Kids Digital Cameras

Children enjoy cameras because they provide opportunities to interact with other people and their surroundings. They also give them the satisfaction of creating pictures and using their imagination to select poses and shots. Give children a camera and they will take turns making funny poses-and then crowd around the camera screen to see their results.

A kids digital camera also provides opportunities for sharing experiences with your child. When family pictures are being taken, your child can take shots as well. When you go on a nature walk, you and your child can take pictures and compare results. You both may be surprised to see the different things that catch the eye. When we recently went out with our child, we were taking pictures of trees and plants-afterwards we found out that he had taken shots of us holding hands.

Giving your child a camera at an early age will give a head start with a skill that is being used more and more. Taking pictures will be part of school projects, internet social networking with friends and family, and business projects. Digital photography has made picture sharing both easy and inexpensive. Using a digital gadget, your child will be practicing for use of not only cameras, but also other forms of communication such as computers, cell phones, and MP3s.

Two leading kids digital camera brands are the Fisher Price Kid Tough Digital Camera and the Vtech Kidizoom Digital Camera. They are both battery operated, colorful, attractive, easy to hold, and easy to operate. The features of these models, described below, will give an idea of qualities to look for.

Fisher Price Cameras are known for their supreme durability-they can withstand drops, bangs, and even moisture. Their waterproof rubber construction is said to withstand immersion in water. A Fisher Price camera has a 1.5 inch color LCD screen, an automatic built-in flash, and a binocular viewfinder that eliminates the need to close one eye. It holds a generous number of pictures-approximately 500-in its 64 MB internal memory.

Pictures can be sent to a computer using the included USB cable-permitting your child to view, store, and print photographs. The resolution of 1.3 megapixels provides an OK picture quality that displays best when presented in a 4" X 6" or smaller format.

The Vtech Kidizoom Camera is also known for rugged construction. It comes with a 1.8" color LCD screen, a binocular viewfinder and a built-in flash with automatic and manual settings. The Vtech digital camera can take both photos and video recordings. The internal memory of 16 MB will hold as much as five movie minutes or 120 photos.

You can expand storage capacity by purchasing a 2 GB memory card that may be inserted into the SD slot. Having an SD slot allows you to take and store more pictures-particularly helpful when you go away on family trips. Photos and movies can be uploaded to your computer using the included USB cable.

Also coming with the Vtech camera are several built-in games, TV connection cables allowing use of a television as an alternative viewing screen, and fun photo-editing software (on CD ROM) that allows your child to add frames and cartoon-like features to pictures.

While looking for the best digital camera for kids, you may want to look at kids digital camera reviews posted online. Consider what features are most important to you and your child. Some criteria that people use are:

• The camera's ability to withstand rough play and accidents such as exposure to water.


• Inclusion of specific features such as water resistance, a large internal memory, a video recorder, SD slot, or a large LCD screen for picture viewing.


• Picture quality.


• Price range.

Once your choices have been narrowed down to one or two brands, you can purchase online or at a major toy or department store. When you make your purchase, remember to purchase batteries and consider whether or not you want to get rechargeable batteries. Some manufacturers do not recommend use of rechargeables, but parents have reported that they work just fine. Other accessories you might consider are a memory card (for an SD slot, if any), a camera bag, and photo paper.

Learn more about the exciting possibilities of kids digital cameras.