Review: LEGO Stop Animation Video Camera

Written on Jan 14, 2010 by RuthJS and filed under Lego, Reviews

LEGO Stop Animation Video Camera in Box

Out of the Box

So, this may be the cutest video camera I’ve ever seen.  LEGO and Digital Blue totally get style points for this baby.  The bright white and red camera with blue and black accents not only looks like it was made entirely out of LEGOs, but it even has actual LEGO bits to which you can stick LEGOs.  Now really, how cool is that?!

LEGO SAV Camera with Figures Stuck On

Everyone who saw the camera fell for it instantly.  It’s small (note the size of the actual LEGO mini-figs in the above picture), lightweight, and the camera is conveniently packaged with a tripod, a USB cable, an AV cable, and two LEGO people to get you started on your first stop animation feature.  Also included is software that allows you to record and edit movies as well as add graphics, words, sound, and even adjust the color in both pictures and movies.  But, more on this later.  First, let’s talk about the camera.

Camera Operation

The LEGO Stop Animation Video Camera has two modes: still photo and video.  Just add two AA batteries, and you’re ready to go.

Still Mode – When you open out the viewing screen on the left side of the camera, it automatically powers up, and you are in photo mode.  Pressing the big black button on the top of the camera will snap a picture.

LEGO SAV Camera Top View

There’s a 4x zoom, so you can get those closeup shots of your actors.  However, if you really want to see the detail on your LEGO model’s stylin’ outfit, you’ll have to switch to “micro mode.”  Simply,turn the dial around the lens to point to the flower (the universal icon for micro photo shooting), and your close-up images of small people and accessories will be much sharper.

LEGO SAV Camera Front View With Macro/Micro Dial

But, how are the pictures, you ask?  Well, the picture quality is on par with the other “kid cameras” on the market.  It’s grainy, dark, and just not great, but that does not bother the target audience very much.  Basically, it’s fine for what it is.  What is important is to pick your mode to get the best picture.  The samples below show the same shot in macro mode, micro and with and without zoom in both modes.

LEGO SAV Camera Macro Sample Cop LEGO SAV Camera Micro Sample Cop

LEGO SAV Camera Macro 4x Zoom Sample Cop

LEGO SAV Camera Micro 4x Zoom Sample Cop

Video Mode — To switch from still photo mode to video mode, just press the “OK” button in the middle of the LEGO directional on the back of the camera.  The same “shutter” button on the top of the camera starts and stops filming, while the built in microphone does a decent job of picking up the accompanying sound.

With regard to the video quality, the same thing can be said as for the still photos.  That is, it’s pixelated, dark, and grainy, but that did not stop any of my testers (nor me) from getting all Francis Ford Coppola with our LEGO people and other toys.  Here’s an example:

Stop Animation Mode – Now for the best part: the stop animation feature.  The stop animation videos are made using the software provided and a series of still photos.  You have to have the software installed and the camera hooked up to the USB port on your computer in order to use this feature.  But, once you have things connected and running, all you have to do is master clicking your mouse to take a picture, and you’re good to go.

LEGO Software Stop Motion Setup

The idea is simple: take a series of still pictures, moving objects a little bit between each shot and then stitch them together.  Using the included software, all you have to do is take the pictures and then press the button that says “make video,” and your stop animation masterpiece is ready for viewing.  Of course, if that’s not enough polish for you, the edit mode of the software allows you to add words, scrolling credits, sound, and to stitch multiple videos together to make scenes complete with transitions.  Take a look:

OK, so I’m not going to be invited to Cannes, but this was fun to make.  Not to mention, my 7-year-old thought it was fantastic

I should note, however, that I figured out how to do all of the editing by trial and error.  The software includes mouse-over descriptions of the buttons, but they don’t tell you how to delete frames (which I still don’t think you can do as is evidenced by the appearance of my hand in a couple shots), how to stitch movies together (my sample has 8 different scenes), or that you have to import music into the program to include it (it’s not drag and drop from your music folder) and export the video to view it anywhere other than in the editing program itself.  Some people might not find this lack of instruction to be a problem, but if you have a particularly detail oriented child, he or she may become frustrated (I know I did).

