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Vtech - Kidizoom Digital Camera - Orange by V Tech
Product SummaryManufacturer: V Tech Brand: VTech Model: 80-077300-Orange Product features: - Camera with 16MB internal memory
- wrist strap
- A/V cable, USB cable
- two faceplates
- photo editing software on CD-ROM
Toys and Games Reviews of Vtech - Kidizoom Digital Camera - OrangeCustomer Review: Designers don't have kids nor cameras... Summary: 2 Stars
Pros: Easy to grip. Fun colors. Somewhat easy to use
Cons:Terrible pictures. Nonintuitive menus. No datestamp on pictures.
We were reluctant to buy this camera vs. a small Canon (SD100) on ebay for more less the same amount. Our three year old had already proved that she could handle a small Canon (and even a big one) but we decided to go for a camera built for toddlers.
Image quality is as described by other reviewers: super low dynamic range, low resolution, slow shutter, low light sensitivity and very noisy. Pictures come out blurred, motion blurred, burnt or underexposed and people are hard to recognize. Vtech could have significantly improved performance at negligible cost simply by using a CMOS sensor made this century.
Menu navigation is OK but could be made much more intuitive and accessible, specially for toddlers. Even I have to fumble around the menus to find the featurs/settings I need, such as configure memory cards.
One notable point that this camera is lacking is picture review. Anyone who has kids and cameras nows that the most fun a toddler can have is viewing the picture he/she just snapped, and running to his/her friends and showing them. This camera only holds the review for a few seconds (not long enough) and bringing it back up requires pressing about 5 buttons to navigate through the menus to the picture editor. Again, anyone who has kids and cameras should have known that a 'review' button would have been a favorite.
The two-eyed view finder is good for kids as they don't need to learn to close one eye as in a normal camera (no points for learning here). However, the live-view LCD has a considerable refresh lag which makes it hard to frame the shot.
The trigger response is very slow (~1s) making it impossible to shoot anything that moves. I also lacks a half-way point like real cameras (no points for learning here).
Interfacing with a computer is straight forward. Just hook up the USB cable and the camera appears as a removable drive (or two if you have a memory card in it). From there you can copy your images to wherever you want. It does work on Mac OS X (10.5.6 maybe earlier). What is lacking here is that the pictures do not have date information (like any other camera) so when I import the pictures into I photo they all look like they were taken on Jan 1st of 1969. This messes up my iPhoto library and makes it impossible to use date/time as a way to track the photographic progress of our toddler.
Overall it is a descent toy for young kids 4 and under. Older kids will enjoy and have more learning benefits with a small Elph or PowerShot from ebay. I'm giving it two stars because Vtech could have significantly improved value by improving the software interface and picture quality without any additional manufacturing cost.
Description of Vtech - Kidizoom Digital Camera - OrangeGet Ready to Show off Your Child's Photos
It's clear right out of the packaging that this camera was designed to stand up to tough play and rough handling. Bright orange rubber grips on each side make it easy for children to grasp the camera with both hands, and two-eye viewing make it easy to conceptualize a photo or a cool video. The camera even comes with two interchangeable faceplates, so your child can pick her favorite look.
Before your child starts taking photos, you'll need to use a Phillips screwdriver to insert four "AA" batteries in the grips of the camera. While the first few photos are being taken, you may want to set up the VTech Photo Editor on your computer. An intuitive installation wizard makes this process quick and easy. You'll need Windows 2000 SP3+/XP or newer to use this software. And don't despair if you're a Mac user. As long as you have Mac OS X 10.0 or above, you can still use the camera in mass storage mode. Rugged and easy to use, the Vtech Kidizoom Digital Camera is ready to document all your child's adventures. With two-eye viewing, grips designed to fit in little hands, and a built-in flash, this real digital camera can also shoot video. It also includes simple-to-use photo editing software so kids aged three and up can add creative touches to their images.  | What We Think Fun Factor: 
Durability:  (what this means)
The Good: Real digital camera takes photos and videos
The Bad: Lots of navigational buttons may confuse younger photographers
In a Nutshell: This durable camera is a fun way to inspire creativity | At a Glance Ages: 3 and up Requires: 4 AA Batteries; TV or computer with Windows 2000 or newer needed for some effect |  | | 
Colorful and durable design can stand up to rough handling; includes two interchangeable faceplates. (shown in pink) View larger. | 
Large buttons, navigational joystick and 1.8-inch color screen make camera easy to operate. (shown in pink) View larger. | Get Ready to Show off Your Child's Photos It's clear right out of the packaging that this camera was designed to stand up to tough play and rough handling. Bright orange rubber grips on each side make it easy for children to grasp the camera with both hands, and two-eye viewing make it easy to conceptualize a photo or a cool video. The camera even comes with two interchangeable faceplates, so your child can pick her favorite look. Before your child starts taking photos, you'll need to use a Phillips screwdriver to insert four "AA" batteries in the grips of the camera. While the first few photos are being taken, you may want to set up the VTech Photo Editor on your computer. An intuitive installation wizard makes this process quick and easy. You'll need Windows 2000 SP3+/XP or newer to use this software. And don't despair if you're a Mac user. As long as you have Mac OS X 10.0 or above, you can still use the camera in mass storage mode. Inspire Creative Development Six buttons and a navigational joystick on the back of the camera let your child pick a mode and scroll through old photos. Between taking photos, shooting videos, and playing simple games on the 1.8-inch color screen, there's lots to do. A built-in flash makes it easier to get well-lit pictures, especially if the subject of the photo is indoors. The flash does, however, often fire if you are trying to take a close-up shot, resulting in very bright, blown-out pictures. Inexperienced photographers may need to be reminded that the camera is not designed to focus on objects that are less than 1.5-feet from the camera. For super-sized fun, you can also link the camera to your television using the included A/V cable and view creative work on the big screen. With 16MB of internal memory and an SD card slot so that you can add capacity if you need it, this camera lets kids collect lots of images. The included USB cable lets you upload the images to your computer. The VTech photo editor lets you or your child add cool frames to photos, stamp funny hats on people, and distort images. You can even run fun animations that makes the photo look like it is rotating or underwater. The photo editor interface is easy to use, with big round buttons for kids to click on and drag-and-drop stamps. More advanced artists may be disappointed that there aren't more ways to creatively control output, but files from the Kidizoom can easily be edited in more advanced programs, too. What's in the Box Camera with 16MB internal memory, wrist strap, A/V cable, USB cable, two faceplates, and photo editing software on CD-ROM. 
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View larger. | | Easy-to-use VTech photo editor lets you or your child add funny hats to pets and distort images. |
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