Originally published December 18 2005
Toy cameras leave much to be desired
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A video camera for kids sounds like a fun idea, but the quality and design issues in two of three recently released cameras leave room for improvement. Both the VCamNow and the American Idol Camcorder are sub-par, according to reviewers.
As toy manufacturers try to please gadget-hungry kids with consumer electronics that don't constitute a major investment, parents might wonder about product quality.
This looks like a miniature video camera -- it even has a flip-out LCD screen, making it the only camera in the test that can play back what it captures.
Of course, it doesn't use tape, but stores the footage on a memory chip.
The built-in chip will store 7 minutes of video, and SD memory cards can expand storage.
The problem with the VCamNow is the image quality, which is unaccountably poor considering the decent 320-by-240-pixel resolution.
A $200 still camera with a movie mode will record better video, and some cell phones will, too.
Digital Blue did some thinking for this one, and also got skateboarder extraordinaire Tony Hawk to provide input.
It attaches to the side of a helmet with a strap and a glue pad -- aim it by turning your head.
Ingeniously, it shines a red laser beam to help you aim, but the beam is almost invisible in daylight, and it turns off in any case when you start recording.
Strap any camera to the head of a skateboarder, and you're going to get wild, nausea-inducing camera movement, so image quality is a little secondary.
Almost the best part of the package is the software, which has a simple interface and includes stock footage of Hawk.
To liven things up, you can include sound effects, stalking aliens, zooming UFOs and other sweet nonsense.
If you're concerned that the camera could encourage reckless sporting, take comfort in the fact that the camera really needs a helmet to attach to: strap it to your head and the camera will flop about wildly.
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