Decent / cheap kids camera

[cmf21]

My mother would like to get a cheap but decent camera for my 10yr old nephew. She wants to stick around the $50 +/- area but doesn't know what's good. Any suggestions?

 

[alkemyst]

I'd try to snag a refurb Canon...they come up now and then around that price point.

Check out adorama.com

 

[shortylickens]

Old camera that was really good back in its day. Like my Sony P-50. Its got a good sturdy body and takes excellent pics, even after 9 years.
Plenty of them on ebay for dirt cheap. I may even sell mine up there some day.

 

[Subbaculcha]

Unless you find a stupidly good deal, at $50 most of what's out there is pretty bad. But if you move up to about $75, I've seen many decent cameras on sale / clearance etc. Just watch the bargain sites.

 

[Smoove910]

Samsung SL30 is a decent camera. Bought one for my daughter last x-mas. Has nice video too.

Unfortunately they are in the $75 range.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

I would go for a Nikon Coolpix 2500 or its successor the 3500. This was the first digital camera that I ever owned, and I still have it and like it.

2MP
3x zoom
No external zooming parts -- less chance for something to break
Lens housing rotates so you can get nice angled shots
Very simple and sturdy design
Compact enough to be handy, but not so much that all the buttons are tiny

Looks like functional 2500's are going on eBay for $20-$30. A 256MB or 512MB CompactFlash card is all you need for tons of photos, and you can pick one of those up for pennies nowadays.

 

[alkemyst]

slow compared to a modern camera though. My dad's Coolpix 3200 takes great shots but slow. I am upgrading him to a Pany ZS7 this year.