Buying a "real" camera for kids instead of a toy version

As I uploaded pictures today from Ethan's camera onto our Shutterfly site I was again reminded about how glad I am that we bought him a "real" camera for his big brother present.  You see, when we first got pregnant I knew I wanted to get Ethan a big brother gift and then as the day of Asher's arrival got closer I settled on getting him his own camera.  After search for days for a kid's camera I just wasn't satisfied.  According to the reviews their screens are too small, the auto-focuses don't work half the time, and the pictures are just poor in quality.  The worst part is they cost as much as some nice new cameras.

The solution?  We scoured ebay until we found a "real" used camera that was cheap (less than $40).  Result?  Ethan has a great little camera with a large screen, stabilization mode for kid-friendly picture taking, and it can take videos.  All for way less then we would have paid on a "kids" camera.  And if he breaks it?  Oh well, we didn't pay much for it in the first place.

Using the Internet to shop for a camera

While researching for my most recent purchase, Philip's uncle recommended this site. It is great if you are shopping for any digital camera. My favorite portion of this site was the video review that is included in most camera reviews. It's hard to shop for the best camera when you can't pick them all up and see how they feel or really see how fast they focus, etc. In these video reviews a man shows you around each camera. In real time you can see how well the live view works, or how fast the camera can auto focus, etc. You even get to hear what 4 frames per second (or 7 frames) sounds like.

Camera Labs also has a tips site that I just discovered. The same guy that gives the camera "tours" at Camera Labs also hosts online workshops on dslrtips.com that can guide you through:

• How to blur action shots for speed
• How to get more in focus
• How to take perfect sunsets
• How to brighten your photos
• and many more...
  

The website also has a guide for lenses, accessories, etc.



The last website I mainly used when shopping for this camera was this side by side comparison site hosted by dpreview.com. From this site you can select all the cameras you think you are interested in and see a breakdown of how they compare in over 25 categories.


If you have any great Digital SLR sites, or just a photography tips site please share them in a comment!