A first camera for someone who photographs their children
They have a thousand pictures on a phone and none they would print.
A phone photographs a child who is sitting still. It struggles with one running at you across a dim front room, and that is most of childhood. The picture arrives a moment late, and the face is soft.
A proper sensor and a proper focusing system fix both at once. The camera finds the eye, holds on to it as the child runs, and the picture is there the moment you press. Nobody has to learn anything for that to happen. It is what the camera does.
So the answer is
A first camera that will not be outgrown
The same size and the same small lens as the cheaper Sony, and a far better camera underneath. It sees more in a room lit by lamps, it keeps up when nobody is standing still, and it is not the thing that will be holding them back in five years.
The present
Camera
Sony A6700
The newer of Sony's two small cameras. It finds a face and holds on to it while the person walks away, and it stays clean in a room lit by lamps. The one to give if it has to still feel right in ten years.
Lens
Sony E PZ 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS
Tiny, light, and enough for most of what a first year of photography asks for. It keeps the camera small enough to take everywhere.
Memory card
SanDisk Extreme PRO 128GB SDXC UHS-II
The card the pictures are saved onto. This is the right one for their camera, and it is fast enough that the camera never has to pause and wait.
What goes with it
Not needed on the day. Add one if you want the present to feel finished.
Strap
Peak Design Slide Lite strap
Clips on and off in a second and adjusts with one hand. The strap that comes in the box is the first thing most people replace.
What it gives up
Most of the money went into the camera, so the lens is the small starter zoom. A better lens is the first thing to add later, and every lens that fits the cheaper Sony fits this one.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Two other ways to go
Another maker
Photographs that look finished straight out of the camera
Fujifilm puts a dial of colour styles on this camera. They turn it, take the picture, and the photograph already looks the way they wanted it to look. Nobody has to learn editing for this to be a pleasure.
Why not this one. It is the smallest of the three, and it pays for that twice. There is no grip to speak of, so a big lens unbalances it, and there is no viewfinder to hold to the eye.
Another maker
A camera that feels like a camera
A deep grip and clear, honest controls. Nothing is hidden in a menu that needs looking up. It suits someone who wants to understand what they are doing rather than let the camera decide.
Why not this one. It gives up the low-light ability of a bigger sensor, which matters most indoors in the evening.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.