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A young child happily takes a photo with their Kidamento kids digital camera Credit: Reviewed / Lisa Lawrence

The Best Digital Cameras for Kids of 2023

Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed's editors. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission. Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.

A young child happily takes a photo with their Kidamento kids digital camera Credit: Reviewed / Lisa Lawrence

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Editor's Choice Product image of Kidamento Model K
Best Overall

Kidamento Model K

A terrific kids' camera that is destined to inspire a new generation of shutterbugs. Read More

Pros

  • Excellent photo quality
  • Intuitive features
  • Large viewing screen

Cons

  • Photo download app can be glitchy
Editor's Choice Product image of Prograce Kids Waterproof Camera
Best Value

Prograce Kids Waterproof Camera

Currently
Unavailable

A durable kids' camera that sporty kids will love. Read More

Pros

  • Durable
  • Fun to use
  • Cool-looking

Cons

  • Video games were distracting
  • Photo quality is so-so
Editor's Choice Product image of Olympus Tough TG-6
Best for Older Kids

Olympus Tough TG-6

A workhorse of a camera, the Olympus Tough is easy to use, is filled with intuitive features, and takes incredible photos in all kinds of conditions. Read More

Pros

  • Intuitive
  • Durable
  • Excellent low-light capability

Cons

  • Costly
Product image of VTech KidiZoom PrintCam

VTech KidiZoom PrintCam

This printcam allows kids to print out photos to their hearts' content, without breaking the bank. Read More

Pros

  • Cool flip camera lens
  • Affordable photo prints
  • Fun creative graphics

Cons

  • Sub-par photo quality
  • Prints start to fade quickly
Product image of Kodak Smile Instant Print

Kodak Smile Instant Print

For younger kids, who aren’t great at holding still or understanding photo framing, this camera teaches them without them even realizing it. Read More

Pros

  • Sliding front lens protector
  • Allows you to view photos before printing
  • Fun photobooth feature

Cons

  • Sub-par photo quality

A good kids’ camera can open up a whole new world for a child. Whether they dream of being future social media influencers, or they just want to take a stab at exploring their artistic side, having a camera as a kid can supercharge their creativity while being a ton of fun. If your child has started asking for your cell phone to snap some selfies, it may be time to investigate a starter camera for your kid.

We tested a range of kid-friendly digital cameras to find the best for budding photographers and filmmakers. Our favorite, which rose above the pack for its durability and usability, is the Kidamento Model K (available at Amazon) . It’s a terrific little camera that takes better-than-expected photos, is small enough to fit in a kid’s hand, and is super durable.

Also topping the list is the Olympus Tough TG-6 (available at Amazon) for older kids. Our Best Value pick is the Prograce Kids’ Digital Camera (available at Amazon).

Here’s to seeing the world through your kids’ eyes—and to getting your phone back. Read on for why these are the best cameras for kids of all ages.

Editor's Note:
The recommendations in this guide are based on thorough product and market research by our team of expert product reviewers. The picks are based on examining user reviews, product specifications, and, in some limited cases, our experience with the specific products named.
Two Kidamento Model K cameras
Credit: Reviewed / Lisa Lawrence

We loved the durable exterior of the Kidamento, which made it almost indestructible.

Best Overall
Kidamento Model K

This cute little kids’ digital camera made us swoon over its diminutive size, soft and grippy body, and its intuitive and easy-to-use features. In fact, this camera was so easy to use that we never once had to break out the instruction manual. Just take it out of the box, charge it up, and watch your kids snap away.

Out of all the cameras tested, the design of this one elicited the greatest squeals of delight from our testers. The soft rubber exterior not only looks adorable, it has a comfortable and grippy feel and makes the camera nearly indestructible. If you’re looking for a digital camera for kids that will encourage young shutterbugs to hone and develop a love for photography, this is the camera you absolutely should buy.

What we liked best about this kid-friendly digital camera is that it puts photo-taking above all else. That may seem like a no-brainer, but the most common complaint with kids’ cameras is they can be so stuffed with games that they do nothing to develop foundational photography skills.

The Kidamento Model K, however, was obviously designed by photo buffs. This point-and-shoot camera can take photos up to an astonishing 48 megapixels, making it a formidable option as far as image quality is concerned. We also liked that it looks and feels like a shrunk-down DSLR, yet is automated to get the best possible photos for a young child who hasn’t yet honed their photography chops.

A large viewing screen allows kids to easily frame their photos, and cute little frames, icons, and emojis allow kids to put their personal stamps on picture taking. We love that it has a built-in selfie mode (because kids love a good selfie), and it also comes with a brilliant little app that allows you to easily download pictures to your phone or tablet over Wi-Fi.

The f/2.8 lens ensured that all photos we took were crisp. And the intuitive touch screen is laid out in a way that will most easily translate to a more complex camera, once your budding paparazzo is ready for a more challenging piece. It’s perfect for their small hands, too.

Pros

  • Excellent photo quality

  • Intuitive features

  • Large viewing screen

Cons

  • Photo download app can be glitchy

A child uses his prograce camera when climbing outside
Credit: Reviewed / Lisa Lawrence

The Prograce is a great on-the-go camera for kids.

Best Value
Prograce Kids Waterproof Camera

A kiddie-take on a GoPro, the 5-megapixel Prograce is a tiny, mountable camera housed in a waterproof and shockproof plexiglass casing, making it a solid choice for young adventure-seekers with a budding interest in photography. It comes with a full suite of mounts and has HD video functionality, making it a great, well-priced option for young adventurers.

