What age to give a kid a DSLR?

[PhotoXopher]

Depends on the kid really... I've seen 9 year old kids that are more mature and responsible than 40 year old adults... more technically savvy too!

 

[UUilliam]

At 12 kids don't have a sense of value. They're kids and are not really supposed to, so don't give them anything that you would cry over if they dropped it from a car going 60MPH or tossed against a tree.

I once had a $1200 custom hand made bamboo bo-staff made by a chinese master. I gave it to a 12 year old with a nice lecture as to it's value and history (it was close to a 100 years old)... he was good for about 2 hours until I left... and then proceeded to beat up every tree in the back yard until he wrapped and snapped it around the oak tree. Buh-bye valuable antique.

He wasn't being bad, he was being 12 .

i love your attitude, it is very responsible and wise to be honest.
Most people would have been terribly mad about something like that happening (im sure you were at first though but its normal) as you say... kids will be kids, we can't take away their free spirits and force them to grow up too quickly or the same thing that happened to Mr Jackson may happen to the kids.

 

[Battou]

The concept of "Loaning" wile sound in theroy, it's a different beast in practice as I found with my first generation Playstation (now dead due to a snapped disk holder). Even if they use caution things can still break due to lack of care knowledge. Additionally, as many of us have learned, there are a great number of times where we put our cameras in potentially harmful situations to aquire the shot, not out of desire but necessity. Being overly conserned with the well being of the camera is a hinderance in and of it self, you don't want him to be afraid to take it out side for fear of damage.

My suggestion....Get on E-bay with him, Serch out some Good film SLRs and let him buy one of his choosing with his own money. It would give him the pride of ownership that has been previously mentioned wile also being much closer to his income capasity, Lets face it guys, at twelve the best he can legally do is a paper route and he would have to save for years to afford even a used dSLR on that kind of income.

The film SLR has with it a good peice of mind in their durability (Even the most careful twelve year old is going to drop things, I can't tell you howmany times my nephews DS has hit the floor in the last week alone), It will increase his potential by signifigantly reducing the restraints and achieve the results you seek by considering setting him up with the dSLR, Most importantly it will teach him proper care and handeling of photographic equipment by providing considerable room for error. If his eye is as good as you say it is then money for processing won't be wasted. Then after he has worked with the Film SLR for a wile, bought a few lenses and developed what you feel is a sufficient feel for the responsability of camera ownership, then you hook him up with the hand-me-down dSLR, no strings attached.

 

[jwPhotographer]

I got my first SLR (my father's 1965 Asahi Pentax Spotmatic) when I was 13. I gave it to my daughter when she turned 13, insisting she learn the basics with a basic camera. This past March when she turned 14, I bought her a Canon Rebel DSLR, and she hasn't been without it a day since.

 

[photographyprogess]

My nephew is 12, and I've been lending him at d40 for six months now. Does he take care of it? Yes, he does. A 12 year old can be responsible enough to take care of a DSLR, and he may not be. Talk to his parents and listen to their opinion. They probably know the kid pretty well, and would be able to let you know if he would be responsible enough.

The main problem as I see it would be the backing up of the kid. He will need somebody to teach him how to use the camera, and this is far more important in this matter. This is what I do with my own nephew. I regularly take him with me out shooting to teach him how to take pictures and how to use the camera. And he loves it. (And I love it too, of course. It's a lot of fun spending time with him.)

 

[IgsEMT]

If you really think that he's interested then start out with coolpix and move him up to 20D.
But how can you be so sure? My cuz, few years ago, used to love grabbing my Nikon and shooting family dinners. He was 10at that time. Today he is 13 & the only thing he cares for in technology is his XBOX360 (I think i spelled it right)... so are you sure that your nephews is into photography?

 

[FrankLamont]

I got my first SLR when I was 14.

Splurged out 1/3 of my entire life savings on it. Over $1400.

I say, watch him for a while.

See if the photography thing is a mere passing as it is with most kids, or whether he really likes it or not.

Loan him the Coolpix for a year. Just say that you reckon he has a keen eye and could borrow your camera for the year.

Don't give him the idea that you're giving it to him, just that you don't 'really need the camera at the moment and since you seem to enjoy photography, you can't borrow my camera for a year'... that kind of thing.

He'll treat it with more respect.

If he's really improving, in a year or two, loan him the 20D for a while when you meet. Then if he's still really interested, loan it to him for a period of time with just a basic lens.

