35mm Camera for Children

[bsenst]

Hello,

Somebody wrote in this forum that he gave a camera to his/her grandchildren for their second birthday. I am thinking about something similar for my son (once he is old enough) and perhaps other children in our family. What do you think is the right age for a first camera?
Since I was a child, I have a Canon Prima BF-7 in a special Janosch (Janosch is a german children's book author) design. It has a fixed focus and a huge viewfinder. I also have a Konica Big Mini with autofocus and a relatively small viewfinder. I also thought about instant film cameras (instax mini, …) or digital compacts, which I never really liked, especially when talking about affordable ones.
What do you think, which cameras may be great for little children and why? At the moment, I like the Canon most, because of its simplicity and the huuuge viewfinder.

Best regards

Bastian

 

[Alan Gales]

When my daughter was little we gave her a Polaroid camera. She loved watching her pictures appear before her eyes. She's 22 now and shoots an Olympus Om-1.

Dead Link Removed

 

[bvy]

I'd say not younger than five. Seven or eight might be more ideal.

If they're at all familiar with digital cameras, they're going to find a 35mm camera very ungratifying. I'm not saying don't try; I'm saying be prepared.

An Instax camera or even an old Polaroid camera with Impossible film (a more expensive option) might be a better introduction to analog photography.

 

[Alan Gales]

A funny note. When my grandson was little I was taking some pictures of him with a Hasselblad. He got plenty sore at me because I couldn't show him the images on the back of the camera like he was used to with digital.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Second birthday? It is way too early.
Our is three and half now and she takes family old digital PS, turns it on and taking pictures with it by framing with display or EVF. Camera does AE, AF and auto review. Most of the time pictures are fine.
But she is not into looking at them after, the process of pictures taking is the interest.

Are you going to get them processed film and scans, prints? If not, no film cameras.

Where are special digital cameras for kids 4 to 9 years old available in North America in some stores, priced reasonably, don't know about Germany.

Fuji Instant cameras and film sold here almost everywhere and this is what teenagers really likes as dedicated camera. Because results are instant and nothing required to get it (no developing, no uploading).
They are also using phone and tablet devices cameras for still and video to share and to show on device. Once kid gets phone these days they get the only camera they needs with it right away.
Our eleven years old takes videos by the tablet and editing them as one film on same device to show on its screen or bring it at school on USB.

Have a nice weekend,

Konstantin.

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

My 5 year old loves to use my Olympus Mju Epic and my Yashica T4 Super.

 

[cliveh]

I think you are misguided in thinking that children today will appreciate a film camera. A better gift may be a camera obscura to show how images invert through an aperture in a darkened room, which could then lead to exploration of means of capture.

 

[MrBrowning]

I gave my nephew a 35mm Holga to shoot at a family picnic a couple years ago. He would have been between 6 & 7. Little dude had better luck with that camera than I did - then again I remembered to take the lens cap off when I handed it to him. He got excitement from taking the pictures and when the developed ones came back from CVS the following weekend he was super happy to see what he and his little brother had done.

 

[frank]

I have a Franklin the Turtle camera in my collection.

 

[michaelorr]

Definitely the Canon, age is child dependent - when they seem ready to be attentive to and understand what they are making.
I was thinking of giving my 3yr old granddaughter a film camera at Christmas. I found a holga in her favorite color - glow in the dark orange and ordered it. I decided though not to give to her yet, attention span a little scattered still at the moment. Her birthday is in July when she will turn 4, and i think that she will be more purposeful and interested in using the camera. I will take her out to do some shooting, help pick subjects, and of course she can do portraits and candids of the family. So i think definitely the Canon is the right way to go with the big viewfinder, i would think fixed focus should be fine, your son would probably stand back from a subject so close-in focus would not be a problem. Getting the kids into film i think breaks the norm of instant gratification and replaces with patience and anticipation, plus satisfaction of actually creating something that they can hold in their hand - a print. The holga i got was in 120mm with the intent of making slides, that were big enough to not require enlarging to view. Especially to little people, the 2-1/4x2-1/4 size is actually very easy to see and is likable. This way she is holding in her hand an actual film that she exposed, and can show others what she created, not just another pic. And i got here a hand held slide viewer for 120mm. Though i will probably have to mount the slides myself, i will send the rolls out for processing and scanning and can have prints made all at the same time. And she still has the original films to look at. Images in transparencies always look so much better than prints, with the back lighting i think. I thought that i could take her on little "field trips" close by with a bucket list of colorful subjects and shoot off rolls of Velvia. (did i buy this thing for her or for me??) A few years down the road, i was thinking that if she did some BW negatives, i could somehow fashion an exposure box that i could put a slide mount into, preset with lens focused, and a paper in a 4x5 film holder, use the sunny 16 rule and develop in kitchen safe chemistry. I am still looking for the appropriate developer for that one. I have taken my 8yr old granddaughter into the darkroom in the bathroom and made some contact prints from a couple of my 8x10s she liked. But it isn't her work, and she is the creative one who needs to be doing her own work.

