VTech
VTech Kidizoom Action Cam 180
A ruggedized, mountable Kidizoom built for an active kid, bikes, playgrounds, and outdoor play rather than a desk or a birthday party. The odd one out in the Kidizoom line: built for durability and mounting, not selfies or filters.
See current price on AmazonAbout VTech Kidizoom Action Cam 180
VTech has been building electronic toys for young kids for decades, and its Kidizoom line applies that same idea to cameras: hand a child something that behaves like the real thing, real photos, real video, rather than a pretend prop. The line has grown into several distinct models built around different specialties, from a straightforward first camera to one built for instant prints, but every model starts from the same premise, real photos a kid actually captured, in a body built to survive being dropped, chewed on, and carried everywhere.
The Action Cam 180 is the outlier in that lineup, built around durability and mounting rather than selfies or printing. It ships with a bike mount, an adhesive flat mount plus mounting attachment for helmets or skateboards, a wrist strap, a micro-USB charging cable, and an all-weather waterproof case rated for use up to six feet underwater. The lens itself rotates 180 degrees so a kid can flip between shooting straight ahead and turning it back on themselves, and it runs on a rechargeable Li-ion battery good for about 2.5 hours of continuous shooting rather than AA batteries. Video tops out at 640 by 480 with a microSD card added (not included), plus two platform-style games and an augmented reality game called Forest Quest for downtime between shots.
This is the Kidizoom pick for a kid who wants a camera that comes along on a bike ride, a scooter loop around the block, or a trip to the pool, not one who mostly wants to sit at a desk taking selfies or printing photos on the spot. If a different Kidizoom model built around selfies or instant prints sounds like a better match, our full VTech Kidizoom comparison breaks down which model fits which kid.
The Honest Take
What We Like and What We Don't
What we like
- Ships with real mounting hardware, bike mount, flat mount, wrist strap, so it actually gets used on bikes, scooters, and playgrounds instead of sitting on a shelf
- Waterproof case rated to six feet underwater held up for multiple reviewers at the pool and in shallow water
- Rechargeable battery with a micro-USB cable, no AA batteries to keep buying
- Simple enough that reviewers say kids as young as 3 or 4 pick it up right away
- Survived real drops, bike rides, and rough handling for most reviewers, even without extra care
What holds it back
- Photo and video quality is low resolution and often blurry, even by other Kidizoom models' modest standards
- At least one reviewer found the waterproof case filled with water in the pool, worth testing empty first before trusting it with a swim
- A share of units stop working within weeks, per at least one reviewer whose camera died in under a month
- Built-in games can pull a kid's attention away from the camera itself, and there's no way to turn them off
- Built-in storage fills up fast without a separately purchased microSD card
Is This For You?
Who Should (and Shouldn't) Buy This
Get it if…
your kid is an active, outdoor kid, biking, scootering, playground, pool, who needs a camera built to be mounted and get wet rather than handled delicately, and you're fine with photo quality that's modest even by kids'-camera standards.
Skip it if…
your kid mostly wants to take selfies, print photos instantly, or make edited videos, since other Kidizoom models are built specifically around those features instead of mounting and durability.
The verdict
The Action Cam 180 does one job well: give an active kid a real camera that can ride a bike, go down a slide, or get dunked in a pool without falling apart, trading some picture quality and a bit of reliability risk for that durability. Most reviewers say it holds up to real outdoor use for months, though a small share report a unit failing early, worth knowing before gifting it right before a big trip. If your kid is more interested in selfies, instant prints, or making videos than riding around with a camera strapped to a helmet, the rest of the Kidizoom lineup covers those specific features instead.
What Real Buyers Say
“We are very happy with this kids camera. My daughter is 6 and loves going on adventures and taking pictures. The picture resolution isn't the best, but it's better than my old cell phone did. My daughter is VERY happy with it. She can go in and delete pictures she didn't like right away, knows how to add frames to the pictures already, and enjoys flipping through what shes taken. I have absolutely no complaints with this camera. It is very kid friendly and I can't wait to see what she does with it from here on out.”
