Review of Photo Creator Mini Cam Digital Camera Compact: We tried a little camera perfect for kids who like to be out and about

And in the mobile phone era, there’s extra jeopardy. Hardly any of us have an actual camera, but if the kids demand to use our mobiles, then at best they may run off for a sneaky half-hour of otherwise-banned YouTube under their bed, and at worst they may drop it, break the device and destroy our actual entire work and home life in the space of a second.

And that’s before we get to the fact that even a safely returned phone will be absolutely rammed full of pictures of the top of their face, the ceiling, the stairs, and so on - and these will need to be deleted not just from the device but from the cloud as well, for fear of Google running out of space. All in all, not the dream.

So, imagine my delight on stumbling across a camera which not only takes pictures and video, but is lightweight, child friendly, and doesn’t cost the earth. It’s the Photo Creator Mini Digital Camera, and it looks like the answer to many of our prayers…..

TO BUY THE MINI CAMERA ON AMAZON CLICK HERE

So, on to the details. To be technical about it, the camera is roughly 5cm wide by 3cm high, and weighs next to nothing. It’s small enough that a five-year-old can hold it, and comes with a 1GB micro SD card, which is enough for a hell of a lot of pictures. It must be said that it is also small enough to lose easily, and it’s understandable why there’s a keyring hook on the side. The battery gives up to an hour of use, and recharges via USB-C.

We found it a blast. Rosanna, five, spent a happy sunny afternoon taking pictures of butterflies, grass, a pond and, er, a sign about wildlife in our local park. She had already practised taking many shots of her brother and her breakfast as a warm up, and - as small children do - had mastered the controls before I had had a chance to say something boring about reading the instructions. As she said, quite simply: “I love this camera because I can carry it round with me and take pictures.”

In a nutshell it’s press the button for a picture, hold for a video - something even I could get my head around.

TO BUY THE CAMERA FROM VERY CLICK HERE

It doesn’t take absolutely superb pictures - although they are perfectly serviceable - and the effects that can be added are OK but hardly Insta-esque. Some of the video has a Super-8, home movie feel, but that’s no criticism, and to be honest that’s not the point. It will be a camera that "belongs" to a little one, and all in all, for £15 this is very good value for money. The kids can go off and master being creative - and you need never fear for your phone again. Perfect.

The Photo Creator Mini Cam Digital Camera Compact by Canal Toys is available from, Amazon, Very, Smyths Toys Superstores and Argos, among other retailers.