Wee-Ming Boon 
, Jan 31, 2012; 07:42 a.m.
Hello folks,
OK, you may think I am nuts, but my little boy likes to shoot photos.........maybe my influence. The thing is that he does not want to use my wife's Canon s95 Point and Shoot, because he can't look through the viewfinder, and he loves using my Nikon D700 & 24-120/4 VRII lens.
The latter is of course bigger than his head, and is incredibly heavy for a little boy......plus if he drops it, dad will be out of pocket a lot of dollars !
Can someone recommend an inexpensive and robust dSLR for a 6 year old boy who loves to shoot an SLR ?
(Note that ROBUST is very important, given the uncoordinated hands of little kids !)
Thanks for your recommendations......and no, I am NOT getting him the new Nikon D4 or the Leica M9 :)
Cheers,
wm
Michael Chang 
, Jan 31, 2012; 08:04 a.m.
A pre-owned D40 with kit lens comes to mind, cheap enough to be sacrificial yet about as robust as anything in that price range.
Mukul Dube 
, Jan 31, 2012; 08:07 a.m.
I think it unlikely that such a digital SLR exists. You may have luck with something like the Olympus Tough series. Maybe one of those, or a similar camera, has an eye-level finder. There may be an alternative. I have seen pictures of a hood that can be attached over the LCD. It has optics built in and in effect becomes an eye-level finder; but I can give no details.
Wouter Willemse 
, Jan 31, 2012; 08:13 a.m.
A bridge camera with viewfinder?
Point is: it will drop, bump into things and fall - I'd reckon it's better to spend way less and have less $$ lost when it comes to replacing.
Mihai Ciuca , Jan 31, 2012; 08:37 a.m.
If I'd be in your shoes I'd love to give my son a D40 with the risk to have it destroyed. When my son was 6yrs old was quite protective with the toys he loved most... so there is a good chance to not happen anything wrong with the camera. Actually my son is 20 and still not interested for photography :( even though I am eager to share with him my equipment.
The risk here is that if your son will become passionate for photography in a couple of years he will ask Santa for a D4 :)
Walt Flanagan , Jan 31, 2012; 08:42 a.m.
I used the dpreview feature search and none of the shockproof cameras have a viewfinder. I often put a Hoodman loupe on the rear LCD of my compact and then hold it up to my eye. A little cumbersome but it works quite well. More stability and I can compose in bright light.
Paul B. , Jan 31, 2012; 08:50 a.m.
Tim Eastman , Jan 31, 2012; 08:57 a.m.
What will you do when he likes driving your Ferrari? I applaud your intentions; my daughter much prefers my wife's D40 to the Coolpix, quite understandably so. If the damage can be limited to expanding your son's photographic horizons so much the better, but it is a slippery slope.
Erik Christensen 
, Jan 31, 2012; 09:12 a.m.
My son when 5 years old asked for my D700 every week-end, when we were out, which I for obvious reasons did not allow. Then by chance I found a D70 second at USD 175, which I bought and I had a 50mm f/1.8, so now he is a very happy boy. I made a little work on the strap, so it will not drop to the floor/street in case he loose his concentration.
Hans Janssen , Jan 31, 2012; 09:16 a.m.
Panasonic Lumix G3 or a G2 a MFT camera: small, light and easy with iA mode. Not a real DSLR, but it operates and looks like one, it's my light weight kit next to D700.
