Camera for my boy to learn the basics

ntenny · Jan 29, 2014

pen s said:
Your going to use it on a tripod?

Then go ahead and start right. A Speed Graphic, fake cigar, (a lollypop will do) and a fadora.
He will be the envy of all the kids with digi things.

I take back everything I said; this answer is perfect! I may have to go home and talk Boy into something like this myself.

-NT

alienmeatsack · Jan 29, 2014

Lots of good ideas, suggestions in this thread. I'll toss my own into the mix.

I think a nice cheap, easy to use AF camera would be a good starter. Something he can point and shoot and not worry about anything but learning how to compose and take photos. Something like a compact PNS.

I don't know about the Holga ideas, as an experienced photographer I struggled with my Holga when I first got it. But maybe as a young person, he will not have all the knowledge and bad habits to make him end up with the same kinds of problems I did when I used my Holga at first.

Olympus Stylus series, Minolta Hi-Matic series (or the Nikon versions) or similar would work nicely to get him started.

If you want a cheap but capable SLR, the Olympus OM10 is outstanding, and there's also a TON of affordable Minolta Maxxum SLRs and lense out there. So if he broke it, it would be cheap and easy to replace.

Or maybe just go to the store and pick up a few of the one use 35mm cameras from Walgreens to get him going?

Alan Gales · Jan 29, 2014

I bought my daughter an OM1 but any totally manual camera without any auto exposure will do. It makes them learn.

Peter Simpson · Jan 29, 2014

I think I started taking photos around age 8 or 9. Box camera, IIRC (Kodak Starmite and Verichrome Pan). I'd agree with those who say "wait", but if you feel you must, start with a disposable. You can still get them and you risk nothing.

At age 7/8/9: I'd recommend an automatic 35mm P&S (there are hundreds each week at thrift stores and auction sites)
At age 11/12/13: maybe a K1000 as others have said, but if you're a Nikon guy, you might want to think about the future and get him an FE2 or an FM2, so he can use your lenses.

After that, he'll know what he wants (probably your F3 And you can always pick the above cameras up now when they're cheap and available and put them away for him

MattKing · Jan 29, 2014

In olden times I would have suggested an Instamatic - no problems with loading.

Something like a Canon Sure Shot would be good, if flash and auto wind and auto focus makes sense.

andreios · Jan 29, 2014

Hey guys, thank for all your tips, especially about the speed graphic He'd build a "view camera" from plastic bricks many times before (every time he sees me working with mine in fact), so that would be the best treat for him I think.

He is already very keen on drawing - which is also a think I'd very much like to nurture in him - even so that I am starting to learn / hone my drawing skills so that I can be a support in this.

Anyway, I've just finished building a bunk bed for him and now I'm nearly spent and in great need of a bottle of wine so I'll go through the camera suggestions again in the morning...

andreios · Jan 29, 2014

P.S.: I wonder now that no one has mentioned a pinhole...

Jeff Kubach · Jan 29, 2014

Pentax K1000 or Canon FTb.

Jeff

Fast14riot · Jan 29, 2014

I think a Nikon N65 with the kit zoom. Super light, auto and metering is excellent, and often can b found for $20-50 on craigslist, etc. But, my son (4y/o) just got a playschool digital that not only takes pictures it also projects them onto a wall. It also let's the uer put funny "stickers" onto the image, can download to a computer, all the buttons and grip are sized for the small hands.

Every kid is different, yours may well be able to respect and enjoy a proper piece of equipment, mine sure isn't yet! But I do let him snap a few pics with my gear on occasion, but not the leica!

-Xander

elekm · Jan 29, 2014

I got my kid a disposable. She dropped it into a pond. I gave her a used digital P&S. She lost it. I gave her another used digital P&S. She left it somewhere.

I stopped giving her cameras.

Personally, I wouldn't give a 5-year-old child anything more than a cheap camera.

We'd all link to think that our kids are wunderkinds. But they aren't. They might be fascinated by the camera, but it's doubtful that they will have the ability to do anything stupendous. After all, it's a 5-year-old child.

Unless your child has "man hands," you should pick up something that is on the small side. I would probably visit a local thrift shop. Keep the price down, which will make you feel better when the camera is dropped, forgotten or ends up covered with whatever is the day's snack.

jovo · Jan 29, 2014

In young children, the ability to 'conserve' must be developed before adult expectations even have a chance. Conserving means being able, for instance, to realize that a volume of liquid in a glass that is then poured into a bowl is the same. The simplest camera you can offer, a Holga for instance, would be a fine tool for a child of this age. Here is a site that describes developmental stages in children that you can digest and apply as you see fit knowing your own child. http://ocw.tufts.edu/Content/35/lecturenotes/375938

ntenny · Jan 29, 2014

elekm said:
I got my kid a disposable. She dropped it into a pond. I gave her a used digital P&S. She lost it. I gave her another used digital P&S. She left it somewhere.

