I am a die hard Star Wars fan. I don’t have enough toes and fingers to count how many times I have seen each of the movies. So when I got a chance to review Sakar’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars Digital Camera Kit, I knew this was going to be fun once I received it. As a disclaimer this is not a camera to compare to in any means to something like a Nikon DSLR or even the popular ultracompact Canon SD1100IS. This is a kids digital camera that is supposed to be simple to use and perhaps attract those who are Star Wars fans as well.
The camera is made of plastic and holding it in my hands for a few seconds, I would already consider it more of a tech toy with photo enhancing software then a digital camera. The camera comes with 3 different face plates which consists of young Anakin, Obi Won, and Yoda as cartoon characters from the Clone Wars movie. As nice a feature as this is, the face-plates are very hard to switch out and should not be left for a child to do, even though I do not think they will not succeed as it is that hard to do!  The casing of the camera is a very low grade plastic, it is not built to be thrown around it most likely can crack easily. The camera is very easy to transport as it fits into any toy bag and also comes with a wrist strap. This is a great way for a child to start to learn the responsibility of a valued possession with out the worry of the price of a digital camera. The camera can only take up to 93 pictures as it has no expandable memory. Once a picture is taken it can barely be viewed on the camera screen; this makes it hard to decide to keep the photo or not. There is also no ability to review the photos either. The best way to look at any of the pictures is to upload it to your computer and sort through it with the included software.
And the software is really in my opinion, the best selling point of this camera. It was a breeze to install, there are step by step instructions for the entire process. So for the tech savvy child or the not so tech savvy parent the software is super simple to get loaded onto your computer. There are so many cool features on the program. Once you upload your photos onto the software’s photo album you can enhance the photo, put text around the picture, save, email, or print. It is a great starting point for any child interested in design or creative aspects of the computer but so user friendly anyone can snap, upload, enhance and print or email a picture. On the software there are lots of templates that are all Clone Wars themed. One of the first templates I created was a picture of my dog Baxter on Yoda’s body. What could be better? My favorite pet on my favorite character of all times, body. So you can see how the fun can be endless.
On top of the photo templates you can also make post cards, trading cards, and calendars that are all Clone Wars themed. This can keep a child very busy depending on how creative they can get with a few pictures. The software also offers an activity center that features Clone Wars themed games, jigsaw puzzles, word scramble, mechanical maze, and word search. This is a good way to stimulate a child through traditional game, however they are Star Wars themed.
I would highly suggest this to any parent for a child looking for a camera or who is interested in Star Wars. It is a great way to introduce responsibility to a child for a valued possession and allows them to be creative. It may not be the best camera in the world but with the bundled software it certainly is very affordable and I feel is worth every penny. I know I will not get tired of having Baxter’s head on some of my favorite Star Wars characters bodies! The Star Wars: The Clone Wars Digital Camera kit from Sakar is available at the Star Wars Shop for $49.99.
The Good: Fun software and switchable faceplates are nice touches. A Star Wars fan will not be disappointed.
The Bad: Overall camera quality is lacking. Should not be taken as a serious digital camera.