If he really likes it, and his photography is lifting up, a bit later, offer it to him for a slashed price. Now, here's the important bit... agree with his parents for him to pay for it, but you can return the money as giving him a lens or something later on. Just don't give him everything at once, or it won't be seen as a privilege, but as something he deserves. And while he may deserve it, it's good to play things down.

 

[redtippmann]

I bought my first SLR two years ago(I was 13). Before that I save up for a while to buy a real simple p&s but I found out that that can quickly so I sold that to a friend. Then when I was 13 I had enough money $500 to buy a Nikon D50 with a kit lens, bag, flash, tripod, etc. I still use it today and have kept it in the same condition as when I got it. Now I have saved up more and bought more lenses and another body.

My point is, if you want him to have a DSLR and take care of it and think its the best. I would recommend that he just saves up his money and get one on his own. He probably think, like me, that it will take forever to save up. But it worth the wait. And he should know that this is something he wants to do for a while if he buys it on his own. And I'm not saying that his parents should help him out.

 

[icassell]

I bought my 12 y/o twins a high-end P&S for our recent Alaska trip (Panasonic Lumix Z28). They love it and take it everywhere with them ... treating it very carefully. On the other hand, they forgot it on the seat of a diner (safely recovered, fortunately). I'm not sure I couldn't have done the same thing with my dSLR.

 

[DScience]

This could raise a case of pride of ownership. Quite a lot of my friends have really hot cars, often the parents bought them. I would say nearly half have written them off, most have had a minor ding, or a run in with the cops. None who had to buy their own car have had so much as a parking fine.
Similar thing with laptops. My parents bought my sister hers. She actually was careless enough with it to leave it at Frankfurt airport. It's just a case of having no value attached to the object.

I'm not saying don't buy things for him. Just saying regardless of how old someone is, if you go out and just buy them a DSLR they will not appreciate it. I agree with the loaning of the coolpix, get them an interest in photography, and if it really kicks off, then offer to help them buy the camera, some reward system like getting perfect As, or something to attach value to the camera. Mind you if he gets interested enough the value may come just from his joy in the hobby.

There's no right or wrong here.

Brilliant!

 

[usayit]

My young cousin showed an interest in photography and her father has access to a whole Canon system with 1 film and 2 digital SLR bodies which he has made available for her use. After a few days, She ended up with a nice high end P&S and still uses it to this day. She is about 13 years of age.

Part of the learning process includes having a camera available at all times. Try convincing an early teen to lug around an SLR+lens (much less take care of it)... I think that is more of a concern.

Once (if) he/she progresses beyond the capabilities of the camera, that will be the time to buy the SLR. They will have matured enough to appreciate the opportunity... The age is not important as all teens mature differently.

As such

 

[SrBiscuit]

i gave my 6yo my sony DSC-S75...totally obsolete now, but i paid over $300 for it if memory serves me.
it was explained to him that it is fragile, and needs to be taken care of. when he uses it, he always wears the strap, and seems to be very careful. he sees how gently i treat my camera, and just follows suit i think.
but i do agree with the concept of value.
i think it can vary person to person.

 

[benhasajeep]

After some email traffic with his father. We are going to send the Coolpix 8700 to him. And see how he does for a while. Unforturnately there is no way to be with him while he uses it. So, we are just going to give him a chance with it and see what happens.

Decided to keep quiet on the Canon 20D for now. Just going to watch the results for a little bit and see if he is still interested after awhile. Want to see if he shows any signs of wanting to learn more or if he is just a point and shooter. If he shows that he wants to learn more and take care of the Coolpix. Then we will send him the Canon so he can learn more with a more capable camera.

 

[JerryPH]

He will treat it like he treats his hot wheels... unless someone there takes him on shoots with their own camera and displays extraordinary care. With coaching, he may follow suit.

Without it, if/when you ask for it back, it might return in pieces.

"Just like there is no such thing as a bad student, only bad teachers, there is no such thing as a bad child... only bad parents". That sounds rahter judgmental, but it is not meant as an insult, it just means that every child or student requires guidance. If left to their own, they will follow only what they know as a 12 year old... which is not all that much

The 8700 will be very interesting for him, and that P&S does put out some nice results. I have the E8800 and it is my fav P&S, even after being off the market for several years. Still, that one was something that I paid new close to $1000Cdn for. The 8700 is a very cool gift, no matter what the age.

 

[table1349]

I think only you can decide. I was given my first rifle at age 12 (no it wasn't a bb gun, but a Remington 22LR) I had been shooting for 2 years and my folks felt I was responsible enough. I didn't dissapointment on that one, I understood what was involved and the consequences.

You are in the best postition to judge whether the person is ready for good gear. Good luck.