VTech Toy Story 3 Buzz Lightyear Digital Camera

4.9 stars. We chose this camera after much searching and deliberation. There are many on the market but only the V-tech ones ticked all the boxes for half decent picture quality, child-friendliness and robustness. We chose the Buzz Lightyear one over the standard V-Tech kidizoom because - the latter has GAMES on it and the Buzz Lightyear one DOESN't HAVE GAMES on it. We wanted a camera for my partner's 3 year-old boy - not a games machine. We made the right choice - it is well worth the money - excellent design and size - great ergonomics. It does some things our own compact camera doesn't do! (Slideshow of pictures taken). This one DOES NOT have a viewfinder, despite some official descriptions saying it does -it has a screen at the back for composing. We prefer this - he isn't used to using a viewfinder as Dad's camera doesn't have a viewfinder, plus it is less confusing to have only one option for viewing - rather than the double viewfinder (like binoculars) and viewing screen of the Kidizoom standard camera.

This is a perfect size for 3 year old hands - not as enormous as it looks in some pictures - just perfect - good proportions. We quite like using it too!

The other thing we prefer over the standard kidizoom is the little pictures you can superimpose on your photos - which are all buzz lightyear and toy story ones, as opposed to some rather general uninspiring ones on the standard kidizoom. They really are fun. And despite getting a camera without games, the little boy likes to scroll through all the toy story add-on pics and thinks it is a game as well! SO glad we didn't get one with actual games - he knows it is a camera with extra toy story pics.

Unlike some other reviewers experiences, he didn't rush around taking loads of pics. He liked it - a lot - but was quite considered about it - only picking it up to take a photo when he saw something or felt like it - maybe he'd already got the bug out of his system using Dad's camera previously. We think this will be a good long-lasting present that is there when he wants to take photos - unlike something he will get bored with and not use again. It is also good to have his own camera as he now doesn't keep wanting to grab ours all the time - which was heading towards a major breakage scenario sooner or later!

The only criticism I have of this excellent camera is, as another reviewer mentioned - the battery covers. The first thing our inquisitive little one did was unclip them and take the batteries out. We have had to do a fair bit of training and disciplining to stop him doing this now. It would have been so much better if they were extremely stiff difficult covers to remove.

The camera takes four AA batteries - two in each 'handle'. I don't know how long they last but they seem to be doing fine and it has been used a lot in the last week. There is an automatic battery saving mode - the camera switches itself off if not used for a while (maybe 10 minutes). There are more flash options than on our camera! Flash on low, flash on high, automatic flash (if light levels low goes off automatically, but not if not required) and flash off.

The buttons on the back are colourful, a good size and soft to press. He got the hang of what the buttons did quicker than us - we are still trying to remember how to do a couple of things.

The 2 megapizel picture quality is good - the quality is what you would expect from a 2 megapixel phone camera - maybe slightly better. It is certainly fine for the pictures a little one would take. It is good for teaching them thoughtful composition - and he has taken one or two really nice pictures of us. And the usual run of blurry nothing pictures when playing.

One note of caution - I have some concern over the use of flash and would recommend turning it off unless absolutely necessary. Our little one found the flash one of the most exciting things about using the camera but started turning it round and flashing it in his eyes - quite close - which can damage their eyesight. Again we have had to train him not to do this. After literally seeing nothing but red after the first time he did it,it wasn't so difficult to get him to stop doing it. But unless the flash is turned off, I wouldn't recommend this for a child who is not talking well and able to understand instructions - some two year-olds would understand, some wouldn't. Age three is fine for this - less than three - keep an eye on the batteries and flash!

I love the pics we have of him and Daddy with Buzz and Woody standing next to them! The toy story frames are a great extra. These can be turned on or off, so you can use it as a normal camera. You can set up the frame before a picture is taken, or add one after a picture is taken (I think! Still getting to grips with this).

We have found it very robust and the shape and ergonomics are a major plus point in this respect - it is good for knocks and being thrown about and we reckon it will still be around when he is 5 and hopefully till he is 6 or 7 - providing it doesn't get dropped in water - it might survive that, but wouldn't like to try it.

All in all I would recommend this as the best kids camera on the market that we have seen. There is nothing about it that is a pain, or difficult to press etc (others have stiff buttons or hard to use and so on). We really balked at the price! But I have to say - it was worth it. We couldn't find a matching camera bag (and couldn't afford one after buying camera!) but it doesn't really need one as so robust - for now he carried it in his ordinary little rucksack - a generic padded camera bag could be an option but not really necessary, and it is easier to only have one bag to carry for him, rather than a separate camera bag and his rucksack.

When we first said - would you like your own camera - we thought kiddy cameras would may be be ten or twenty pounds - but to get something safe, kiddyproof that takes decent pictures, I reckon this is a fair price for an excellent item. Full recommended price, as at some stockists, is £20 more than we paid on Amazon - so watch out!

Oh yes - it does video too. I would rate this as 4.8 stars - can't give it 5 stars because the battery covers should be more stiff and secure so children can't unfasten them easily. But I don't think this is a major safety issue.

Update - December 2011

We've had this for 9 months now and it is the best thing little one has! He has taken some really good pictures and excellent videos and is getting really quite creative. He plays with it for ages and it is very good for car journeys. We keep it in his little rucksack along with other toys for going out and about, and it goes everywhere. He sits happily on long car journeys looking at his photos and videos and taking the odd picture. In daylight,the picture quality is very good. Flash is Ok as well - lowlight pictures aren't so good but you get that with a lot of digital cameras. We use it sometimes as well as it is often the only camera to hand. He knows how to use it better than we do now.

Reccommend using an SD card in it as videos fill the memory up too quickly without an SD card. We have some great videos and memories from this and also some hilarious ones (when he has left it running and we didn't know).

The nicest thing has been seeing a little picture 'diary' of what life looks like to him. One day we just parked the car and went to the supermarket. Afterwards we saw - the cars and buildings he had photographed and what life looked like from his height and which things he thought looked nice, plus some rather creative photos of shopping trolleys and close-ups of birthday card designs, which would compare with some artistic photo competition entries!

We have a lasting memory of his third birthday from the photos taken with this camera, with Buzz, Woody and Aliens on the photos too (Buzz Woody Daddy and Jamie with birthday cake).

Little one is now getting inventive - said he wants songs on it from the computer. The only way to do this is video the computer screen (gives picture of song artwork as reference and records the song) - hence needing the SD card for enough space - so now he has his favourite songs on the camera too, as 'videos' and can sit in the car or wherever, and play his songs, and look at a picture at the same time - and sing along. Good for learning song lyrics too.

Still working fine, and despite a good few knocks, not a scratch on it. If you use it for songs, reccommend rechargeable batteries! Before we had songs on, a set of duracell batteries lasted a good six months.

I bought this for my nephews 3rd birthday! He absolutely loves it and takes it everywhere he goes!!!! It is also extremely durable as I have seen him drop it a few times and it is still absolutely fine! A great buy!

Have purchased the Buzz Lightyear camera for the two 3 year olds, other V tech digital cameras for the 9, 7, 5 and 2 year olds. All have loved the cameras and played with them with great enjoyment VTech Toy Story 3 Buzz Lightyear Digital Cameraat their varying levels.