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VTech KidiZoom Duo FX: Two-minute review
I assigned my five-year-old daughter chief reviewing duties for the VTech KidiZoom Duo FX, a popular cheap compact camera for younger kids that can be picked up for as little as $45 / £40 at leading retailers like Amazon.
After she’d used if for a few months it was time to hear her thoughts. “What do you like most about the camera?” I ask. I can predict the one-word answer before it has left her lips: “Games!”
To be fair, the KidiZoom Duo has had more use than a number of other toys, gadgets and cameras for kids in our house, but I picked one up for her in the hope that she might be inspired to become the next Vivian Maier, not zone out playing the basic games on board.
She might well develop a creative eye over time and start taking fantastic photos, but it won’t be the KidiZoom Duo that sends her on that path.
That said, when I did direct her focus to the KidiZoom Duo’s camera, she found it incredibly easy to use. There’s a generous grip for both hands that was perfectly sized for her little hands, and it’s come away from multiple mishaps and drops onto hard surfaces unscathed.
She can apply various animated filters to the photos, which has brought many smiles over the months, even if the basic photo quality hardly inspires – not that I’d expect anything better from such a low-cost camera.
Practically speaking, the use of four regular AA batteries is a pain. The first batch were flat after less than two days of use (you guessed it – from mainly playing games). I invested in rechargeable batteries, which in the long run has been more cost-effective.
Better battery life topped the list of my daughter’s responses to the question “What could make this camera better?”, along with more color options for the finish. And from my perspective, better-quality photos might inspire her to use the camera itself more.
Would I recommend the feature-packed VTech KidiZoom Duo FX as a first camera? Absolutely. No other camera comes close at this super-low price. Will it inspire your young ones to take up photography? Probably not.
VTech KidiZoom Duo FX: Price and availability
- List price of $55 / £65 / AU$110, but can be found for less
- It’s available in blue and pink versions, plus there’s a pricier Duo 5.0
The best-selling VTech KidiZoom Duo FX has been available for some years now, and its price has settled at around $45 / £40 / AU$100 at leading retailers. It’s recommended for children aged thee to nine years, and features and design-wise you’ll be hard pressed to find a better alternative.
The FX version of the Duo is available in blue and pink versions. There’s also a newer and pricier Duo 5.0 version that we’ve yet to test.
VTech KidiZoom Duo FX: specs
Recommended age: | 3-9 years |
Photos: | Dual cameras; 8MP front, 2MP selfie |
Video: | 640p |
Lens: | 4x digital zoom |
Memory: | 256MB internal, expandable with micro SD |
LCD: | 2.4-inch, non touch |
Connectivity | Micro USB for image transfer, headphone jack |
Power: | 4x AA-size alkaline batteries (LR6) |
VTech KidiZoom Duo FX: design
- Tough plastic body in bright pink or blue
- 2.4-inch LCD and look-through viewfinders
- Basic flash
The KidiZoom Duo is a pretty easy camera to control. It features large buttons for key functions, including a joystick to navigate menus and a control wheel for the 4x digital zoom.
The twin viewfinders are simple windows, nothing fancy, spaced so the user can look through both, binoculars-style. My daughter barely used the viewfinders, however, instead focusing her attention on the basic fixed 2.4-inch LCD, which can be pretty hard to see in bright light.
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I was thankful for the headphone jack on the camera’s underside, which meant I could ask my daughter to use headphones rather than having to listen to the music of the on-board games coming out of the KidiZoom Duo’s built-in speaker.
Photo and video files are tiny, but the camera’s internal 256MB memory still fills up soon enough, so a cheap microSD card is a must-buy. You won’t need to go big – even a 32GB one will easily store years’ worth of images.
Images can be transferred to a computer by a now-dated micro USB port – the cable is supplied with the camera.
To keep costs down, the KidiZoom Duo is powered by AA batteries. You’ll need four in all, with two slotting into the left grip and two into the right. You’ll need a mini screwdriver to unscrew the internal door that helps secure the batteries in place.
A built-in lith-ion battery would be preferable, making recharges much simpler and quicker. However, if you’ve got a set of rechargeable AAs, then it’s not too much bother to go through the process.
VTech KidiZoom Duo FX: Performance
- Dual cameras; 8MP front, 2MP selfie
- Flash with 1-3m range
- 4x digital zoom
Image quality is, as you’d expect from such a cheap camera, basic. Photos in JPEG format from the main front camera top out at 8MP, while the selfie camera is just 2MP.
Photo resolution is further reduced when using any one of a number of built-in animated templates and filters, while video quality is even more basic at just 640p.
A soft lens and a tiny image sensor compound matters; the KidiZoom struggles to hold detail in high-contrast sunny scenes, and low-light images are super noisy. Detail is soft, and the 4x digital zoom only further reduces image quality.
You get the picture, but to be fair I wouldn’t expect any better for the money. Also, thankfully, there’s a built-in flash, which can give a little fill light to your subjects, with a range up to 3m. This flash is super helpful in dim conditions, especially indoors.
It’s best to put aside any expectations for photo quality, and focus more on the creative tools on offer, which are more likely to engage young creatives.
For example, there’s panorama, wacky slideshow, animation maker, photo editor and voice recorder options, all of which add a little extra to the creative arsenal where the camera alone comes up short.
And what kid doesn’t enjoy composing themselves or a family member into animated templates, of which the KidiZoom Duo has in spades?
Yes, any of today’s smartphones will take better pictures and probably offer more creative control. But for a device that you can safely leave your child alone with, the cheap KidiZoom Duo fits the bill. It’s excellent value too.
VTech KidiZoom Duo FX sample images
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Should I buy the VTech KidiZoom Duo FX?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
VTech KidiZoom Duo FX: Also consider
The Camp Snap camera is essentially a digital version of the single-use film camera. With no screen and singular purpose, it’s the ideal antidote to the KidiZoom Duo’s multi-function, games-distracting features.
Read our in-depth Camp Snap camera review
The pricier myFirst Camera 50 has elements of the KidiZoom Duo, but is more likely to draw attention to the creative aspects, plus the camera and its photos are slightly better quality.
Read our in-depth myFirst Camera 50 review
How I tested the VTech KidiZoom Duo FX
- It’s been with our family for the best part of a year
- My daughters, both within the recommended user age, have used it extensively
- We’ve taken plenty of photos and videos (and played the games!)
This is a long-term review of an older camera that all of my family has contributed to.
We’ve exhausted the KidiZoom Duo’s creative tools, including both cameras for photo and video, its various shooting modes, animated templates and audio recording.
And yes, we got pretty good at the basic selection of games.