The burst shooting function makes it easy for kids to capture the dynamic movements of their friends, but we found the photo quality to be only so-so. The overall appeal of the Prograce had more to do with capturing video while playing hard. This is a fun little camera that can shoot from the back of a skateboard, a surfboard, or the handlebars of a bike and is compact enough to go anywhere your kids’ adventure takes them.

Pros

  • Durable

  • Fun to use

  • Cool-looking

Cons

  • Video games were distracting

  • Photo quality is so-so

The Olympus Tough TG-6 is easy to use and has great picture quality.
Credit: Reviewed / Lisa Lawrence

The Olympus Tough TG-6 is easy to use and has great picture quality.

Best for Older Kids
Olympus Tough TG-6

The Olympus Tough TG-6 lived up to all its claims of durability, usability, and so much more.

As good for entry-level photographers as it is for seasoned shutterbugs, we were pleasantly surprised that the Olympus Tough TG-6 turned out to be one of the easiest to use right out of the box. The zoom buttons on this 12-megapixel camera were easy to master and the video button was intuitive, even for a child as young as 6 years old. We loved that this camera was so instantly gratifying that our testers were immediately hooked.

While this was incredibly usable and kid-friendly, this is no kiddie camera. If this camera is bought for a kid that’s ready to get technical, they’ll love the bright wide-angle setting. It’s at the top of its class for waterproof compact cameras, making for excellent underwater and low-light photography.

We also love that this camera can really grow with kids, allowing for easy upgrades with lens adaptor packs, including a fisheye, a telephoto, and a ring flash adapter for macro photography. This feature was unique to this camera versus other compact waterproof cameras we’ve tried, increasing its longevity.

Pros

  • Intuitive

  • Durable

  • Excellent low-light capability

Cons

  • Costly

Product image of VTech KidiZoom PrintCam
VTech KidiZoom PrintCam

This easy-to-use, 2-megapixel instant camera was a favorite of our kid testers, while parents appreciated that they can print out their kids’ photos for about 75 cents an image.

The paper is basically receipt paper, so you’re not getting the highest quality photos, but it does make for a fun experience for kids that won't break the bank. You also have the ability to download all the photos stored on the camera, so you can commit to printing the very best on real photo paper for better longevity.

The PrintCam also comes with a 4x digital zoom, but it is more than a kids’ digital camera: It’s a handheld creativity device for aspiring graphic designers. Kids can create comic strips, coloring strips, name tags, cartoons, and more with pre-loaded graphics, so while this camera doesn’t take the sharpest photos, it does make for an artsy experience that our testers loved.

Other fun features are cute frames and a cool flip lens that allows you to easily take selfies. As with all VTech cameras, there are also loads of engaging video games on this model—a point that gave this camera high scores with kids.

The Kidizoom PrintCam doesn't really inspire a lot of photo-taking, but it does encourage creativity. Overall, this is a fun and durable camera and truly engaging toy that our kiddie testers didn't want to put down.

Pros

  • Cool flip camera lens

  • Affordable photo prints

  • Fun creative graphics

Cons

  • Sub-par photo quality

  • Prints start to fade quickly

Product image of Kodak Smile Instant Print
Kodak Smile Instant Print

This 10-megapixel camera is a fun little learning camera for kids. Photos are taken on the digital screen and captured on the SD card. It doesn't immediately print out the photos when they are taken, so kids are encouraged to choose to save, delete, or print.

While there are lots of kid-friendly cameras with an LCD screen on the market, this camera encourages kids to go through and pick the right photo for printing. Because of that extra step, they start to think a bit about framing and which photo looks the best.

We found this to be a smart and fun option for a younger kid whom you want to teach photography to, but who you aren’t ready to spend a lot of money on. We also like that the front of the camera slides shut, protecting the lens. It gave us peace of mind that the camera would have a bit of extra protection from drops and dirt.

The only issue we took with the Smile Instant Print was its less-than-impressive photo quality. It's slow to take pictures of moving targets and performed poorly in the puppy test.

Pros

  • Sliding front lens protector

  • Allows you to view photos before printing

  • Fun photobooth feature

Cons

  • Sub-par photo quality

Product image of VTech KidiZoom Camera Pix
VTech KidiZoom Camera Pix

The base model Kidizoom is a durable kids’ digital camera that stands up to just about any bumps, drops, or “oopses” a kid can throw at it. With a 2-megapixel sensor and a bit of a lag time when shooting, it doesn’t take the best photos, but it provided a bit of fun with the digital zoom lens and with photo collage templates.

Like most of the VTech cameras, this one has over 30 photo effects that will get your kid feeling creative and clever. It also comes loaded with game apps. As with the Duo, the game apps seem to be the real draw for kids and are a distraction from the real use of the camera.

You’ll probably find your kid using it more for the video game feature than for its shooting mode. Kids loved it, but parents were disappointed that it quickly became nothing more than a gaming device and did nothing to encourage kids to take more photos.

Pros

  • Lightweight and sturdy

  • Fun intro camera for kids

  • Over 30 photo effects

Cons

  • Hard to set-up

  • Low photo quality

  • Games are the biggest draw

Meet the tester

Janelle Randazza

Janelle Randazza

Staff Writer, Parenting

@JanelleRandazza

Janelle Randazza is a writer/mother hybrid and taco enthusiast based out of Los Angeles, California.

See all of Janelle Randazza's reviews

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