Kidizoom Video Camera Review

One of the longest serving - and in my opinion, best value for money toys - in our house has been our Kidizoom camera, so it was inevitable that we would eventually get the VTech Kidizoom video camera. We purchased it for Tiny Toy Reviewer #2 for his fourth birthday, and this is how we've been getting on with it over the last month.

Specifications of the Kidizoom video camera

As always, if you are already familiar with the product specifications then please just scroll down to the next section.

What can you do with this toy?

We'll cover the video functions first since that's its primary purpose.

The video setting is very simple to use - point in the direction of what you want to film and press 'ok'. Pressing the left/right button will give you a few effects that can be added over the films (night vision, old fashioned cinefilm and under the sea) and a hearts border. The picture quality is fine for a kid's toy, as long as you don't move the camera too fast, and there is a basic zoom function which is quite handy. You can then watch what you've just filmed by hitting 'up' or through the menu screen and edit it by cutting the film and/or adding a fancy opening sequence (there are 3 to choose from).

The second camera function (I'm not sure what the technical term is so we'll call it "fancy filming function") is equally easy to use but a lot more fun. There are several comical animations that you can add during the filming process, on 5 different themes. The themes are celebratory, the seaside, nature, sci fi and magic. Since this was a birthday gift the first few films were of the birthday boy with plenty of animations of confetti, flickering birthday candles and custard-pies-in-the-face over the top. After that, the majority of films were of Tiny Toy Reviewer #1 being relentlessly stalked by his little brother, with lots of animations of splashing waves covering him followed by the evil, manic laughter of Toy Tiny Reviewer #2. Or to be more succinct, the boys really enjoyed this function.

I've actually had to come back and edit this review because it took me a month to realise that the Kidizoom video camera uses face recognition technology for this mode (I blame the fact the camera is generally being used to film two lively targets who don't stay still). When a face is detetected the animations will respond accordingly, so the ghost will lick your face and leave you dripping with slime, the swinging spider will drop a web right over your face and much more. It's all very clever and makes this mode even better fun! (Oh, and thank you Mr Toy Reviewer for sitting there patiently while I scrolled through every single animation testing the face recognition function).

The last camera mode is taking still photos like a normal camera. We don't personally use this as much as the filming functions, since we already have a regular Kidizoom camera, but it is nicely done. If you have a Kidizoom camera then you will find the controls are very familiar and you can still add stamps and borders to the photos through the usual scrolling with the left/right button method.

Lastly the Kidizoom video camera comes with 3 integrated games. The first is Photo Swap, where you have to rearrange jumbled pictures (a combination of pictures which come on the camera and ones you may have taken yourself). The second game is Hide and Seek, which is a slightly bizarre but addictive game where you have to hit the arrow keys as hiding bunnies randomly pop up, whilst also avoiding any pigs. The last game - which is our favourite - is Crazy Kitchen, where you can customize the chef's face with a photo of yourself (or a loved one) and then catch the falling food in a big saucepan. The games don't get nearly as much play time as the filming functions but they are still an enjoyable and welcome addition to the video camera.

Other thoughts on the Kidizoom Video Camera

As we have come to expect from VTech, their Kidizoom video camera is brilliantly designed. Its ergonomics are good and it is comfortable for little hands to hold and use the controls easily. It also feels reassuringly robust (for the record, our regular Kidizoom camera is still going strong after nearly 5 years of use). The functions are very straightforward and little children and technically challenged parents will be able to get to grips with the camera quickly without any need to refer to the manual.

The manufacturer's recommended age range is 3 to 8 and I think this is a good guide. I'm expecting this toy to get plenty of play time over the next few years, and I'm sure even children slightly above the recommended age will be borrowing younger siblings Kidizoom video cameras!

Battery life is not too horrendous. It works fine on rechargeables and I don't need to change them too often.

Best price for the Kidizoom Video Camera?

The full retail price for this product is £60, which as much as I like the toy I would still say is too expensive. Fortunately, better prices are normally available. For the majority of the time, Amazon have the best deals but their prices do tend to yo-yo. Summer buyers can often snap up fantastic deals - last July their cheapest price for the Kidizoom video camera was a mere £20.59 - but during peak seasons prices can be nearer £40. Argos is also worth a look when they're doing a big toy sale.

Verdict

The Kidizoom Video Camera is a wonderful product that most kids will adore. Any minor issues such as picture quality are compensated for by ease of use, indestructibility and the fun factor. I'd consider it a must have toy for kids, especially if you can find it for a good price.