We bought this Fisher Price Camera for my son in the recent toy sale at Sainsbury's, where we paid around £5 for it. The current retail price is £10, so we got a pretty good bargain! The toy is suitable for babies from 6 months of age to 36 months.

The camera is a handheld toy and made of thick plastic. There is a purple plastic handle on the side for baby to grip onto (I think the colour of this can vary). On the front, where the lens of the camera would be, there is a bright yellow ball. This can be hit and turned by baby's fingers to reveal two smiling faces - one with a broad smile and one with a narrower smile and one eye winking. Around this is a sticker with the numbers from one to ten on. There is also a red and blue bead with shapes etched on that can be twisted and turned. On the back, where there would be the screen on a digital camera, there is a brightly coloured sticker of a cartoon dog. On top of the camera is a green plastic push button - to 'take the photos' and an orange sliding switch to turn the camera on and off and select one of two volume settings. There is also an orange push button on the top left hand corner. On the front left hand side of the camera is a red light that flashes when the camera is switched on. It is worth noting that the colours of the features (particularly the buttons) can vary.

When first switched on the camera says 'smile' and snaps. When the left hand button is pressed it says 'on', 'off', 'hello' and 'bye'bye'. If the right hand button is pressed, the camera plays four songs - including songs about being happy such as 'if you are happy and you know it' and counting songs. This also says 'say cheese!'. There is also a song about colours.
This toy is really well made and my 9 month old son loves to hold this and push the buttons. He especially likes turning the yellow ball on the front around using the palm of his hand - this also makes the camera talk and say things like 'I'm happy!' or 'let's be silly!', which he loves. The songs are really nice and clear and are great for teaching him about colours, numbers and feelings. They can get a little irritating after a while from the adults point of view though as there are only four tunes, so it is repetitive! The voice is clear and friendly though so baby can learn easily from it.

I think the wide age range of this toy is justified as my son and his 3 year old cousin both enjoy playing with this and get different benefits from it. His cousin enjoys it more as a play camera and uses it for imaginative play, whilst also enjoying the music. My son loves to investigate it thoroughly, pushing all the buttons. It does not hold his cousin's attention for long though as it's use as a camera is limited, it is more suited to younger babies as the flashing light and music holds their attention well.
The camera has educational benefits (introducing numbers, simple words and greetings, emotions and colours) as well as developmental benefits (fine motor skills) and is also fun to play with. It is well made and quite sturdy - our camera has withstood a fair amount of bashing. The only thing on the camera that is showing any wear and tear are the stickers - particularly the large one on the back of the camera. These have peeled away and faded ever so slightly, making the camera look pretty well used and old. This is the only clue that the camera is cheaply made, other than this, the camera still looks in very good condition.

We have had quite a lot of use out of this camera and I can see my son benefitting from it further in the future. For the price paid, this is extremely good value and I would not hesitate to recommend it.