Why is my daughter getting the new camera?

[disneysteve]

My daughter has been asking for a camera of her own for quite a while. My wife and I have both been photographers for many, many years so we certainly can't fault her for wanting a camera. Anyway, last week I decided that we'd get her a digital camera. We went to Target to check them out since they have a good selection out in the open that you can handle and use to see what you like and don't like. We found one for under $100 (which was my limit) that met all the criteria of what I thought a camera should and shouldn't have. DD's main concern was that it be small enough to drop in her purse but not so small that it is awkward to use.

I came home and searched ebay and, of course, found the same camera for the same price but with a bunch of bonus accessories (the only way to buy a camera is ebay) and I ordered it.

So now my daughter will have a shiny new 8 megapixel camera while I'm still stuck with the 4 or 5 year old 3 megapixel camera. Somehow I have a feeling that in the not too distant future, I'm going to be springing another $100 to get myself one.

[maat55]

So why didn't you just give her your old one and you keep the new one? Someone's being spoiled. OOps, did I write that out loud?

[disneysteve]

So why didn't you just give her your old one and you keep the new one? Someone's being spoiled. OOps, did I write that out loud?

Yep.

It thought of that, of course. The problem is that her one criteria (which I agree with) was that it be small enough to fit in her purse. Mine is definitely not. Drop mine in her purse and there won't be room for much of anything else. She's not into the huge shoulder bags as she's a low maintenance kind of girl. Just a cell phone, keys, her wallet and not much else. No makeup and hairbrush and who knows what else that some girls carry. I don't want her to have to carry a separate camera case both for safety reasons and convenience reasons. When she goes on a youth group or school trip, I want the camera safe and concealed. When I take my camera, I do so with a chunky case that goes on my belt.

[ibanez19]

Try keeping an Eye out on woot.com they sometimes have great deals on decent cameras.

[disneysteve]

As with all technology, prices drop, items get smaller and better. This under-$100 camera is far better than the one I paid $300 for several years ago. Honestly, I've been considering replacing mine anyway. I just hate to upgrade things that still work fine.

This is a special gift from us anyway, not just a random purchase. The end of the month is her 13th birthday and her Bat Mitzvah so we wanted to give her something special (aside from the large party).

[kork13]

a good camera is always worth splurging on. ^_^ before i finished college, probably the biggest "because i want it" purchase was a nice new camera setup... cost me a healthy $800 for everything, but it's exactly what I needed/wanted, so I'm very happy with it.

[creditscore]

nice..well actually i prefer online shopping rather than go out and shop at mall..ebay and amazon are trusted sites..

[disneysteve]

nice..well actually i prefer online shopping rather than go out and shop at mall..ebay and amazon are trusted sites..

For certain items like a camera, I prefer to shop in person and then buy online. You really can't tell much about a camera online. You need to see how big it is, how it fits in your hands, how easy it is to navigate the menus, etc. This case is a perfect example. We looked at 2 similar models from the same company. My daughter actually liked the cheaper model better because of how it felt in her hands. The more costly one was a little smaller and thinner and had less space to grasp it. You wouldn't know that by looking at a picture online.

I was shopping online last night for a Disney necktie we need for a gift. We had already looked in several local stores without success. I found one online at, of all places, a medical uniform company. Not only that, but they had it on clearance for $15 off original price. Before I completed the order, I Googled the company name and "coupon" and found that if I signed up for the companies e-mailing list, I got 10% off my first order so I did that. Gotta love that. I ended up buying myself a tie, too.

[kork13]

nice..well actually i prefer online shopping rather than go out and shop at mall..ebay and amazon are trusted sites..

I agree.... I can't stand pushy salesmen that swoop in on you as soon as you stand in place in front of an item for more than 10 seconds. Online you still get pushy sales pitches (ads....), but at least those aren't blathering in your ear while you try to look at a particular item of interest.

I've found that I like to look around at stuff online, then go find items in a store to see/try it in person, then normally buy it online, because it's frequently cheaper.

[creditscore]

I agree.... I can't stand pushy salesmen that swoop in on you as soon as you stand in place in front of an item for more than 10 seconds. Online you still get pushy sales pitches (ads....), but at least those aren't blathering in your ear while you try to look at a particular item of interest.

I've found that I like to look around at stuff online, then go find items in a store to see/try it in person, then normally buy it online, because it's frequently cheaper.

agree...going to mall is a time consuming too

[rennigade]

I pretty much buy all electronics at costco anymore. They're return policy is second to none. If for some odd reason the camera doesn't perform the way you thought it should, simply return it within 90 days for a full refund.

Gotta love Costco.

[PrincessPerky]

I am simply surprised a 13 year old in a well to do family is just now getting a camera...but I think it is family bias, I had my first at 6ish. and my son will be getting one for Christmas. I remember those first batches of fingers and thumbs... least now a days with digital the fingers and thumbs are cheaper to see.

[myrdale]

With most electronics, the most bang for your buck is usually not the very newest model, but one that is one or two steps down.

I purchased a JVC video camera a couple months ago. The top JVC camera in this series was $800. Mine was listed at $400. It is 2 or 3 models down from the top, but I would never be able to appreciate the differences between mine and the top model in that series.

To add to it, the series is almost a year old, as such the price has come down since a newer line of camcorders is now out.

After decided that I would purchase the camera for sure, I spent some time looking around on line and found the exact same camera on Amazon.com for $300.

Try never to buy the very newest/best, you will pay a heavy premium for it. Shop around there are great deals out there on anything.

[disneysteve]

So why didn't you just give her your old one and you keep the new one? Someone's being spoiled.

I am simply surprised a 13 year old in a well to do family is just now getting a camera

See, maat, she isn't so spoiled after all.

PP, up until now, when she has gone somewhere where she wanted her own camera, she got a disposable. When she's been with us and wanted to take some pictures herself, I've just handed her my camera. I really didn't see the need for her to have a "real" camera just yet. Now she is going enough places and doing enough things and is responsible enough that I don't mind sending her off with a $100 camera in her purse.

I totally agree about the digital photography. I've saved thousands of dollars since buying mine by not having to process and print every single photo I've taken. I was resistant to go digital, having been a photographer for many years, but now I couldn't imagine ever going back to film.

[LittleGopher]

I know what you mean by how much camera features have increased as the prices have decreased.

We're in the same position with our third daughter - that she needs something beyond the disposables and/or using our digital. She's heading to Washington DC with on a school trip later this fall, and we too are looking for one that is small enough to drop in her bag. Would you mind sharing which one you ended up purchasing? I've stuck with Canons for myself (the ones I have used and love aren't that small, nor are they under $100,) and my older daughters have under $100 Poloroids, which are more purse-friendly and have worked out for them quite well (though, of course, more features are available on the new ones.) Just curious...

Oh, and best wishes for your big celebration - it's coming up quick!