VTech Camera Review – Kidizoom
I know it’s early to think about Christmas shopping but with the economy in the state it is, this year more than ever, everyone will be wanting to buy toys that are going to be more than a five minute wonder. So following Hamley’s recent guess at what will be the top 10 Christmas toys this year I am going to have at look at those that we might consider buying for our boys. Don’t miss my review of the number 2 choice – the Transformers 2 Toy, the Bumblebee Helmet. But now onto number 5 on the list – a VTech Camera – the Kidizoom Multimedia Digital Camera. So what does it do, is it any good and are there any downsides?
Tweetview (Overview in
A Kidizoom Camera does photos, videos & games. It’s ultra tough (bounces well!) & easy to use. Photo quality poor but it’s a TOY. Hours of fun tho’.
Kidizoom Camera – What Does It Do?
If you’re after a multimedia digital camera for kids then the VTech Kidizoom digital camera has abundant features. Your budding creative geniuses can take pictures, make videos and play games on this sleek, easy to use and ultra tough digital camera.
They can capture images with flash using the viewfinder, preview on the 1.8″ colour LCD screen and then use the creative workshop to edit photos. The camera’s focus range is 1.5 – 8.0 feet. By linking up to the TV or computer photos can be edited or videos watched. The three games that come built in can be played on-the-move or via a TV.
Also included are two interchangeable faceplates offering personalisation, a 16 mb memory that can be expanded with an SD card (sold separately), a carry strap, a PC installation CD-rom with photo editing program, a user manual and cables to link to your PC and TV. It is suitable for ages 3 and above and comes in pink, blue or camouflage colours.
An 8 Year Olds Reason For Wanting The Kidizoom Camera
“Because it’s the only camera in the world that you can play games on, take photos on and make videos with.”
Kidizoom Camera – Is It Any Good?
Robust
VTech’s claims that the Kidizoom is ultra tough cannot be disputed. Reports of it being dropped several times, handled roughly, splashed with water are accompanied by claims that it still works perfectly well. You can even throw it on the floor and it won’t break. It doesn’t get better than that for our 3+ year old boys.
Design
Its solid build with chunky handles is just right for little hands. This VTech digital camera only weighs 359g, about two thirds of a tin of baked beans so it not too heavy for them. It is very grippable and easy for a little one to hold. The big button controls are intuitive and children get the hang of them very quickly.
The VTech Kidizoom camera was built for kids and they will no doubt have loads of fun taking photos of everything, playing the games and directing their own mini movies. Get an insight into how their little minds work by seeing what they take photos of. Watch them explore the world around them when they video the oddest moments, perhaps bouncing on a trampoline or being upside down. Let it inspire their creativity and imagination and watch them practice their motor skills. If your child wants to get his hands on your pride and joy camera, wash away the worry and let them loose with one of their very own.
Picture Editing
The results from the fun picture editing features are hilarious. Children will have great fun using all the different settings such as adding devil horns to Mum’s photo, putting rabbit ears on Dad’s photo, adding cartoon features and generally distorting photos. There are so many overlays to add they will be occupied for hours. It also has a function for recording voice messages against each photo!
Capacity
With a 16mb internal memory, it can hold up to 200 photos or a 5 minute video before the media needs transferring to the PC or deleting.
Games
The three in-built games are easy to pick up but not very taxing. One is a matching pairs game and another is a rotating jigsaw.
Kidizoom Camera – Are There Any Downsides?
Small screen
The 1.8” screen is pretty small.
Picture Quality
The picture quality is unimpressive at best but this is not an adults camera – it is a toy. It is rated at 0.3 megapixels compared to 5.0 – 8.0 on an adult camera so imagine an average mobile phone camera and you won’t be disappointed.
Pictures can be blurry as children don’t have the steadiest hands but you can easily delete their not quite so perfect masterpieces!
The picture quality may not be great but this seems more of an issue for the parents and does not detract from the child’s fun. As long as they see on the screen what they’ve just photographed – they’re happy – and as you can see from the photo above with the dinosaur effect, they’re not that bad.
