VTech Kidizoom: Multimedia Digital Camera in Blue
From VTech18th of UK-Top Christmas Toys 2008 List
Customer Reviews
My son loves this camera!
I read the reviews on this camera before buying it and decided that durability and ease of use were more important than picture quality - not least because it was to be a present for my 4yr old, but his 2yr old little brother was bound to use it, so it had to be tough enough to cope with a toddler. We opened and experimented with it before giving it to our son, so we knew how to get decent images (Hold it still, make sure there's plenty of light - natural if possible - and don't get too close), and could coach him.
My son is utterly delighted with it. Both boys have taken decent pictures with it, and my 4yr old was familiar with the main functions within minutes. he can snap away with it and has produced a lovely record of his typical day, and what interests him. He's never had a computer console, so he's just as pleased with the (very basic) games as with the camera.
It is only really camera phone quality, and you get the best results with natural light, but I remember my first camera being much more fiddly to use and giving poorer results. My son is more interested in taking photos and knowing he has them than actually reviewing them so he has yet to notice that I delete the less successful ones!
My only gripe is the batteries. We are using duracell and getting a decent battery life from them, but rechargeable ones would be so much easier (and cheaper) to use. The memory cards are pretty cheap, so it's worth getting one to avoid losing photos when the batteries go.
I wouldn't get one of these for an older child who could be trusted to look after a proper camera, but for a pre-schooler (especially one with younger siblings), it is just the job.
Kidizoom
I find the kidizoom camera to be a great toy for the children to play with. The features on it are great fun and give the whole family a laugh. It has been dropped many times by my 4 yr old and has proved to be very durable. My two children love taking it everywhere with them, and we get some great photos which the kids have taken, some very interesting, and we all love taking the time as a family to look at them either on the TV or computer. For the price of the camera i believe the quality to be perfectly fine, considering that it is only a child's toy.
Not bad for a kids camera!
I bought this camera for my three year old nieces just before christmas. They don't take fascinating photos with it but they do take a lot of photos! When I bought the camera I wasn't expecting the quality to be like an adults camera so I wasn't disappointed. To be honest they have just as much fun on the games and other things but they do like looking back at there photos and showing them to everyone, even if its just a picture of some grass!
