out of the question, I would highly recommend investing in one of the new fully functional digital cameras made especially for young photogs.
Besides the ultra-popular Fisher-Price camera, Nickelodeon has teamed up with Imation to create the Npower line of digital cameras. You can choose from Dora the Explorer or SpongeBob SquarePants decorated VGA 300K Pixel Digital Camera (which retails for about $60) versions that come in bright kid-friendly colors. In addition to the eye-catching colors and images of your kid’s favorite Nickelodeon pals, the cameras feature a rubberized grip, perfect for sticky little fingers (the grip is waterproof and can be wiped down with ease). Also, the camera’s shell is made from scratch resistant plastic and is designed to take a beating.
The VGA 300K P model comes with a 1.4-inch LCD screen so kids can check out their shots after they take them just like mom and dad do with their digital cameras. The P model also comes with 8 MB of internal memory, which means it can hold about 80 photos, and an optional SD card slot, which can accommodate a memory card that will hold even more pics. This particular camera also includes software for PCs or Macs, as well as cables, which allows you to transfer your child’s pictures to your computer in a snap. But the feature my daughter loved the most was the camera’s built-in pre-recorded laugh lines. The camera emits smile-making sounds, character-inspired shutter sound effects and also spits out bilingual phrases.
VTech also has also come out with a camera for preschoolers. The Kidizoom Camera is aimed at the 3 and older set. For about $60 your child can snap away on a bright orange and yellow camera with big chunky buttons and large rubberized grips. It also comes with photo editing software so your kids can create silly pics on your computer (the cables come with the camera).
In addition, the Kidizoom can hold up to 120 photos and shoot up to five minutes of video, thanks to its 16 MB of internal memory. And unlike the Fisher-Price and Nickelodeon line of kid-friendly digital cameras, the Kidizoom is loaded with games like Tic Tac Toe and a Memory matching game, plus a set of headphones just in case you want a camera that does double duty when your kids tire of snapping road signs from the car.
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