Review: VTech Kidizoom Camera

Written on Nov 22, 2008 by Steve and filed under News, Reviews, VTech

I don’t think there’s any argument that kids are fascinated by cameras.  They love taking pictures, they love taking videos, and they love seeing pictures of themselves.  While there have been digital cameras marketed for children around for a while, it’s taken some time to get to a point where they’re more than just cheap digital cameras – there are now cameras actually built for kids.  The VTech Kidizoom is one of these models.  The tough construction, double hand grip, binocular-style viewfinder and LCD all contribute to a product that is perfectly made for children three years old and up.

In the Box

Along with the camera, you’ll find a wrist strap, CD-ROM of software, 2 interchangeable faceplates, USB cable, A/V cable (to attach to a TV), and user’s manual.

Features

The most distinctive features of the Kidizoom camera are the two-handed grip and binocular viewfinder.  Both of these features make it an excellent camera for kids.  The grip provides a secure grip for little hands.  The binocular viewfinder removes the need to try to get a three or four year old to close one eye and squint through a monocular viewfinder.

Also another key feature that I think is important for kids is the screen.  There have been many kids cameras that don’t have a screen and they always make me scratch my head.  What’s the first thing the kids want to look at after you take their picture with your camera?  That’s right, the screen.  The Kidizoom camera has a 1.8 inch LCD on the back that allows the photographer to frame their picture, review them, apply fun graphics and frames to the shots and navigate the menu system.

The Kidizoom captures images at a resolution of 640×480 (0.3 megapixels).  On the included CD-ROM, there is software that will upsize the images to 2 megapixels to provide better prints.  Movies are captured, with audio, at a resolution of 160×120.

There is no auto-focus on the camera, but the fixed focus system can focus on subjects between 1.5 feet to infinity.  There is also a built-in flash that has a range of 3-6 feet and has three modes: auto, flash on, and flash off.

There is 16MB of internal memory, which is enough to capture around 200 images or up to five minutes of video.  There is also a memory card slot within one of the battery compartments, that will accept SD memory cards up to 2GB.  You can choose, within the Memory Manager feature, which memory type (internal or SD) you want to use as the default.

To get the images off the camera, there is a mini-USB port on the back of the camera and the included cable lets you connect the camera to a standard USB port.  Once connected, the camera shows up just like any removable USB storage device (or just like a “grown-up” camera).

The camera is powered by 4 AA batteries, two in each hand grip.  The battery compartments, like most toys now, are secured by screws, so you’ll need a Philips screwdriver to gain access.

Usage, Experience and Performance

As you would expect from a kids camera, it’s easy to use.  Get some batteries in it, turn it on and press the shutter button.  Once that hurdle is cleared, the child is ready to play around with the controls to their hearts content.  My son, who is 6 years old, had it figured out and was playing the on-board games within 15 minutes.

The joystick on the back of the camera lets you review your pictures (by navigating up or down) and it lets you add one of the built-in graphics to your shot (by navigating left and right).  You can add bunny ears, a viking helmet, googly eyes, and more to your shots.  The graphic shows up on the screen so that you can line things up correctly.  This, by far, was the favorite feature for the kids in my son’s peer group.  They love putting bunny ears (or bat wings) on Mommy or Daddy.

There is a mode button on the back that lets you switch between camera mode, video mode, the photo editor, games, and the memory manager.  Within the photo editor, you can apply certain effects to the shots, and you can add short audio clips to your images.  The games are pretty simplistic and probably won’t hold your child’s attention for more than the initial discovery period, but it’s a fun addition.

In addition to the joystick and mode buttons, there is an “OK” button that lets you confirm your choices; a button that lets you delete images and toggle flash modes; and then there are two buttons that control the volume of both the camera operation and video playback.

Camera performance will certainly not blow you away.  The camera itself is less impressive than you would find in most current camera phones.  There is no sophisticated metering system, so shots are often under or over-exposed (from the flash), and tricky lighting conditions (like backlit subjects) are pretty much impossible as far as getting good results.

The screen, while essential to keep kids interested, is dark and sometimes hard to see.  You can use the binocular optical viewfinder to frame your shot, but since there is some serious parallax error, subjects within portrait range will be off center when framed with the optical viewfinder.  If your subject is centered in the optical viewfinder and only a few feet away from the camera, the final picture will show your subject shifted towards the top of the image very significantly.

Battery life was very good.  I started the review with partially charged high capacity NiMH batteries and they lasted for the entire period of the review.  We took at least 100 still shots, 10-15 minutes of video, lots of audio capture, and plenty of game playing.

As far as the entire experience, my son loved using the camera.  While at lunch at our local Cheesecake Factory, he was walking around taking pictures of the architectural and design features of the restaurant, as well as the display case full of cheesecake.  He could care less about how the actual pictures turned out.  If he could see, on the screen, what he captured, he was a happy camper.  And when the memory filled up, he didn’t hesitate to delete some images, regardless of quality, so he could keep shooting.  He also loved adding the audio clips to the pictures. 

The video mode was also a big hit.  As I was reviewing everything that he captured, it occurred to me that one must be very careful about having a child running around the house with a camera.  Apparently, at one point, he had set up the camera to take a video, unbeknownst to me and fortunately, it was just a video of us folding laundry.

Conclusion

The VTech Kidizoom camera won’t win any photography contests, but it provides a very enjoyable and engaging experience for kids that are three years old and up.  Kids love the fun little features (adding bunny ears to everyone they take pictures of); while the easy control setup, double hand-grip form factor, and binocular viewfinder make it easy for them to use.  A camera like this can certainly be the stepping stone to a “real” camera.  At a retail price of $60, it may be a judgment call as to whether it’s “worth it”.  I think it really depends on the child.  While my son loves the fun little features, he’s actually very good with more delicate things, so he could certainly handle a lower-cost adult camera.  If he had expressed disappointment in the image quality, it would have made sense to me to find him an adult camera for just a few more dollars.  However, if your child really wants a camera and isn’t ready for an adult camera, then you won’t find a kids camera built much better than the VTech Kidizoom.

Pros

• Fun, engaging (for kids) photo effects
• Binocular viewfinder means kids don’t have to try to close one eye
• LCD included
• Excellent battery life
• Solid, tough construction

Cons

• Image quality not impressive
• LCD can be hard to see
• Priced on the high side

3.5 out of 5 stars

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