13 Best Digital Cameras for Kids to Take on Vacation and More

Are you on the hunt for the best digital camera for kids, but don’t know what features to pay attention to not to purchase a lousy product? When shopping around, we recommend considering the presence of shockproof housing and moisture protection, because young photographers don’t always correctly assess the possible consequences of a fall or putting a camera in a wet place.

The Weedit.Photos team and our colleagues, who have experience in buying cameras for their children, studied more than 200 models in detail and compiled a list of devices for any budget. You’ll find entry-level cameras for kids for as little as $100, and cameras for teen photographers if your child’s hobby has transformed into a favorite activity.

Based on the tests we conducted, it became clear that GoPro cameras are the most suitable if your child often partakes in skiing or diving competitions, rides bikes, and does other active sports.
If you are going on a family vacation by sea or with tents in the woods, it is best to make sure that your child’s camera is protected from moisture. Heegomn releases such watertight digital cameras for kids, so check out the collection. Vtech Kidizoom Duo DX is a good choice if your child is very small and you don’t want a camera to be banged up because of drops.

Vtech Kidizoom Duo DX is a stylish 20-megapixel selfie camera with a 2-inch IPS screen for kids. Fast autofocus allows young photographers to take clear shots even during outdoor activities. The camera is available in 3 delicate colors – blue, pink, and yellow. In addition to the main function, the camera can also play MP3 music stored on a TF card (up to 32 GB).

As for unique features, I want to mention the presence of an integrated simulation editor with many colorful frames and interesting filters. Your kid can apply them to shots in real-time. Also, the battery consumption is very low, so your child can grab a camera and go to a friend’s party without being afraid to miss some cool moments.

With a built-in music player, a mode for shooting videos, various effects for images, and games with fun video filters, Vtech Kidizoom Duo DX can be deservedly called the best digital camera for kids. Besides, it comes with a special, durable carrying case.

The device has a rubber, shockproof body, so even if your child drops it onto hard surfaces, the camera won’t break. Camera controls are large and clear, with a handy zoom wheel, flash functions, and various filters that eliminate the need to further edit photos for Instagram. The camera uses 4 AA batteries, which will last for 1000+ shots. It also supports a microSD card (up to 32 GB), but you have to buy it separately.

Polaroid Now is a modern digital camera for kids. However, it has some retro features, using which, your children can print photos on the go. On the nice side, the device is rather child-friendly due to its minimalistic control set. In fact, there are several buttons for activating a flash and taking images, so children don’t have to deal with bells and whistles. Autofocus is automatic and there is no way to manually adjust ISO and other settings.

However, due to the fact that the camera uses special photo paper, it can be too expensive for some people. Also, very young children, up to 9 years old, may experience problems holding this device because of large dimensions.

This is another modern instant camera. It is rather expensive to use, but unlike Polaroid, Kodak has worked on the dimensions. Now, children from 6 years old can use this convenient 3.5-inch device. On the technical side, this camera for kids is fitted with a 1: 2 wide-angle lens, so your child can fit more friends in the frame or photograph beautiful landscapes.

There are cutouts for a neck strap, so you may be sure the camera is protected from possible falls. As for shortcomings, the battery is discharged very quickly – but this was a tradeoff for a smaller size. In fact, you can take only 25 shots on a single charge, so building a composition thoroughly is a must.

FujiFilm Instax Mini 90 is among the best cameras for kids due to six shooting modes, including kids or party mode, with proper settings pre-selected. Besides, there is a three-mode automatic electronic flash (forced activation, flash off, and red-eye reduction). Also, if your child is interested in photographing small details, he/she will surely fall in love with the option for macro photography.

The case doesn’t collect stains and dust, so the camera will always look neat even if a child grabs it with dirty hands. The camera is available in brown, red, and black colors. Though the device offers more manual settings and a better battery, you’ll have to pay extra for these options compared to analog from Kodak.

This compact digital camera for kids from Heegomn will be an excellent choice if you frequently spend time with your family at the seaside or in a water park, and like taking images. The camera is designed for underwater shooting at the depth of up to 5 meters. You can attach the camera to your child’s head or body, so he/she will record adventures while swimming, having fun in the water, and even exploring the bottom.

The camera is designed with kids’ needs in mind, so it has a compact size and small weight. The controls are intuitive and the set of manual adjustments is minimal. Generally, you can turn on a flash and set a focus. All other settings are automatic.