 

[gone]

How about an instant film camera? Nothing like seeing your photo results right away. Kids have NO patience. That's what I always loved about drawing and painting. You get to see it now.

 

[trythis]

My 3 year old likes playing with my manual wind konica c35 manual focus rangefinder but cant figure out that has to look through the viewfinder. He has been playing with these cameras and watches me with film all the time so he understands the film part more or less and that it takes pictures. He no longer likes to play with the camera because he knows the film is not in it or that I'm not going to put film in it.

Just get a plastic toy camera that doesn't take pictures at all, or better yet make one out of cardboard. Kids love that kinda stuff


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[jeffreythree]

When my 6yo daughter wants to take pictures like me, I hand her a plastic fixed everything 35mm camera loaded with some cheap b&w film. Point and shoot at its simplest. She has taken some interesting pictures when she slows down enough to hold it steady, and she gets a kick out of seeing what comes out of the developing tank.

 

[ME Super]

I love these ideas. When my son (now almost 16) was little, he sometimes got to take pictures with the family digital camera, or got to take pictures at school. He had a pretty good eye for it, so he got a non-film P&S in 2010. When I got back into film in 2011, it wasn't long (about a year) before he decided he wanted a camera like mine (an SLR). He saved up his money and got his own SLR and lens from KEH in 2012.

Sadly, he's not so interested in photography any more, but that could change again.

 

[winger]

My 5 year old (almost 6, yikes!) is fine with both digital and film, likely because he's been seeing me use both from day 1. He's probably the only kid around here that can look at a Speed Graphic folded up and still know it's a camera. He's taken shots with my phone, but the only film camera I've let him use on his own is a little freebie thing I had. We still need to finish the roll in it, though.
My first camera, which I used A TON, was a Kodak Instamatic I got at age 5.

 

[adelorenzo]

IME young kids love instant cameras. But they'll burn through a pack of film in no time so it's an expensive proposition.

 

[Gerald C Koch]

Two years old. I am reminded of the news item where a mother called the admissions officer of a well known prep school. When asked how old the boy was the mother replied two. She added that he was very interested in science and math.

 

[bsenst]

I also think 2 years old is a littlebit early. I will definately observe him carefully and wait until I think, he is ready for it. At least I would be happy if he does not destroy the camera.
I already stepped back from the idea of giving a camera to other children, because for a 35mm camera I think I should be able to spend enough time on this project. I am not developing film myself, but giving the film to the lab for developing and prints is something I will have to care for. As there is only little risk, I think I'll give him my Canon point and shoot anyway. An instax might be the next step. Especially if I have the feeling that he can't wait to see the final image.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Hello,

Somebody wrote in this forum that he gave a camera to his/her grandchildren for their second birthday. I am thinking about something similar for my son (once he is old enough) and perhaps other children in our family. What do you think is the right age for a first camera?
Since I was a child, I have a Canon Prima BF-7 in a special Janosch (Janosch is a german children's book author) design. It has a fixed focus and a huge viewfinder. I also have a Konica Big Mini with autofocus and a relatively small viewfinder. I also thought about instant film cameras (instax mini, …) or digital compacts, which I never really liked, especially when talking about affordable ones.
What do you think, which cameras may be great for little children and why? At the moment, I like the Canon most, because of its simplicity and the huuuge viewfinder.

Best regards

Bastian

any fully manual camera.That's how I got started at age 7

 

[benjiboy]

"35mm cameras for children" that's an offer I can't refuse.

 

[Alan Gales]

IME young kids love instant cameras. But they'll burn through a pack of film in no time so it's an expensive proposition.

Yeah, but you control the amount of instant film you buy. Teach the kid to make each shot count because film is expensive. It's good practice for shooting 8x10 later.

 

[JipVK]

I'm 22 myself, and my little brother is 13, when I was 16, and he 7 we would go hike together and he'd use one of my cameras. At the end we would develop together, or if we brought digital cameras import them on our macs and go through them.

I don't live at home anymore so I don't have as much time together with him as before... It's just important to teach them the process and do it together. Not just give them a camera and that's it.


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[darinwc]

The underwater cameras are great for kids.. rugged, cheap, colorful, big buttons. Canon WP1 i think its called?
The fuji instax cameras are great fun. The instant pictures are amazing for kids of any age to watch.
For a first 'real' camera.. the Pentax ME or ME supers are great. small cameras fit small hands. auto-exposure.

 

[MattKing]

"35mm cameras for children" that's an offer I can't refuse.

I'm surprised that you are looking for children.

 

[benjiboy]

I'm surprised that you are looking for children.

I'm not Matt you got the wrong end of the stick, I want to trade my chilren for cameras