KidiZoom Camera Pix, Blue

First given to one of my kids at 4-years-old and became an instant hit. Has a great animation studio and some simple games. Extremely durable. After a couple of years, it took one too many drops and/or spills and finally stopped working at which point we immediately purchased another. Totally worth it. Been a staple toy (tool?) for over 4 years now. Intuitive for the kids and very durable. The only thing I wish it had was a way to mount it to a tripod. When my eldest wanted to make more serious stop motion videos, there was no way to easily secure the camera.

Got this as a big-brother gift for my 3 1/2 yr-old son when our second child was born. When I ordered this camera, the older version was still available but marked as discontinued and this one had no reviews. The old model had great reviews, so I figured going with the new one was a safe bet.My son really enjoys the camera and used it heavily when he first opened it. So the batteries ran out quickly, but I hope as his use levels out then the battery use won't be quite so heavy. He takes pictures of all kinds of things, often moving the camera before the picture is done resulting in blurs or dark pictures. Anyway, he still enjoys it. He especially enjoys watching the video he and daddy took when they were playing together.My impressions:-Batteries are in the handles, which is an efficient use of space and easy to access with a fingernail (no screws). The battery doors open from the side of the handles (not from the bottom like the old model).-Contrary to the Amazon description, my camera did NOT include the 4 AA batteries.-On startup you set language, date, and time.-The buttons and menus are intuitive and the camera is very easy to use. A couple times pushing buttons the press didn't register.-I noticed they moved the "take picture" button to the front compared to the old model that had it on top. The location feels natural when taking pictures.-When taking a picture, you can use the dual-eye view finder or the screen.-After taking a picture, it shows briefly on screen then goes away. You'd go to the playback option in the menu to see it again.-When editing a photo, the original photo is preserved and your edited version is a new, separate photo.-The picture quality is on the lower end and there's no flash, but I think the point is this is a real camera that a little kid can use and is their very own. I think that is plenty cool. If your child is a bit older and taking an interest in photography, then get an inexpensive adult digital camera instead of this one.-The outside is rubbery and seems durable so far.-There's a strap included that you can attach to the camera.-The camera will automatically turn off after a few minutes of being idle.-There are sounds when navigating around the menus, including a cute "spring" sound when the camera can't do what you're asking. When you take a picture, there's a "camera" sound. I turned the volume down a bit because I thought the default was a little loud.-No USB cable is included, but it's supposed to be a standard micro USB which we have plenty of already.

My son is 3 and absolutely loves this camera! We've had so much fun, exploring our neighborhood and parks, and taking loads of pictures. It's been heartwarming to see his unique perspective. I made the mistake of showing him how to delete pictures (too dark or blurry ones are what I intended) because now he wants to delete "bad" ones and my mama heart just wants to see everything he takes a picture of, whether it's blurry or not.That being said, the controls are incredibly easy to use! The strap stays on his little arm easily so the risk of dropping it is much lower. The simple games are a fun added bonus when he wants to play with it but we're in the car. It's a very simple process to move the pics from the camera to the computer. I'd say the camera with a memory card gets about 100 pictures on it before running out of space. Highly recommend for younger kids!!

One of my kids has this camera and one has the older Kidizoom Connect model. They are both easy enough for a 3 year old to use. I deducted a star because in the few months that we've had the Connect they have never managed to get the battery compartment open, whereas within 2 days of having this Pix model we were hunting for the battery compartment cover twice. The features of the 2 models are basically the same except that they have different games.~This takes very low quality photos that seem comparable to those taken with cheap cell phones. But, for pre-schoolers, who cares. It's better than no camera at all. Once they learn to actually hold the camera still, it is possible to get clear photos.~I could do without the games programmed into this. I was after a camera that wouldn't immediately break and with few enough buttons that the kids would be able to operate them without throwing off settings. I guess in this day and age of smartphones that isn't enough and manufacturers feel like a product isn't marketable being that simple??~I love the audible electronic shutter sound that plays when a photo is taken. It's a good indicator for the kids on when they can move the camera.~This camera connects to the computer with a micro-usb cord which is not included (unlike the Connect model which uses a mini-usb and IS included). If you have Android phones you'll probably have a few laying around anyway.Overall, a very good gift for preschool aged children that will allow them to explore their world and isn't just a "toy." My kids do love these Kidizoom cameras so much that it was a constant fight once one got one and I couldn't wait until the other's birthday so they could each have their own!Example photos show photo quality and some of the effects built in.