For Little Photo Bugs

Brenna has been fascinated with cameras since she realized that they took pictures you could see. And for the last few months she has been bringing my cell phone to me and asking to use it to take a picture. I considered myself lucky that she wasn't grabbing my camera.

When I saw the VTECH Kidizoom Camera I compared it to other kid cameras and read lots of reviews. And after a few months I broke down and bought it for her as a Christmas gift. And I am so glad I did. This is better than my first digital camera.

The screen is 1.8" and the controls are easy to operate. At the bottom you have volume buttons (yes, you can record video) and the power button. On the left is the mode (photos, video, tools or games) and the scroll (for games, choosing photos and editing) and on the right is delete and ok (to verify choices). There are two viewfinders, which is nice. Brenna says it's her binoculars when she looks through them. The button to snap photos is at the top right, just like on a "real" camera. The entire camera is housed in a tough rubber to take the jolt out of inevitable falls and regular kid handling.



I bought the camera with the handy case. It also came with a changeble faceplate. The camera has three kid-friendly games on it- tic tac toe, matching and a puzzle- just in case picture taking gets old. The editing software is great fun- you can distort photos or add cartoon items such as wings and frames. There is also a connector cable and software to download the images to a computer.



It didn't take Brenna long to get the hang of it (she's 3) and it is a constant companion. She loves taking her own photos and showing off the results. I have no doubt that as she learns how to do more with it she will only enjoy it more.



The camera takes 4 AA batteries. It has 16 MB of internal memory and a slot for an SD memory card, as well. The flash is automatic and there is no zoom. The pixels are low which doesn't bother Brenna a bit. Again, this is better than my first digital camera.

This is a great first camera for little photo bugs.