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VTech KidiZoom Duo FX: Two-minute evaluate
I assigned my five-year-old daughter chief reviewing duties for the VTech KidiZoom Duo FX, a well-liked low cost compact digital camera for youthful children that may be picked up for as little as $45 / £40 at main retailers like Amazon.
After she’d used if for a number of months it was time to listen to her ideas. “What do you want most in regards to the digital camera?” I ask. I can predict the one-word reply earlier than it has left her lips: “Video games!”
To be truthful, the KidiZoom Duo has had extra use than quite a few different toys, devices and cameras for teenagers in our home, however I picked one up for her within the hope that she is likely to be impressed to turn into the subsequent Vivian Maier, not zone out enjoying the fundamental video games on board.
She may nicely develop a inventive eye over time and begin taking incredible pictures, but it surely will not be the KidiZoom Duo that sends her on that path.
That mentioned, once I did direct her focus to the KidiZoom Duo’s digital camera, she discovered it extremely straightforward to make use of. There is a beneficiant grip for each arms that was completely sized for her little arms, and it is come away from a number of mishaps and drops onto arduous surfaces unscathed.
She will be able to apply varied animated filters to the pictures, which has introduced many smiles over the months, even when the fundamental photograph high quality hardly evokes – not that I might count on something higher from such a low-cost digital camera.
Virtually talking, using 4 common AA batteries is a ache. The primary batch have been flat after lower than two days of use (you guessed it – from primarily enjoying video games). I invested in rechargeable batteries, which in the long term has been less expensive.
Higher battery life topped the record of my daughter’s responses to the query “What might make this digital camera higher?”, together with extra coloration choices for the end. And from my perspective, better-quality pictures may encourage her to make use of the digital camera itself extra.
Would I like to recommend the feature-packed VTech KidiZoom Duo FX as a primary digital camera? Completely. No different digital camera comes shut at this super-low value. Will it encourage your younger ones to take up pictures? Most likely not.
VTech KidiZoom Duo FX: Value and availability
- Record value of $55 / £65 / AU$110, however will be discovered for much less
- It is obtainable in blue and pink variations, plus there is a pricier Duo 5.0
One of the best-selling VTech KidiZoom Duo FX has been obtainable for some years now, and its value has settled at round $45 / £40 / AU$100 at main retailers. It is really useful for youngsters aged thee to 9 years, and options and design-wise you will be arduous pressed to discover a higher various.
The FX model of the Duo is on the market in blue and pink variations. There’s additionally a more moderen and pricier Duo 5.0 model that we have but to check.
VTech KidiZoom Duo FX: specs
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Beneficial age: |
3-9 years |
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Pictures: |
Twin cameras; 8MP entrance, 2MP selfie |
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Video: |
640p |
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Lens: |
4x digital zoom |
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Reminiscence: |
256MB inside, expandable with micro SD |
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LCD: |
2.4-inch, non contact |
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Connectivity |
Micro USB for picture switch, headphone jack |
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Energy: |
4x AA-size alkaline batteries (LR6) |
VTech KidiZoom Duo FX: design
- Robust plastic physique in vivid pink or blue
- 2.4-inch LCD and look-through viewfinders
- Fundamental flash
The KidiZoom Duo is a fairly straightforward digital camera to manage. It options massive buttons for key features, together with a joystick to navigate menus and a management wheel for the 4x digital zoom.
The dual viewfinders are easy home windows, nothing fancy, spaced so the person can look by way of each, binoculars-style. My daughter barely used the viewfinders, nonetheless, as a substitute focusing her consideration on the fundamental fastened 2.4-inch LCD, which will be fairly arduous to see in vivid gentle.
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I used to be grateful for the headphone jack on the digital camera’s underside, which meant I might ask my daughter to make use of headphones somewhat than having to hearken to the music of the on-board video games popping out of the KidiZoom Duo’s built-in speaker.
Picture and video recordsdata are tiny, however the digital camera’s inside 256MB reminiscence nonetheless fills up quickly sufficient, so an inexpensive microSD card is a must-buy. You will not have to go large – even a 32GB one will simply retailer years’ value of pictures.
Pictures will be transferred to a pc by a now-dated micro USB port – the cable is provided with the digital camera.
To maintain prices down, the KidiZoom Duo is powered by AA batteries. You may want 4 in all, with two slotting into the left grip and two into the correct. You may want a mini screwdriver to unscrew the inner door that helps safe the batteries in place.
A built-in lith-ion battery could be preferable, making recharges a lot less complicated and faster. Nevertheless, should you’ve received a set of rechargeable AAs, then it is not an excessive amount of trouble to undergo the method.
VTech KidiZoom Duo FX: Efficiency
- Twin cameras; 8MP entrance, 2MP selfie
- Flash with 1-3m vary
- 4x digital zoom
Picture high quality is, as you’d count on from such an inexpensive digital camera, primary. Pictures in JPEG format from the primary entrance digital camera high out at 8MP, whereas the selfie digital camera is simply 2MP.
Picture decision is additional diminished when utilizing any one in all quite a few built-in animated templates and filters, whereas video high quality is much more primary at simply 640p.
A smooth lens and a tiny picture sensor compound issues; the KidiZoom struggles to carry element in high-contrast sunny scenes, and low-light pictures are tremendous noisy. Element is smooth, and the 4x digital zoom solely additional reduces picture high quality.
You get the image, however to be truthful I would not count on any higher for the cash. Additionally, fortunately, there is a built-in flash, which may give a bit of fill gentle to your topics, with a variety as much as 3m. This flash is tremendous useful in dim circumstances, particularly indoors.
It is best to place apart any expectations for photograph high quality, and focus extra on the inventive instruments on supply, which usually tend to interact younger creatives.
For instance, there’s panorama, wacky slideshow, animation maker, photograph editor and voice recorder choices, all of which add a bit of further to the inventive arsenal the place the digital camera alone comes up quick.
And what child would not get pleasure from composing themselves or a member of the family into animated templates, of which the KidiZoom Duo has in spades?
Sure, any of right now’s smartphones will take higher footage and possibly supply extra inventive management. However for a tool you can safely depart your baby alone with, a budget KidiZoom Duo suits the invoice. It is glorious worth too.
VTech KidiZoom Duo FX pattern pictures
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Ought to I purchase the VTech KidiZoom Duo FX?
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
VTech KidiZoom Duo FX: Additionally contemplate
The Camp Snap digital camera is actually a digital model of the single-use movie digital camera. With no display screen and singular objective, it is the perfect antidote to the KidiZoom Duo’s multi-function, games-distracting options.
Learn our in-depth Camp Snap digital camera evaluate
The pricier myFirst Digicam 50 has parts of the KidiZoom Duo, however is extra seemingly to attract consideration to the inventive points, plus the digital camera and its pictures are barely higher high quality.
Learn our in-depth myFirst Digicam 50 evaluate
How I examined the VTech KidiZoom Duo FX
- It has been with our household for the most effective a part of a 12 months
- My daughters, each inside the really useful person age, have used it extensively
- We have taken loads of pictures and movies (and performed the video games!)
It is a long-term evaluate of an older digital camera that each one of my household has contributed to.
We have exhausted the KidiZoom Duo’s inventive instruments, together with each cameras for photograph and video, its varied taking pictures modes, animated templates and audio recording.
And sure, we received fairly good on the primary number of video games.
