kengland4's Full Review: JAKKS Pacific Jakks Eyeclops
NOTE: This review is for the updated, portable edition of the Bionicam. It has the same functionality, but includes its own video screen, a battery pack, up to 400X zoom, and a 32Mb USB card and slot--a television is optional!!! It can also record short videos. Other than that, the item is identical to the regular and multizoom versions (the original & multizoom have no built-in screen, video, or battery pack either;but the multizoom also zooms up to 400X).
BACKGROUND
I was looking for an ideal gift for my 4 year-old daughter for Christmas, and stumbled upon this online. I was intrigued by the many positive reviews, and wanted to picque her interest in science. I was also drawn to the ability to do some real science--I know its a toy, but that it could potentially capture both of our imaginations, and maybe give her an insight to the "germs" we keep warning her about was enough for me.
THE ACTUAL PRODUCT
The Jakk's Bionicam Video Microscope is funky-looking! The giant eyeball shape leaves no question as to its purpose, and I get goosebumps just looking at it! It almost reminds me of the eyes on those alien tentacles in the remake of War of the Worlds.
The small, lightweight main unit feels "just right" in the hand. The off-turquoise/grey, green is 8"L x 4"W x 3.5"D (top, 4.5" to bottom of handle). I couldn't find a stated weight, but it weighs slightly less than my Samsung cell phone (3.6 ounces), and less than 2 typical DVDs in their cases. The entire iris lens rotates to focus, and there is a large dial to select the magnification. The USB slot is on top, there are 4 soft rubber buttons surrounding a 4-way joypad, sized for small fingers, but fine even for my extra large hands. The battery pack (4.25"H X3.25"W X1"D) takes 5 AA batteries, so it weighs considerably more (both units weigh 2 pounds--shipping weight, sans batteries)--it has a belt clip, and cannot be detached from the main unit. It has on/off and tv/screen buttons.
I measured the surprisingly useful "full-color" LCD screen to be about 2.5 inches, diagonally. For both the suggested retail price (as well as the highly-discounted price I paid), I was very pleased with, both, the display quality, and the response time. I thought there would be a lag between focusing on an object, and seeing it on the screen, but I haven't experienced any--it's "real time," and there is no jagged catching-up aspect (like with a scratched-up dvd or video file trying to play on a computer with insufficient memory or processor speed).
IN USE
Note: It's VERY IMPORTANT to use the included focusing card (a cardboard circle with some letters in various sizes) to correctly calibrate the unit. The instructions don't make this clear (which caused me some wasted time), but you have to put this thing flush against whatever you're viewing--it has a very narrow field of focus! It's difficult, but you have to rotate the large iris attachment, with the focusing card flush against the aperture opening. It's best to start, as the directions state, with the red line of the iris aligned to the 2 red arrows on top--but you may have to deviate from this a bit, depending on what you're looking at.
Mine works best at 400X magnification. It works at 200X fine, but the 100X was not quite as clear (or interesting). And you have to keep a pretty steady hand to keep the image clear. I would start flush, and then tilt the unit so that I was viewing it at a slight angle (especially useful for more "3d" objects). It advises against placing anything inside the opening, but I've stuck hairs and other fibers in, and played around to get the best view. The recording function will save a LOT of frustration from trying to take a photo of just the right view, but they are of much lower resolution. Later, you could play it on a computer, pause it (on Windows Media Player or whatever program will play the file format) and take a screenshot using Control-Alt-Printscreen (on a PC anyway--anyone know what this is on a Mac?).
CONTROLS
Turning on the unit factory defaults to "picture" mode (you can change it to "movie" mode under the settings submenu). Pressing "A" takes a picture or starts/stops recording a movie--it also is the main button to "select" something, such as a picture or movie to look at; "B" usually means "no," but you are helpfully prompted to press A or B for "yes" or "no."
Pressing "B" in picture or movie mode takes you to the main menu. Your choices are to take a picture, make a movie, watch a slideshow, watch the picture or movie gallery (which for me just showed a slideshow of my own pictures), or adjust settings. While viewing a picture thumbnail, pressing "A" will show it full-screen, and "B" will return to the thumbnail view. Pressing "B" again will return to the main menu. While viewing a movie, "A" will pause/resume it; "B" exits.
IMAGE QUALITY
Many of the photos I transferred looked almost medical grade--I was very surprised. I have a degree in Biology, and plenty of textbook examples. Now, granted--it IS a toy, but I was impressed, nonetheless, and I'm sure some professors and doctors would take them (the pictures) seriously (and they have devices that take phenomenally more detailed, higher-resolution photos). The only "cells" you will be observing, however--are close-ups of an ordinary chicken egg.
Pictures of skin, with hairs poking out, looked especially interesting--the hairs looked as thick as small tree branches. I also photographed some dried-up play-dough, which revealed multifaceted colorful crystals, as well as carpet fibers. I had my daughter hold the dried-up play-dough in her hand, and then look at the picture. I wasn't able to successfully view any liquids with the viscosity and transparency of water, however, but I plan to experiment with colored ones.