Olympus Tough TG-6 is a waterproof camera with a reinforced case, which can withstand drops, freezing, and pressure (if a child accidentally sits on the camera).

The functionality of this camera is above average, so the device is suitable for children, who treat photography as a hobby. You can use it to shoot raw, set a 1-second jitter reduction timer, adjust saturation/gradation/contrast/sharpness/number, and more. Macro-shooting with 4x zoom is also provided.

DIDseth has created a bright, yellow digital camera for kids. It has a 12-megapixel sensor and is protected from drops and moisture. Its small size and weight, and is supplied with a hand strap, so even the smallest children from 5 years old can use it without problems.

The camera settings are automated, and the functionality is reduced to a minimum. You can view photos in the gallery on a 20inch screen, turn on/off the flash, and work in a video mode. The camera also has an 8x optical zoom, so your child will feel like a real blogger and capture the smallest details, such as snails, butterflies, etc.

If your child is very active on vacations or takes part in diving, then GoPro HERO 9 is the best digital camera for kids you can find. This camera is small, water- and shockproof, offers the most impressive autofocus on the market, and doesn’t require manual adjustments.

You can activate a continuous mode at 30fps or shoot video at 4K 60fps. Despite the size of the camera, its battery is capacious enough for non-stop shooting for up to 3 hours. Thus, your kid can fully immerse himself/herself into the process. What’s more, the camera records a very clear sound.

If you are experienced enough to build a camera yourself, purchasing all the needed elements in the kit, this option is the best bang for the buck. Besides, assembling such a camera together with your kid, you can help him/her understand how such devices function.

Once the assembling stage is over, you get a plastic, lightweight camera with a 12-megapixel sensor, a viewfinder and a minimalistic set for manual settings. There’s also a flash socket, a top-down viewfinder, a multi-exposure function, and a manual setting for slow shutter speeds.

If your children have reached the age where photography has become part of their coursework, you need a more serious camera. Nikon D7500 is the most suitable camera for kids you can find for such a task. The device is suitable for studying sports photography or journalism, as well as for landscape or portrait photography. The extremely light-sensitive 20.9-megapixel CMOS sensor doesn’t contain an optical low-pass filter and impresses with the best image quality in DX format.

The camera is equipped with a powerful EXPEED 5 processor and has high ISO sensitivity ranges, so you will receive high-contrast and detailed images even if you work in challenging conditions. The autofocus system with 51 metering fields and 15 cross sensors is another advantage of the camera.

Canon EOS 6D Mark II is another high-end camera for kids, who want to find their place in professional photography. The camera features a 26.2MP full-frame sensor for superb detail even in dark shadows, bright areas, or low light. The device has 45 autofocus points and allows taking images at up to 30 frames per second.

Among the unique features, I want to note that the camera provides remote control via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. I also like its small weight, about 2 pounds, so your child won’t get bushed even during long shooting.

Purchasing the best digital camera for kids is half a success. The other half is related to how well your children know how to use it.

There is no point in beginning the study with photo editing in Lightroom or Photoshop, as the process is very time-consuming and confusing, so your child may feel frustrated. You need to focus on the shooting itself and delegate the image post-production to experts. Learn our photo editing prices and choose the needed service.

A well-thought-out composition is a thing in common in all good images. So, you need to explain to your kid how to choose a focal point, which is actually the main object in the thing that he/she want to attract immediate attention.

Since every photo is perceived in the integrity of its constituents, teach your child to select the background very carefully. It is important to choose the one without too distracting elements, otherwise, people looking at a picture will scrutinize the background instead of paying attention to the main object.

This is a simple principle that every photographer must know. The general idea of this rule is to visually divide a frame into 9 equal squares by drawing 3 vertical and 3 horizontal lines. Next, you need to locate the core elements at intersections. Make sure your kid understands this approach.

Show your child a simple trick. Choose a focal point, half-press the shutter, move the camera a bit, and press the shutter to the end. Thus, an object you are photographing will be off-center. Such images are very interesting to look at.

All cameras for kids as well as professional devices have different modes. Choosing a proper one, you can forget about tedious adjustments. These modes are created based on varied weather and light conditions, and they make photographers’ life easier. Demonstrate what results different modes bring and encourage your kid to experiment.