Kidamento Model K review: A small kids' camera that is full of character

The Kidamento Model K is a kids' camera targeted at the 3-9-year-old age range. Its bold character design is a fun entryway into photography for those young snappers and acts as a reminder that taking photographs is a fun thing to do. Kids' cameras aren't about getting the best image and video quality but instead focused on providing an encouraging hand into taking photographs. 

Kidamento offers kids' cameras in a range of age groups, and unlike some manufacturers, its cameras are focused on having fun and being creative. You will find no games on its cameras, enabling kids to focus on the world around them and what they can see through the viewfinder, although in this case IPS touchscreen. 

During this review, I enlisted the help of my 2-year-old daughter, for both her opinion on the camera, and as a model to show its scale. Yes, I know that I just mentioned that it is aimed at the 3-9-year range, but she's a seasoned pro with cameras, but I will be taking that into account throughout the review. 

Kidamento Model K: Specifications

Kidamento Model K: Price & Availability

The Kidamento Model K (Zippy the Sloth) is available for $79.99 / £69.99 / AU$109.99, and shipping is available worldwide. 

This is a pretty reasonable price point for kids' cameras in this age range. The Model K is a camera that focuses on photography rather than those that combine cameras with gaming devices, therefore the price represents this fairly. The closest alternative would be the MyFirst Camera 3 which does not have a touchscreen and is slightly more expensive, so a fair if not appealing price. 

Kidamento Model K: Design & Handling

One of the main things you want to know as a parent is if the camera can withstand drops and spills and if it can be easily cleaned. The Kidamento Model K (Zippy the Sloth) ticks all of these boxes, made from durable ABS plastic and food-grade silicone, it is easily protected from shocks. We took the camera on a picnic and it handled a toddler with no issues. 

The design is intuitive and thoughtful and resembles a mirrorless/DSLR camera with the shutter button located on the top right of the camera. My daughter had no problems holding the camera and reaching the shutter, and the silicone helps with the camera grip.

In hand, the camera is very lightweight, my 2-year-old could easily hold and lift it to her face, so I can see a 3+ year-old having no problem with size or weight. 

A standout design feature of the Model K is the large touchscreen and lack of physical tactile buttons. The touch screen is very responsive and the menus are easy to navigate with the touch or swipe of a finger, however, this was pressed by mistake on occasion when attempting to take a photograph.  

The camera is a fixed-lens compact camera, and the Model K incorporates two lenses - a front-facing f/2.8 lens that can focus from 50mm - to infinity, and a rear-facing selfie lens. 

The body has a USB-C port for charging and another handy design feature is that the lanyard doubles as the charging cable so you always have a way to charge with you. There is also a micro SD card slot for memory, and the camera comes with a very decent 32GB micro SD included.

I can't forget to mention the Sloth in the room. The design on the camera is simply brilliant, offering a fun character to engage kids from the off. My daughter's face lit up as soon as she saw the camera, and wanted to engage with it immediately - I wish my camera had this effect! The lens cap is cleverly incorporated into the design, which not only makes the design fun but practical. 

The Model K is available in two designs, Zippy the Sloth and Meowie the Cat. I was given Zippy the Sloth to review, as seen in the images. 

Kidamento Model K: Photo Performance

Kids' cameras aren't made to have the best image and video quality to blow up and print large-scale photographs. Instead, they only need to be clear enough so that the kids can see the picture they have taken on the back of the camera or if pushed, a tablet - they aren't pixel peepers just yet! 

With this in mind, the image and video quality of the Model K is acceptable, and with the low-quality early 2000s point-and-shoot aesthetic, it can almost be described as stylized and currently very much 'in Vogue'.

The image gallery below was taken on different days and in different lighting situations. The auto exposure works quite well, although it had trouble on bright days as the clouds were constantly blown out.

There are various filters included on the camera such as black and white, sepia, and high pass, as well as some fun creative filters that enable you to add frames and clip art images to the photograph - especially fun when used with the selfie mode. 

The camera has a self-timer and a burst mode function for additional creative shooting, and an exposure comp that helps fine-tune exposure. 

Kidamento Model K: Sample Images

Image 1 of 6

Kidamento Model K: Video Performance

The video performance was surprisingly good in comparison to my expectations. Admittedly I wasn't expecting the quality of the best cine cameras, but after seeing the photos I wasn't expecting much. 

The specifications state that it is 1080p, but it is far from HD. The quality again, for rewatching on the back of the camera or a tablet is perfectly acceptable. Kids don't care about the image quality or resolution, they are only concerned with the subject matter - perhaps a lesson we should take from them!

Kidamento Model K: Verdict

The Kidamento Model K has been an incredibly fun camera to test, and my daughter would also agree. Image quality aside, the design, touchscreen, and ease of use make it enticing for young children to get started in photography. My daughter instinctively knew how to use it, and loved seeing the ducks and geese she photographed at the boating lake, which is what it's all about. 

For the price, this is among the best kids' cameras I have discovered so far, and I would recommend it to anyone who desires a new fun activity to do outdoors with the kids this summer. 

Alternatives

MyFirst Camera 3
This camera is similar to the Model K as it is focused solely on photography and video and includes no games or distractions. It performs on a similar level, however does not have a touchscreen, but does have flash. 

VTech Kidizoom Duo 5.0
The Kidizoom is the other end of the spectrum and has all the flashing lights, games, and distractions you could ask for. This works as both a camera and as a games device so a vastly different alternative.