SLR for a 10yo?

[ksmattfish]

In spite of the arcane complexity often attributed to shooting with manual exposure it is only two controls.

Simple instructions: This dial controls whether the background is out of focus or in focus. Turn it one way for more in focus, the other way for less in focus. This dial controls whether a moving subject is blurred or frozen. Turn it one way for blur, the other way to freeze. Don't go too slow or you'll get blur from camera shake. You can set them however you want as long as the meter is in the middle.

Less complicated than most video games.

 

[Digital Matt]

I would recommend www.keh.com. They are very reliable and rate items very accurately. You can get a body, lenses, and any accessories for cheap, and be assured of the quality.

 

[sabbath999]

Another I would throw out is the Sears line of cameras with Pentax mounts... they are DIRT cheap and were actually pretty good (I bought one years ago because some fool was selling a GREAT lens on it... basically, I got the lens at half the price it should have been and the camera was thrown in as free).

I left the camera in my car with a 50mm 2.0 prime and used it for about 6 months before somebody stole it. Worked fine.

 

[Don Simon]

Yep the Sears K-mount SLRs were made by Ricoh, who also released their own-brand versions... good stuff. The Sears name was put on various cameras from different companies over the years, including some real classics, so it's worth looking out for.

Chinon also made some decent K-mount SLRs too. These lesser-known names don't always mean lesser quality... and they almost always mean lower prices.

 

[blackdoglab]

Yeah, the Ricohs look like good buys these days. Both they and Chinon had a nice range of bodies that went from all mechanical to autoexposure. Plus there are a boatload of kmount lenses out there.