For older children or those that can be trusted to look after a proper camera, a cheap digital camera will give you better photos. But for the 3-8 year olds out there, the robustness and fun of this camera outweighs the lack of image quality.
The camera does have a flash but its quality is again poor. For indoor photos it wipes out the picture close up but is not strong enough for further away shots. The flash is best when set on auto. Photos taken outside are better if it is not too sunny.
Needs A Memory Card
Memory cards are recommended as the camera itself does not hold many photos. 200 may sound a lot but give a child a camera and you can have that many in 5 minutes. You also risk losing photos when the batteries go if you have not transferred them to a PC and do not have a memory card.
Batteries Are Required
Four AA batteries are required so it is probably worth investing in a set of rechargeables from the outset. Make sure you know where your screwdriver is too, especially if you need to change batteries while out and about or on holiday, as without it you can’t get into the battery compartment.
No Zoom
It may be called the Kidizoom but there is no zoom feature on the camera.
Shutter Delay
The delay on the capture of the photo is a bit longer than ideal which can be frustrating for children until they get used to it.
Viewfinder Line Up
The viewfinder and the digital display do not always line up perfectly but if the children look at the display and then ‘shoot’ the problem is solved.
Printing Photos
The less than perfect image quality means that the photos are not ideal for printing as is, however, there is scope in the editing software to enlarge files in order to print ‘higher quality’ images. You are not going to get sharp prints but you should get something half decent.
The Downsides Are Answered in the VTech Kidizoom Pro
To answer some of the criticisms of the first Kidizoom VTech camera, a new Pro version has been released which has more features. The enhancements include better quality pictures via 2.0 megapixels, a much larger storage capacity with 256MB, a 2x zoom to make it live up to its name and even more multimedia with a built in MP3 player.
What Extras Do I Need For My Kidizoom Camera?
A memory card up to 2GB.
BUY NOW
If you are interested in buying your little one a Kidizoom Camera now or for Christmas, you can find them at the best price of around £39.99 at Amazon.
Twitter on the Kidizoom Camera
- @normcnorris VTech camera for kids. I’m thinking of getting these for my niece and nephews.
- @erzibet He has just discovered the voice recording thing on his VTech camera and is shouting about kitchens and sandwiches and cheese into it.
If your child has the Kidizoom Camera I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. Please leave me a comment.
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Tagged with: camera for kids • christmas toys • digital camera for kids • digital camera vtech • kidizoom camera • vtech kidizoom camera blue • vtech kidizoom digital camera blue • vtech kidizoom multimedia digital camera blue
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It is a really interesting findings.
looks very interesting for me.
I’m a professional photographer. I got tired of dragging my D3,D200 or other large cameras around, and worrying about it getting damaged. I decided to buy a camera just for fun that could fit in my purse and I wouldn’t have a heart attack if it broke. Well I didn’t hold that high of expectations of the camera, but after getting it, I’ve had a lot of fun with it. Not the most amazing pictures come from it (I am used to very high quality pictures), but they are good enough shots of my family. It’s easy to use, really easy to set, FAST, and good low light. You don’t always need the flash. It’s very small, and can fit easily in my purse (that are all quiet small purses actually). This is a perfect camera if you just want some fun shots that are clear, and you want an easy to use fast camera. This is NOT good for “professional” type shots (why do people write reviews of these cameras and get all down on them for not being professional grade cameras? They never claim to be!).
This toy looks good and sturdy, also like the grips at the side of the camera so your kids can keep a steady hold. Really Great Toy for kids aged 3 and up.
I love the Kidizoom and do not agree with some of the testimonials that it has had, yeah it does not hold that many images and also the class isn’t outstanding but this is a camera for youngsters for gods sake and they love utilizing it. My kids have had hrs of fun utilizing the Kidizoom and they just love the way the camera looks, it’s a toy after all and thus I think it is well worth the money.