I stopped giving her cameras.

Personally, I wouldn't give a 5-year-old child anything more than a cheap camera.

Yeah, I think expectations have to be kept in check as far as responsibility and forgetfulness. IMHO, the real value that can be had at this stage is just the discovery that photography is something fun and interesting that they can do, and that gives them something to do along with you; but those can be pretty big things for a small child (and for the parent too, for that matter). It seems safe to say that a kid who is building Lego view cameras is interested enough to do *something* with a real one, anyway!

-NT

JohnLikesPhotos · Jan 30, 2014

I gave each of my nieces a pentax k-1000. They love them. However, I gave them k1000s because I had 2 laying around, I didn't choose what I thought was best. I think it'll take them a while to figure them out, they just kind of screw around with the aperture and shutter speed until the needle's in the middle (if they even remember to do that).

Joe VanCleave · Jan 30, 2014

I gave my young grandson a Holga and also an older manual focus SLR. He got about the same hit-rate of images regarding focus. With the Holga, the simple zone focus method using graphic symbols on the lens was just as efficient as expecting him to carefully focus through the SLR viewfinder, which he'd oftentimes forget to do. Exposure control is problematic with either camera. For a youngster, I'd recommend auto-everything and at a price point where you don't mind if it gets lost or broken.

Really, with film cameras, the biggest expense with kids will be paying the minilab for prints of images most of which are blurry or blown out/too dark. In this regard a cheap digital might be a better learning tool for the budding photographer. But it also depends on subject matter. Him taking photos of his kid friends might require a simple digital, simply due to the quick-moving nature of the action shots, but if it's still life images (toy soldiers, etc.), and the kid displays a bit of patience, then I could see an old press camera or even pinhole with LF paper negatives (or Harman DPP) might do the trick.

~Joe

andreios · Jan 30, 2014

Thanks for all your thoughts again.

To explain things a little more - I didn't think of the camera for him as a thing that he should use really on his own at this age. More as something that he can use when we go out together - so that he may try to see what is interesting, see it his own way and with me there to help him with the technicalities so that he may slowly grow to understand them.

Anyway, the idea of a holga does not seem a bad one. I'll think about it some more and let you know later how I solved this - and what was the outcome.

cobbu2 · Jan 31, 2014

When he was 4, I bought him a 35mm point and shoot, the Canon Sure Shot Owl. I chose it because it was very simple to use and had a big, easy to see through finder. He learned to use the autofocus properly (locking it on the subject, then recomposing the photo), and the self-timer for doing self-portraits. If I were you, I'd seek out a Canon Owl and get him that. He's too young for manual focus and manual exposure. He'll want something easy to use and will be able to concentrate on seeing and composing photos.

I agree with the Canon Owl. It's exactly what I got for my daughter when she was about that age. She got a lot of use from it and learned the basics which served to fuel a deeper interest when she got older. When that happened I got her a Yashica A TLR and bequeathed my Pentax ME Super; she uses both to this day (she's 24).

zanxion72 · Jan 31, 2014

If you can afford it, get him a camera that uses some instant film like a fuji or a polaroid. He will be amazed and possibly he will love photography. I have tried to get my son into photography with a film camera (a compact point and shoot). He had lost interest quickly and after trying a bit more than I should to convince him that photography is nice (just being a bit persistent on it) I think I have thrown him to the other side of it.

Poisson Du Jour · Jan 31, 2014

Most interesting. I have seen a 5-year old enthusiastically handle a Nikon F4, albeit mustering up the muscle to raise it to eye level and press the shutter. It focused, though with a lopsided horizon...

I believe it's a brilliant idea in the genre of early childhood learning and the possibility of him growing into a fully-fledged, heavy-hitting (and probably digital) photographer, provided the flame of enthusiasm is sparked and remains lit. I've known babies that have been introduced to cycling when three, and have followed their parents right through their childhood into world-wide bicycle touring. It could work for you. If a Nikon F4 is not quite your cup of tea, a Diana or a Holga would certainly be a cute and effective introduction. Load it up with film and go out with him. If he copies you, let that flow. If he loses interest, don't push him.

removed account4 · Jan 31, 2014

it really depends on what the basics are you want him to learn. a point shoot, lomo, brownie whatever will teach him composotion which is the most important aspect of photography. a holga will do the same but he will have to zone focus. cheep folders the same but add in a little bit of shutter and or fstops to the mix ... slr, then there is always the distraction of eveything else from what lens to dealing with the meter.

if your basics include everything ( ive had 5 year olds and its a lot to deal with )
then by all means get a manual slr k 1000 typw camera but if it is to learn about image making. and having fun, maybe something extremely simple is the answer ( even a pinhole )

... YMMV

Camera for my boy to learn the basics

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