Instax camera for an 8 year old

[gad-westy]

My 8.y.o daughter would like an Instax Mini camera. I don't know much about them other than that it seems that the cost of the camera is only a small part of the equation. Looks like the film packs are around £9 for 10 prints and get a bit cheaper if you buy in bulk. I am concerned about that as I can imagine her burning through a 10 pack in 2 minutes flat and then the camera will gather dust unless she saves up for more film packs.

Does anyone have experience of how kids get on with these in reality?

Is there a source for cheaper film packs maybe?

Worth looking at any alternatives?

 

[Thomasb1982]

Hi,

We got our 9 year old one a few months back and she loves it.

she takes it on every walk and takes a couple of shots each time. She understands it’s not like her phone so takes her time to really think about what she Wants in the photo.

she has some great shots already, also likes to watch the film develop.

we got a deal on urban outfitters for the camera, around £40 for a pack with a case etc. We have since got a 3 film pack from amazon with different film types which again keeps it interesting.

not cheap but well worth it for getting them into photography.

 

[f/2.8]

I got one for daughter for Christmas, she loves it although didn't choose the one I wanted her to get.

I wanted her to get the SQ20 as with it also acts as a digital camera allowing you to see the image before you print meaning less prints wasted and it uses the bigger square prints

She preferred to go for a LiPlay model instead it uses the smaller paper but also acts like a digital camera as well, she decided on it because it was available in pink, what you gonna do. :banghead:

A friend also got her daughter one for Christmas as well but went for one of the standard cameras with no digital option she has already burned through 400 odd prints were as my daughter has only went through about 150 although she probably uses her's more because she can see her image before she prints it.

The 50 packs are usually the best value, they are often available on eBay when they have discount codes on.

 

[cpuk1983]

I toyed with the idea of one of these for my 9 year old daughter as she'd been asking for a camera for her birthday.
Eventually opted for a Fuji XP140 for her and I give her a small print budget every month to get whatever shots printed out that she likes. Will work out cheaper in the long run rather than buying the film cartridges.

 

[sphexx]

What about a digicam plus one of those little Canon wireless printers? Would that work out cheaper/more versatile?

 

[gad-westy]

Cheers all. This is really appreciated.

I definitely hear the message that a digital camera + printer is more cost effective but I can also see why that is maybe less interesting. Need to talk with her about that.

Maybe the Liplay option might be a good compromise.