Kidamento Model P review: Levels up kids' cameras with instant printing

The Kidamento Model P is a kids' camera with a focus on encouraging creativity, with both digital photography and instant printing capabilities. Kidamento is a well-respected kids' camera manufacturer that creates cameras that are exactly that, cameras. If you are looking for a part game system part camera you won't find them in the Kidamento lineup. 

The Kidamento Model P sits in a camera lineup with the Model C, Model K, and Model V. Each offering something different and aimed at varying age groups.  

The Model P is targeted towards children between 5 and 11 years of age but also makes a point to not exclude adults from enjoying the camera, which you will later find out, I did immensely. 

The Model P sits apart from the rest of the lineup due to having an in-built thermal printing, that creates instant prints on either paper or sticky labels. These prints serve as perfect keepsakes and mementos from day trips and adventures so that you can relive the moments instead of them being lost to digital filing systems. 

I took the Model P to the park and around the city of Bath with the help of my two-year-old daughter, where we looked at the design, handling, and performance, before delivering our verdict, and spoilers - we liked it! 

Kidamento Model P: Specifications

Kidamento Model P: Price & Availability

As the largest camera in the Kidamento lineup, the Model P is also the most expensive, however, it is still a reasonable price for what the camera offers. The Model P is priced at $100 / £80 / AU$130 and is available worldwide although shipping costs vary. 

The Model P was released in May 2021 and is Kidamento's 4th generation of cameras. Although a few years old, it is unlikely that the Model P will soon see a successor, so it is a safe bet that the investment in the camera won't be short-lived.

The Model P sits almost alone in the Venn diagram of best kids' cameras and best instant cameras, with perhaps the Instax Mini 12 coming closest although lacking the child-centric appeal.  

Kidamento Model P: Design & Handling

This section is arguably the most important when reviewing kids' cameras as image quality and performance play second fiddle to aesthetics, useability, and safety. 

The first thing you notice is the incredibly cute Panda design that is incorporated into the camera, with its ears acting as rubber bumpers and one of its eyes the lens. Its mouth is of course the printer, with it resembling the panda's tongue when printing the paper out.  The fun and approachable nature of the camera adds to its appeal and entices children to want to pick up and use it when out on their adventures. 

The build quality feels substantial, however, the lack of rubber or silicon casing does make it less grippy than typical kids' cameras and it did lead to my daughter dropping it. 

Due to having an inbuilt printer, the camera is on the larger size and the buttons can be tricky to reach with smaller hands. However, the buttons are very tactile and feel easy to push when you can reach them. 

On the topic of buttons, there are probably too many, each with a different feature, which may be a tad confusing for kids on the lower end of the target age range. 

To operate the camera and printer children will need the aid of an adult to get the most out of it, as they may struggle to refill the paper and navigate the menu systems. This is however not a bad thing, as it enables more involvement of both adults and children as a fun activity to do together. 

Kidamento Model P: Photo Performance

As is my usual caveat to reviewing kids' cameras, the image quality is never going to be anywhere near the level of the best mirrorless cameras or even the best camera phones for that matter, but kids usually don't care. They are more focused on the experience of taking photographs, and with the Model P, using the thermal printer to see their captures in print, fulfills that brief. 

The image quality of the Model P is acceptable for viewing on the back of the camera or a small tablet and for printing on the built-in printer. But would struggle with anything larger. 

Taking photographs was intuitive to both me and my daughter, and you have the option to either capture to the memory card or instantly print the capture via the printer. This option is the case for both the standard and the selfie lens.  

Like the other Kidamento cameras in the range, the Model P has the option of a self-timer, burst mode, and various filters and clip art frames for children to enjoy. What the Model P does lack from other models, however, is an exposure compensation setting, although the auto exposure works well. 

The printing is produced via a thermal process instead of ink, which means that images are in black and white, but does save money refilling ink cartridges. The quality of the printing is as expected, with some shooting scenarios working better than others. 

The printing happened to be my favorite part of the camera, as it transformed the low-res digital files into physical works of art, and when treated like such, looks quite good in a frame! 

Kidamento Model P: Sample Images

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Above: A gallery of sample images from the Kidamento Model P

I thought as this is an instant camera I'd touch briefly on the printing quality. As you might expect from a thermal printer, the fidelity is not its strong point. Despite this, it has been my favorite feature of the camera as it enabled my daughter, and myself, to produce something tangible from our day taking photographs. Instead of an image on the back of the camera that may well be forgotten by the time you get home, having the printer enables you to push your creativity further and create a physical memento of the experience. 

I photographed my daughter and loved her expression. Needing to test the printer's capabilities, I printed it on a sticker and loved the result. I elevated it further and placed it in a frame, and before I knew I had a cool piece of art bespoke to us and a reminder of our day out. 

Kidamento Model P: Verdict

The Kidamento Model P was fantastic. Kids' cameras will never win any image quality awards, and the Model P certainly follows suit. But for its intended purpose, it is more than enough for both printing and viewing on the camera. So not necessarily a fantastic camera, but using it was a tremendous experience. 

The cute design is a winner, but there were a few other issues with the build. It is quite large and has no grippy silicone parts, so it is a bit tricky for little fingers to handle, but for an adult, it is not a problem. However, the built-in printing was the highlight for me, giving me the ability to instantly create a physical keepsake of the time spent on our trip.  

I think I enjoyed the camera a lot more than my daughter as you can probably tell, and this won't be the last time I use it. I can see us taking it on our next family outing for sure!

Alternatives

Kidamento Model K
The Model K is the Model P's younger sibling but offers better image quality, a touch screen, and a cool sloth design. it does, however, not have a printer. 

Instax Mini 12
Although not a kids' camera per se, it is on our list of recommended instant cameras and can provide a great alternative option with better image and print quality.