Playskool Show Cam 2 in 1 digital camera and projector review!

 

Here's what the Hasbro website has to say about the Playskool Show Cam
Which you an also find HERE.

"Give your kids a way to add fun animations, stories, and sounds to the pictures they take with the Showcam Digital Camera and Projector! With more then 50 silly effects to choose from, this 2-in-1 camera and projector lets them snap pics and customize them! With the flip of a switch they can project their pictures too. The buttons, controls, and grips are all kid-sized for easy use, and the editing functions are built in so they don't need software. It's easy to save, print, and email pictures if you have a USB cable! Get your little ones creating digitally with the Showcam Digital Camera and Projector!"

This is for ages 3-7, takes 4 AA batteries, and does NOT include a USB cable. The box says it holds 1,000 pictures which is a crazy amount for a child's camera!
It retails on the Playskool website for $84.99 but at Walmart it's priced at $54.99. So it really just depends on where you buy it. Shop around on the internet if you're thinking of purchasing this.

This is pretty chunky and easy for the nugget's small kid hands to hold. The buttons are large and easy to push and super straight forward, she easily figured it out within 10 minutes of playing with it.

The actual lens of this is not the big normal camera lens in the front, it's towards the top where the flash would be. My nugget is still having a hard time getting used to pointing the top of the camera at her objects and not the obvious camera lens. But I suppose I can see that it's a little more protected up there, the lens has a smaller chance of cracking as a small target set away from the front as opposed to a large exposed area sticking out to the world. Also, the projector is in the giant camera lens, I guess that had to go somewhere as well. It makes sense once you actual think about it and it is set up nicely.

As far as the USB cable goes, I can't find where you would purchase one online for this particular item. Maybe you can find it in stores? I tried the USB cable for the nugget's old Scout and Violet dogs and it fit. I'm certain Hasbro doesn't recommend that you combine random USB cables from other toys, I'm not saying they do, I'm not sure if LeapFrog is associated with Hasbro and nothing in the instructions told me to use a cable from another toy for this camera. But I have no clue as to where to purchase a USB cable specifically for this camera, the box/instructions gave me absolutely no hints, and it fits without me having to spend any extra money! So I'm using it.

It comes in Blue, which is really black with a blue accent on top, and Pink, which is white with purple accents and a pink accent around the "lens".

There is a very slight delay on the camera which is fine but can be frustrating with moving targets depending on your child's age.

Our regular Energizer AA batteries lasted about 8 -10 hours, it would be totally worth it to invest in some rechargeable batteries for this. You'll spend  little extra in the beginning but you'll save a lot in the end.  It only takes 4 and a lot of rechargeables come in packs of 2 or 4. You can find them on the Walmart website for about $19.98 for a pack of 4 energizer batteries plus the charger.  You'll spend that in disposable batteries in a couple weeks.

My nugget is 4 almost 5, she was soooo excited when I opened the box and showed it to her. She loves my camera but there is absolutely no way I would allow my 4 year old to roam the yard holding it. This is perfect for kids. It's pretty sturdy too, my nugget immediately dropped it down the stairs while attempting to take a picture. It bounced and hit the tile, I thought for sure it would be busted, but there wasn't even a scuff. 

She loves the animation and little stories, it's a wonderful touch that all the "stickers" you can apply to the pictures have sound effects as well. The projector is a fantastic feature as well. My nugget loves being able to watch her pictures as a "movie" and all the sound effects carry over. You do lose sound and animation when you put your pictures on a computer, but the stickers are still there.  The quality of the pictures and projector is slightly grainy but still really nice for a child's camera. Once they are put on the computer they clear up a little bit, so it must be the screen on the actual camera and not all the picture quality itself.

Overall this is a really awesome kid's camera! It does exactly what it says, it's easy for small hands to maneuver, it is super straight forward and easy for children to navigate on their own, it has a cool projector built into the camera, and it is very durable. 
If I hadn't gotten this from BzzAgent, I would have probably purchased this for my child as a Christmas gift.

Playskool has knocked it out of the park with this product!

I hope you consider this for your child's next birthday or holiday gift.

As always,
Enjoy

 

 

 

**I received this product free for testing purposes from BzzAgent. These are my true and honest opinions, I do not get paid to give good reviews.**

 

Playskool and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro.

 

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