Starter Camera (Page 2): Factory Referbished is a good way to go. Canon offers factory Referbished direct from the factory to you from their web site. On the other hand... The Sony...

ORpilot Loc: Prineville, Or

Factory Referbished is a good way to go. Canon offers factory Referbished direct from the factory to you from their web site. On the other hand... The Sony H300 is a great starter Camera at $179 new. It look as and handles like a DSLR but is a bridge camera. It has 35x zoom, movie, panoramic, program, full auto and Manual shooting. It may be tough to keep a teenagers interest lugging around 20+ pounds of DSLR, several lenses, etc. Opt for a bridge camera. Oh yes, most real camera stores will offer a beginners photo class for free with the purchase of a camera. Happy Shooting.

jccash Loc: Longwood, Florida

Get grand parents to kick in. Buy her a Sony A6000. LOL
Bought one for my wife who wanted a point and shoot camera. She loves it.
Shot this in auto mode with her A6000

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Most teenagers will not be interested in a DSLR. Bridge or P&S are probably the best options for her. Her smart phone may be the best bet too. However, if you take the time and begin to discuss exposure, composition, ... with her and she shows interest, by all means go for a used or refurbished DSLR. Good luck. Grand kids are one of the true joys of life.
Mark

captken wrote:

My granddaughter is showing an interest in photography but as is often the case with teenagers, the interest may or may not last. Her folks would like to get her a starter camera that costs about $200. What do you recommend? We all know that people take pictures, cameras don't but still I'd like to help her learn the basics of shutter speed, f-stops, etc. Any suggestions?

bull drink water Loc: pontiac mi.

a starter shouldn't be the newest, toooo many features to learn. check KEH, all the brands and many good 6-8 mp cameras to start out with.

Travelin' Bud Loc: New Mexico, Central Ohio & Eastern Kentucky

I have this listed on Ebay. I'd take $230, free shipping for it. Has been a good camera for me!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/272675626300

Patrick9 Loc: Muncie, IN

I recently gave a teen a Nikon P7000. Used on eBay is well below your budget. It is old but an excellent small camera that is complex enough to keep them busy learning for quite a while. It will produce great photos.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

And there's always ebay if she gets tried of the camera.

photodog55

I really support the response to visit the Canon site to check out a refurbished DSLR kit -- or even a new EOS Rebel T5 18-55 IS II kit, which is on sale. (You should be able to find this kit on other sites, too, at a comparable cost.) Last year, I attempted to downsize to a Nikon D3300, and my brand new example had issues related to exposure and sharpness that Nikon technical support was unable to resolve. After fully testing five different (and highly rated) Nikon lenses on my D3300 (and yes, I made the necessary on-board adjustments available, checked for firmware updates, etc.), I'm sticking with Canon. Nikon makes great cameras, but not the D3300 (which is currently the D3400 and largely unchanged from the D3300, according to the reviews I've read). FYI, I've been a "photo enthusiast" for over forty years.

asiafish Loc: Bakersfield, CA

Any decent film SLR with a50mm f/1.7-f/2 lens.

captken wrote:

My granddaughter is showing an interest in photography but as is often the case with teenagers, the interest may or may not last. Her folks would like to get her a starter camera that costs about $200. What do you recommend? We all know that people take pictures, cameras don't but still I'd like to help her learn the basics of shutter speed, f-stops, etc. Any suggestions?

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

captken wrote:

My granddaughter is showing an interest in photography but as is often the case with teenagers, the interest may or may not last. Her folks would like to get her a starter camera that costs about $200. What do you recommend? We all know that people take pictures, cameras don't but still I'd like to help her learn the basics of shutter speed, f-stops, etc. Any suggestions?

I got my granddaughter a coolpix Nikon for about $150. She loves it and has taken some very respectable photos with it.

jccash Loc: Longwood, Florida

All right. Hapoy for her.

Quantus5

Lots of good advice on this thread. Although I am not keen on the cell phone recommendations.

Bridge cameras are probably the best option for that $200 price point. Lots of flexibility and many are very inexpensive.

I am also a big believer in refurbs, to save money.

Entry level ILCs (DSLR or ILC mirrorless) if you can bump up the dollar amount a bit -- great entry level options from all the major camera companies: Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic, Olympus, Pentax, etc...

captken Loc: San Antonio, TX

Thanks to all of you for your great suggestions.