Camera Buttons and Operation

While the buttons on top of the camera are straightforward, the use of the LEGO directional on the back is NOT intuitive and there’s no on screen navigation menue to help.  I had to read the directions to figure out what each of the four directions and the OK button was supposed to do.  I also had to tell my testers how to switch modes, delete photos, browse images, etc. (all the things the LEGO directional does).  Some sort of on screen menu would help a lot.

LEGO SAV Camera with Nav Buttons

Software

Because the software plays such a critical role in the stop animation feature of this camera, it warrants a place in this review along with some pictures.  First, it’s worth mentioning that it took about seven or eight minutes to install the software, and I spent most of this time staring at a blank status bar, listening to my CD drive spin, wondering whether the software was installing or if my computer was just revving up to lift off.  As it turned out, just as I was considering terminating the install, the status bar zipped to 100% complete, and the whole process was over.  (See, patience IS a virtue.)

The sofware interface sports bright colors and graphics which elicited a “cool!” from my son.  It has a navigation bar on the left side with big buttons that just beg to be clicked by curious children (and adults).

LEGO SAV Film Editor Software

The significant downside is that the buttons are not intuitive, and the description of each is not sufficient to help a 7-year-old figure them out by looking.  Now, that said, I don’t know many 7-year-olds who actually care what the buttons DO.  In my experience they are content to click, drag, and generally play until they figure things out, which is precisely what my 7-year-old did.  He was not at all bothered by the sub-par documentation nor by the fact that many of the functions were clumsy.

However, Digital Blue doesn’t get off the hook that easily.  The whole software studio is difficult to use and frustrating.  Case in point, the font selection menu shows all the names of the font types in Currier rather than in the font each represents.  And, when you go to select a new font, the whole menu flickers as you try to make a selection, rendering it almost impossible to choose the specific typeface you want.  I was annoyed by this; my son was not.

LEGO Title Drop Down Ugliness

Unfortunately, my bad experience with the font menu is indicative of the rest of the software as well.  Sadly, the camera loses some serious points here for software degree of difficulty.  After all, what good is it to create the coolest video ever just to pull all your hair out trying to get it to look the way you want it to with the right music and dialogue and all you get for your effort is a dark, grainy video?  This should be easier.

User Guide

As for my forray into the user guide, well, I had mixed results.  With regard to basic camera setup and operation, it was just fine.  I was, however, confused as to why there was a separate instruction sheet for making stop animation videos and these instructions were not integrated into the rest of the guide.  Beyond that, I have no complaints for basic operation.

Software, on the other hand . . . well, let’s suffice to say that the writers of the guide didn’t know the software existed beyond install.  There is absolutely no help in the documentation to get you through editing your masterpiece, and the help provided online?  Well, here’s a sample screen:

Not pretty and not helpful.  This is one area in which LEGO and Digital Blue could improve the product immensely with very little effort.

In a Nutshell

This little camera is cute as a button, beloved by the young and the young at heart.  It gets points for styling and for keeping par wtih other kid’s cameras on the market.  That said, the picture quality is not great, some of the camera buttons are not intuitive, the editing software is clumsy, and the accompanying user guide only helps with setup, which is less than half the battle.  Where it regains a bit of ground is with the stop animation feature.  I can’t deny the fun that my testers and I had playing with the “LEGOness” of the camera and creating films.

Now, the $50,000 question: is it worth the MSRP of around $80?  Let’s just say that if I saw it on sale for $60, I’d be tempted, but at full price, I’d have to be pretty sure that my child would really use it for a long time to feel comfortable with that investment.   Making the software more user-friendly would justify the higher price, however.

Rating – 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Lego Stop Action Video Camera is available direct from Amazon.