- The Kodak PixPro FZ45 and FZ55 top best-seller lists in several regions
- They are currently the most popular models on Amazon USA and elsewhere
- Prices start from as little as $100 / £90 / AU$145
Camera fans can expect Sony or Canon to top the best-selling charts, but for outright popularity beyond the various high-end categories, you’ll need to set your sights a little lower, to the humble point-and-shoot.
Over the past few years, two particularly inexpensive digital compact cameras have flown off Amazon’s US shelves and from other retailers around the world, such as Yodobashi Camera in Japan. They are the Kodak PixPro FZ55 (pictured above) and the PixPro FZ45. Other models such as the waterproof PixPro WPZ2 are also in the picture.
The main reason these PixPro models are so popular is pretty obvious – you’ll struggle to find another digital camera with true 4x optical zoom for less than the PixPro FZ45’s approximate price of $100 / £90 / AU$145. Or one with 5x optical zoom and built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery that costs less than the PixPro FZ55.
Both pocket models record 16MP stills and HD video on SD cards and come in a range of colors including black, white, blue and pink.
These cameras aren’t just a trend – they’ve been dominating bestseller lists month after month, year after year, just when we thought such cheap cameras had been replaced by camera phones. So what’s really going on here?
In addition to the low price and immediate availability of these PixPro models, the confidence in the Kodak name must be a factor for casual buyers. Kodak is one of them the most recognizable names in photography, from its roots in making popular camera film to pioneering digital camera technology.
However, there is something you may not know about Kodak today. The original Kodak – Eastman Kodak, which dates back 138 years – stopped its production lines of consumer digital cameras long ago, and because of crippling debt, it may not survive at all.
Today, Kodak is instead one of a number of legendary photography brands (along with Yashica, Rollei, Agfa, Minolta, and more) that have licensed their names to third parties that largely manufacture low-cost digital cameras. The outfit that makes the PixPro FZ45 and FZ55 is actually JK Imaging Ltd, which has less of a ring to it.
There’s something more going on here, too: a general increase in camera sales led by compact cameras, a backlash against always-connected technology, and growing privacy concerns.
A camera like the PixPro FZ55 shoots directly to local storage, an SD card. It is not connected to the cloud. It’s simple, it’s lo-fi, and the kind of technology embraced by Gen Z.
Are you getting better quality photos using these Kodak point-and-shoot compact cameras over your phone? Absolutely not. Even a basic mid-range phone will take better snaps.
What you do get, however, is the nostalgic simple pleasure of the simple act of taking everyday pictures, over which you have full control.
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