United States · July 1, 2018
“Best purchase ever! Ideal for children 3 - 9 years old. I got one for my daughter when she because she always wanted my phone to take pictures. She constantly uses her camera now, so I got this one for my son. He loves it! Great camera for little kids. The quality is not the greatest unless you stand still, but for young kids this is perfect. I have them take these cameras along when we travel. They take pictures in the pool (most definitely water proof!), and when looking around parks.”
United States · May 14, 2018
“Great camera! I bought it for my 4 1/2 years old, but all the other kids (11, 8, and 2) all love it and use it when they can. I think it's a great starter camera, especially for active kids since it has the weather proof case. What made the 11 yr old like it is because he can attach it to his bike, skate board, etc as well as swim with it. And if he drops it it doesn't immediately break, it has a wall charger (no batteries yay!), and it can do selfies or take straight ahead pictures.”
United States · January 2, 2018
“This camera actually has some fun features. For my 4 year olds it was a good choice in the sense that it isn't fragile and it does take pictures and videos. However, I quickly became very frustrated by the games which turned out to be the only thing my kids wanted to use after they discovered it. There is no way to disable the games. Today we used them in the pool for the first time and the "waterproof" cases immediately filled with water. If I'd been smart I would have tried it empty in the sink first.”
United States · April 15, 2018
“After less than a month of use, this product stopped turning on. The camera's screen comes on and indicates that it has a full charge when it is plugged into a computer, however, it is not responsive when the Home button is pushed to turn it on. After contact with VTech customer support, they indicated that the product was inoperable but since it was out of the 90-day warranty, it would not be replaced. This product did not even last a single month under regular use.”
United States · January 31, 2018
“My 4 year old son hasn't stopped playing with this since we bought it months ago. The battery lasts a long time and so far he hasn't broken it, though he has dropped it on more than one occasion, so it seems pretty durable. The pictures are very poor quality, so probably not even worth printing. We did try the waterproof case in shallow water and it didn't leak and the bike attachment was easy to add to his bike.”
United States · November 8, 2018
“Great camera! My toddler loves it and has dropped a couple of times but due to the protective casing it remains unscathed. He loves taking pictures and the selfie option. Great gift idea.”
Canada · October 30, 2018
Frequently Asked Questions
What accessories come included with the Action Cam 180?
It ships with a bike mount, an adhesive flat mount plus mounting attachment for skateboards or helmets, a wrist strap, a micro-USB charging cable, and an all-weather waterproof case rated for use up to six feet underwater.
Is the waterproof case actually reliable in water?
Reviews are mixed. Several parents say they used it in a pool or shallow water without any problems, but at least one reviewer reported the case filling with water the first time they tried it, and later realized the charging cord had been left inside. Testing the empty case in a sink before trusting it with a swim is a reasonable extra step.
What age is this camera really built for?
VTech's own product page lists the Action Cam 180 for ages 4 to 12, and that matches how it's actually used, bike and skateboard mounts, an active grade-school-aged kid, not a baby or toddler. (This ASIN's Amazon listing shows a mismatched age field elsewhere on the page, 9 months to 36 months, which is a template error on Amazon's end, not VTech's own age guidance.) Real reviewers describe kids as young as 3 or 4 using it comfortably too, with the 11-year-old sibling of one reviewer's family still enjoying it.
How is this different from the other VTech Kidizoom cameras?
This is the outdoor, mountable model in the Kidizoom line, built around a waterproof case, bike and skateboard mounts, and a rechargeable battery rather than selfies, instant printing, or a green screen. Our guide comparing every VTech Kidizoom camera model covers which of the other options fits a kid more interested in those features.
Does it need a memory card, and does one come with it?
No microSD card is included. The camera has some built-in storage, but reviewers say it fills up fast, and adding a microSD card (class 6 or above) is needed to store much more video and photos, up to 240 minutes of video or 278,400 photos with a 32GB card, per VTech's listing.
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