Two Assistants, One Camera Recommendation

After many months, I've decided to hedge my bets with my photography assistant. See Zoe seems to have a better eye for composition. Aidan, however, gets kudos for his energy and his ability to lug around heavy telephoto zoom lenses. So I'm going to train them both. After wondering how many claims I'd have to file against my insurance policy, I decided it's prudent to buy Zoe her own gear (Aidan is pretty good holding onto things with his kung-fu grip). For those looking to get a camera for your kids you generally have three options:

1. Buy some ridiculously overpriced, piece of plastic at Toys"R"Us that's pink and doesn't fool your kid into wanting to use it over your own camera.
2. Buy an entry level model for ~$125, have your toddler drop it and then cry.
3. Buy a used one.

We were going for the latter when we picked up a Samsung S73 (entry level point and shoot) at the now defunct Ritz Camera down the street. For the bargain basement price of $40 (or the annual increase in insurance premiums if I had to file a claim) it had all the key things you would want:

• A big LCD on the back. Kids love this, although strangely Zoe seems traditional in this respect with a strong preference for a view finder.
• Small and lightweight to accommodate those chubby little hands.
• Looked similar to the Canon G9 (i.e. Mom's camera). I can not emphasize the importance of this enough, but probably don't need to for anyone who actually has a kid.
• Lots of buttons (optional). The more buttons, the longer your child will fiddle with the camera while you lie on the couch and take a nap.

For the Canon affectionados, the Canon A series tend to fit the bill and have a viewfinder if your kid is like Zoe. ...and if anyone is really noting, this "Wednesday" equipment/photography technique post is late and the Friday post will miraculously be missing this week. The in-laws are in town and family comes first.

Photography Technical Note: Natural light shot taken at 1/100 sec at f/2.0, ISO 640. The ISO had to be pushed a bit to get the shutter speed I wanted (higher iso = faster shutter) because the kids were moving around a bit. Usual post processing for the colors with a bit of dodging and burning to emphasize the faces. By the way, the place where you kids put their shoes on is a great spot for photography since they're accustomed to sitting still, together, for about 10-15 seconds.