I Tested Amazon's Bestselling Kids' Camera, and It's a Keeper

One evening while reaching for my phone, I noticed that my preschooler had used it to snap a bunch of photos. There were sweet portraits of his older brother, a view of cotton candy clouds from his bedroom window, a candid picture of me immersed in dinner prep, and more. Scrolling through the pictures was like walking through our family home through his eyes. I made a mental note to refresh my phone's lock code and to get this little guy his own camera. After comparing kids' cameras on Amazon, I landed on the Goopow Kids Camera Toy ($28, originally $37), and it's been a fun introduction to photography play.

Goopow Kids Camera Toy

From

$28

$37 Now 24% off

$28 at Amazon

At less than $30, it's an affordable, low-stakes introduction to a kids' camera. As a parent who has invested in toys to foster my kids' budding hobbies, I've learned that sometimes learning toys take, and sometimes they don't.

The camera comes in several colors and shapes — I chose the blue, cat-themed camera for my animal-loving kiddo. Aside from being cheap and cute, it's also surprisingly versatile. In addition to being able to take pictures, it has a selfie function, video capability, funny frames, and even games. It also comes with a neck strap, a 32GB card, and a USB cord for recharging. It's lightweight and easy to throw in a backpack for a trip to the park or zoo and car rides.

With a 2.62-inch screen and meager pixels, it's not going to capture anything close to the quality of an iPhone photo. That being said, the fact that my son has free rein over it seems to outweigh the lack of picture quality, at least for him.

While it's pretty intuitive, my 4-year-old son still needs me to help him navigate it. He often gets stuck in certain function modes and needs my help. On the other hand, my 7-year-old son can zip through the functions, bouncing between selfie mode and the three games without any issue. The brand says this camera is geared towards kids ages 3 to 8, but I can't imagine a 3-year-old being able to do more than snap photos once you've set them up in photo mode. Depending on how much independence you want them to have, ages 5 to 7 seems to be a sweeter spot.

Both of my kids usually forget to turn the camera off when they're finished playing with it, and it has one and a half to two hours of continuous photo time before it needs to be recharged.

This camera is best for anyone looking for an affordable toy camera for their young kids or a good gift for kids who have everything. It doesn't provide as much endless play as a Magna-Tiles building set, but it sparks curiosity and experimentation. If you aren't expecting high-quality photos and are instead more interested in getting them something they can travel and play with, then this lightweight, durable design is a good option.

You can purchase the Goopow Kids Camera Toy ($16) at Walmart and Amazon.

Rating:

★★★★☆