New camera for 10-year old?

All those different opinions aren't making my lige any easier..?

And to make matters a bit worse: we spent last wekeend in Paris touring the usual tourist traps and paying Mickey Mouse a visit. When up on the first deck of the Eiffel tower the eldest grabbed my 450D and started shooting. Nothing decent this time due to foggy weather, but she found the weight bearable. She won't lug one around for a whole day though.... Even when I left the grip at home.

Disneyland was marred by daylong drizzle so the camera's stayed in the car and we made do with a cheapo P&S and phonecamera's.

The funny thing was, though, while waiting for the closing spectacle (brilliant this time!) I was toying with my Samsung Galaxy S2 to try and get a shot of the castle all lit up. She practically snatched the thing from my hands and 'dug in': it took her about 40 shots, but finally she got the hang of stabelising it on a lamppost and got some decent pics. Nothing to brag about, but she showed perseverance..

to her new tool: I've been looking at some used items, since it wouldn't 'hurt' so much if she accidentally broke that one.

Currently my shortlist is something like this:

• Oly XZ-1 (white, brand new): € 170
• Oly E-PL2, 14-42 II: € 250 - 300, refurbs a bit less
  
• Pana G1: € 200
• Pana G2 : € 300
• Pana GF2: € 200
  

The XZ-1 seems a steal but is 'only' a P&S. The Pana's seem to be a bit less pocketable and the reviews find the jpeg-output a bit behind Olympus. Articulating LCD's are a bonus though.

I'm slowly gravitating towards the E-PL2, mainly because of IBIS. I know it's no magical helper, but it won't hurt her.

So the story continues....

"Please tune in next time, when you'll hear doctor Bob say: ......."