[ftmftm]

my son is after a camera, he is 12 yrs old, he wants one so when im taking photo's he can do the same, ive got about £200 to spend on him or a little bit more for the right one, any thoughts advice would be welcome, the ones ive looked at so far are.....
Fuji Finepix S5600
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7 BLACK

[stepheno]

I wouldn't necessarily bring any other cameras into the equation since your short-list includes two very fine cameras. I think your son would be well catered for with either. However my thoughts are, and remember it's your final choice

S5600
proven Super CCD sensor
up to ISO 1600
5.2mp
10 x zoom

I have a soft spot for Fujifilm, and I still have two of their cameras. I think their Super CCD is excellent. It takes 4AA batteries which is good if you get caught short. Also Fuji macro capability is very good

FZ7
up to ISO 1600
Leica lens
6 mp
12 x zoom

I don't have practical experience with Panos but the FZ gets good critique. Slightly more mp and zoom.

Very similar specs but in the long run a camera is only as good as it's lens and in this instance I would go for the FZ7 because of it's Leica lens. However, your son is 12 years old, presumably small hands, so I think it's crucial that he tries both cameras to see whether he feels comfortable with them. Unless of course it's to be a surprise. Hope that helps and others will probably give you different thoughts.

[Angus]

I've got the Fuji F10 a bargain price at the moment less than £150.00. and a Panasonic ( couple of years old now and only 3.2 Mb ) with Leica lens, absolutely stunning pictures, works with AA batteries, have just purchased Canon Powershot A540 £149.00 6Mb, with viewfinder, and AA batteries,I like Pannys, Fuji's & Canons, but I am sure The Nikon, Casio, Pentax all have their devotees, so has they say fill your boots, there's plenty out there.

[Dave]

I would think a decent zoom would be good for a 12 year old, as you can quickly teach them the effect of tighter crops etc on shots, plus it makes it more fun for them also

[ftmftm]

we went into Pc-world and Currys yesterday and we had a look at the Fuji 5600 and the Fuji 9500 the price's were £199 & £345 i know i can get them cheaper on the net but i wanted him to have a hold of them and see which he liked best, luckly for me it was the Fuji 5600, there was a OLYMPUS SP-500UZ which i like the look of aswell, i would love to get him the Nikon d50 and he could use some of my cheap lenses but its a bit out of my price range. so i think it will be a Fuji 5600 which i can get for £170 unless someone else has a better idea.

Thanks Dave, Angus, Stepheno for your replies

[AlexMonro]

You can get factory refurbished Fuji cameras from the Fuji shop here:

Refurbished Digital Camera Shop from Fujifilm

I think the S5600 is usually about 150 quid but they don't seem to have them listed at the moment. They do update several times a week, so it might be worth checking back.

I remember when I was 12 my dad got me a Zenit B 35mm SLR with the 58mm f/2 lens. With his tuition & a lot of practice I learned a lot, including B&W dev & print. I gave it up when I moved away from home & the darkroom under the stairs

Last month I got a Nikon FM2 with 35-105mm Nikkor. At last I've got a film camera again! Though I let the shop do the D&P these days - no room for a darkroom

Give your lad a lot of encouragement & a little guidance - it could be the start of something big!

[Flipster]

hi just a quick reply to this question, although i cant comment on the two cameras (i've never used either) i can tell you where the s5600 is cheaper to buy! it caught my eye a few weeks ago i was going to get one but then decided i wanted to go into the dslr's.

if u have not already purchased the camera goto argos they are selling them for £112.49at the mo..i think its around £5 delivery..if they still in stock!!, its a bit better than £199

[emmettleffel]

I was looking for a cheap digital camera for one of my grandsons who has just turned 12this week.

I wanted cheap because he has a habit of losing things LOL

check here Jenoptik JENDIGITAL JD 4100 Z3 - www.cameraworld.co.uk