Camera for child.

Different strokes for different folks I suppose, but I wouldn't have thought a 6 yr old would be interested in photography?

Just checked Digital Camera Warehouse site for cameras under $200, and they have a number there that might suit. They have a Fuji that uses film and provides an instant photo. Would be the way to get him "hooked" but might be an expensive option in the long term?

Bob

I bought a Canon IXUS 160 Compact for my grandson for his 8th birthday in January and he finds it very simple and fun to operate. The camera cost me under $100 from Digital camera warehouse. I also bought a memory card, and carry bag to protect it.
Being school holidays, he and his 6 year old sister are staying with me this week, and we went bushwalking this morning so he took it along. Later this afternoon we are going to insert the memory card into my Canon Postcard printer and make some personalised postcards to send to his family.
I also keep a folder of his photos on my external HD. I am also a keen photographer and treasure my photos.
Its fantastic to foster a love of photography from a young age I think and your son will have so many personal memories of his trip if he can take his own photos.
regards,
Heather

It's not like the old days where we made mistakes and had to wait a week for the photos to come back to discover that they were awful shots!
As long as he knows the value of looking after it, I reckon it'd be quite possibly the start of something great!
I showed my class of 8 year olds how to take ordinary photos of each other from different angles (simply using my little point-and-shoot camera). a few years ago. They were wonderful!
:)

Kids don't follow conventional photography rules.
As a result you get lots of forgettable photos with the odd wonderful shot taken from an angle or with a composure no one would have thought of with unbelievable results.
What to give them, anything that takes photos and won't be an issue if left behind or dropped & destroyed.
It should hopefully help them remember the holiday better as well

smart phone. It does so much more for the travelling kid and keeps it all in the right place.
Mine has one of my old off contract phones on a $10 prepaid plan for emergency calls. It takes great photos and he can edit them in the back seat as we drive.

Some suggestions here for P&S's is probably best to start with something simple, later they can get something with manual settings for shutter, aperture, etc.
ISO setting is generally available on most digital cameras now anyway.

I would recommedn maybe going for one of the waterproof P&S's though, being WP, they are also dustproof, cordialproof, and usually resist impacts from drops very well.
I've used Olympus Tough cameras for quite some time bushwalking, they are great for this, can carry on my pack strap in simple cam bag, and take out in rain blizzard ec and get pretty good shots (f2 lens great in low light).

There's a good review of the tough 2 here, along with a couple of camparos . . .
cnet.com review

There are plenty of other WP P&S's available, have a google for > waterproof point and shoot cameras < and you should get lots of results to check out.

Hang on, you're "crazy photography" and you don't have a hundred old cameras laying abut the house to pass down ??
Come oooonnn mate !! :D :)

How could you go wrong with something like this?
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Nikon-coolpix-camera-water-shock-and-dust-resistant-RRP-450-/111964707071?hash=item1a119dd8ff:g:0ugAAOSw2ENW7K4b
Bob

Both my kids have had point and shoots since they were about 7, since they always wanted to borrow mine to take photos. We've had a couple of Canons (A495) and also have a Nikon (Coolpix S30). We went with the waterproof Nikon because we killed one of the Canons by getting grit into the lens extension mechanism (used a lot up the Mallee). Both cameras take excellent macros if your kid is into bugs, flowers, rocks etc. Get one with a reasonable zoom so they can get fauna shots and you should cover all bases. My kids didn't even have to read the manual. They just play with the settings (and ask Dad of course) and see what effect they have.

One of the compacts (Lumix or Olympus) will be fine...the shockproof/waterproof versions are brilliant. I let the kids (4 and 6) go for it with our Lumix (We have two of them!). Small size suits small hands. Training the kidlets to not put a finger across the lens when snapping away is another story.

Overall, something in the ~~$200 dollar bracket will leave you not so disappointed when it gets dropped off a cliff or left at the beach accidentally :)

They also want to use my "Expensive" camera...which is ok as long as I help them hold it...