If you have children old enough to show an interest in the phone you carry around, you know that they are keen to want to “play” with it. As soon as they can swipe a screen, kids are so intrigued by the idea of making pictures, seeing video and pretty much wanting to hold your device and to claim it as their own.
My boys have watched me for the past few years using my phone as our family camera. I do own a beautiful DSLR but I rarely pull it out anymore, so when it’s time to take a picture, my cell phone comes out. I am not a mama who has ever given my boys my phone. You will never see me handing over my very important device to the boys “to keep them quiet” or to “let them have something to play with”. I am very much of the mindset that young children do not need an adult device to help them pass the time. If you have read this blog for a while, you know I’m very passionate about finding toys that are educational, smart and fun for children in different ages.
Now that the boys are getting older, I can’t deny that they are ready to participate in technology. And I want to encourage their creativity and see what pictures they can take while we are travelling the world. I also know they are SO not ready for a phone or tablet with WIFI all to themselves. So I was thrilled when VTech gave my twins the opportunity to review the VTech Kidizoom Action Cam 180.
Skiing with the camera mounted on their helmets was loads of fun!
The fact that it came with all the setup tools necessary to make it an action camera (much like a GoPro) made my boys extremely excited right off the bat. The camera also comes with a housing to make it waterproof, so they knew they could use it outside during different sports such as skiing and swimming. And to their surprise, the VTech Kidizoom Action Cam 180 doesn’t just take pictures; you can take video, play games and get creative on both photos and videos with frames and special effects (much like us adults do with Snapchat and Instagram).
Giving my kids the independence to take pictures and videos and have fun with them is the main reason I love the VTech Kidizoom Action Cam 180.
You can’t tell me it makes sense to a child to see an adult filtering their face with dog ears on their phone and then being told they can’t touch the phone because it’s for adults. Whaaat? I must admit, I do use filters every now and then, so giving the boys a the that is fun, and safe it something I am so happy about with VTech.
Quality
Using my extremely high quality smart phone for pictures is what I’m used to. So, to compare a children’s tech toy to my phone would just not make sense. However, as a tech toy for kids that is under $100, I think the quality in the VTech Kidizoom Action Cam 180 is great. Don’t expect great details in low lighting, and be sure to explain that moving while taking pictures makes pictures blurry. Growing up, my first camera was a 35 mm roll film with 24 exposures, and if I messed up, it cost me! Teaching kids with a digital camera is a great way for them to get to know how to hold a camera and what lighting works best, without wasting money on printing every shot. The VTech Kidizoom Action Cam 180 needs a microSD card and we go one with a big memory so they can go crazy taking pictures and video without worrying they will run out of space.
A walk in the forest, looking way up.
Out of my three boys, my twins have loved using this camera as heir first tool for taking pictures. For my oldest, I feel he is ready for a more expensive, higher quality digital camera. VTech marks the Kidizoom Action Cam 180 for ages 4 years old and up and I agree with them. However, older kids will want to see a less pixelated result.
During the time that the twins have been using this camera, we have taken it on many travel adventures. Here are some examples of photos the boys took in different environments:
Taking pictures underwater (up to 6 feet underwater) is easy and fun thanks to the waterproof case it comes with.
Flowers for mama!
On a hike in Switzerland with Papa MOE
Other Notes:
The game feature can be upgraded online (by a parent) for more fun games, frames and special effects. VTech has a great site for this that is easy to use.
They were the lucky one during a field trip because the kids were allowed camera but NOT allowed cell phones. So, they got to take pictures and have fun with their friends taking selfies with the 180 degree swivel camera. The quality of the selfies is really clear in decent lighting.
As a first camera with awesome accessories to make it fun outside and underwater, the Kidizoom Action Cam 180 by VTech is a great gift for children. Consider giving your child a camera at a young age to help him/her document the world through their eyes. You might be surprised at some of the beautiful pictures they capture!
The twins were independent at Walt Disney World as they captured the beauty of Pandora at every angle.
Disclosure: I was gifted the VTech Kidizoom Action Cam 180 to review with my boys and facilitate this post. All opinions are honest and my own.