The images looked fine on my LG 37LC7D 37" HDTV--not spectacular, but about what one would expect using an RCA input. I prefer to view the images on my HP L1906 19" LCD monitor, after transferring via the USB card (be sure to always use "safely remove hardware," by clicking on the green diagonal arrow in the system tray, before removing any USB storage device, to avoid data loss); I would also turn the unit off before removing the color-matched "Eyeclops" USB flash drive. I would then edit the images using Photoshop 7, within which they enlarge nicely.
Video quality-at 320X240 resolution-is fun to watch, but-clearly-just not up to the photo quality. It's also a bit jumpy. Watching a video in Windows Media Player 10, I was able to select "slow playback," and more easily pause where I wanted to. Still, I felt like I was a mite crawling around on my own skin, and kids are sure to enjoy this feature and be very creative with it. And even though it's beyond me, there are ways to improve the video resolution (if not just photoshop a captured photo). You could always use Ahead's Nero Burning ROM video software to make a video CD or DVD, as well (or another video editor).
PICTURE & VIDEO FILE SPECIFICATIONS
Picture files are in the "universal" JPEG format, with a resolution of 1280X1024. The 85 pictures on my card range from 28-148 Kb, with an average size of 61Kb. At that size, 525 would fit on this card.
Video files are in the AVI file format (320X240 resolution), and are limited to 30 seconds. My 29-second file was 1.13Mb. At that size, about 28 would fit on this card. I was able to successfully insert and record an image on my tiny4Gb USB 2.0 Kingston microSD flash card (in its USB flash drive adapter)--it is 125 times bigger, so it would hold over 3000 videos. In other words, only a certified "very special person" would ever take the time (25 straight hours, not counting the time to find the specimens) to exhaust the space! An incredibly exceptional person could likely attach a 2.5" portable hard drive of 300Gb or greater--that's almost 3 months straight!
Some of the pictures and videos I took only looked like a black screen on both the built-in LCD screen, and in "preview" mode on the computer. However, I could see some detail once I opened them in Photoshop--just be aware.
DURABILITY
The controls and dial are pretty sturdy, but I don't think this unit would survive a drop onto a hard floor. Even a fall onto carpet may throw something out of "whack." The heavy battery pack, loaded with batteries, would probably crack with a fall, as well. Naturally, you want to keep this away from water. The shock risk is probably low, but it will likely kill the unit. If it does happen, I would let it dry out for a day (no hairdryers), and try again.
PRECAUTIONS
The box warns not to use rechargeable batteries, or leave exhausted ones in there. I started with rechargeables, and suspected that I didn't have enough power. I switched to regular Duracells, and it seemed to work better. It also said not to mix old & new, alkaline, carbon cell, and rechargeable batteries. To stay on the safe side, use 5 identical, high-quality batteries, and remove them if anything seems "off" (no pun intended).
AWARDS
The Eyeclopsproduct range received several awards, including "2008 Toy of the Year" and "Toy Innovation 2008," by various groups (mostly German ones); it also was nominated for "Educational Toy of the Year" (by an unnamed entity).
SO DO THEY LIKE IT OR WHAT?
My4 year-old daughter was excited to open it up, and watched patiently as I put it through its paces. She now refers to it as "daddy's toy," however, but I like to throw it in my backpack for when we go hiking. We took it to play in the snow, and I snapped some photos of ice crystals (with middle-faring success)--but it was great fun, nonetheless, and I'm sure it'll grow on her. Also, her 10 year-old girl cousin eyed it longingly as she watched my daughter open it, saying,"I was hoping to get to play with one of those." With her birthday next month, that just might happen.
WHAT ELSE?
There is also an "Eyeclops Activity Kit," which has maps and activities with "microclues" printed on them. And someone has reported using one with "prepared slides," although I have not been able to identify any "Eyeclops"-branded versions. The other versions come with an "observation tray" that this one omits, but it has the flash drive, video capability, and higher magnification--not to mention, portability. And you could e-mail the pictures and videos (with any version).
CONCLUSION
The Jakk's Bionicam video microscope is a great gift that will engage the whole family! It's also a great deal, since it does so much more, includes more (and is more powerful) than the other models. The portability is great, and I cannot imagine being tethered to a television. It works with an ordinary TV, any USB-equipped computer, or just on its own. Just be prepared to spend some time figuring out how it works (and being the main operator, if the giftee is a smaller child, since they'll quickly get frustrated on their own).It's a highly-interactive toy that will provide hours of fun for the entire family--it's still on sale for $20 at *mazon.com (MSRP is $79)!
The EyeClopsTM bionic eye is a simple-to-use handheld device that allows kids and adults to view ordinary items 200 times their regular size. and nbsp...More at eBay
• With Magnifications of 100x, 200x, and 400x times. The Multizoom Eyeclops provides a bigger and better look at the world around you. • Exp...More at Amazon Marketplace
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