Michael Sabetsky Loc: Rockledge, Florida

My grandson is almost 5 years old. A few years ago I got him a toy camera which shows cartoon pictures when you press the shutter release button. Lately he has taken a real interest in it. I'd like to get him a real camera that takes photos. Although almost 5 years old, he's very technical savvy. He operates my son's & my cell phones watching U-Tube of rocket launches. He uses the touch screen to go from post to post of launches. My question is what camera to get him? V-Tech or Fisher-Price or Nikon or Canon bridge camera. One that he can see the photos he takes on an LCD screen. Thanks in advance for your advice.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

The best advice I can give you is to take him to a local camera store (or go alone) and see what can be had and for what cost. Best of luck.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Look at these sites: Yes, a bit of reading, but 4 different points of view about what kids will like.

https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/buying-guides/best-cameras-for-kids

https://www.t3.com/us/features/best-camera-for-kids

https://watchdogreviews.com/best-digital-cameras-for-kids/

https://www.pcmag.com/news/the-best-cameras-for-kids

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

A good cell phone with a good camera.

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

For a five year-old?!? Something that won't shatter when dropped would be much better! Inexpensive and easy to operate is the perfect camera for someone that age. Five year-olds have a tendency to lose and break stuff.

tramsey Loc: Texas

Olympus Tough TG2. It came out 2013 waterproof, shatter proof etc. It earned a 79% silver award from DP Review

flyboy61 Loc: The Great American Desert

Kids are hard on cameras. Get him one that is simple, rugged and inexpen$ive, but still capable. Older kids are mostly worse..camera gets dumped in an athletic bag with everything else, a backpack...you name it. Look for signs of responsibility...seldom appearing until teen age.

miked46 Loc: Winter Springs, Florida

get him a used Canon 60D

TerryVS

I've seen these questions before and I'm always saddened by some of the answers. You know the kid so you'll have to make a decision on how rough he'll be on the camera. However don't sell the kid short. If you think he can handle it buy a real camera. Teach him how to download into the computer and let him poke around in an editing program. Even if he doesn't become a great photographer he'll learn and at that age he's a sponge!

I was a newspaper photog when my son was that age. His first camera was a Nikon FE (I was shooting F3's then so it's been a while!). The bodies had been around the block a time or two and he damaged a couple. He also learned! At age 8 he was published in a major daily newspaper in Dallas. At 9 an offer of a summer internship and he was the youngest member of NPPA at 10.

That said he now does cyper security and makes way more than I do as a photojournalist. However the experiences he enjoyed because of his photography where great and he learned stuff! He still shoots, just for fun.

Bottom line feed that little brain with whatever you can and hopefully he'll learn responsibility from handling a real camera.

Just one more opinion!

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

https://www.bing.com/shop?q=best+tough+camera+for+kids&FORM=SHOPPA&originIGUID=3ECE0350EC9947A289FC832DF1B48F89

My favorite being the Olympus TG-6.

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

Keep it simple. Keep it small. Do not even think about a bridge camera, they are too big.

He will use small cameras that are simple, perhaps even a cell phone, not even hooked to a phone network.. but acting just as a camera.

Complicated are discouraging to the very young.. well, even to adults and will end up unused.

Collhar Loc: New York City.

Grandchildren and DSLR's. Two years ago our son was getting a D850 he gave his D610 to my husband my husband gave his D90 the one of our grand children who expressed an interest in taking pictures. He then turned 13 and got his first cell phone. The D90 is....among the missing.When he takes pictures the cell phone is his weapon of choice.

Chadp Loc: Virginia Beach

My 3 and 5 year old have the fisher price and like using it. It’s a 7 year old hand me down so photos are not the best. But it has taught them how to take photos. My suggestion is whatever you get make sure it has the ability to bounce when dropped 😁. The fisher price has lasted through 4 kids in the 3 to 7 year old range.

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

Olympus Tough TG6. It can take a beating, be submerged in water, dropped from 7 feet, dustproof and has a LED screen. But wait there’s more! It has a macro mode that he’ll have a lot of fun with too!

BuckeyeBilly Loc: St. Petersburg, FL

I'm suggesting 2, both of which are listed as kid friendly:
1) GoPro Hero7. Takes photos and videos and is somewhat rugged. But the coolest part is that it can be easily programmed for voice activation! Kids love that.
2) Fujifilm xp120 or its newer replacement the xp140. Good image quality, extremely rugged, comes in colors, and would be a great one to learn about how great photography is.