Kidizoom
© 2007 VTech Electronics North America
One of two cameras from VTech (also see the Kidizoom Plus), this fully functioning digital camera comes with SD expansion, a flash and a viewfinder. It makes it possible for a child to shoot an endless supply of low (640 x 480) resolution photos. Children can also shoot videos with sound, or doctor up their photos with clip art using the onboard viewfinder screen (adding a pair of devil horns on a big sister, for example). A small but easy to control D-pad (direction keys) expands the functionality of the viewfinder screen, by making it possible to play Tic-Tac-Toe, Concentration and a rotating parts puzzle game that uses pictures stored in the camera's memory. An SD card expands the memory, serving as a way to backup a child's photos in case the four AA batteries die. The cost of the functionality is complexity -- with eight colored buttons (compared to the Fisher-Price's five), so younger children could get confused. The kit includes two cables for exporting content to either a TV screen or computer via USB port, and a Windows photo editing program that we did not test. Note that this camera has the same functionality and features as the original Kidizoom, but has no optical binocular-style viewfinder. All in all, if you're looking for a sturdy camera with some real features, this is a good option, although the resolution is very fuzzy. See also the Kidizoom Plus.
$40, Windows, Mac OSX
Teaches: creativity, photography
CTR Rating: 84%