V-Tech Kidizoom Pro First Impressions Review
Every now and then I’ve hopefully picked up a toy camera from a store shelf, intrigued by the whole concept of nurturing my daughters early interest in Gadgets. Unfortunately, these always turn out to be simplistic toys which “simulate” the functionality of digital cameras with the basic sounds and aesthetic of the real deal.
The V-Tech Kidizoom Pro Camera, on the other hand, is the real deal. A fully functional, albeit quite unsophisticated, camera which doesn’t stop at just taking photos. Moving past obvious inclusions such as video, and the ability to add filters, frames, stamps and voice snippets to your photos the V-Tech Kidizoom Pro includes built-in games and an mp3 player which, when you take into account the SD expansion capabilities, is pretty nifty!
5 games are included, some of which I found quite playable. Good old classic breakout and a great little music game (a sort-of dumbed down DDR/Guiter Hero) proved to be my favourite, and although my daughter found them interesting she’s not quite old enough to fully grasp gaming yet. Of course, the V-Tech Kidizoom Pro is a toy for 5+ years so it’s a little advanced for her, but even young children should happily potter about in camera mode taking pictures of the floor and, occasionally, a half-decent but entirely accidental shot of something interesting.
Games can also be played on a TV via the supplied video out cable, although I’m not sure anyone is likely to dedicate their high-definition living room behemoth to such a belittling task.
The camera itself is only 2 megapixels with a 2x digital zoom. Optical zoom is, of course, impossible on a toy that needs to withstand the sort of abuse it’s likely to encounter, and a higher resolution is largely unnecessary in the hands of a child who will simply enjoy the concept of a camera and isn’t likely to enter any macro photography competitions.
Stay tuned for the full review!