The best Kodak cameras span a number of different categories, though all are arguably targeting a similar type of user. Kodak cameras these days have a firm emphasis on fun, with the brand mostly lending its name to knockabout point-and-shoots that are easy for anyone to pick up and use. Some are digital, some are analogue, and some as we’ll see are an interesting mix of both.
The reason we used the slightly tortured construction of ‘lending its name’ in the previous paragraph is because, of course, Kodak doesn’t actually make many of these cameras. The brand makes a habit of licensing its name to other firms, and it’s these companies that make and sell the cameras with the Kodak seal of approval. As such, there’s quite a bit of variety in the range.
We’ve aimed to cover the whole lot in this guide, so we’ve got quite a few sections. First, we have digital bridges and compact cameras. These are the kind of digital cameras that were very popular before the advent of the smartphone, and now most of the major manufacturers have all but abandoned them. Kodak licensee JK Imaging clearly thinks that has left a gap in the market.
Next, we cover instant print cameras, which function like Polaroids, but spit out their instant prints on photo paper rather than film. After that, we have a couple of 35mm film point-and-shoots for those who want to get old-school. And lastly, some cheap disposable cameras if you want to recapture that 90s holiday magic.
Jon spent years at IPC Media writing features, news, reviews and other photography content for publications such as Amateur Photographer and What Digital Camera in both print and digital form. With his additional experience for outlets like Photomonitor, this makes Jon one of our go-to specialists when it comes to all aspects of photography.
It’s hard to conceive of a camera simpler than this – look through the viewfinder, press the button, and receive a print a few seconds later. Read more below…
A staple of music festivals, the Funsaver is a colorful way to own a camera for a weekend, so you can capture memories for a lifetime. Read more below…
A budget-priced option from Kodak's Astro Zoom bridge camera range – but still packs a 25x zoom. This model needs decent lighting to get good results. Read more below…
Best Kodak cameras in 2024
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Best for zoom
(Image credit: Gavin Stoker / Digital Camera World)
Does this camera qualify as retro? 15 or so years ago, ‘bridge’ style cameras pairing DSLR-esque bodies with fixed superzoom lenses were all the rage – now, most manufacturers have abandoned the bridge camera format.
Not Kodak though, with its PIXPRO AZ528 giving photographers a pretty impressive 52x optical zoom range in a body that’s much cheaper than buying a mirrorless camera with equivalent lenses. It has essentially the exact same advantages and drawbacks that bridge cameras did in the mid-2000s – a big, useful, one-size-fits-all zoom lens, at the cost of a small 1/2.3-inch sensor and optical softness, compared with lenses with lesser focal ranges.
Waterproof compacts are a once-popular format that are mostly being retired, but the Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 flies in the face of that trend. Waterproof down to 15m, shockproof against drops of two metres, and generally sealed and dustproofed all over, this capable little compact is designed to be nice and easy to use.
To that end, pretty much all shooting functions are automated, although it does have a useful 4x zoom lens. It’s got a built-in flash, which is generally very handy underwater where light is harder to come by, and the sensor produces decent-looking 16MP images. It’s available in blue or yellow.
The Kodak FZ55 (and its sister model the FZ45) have become super popular in the last couple of years. The reason is that Kodak is the last company making zoom compact cameras at such affordable prices. The image quality leaves a lot to be desired for photography purists - but the low-fi look appeals to those wanting to relive the first digital cameras. Using the camera is like taking a trip back in time for those of us who used such cameras the first time around. Your phone might give you better results nowadays, but this is a camera for those that probably don't have a far more expensive smartphone. The Kodak FZ45 is near identical, but has a slightly smaller zoom.
Instant-print cameras are generally known for spitting out images about the size of a credit card, which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. The Kodak Smile Classic feels like an attempt to make an instant-print camera that’s somewhere close to being a credible alternative to a Polaroid, producing larger prints that are 3.5 x 4.25 inches. The flat design is quite reminiscent of a Polaroid too – it’s clear what they’re going for here.
The quality of the prints doesn’t match that of instant film, but the cheap convenience of Zink paper is undeniable. You can also save photos onto an SD card if you supply your own, and a pop-up viewfinder helps with composition.
Instant print cameras have always been geared towards simplicity, but even by that benchmark, the Printomatic is about as simple as you can get. There’s no settings control to speak of – there’s not even an LCD screen to review images before or after you take them. You just hope for the best while looking through the little viewfinder, and moments later the camera will spit out a print of what you captured on Kodak’s Zink photo paper.
It’ll also save a copy if you insert a microSD card, although the makers didn’t deign to include one. Or a USB charging cable. Or more than five pieces of Zink paper. Come on, lads – you have to admit, that’s a bit cheap. It’s available in gray or yellow.
Half-frame cameras used to be commonplace – and now, with film and development costs rising, they’re very much back in vogue. The Ektar H35 (despite the name, it unfortunately doesn’t come with a roll of Ektar color print film) is a point-and-shoot film camera that divides each frame of a roll of 35mm film into two. So, instead of producing 36 images measuring 24x36mm, it’ll produce 72 images measuring 24x18mm.
While it can be tricky to remember you’re shooting portrait rather than landscape (the viewfinder provides a helpful portrait-orientation grid), it’s a fun knockabout camera that’s great for getting more value out of your film. It’s available in sage or brown.
While it uses a plastic lens just like a disposable camera, the Kodak M35 produces markedly better results from its 31mm optic, and is definitely the superior choice if you plan to do plenty of film shooting.
It has fixed exposure settings – you point, you shoot, and that’s more or less it, except you can toggle the flash off and on. The flash is powered by an AAA battery, and it is quite easy to accidentally leave it powered and drain it overnight. Fortunately, the camera doesn’t need power to actually function, so this will only mean you can’t use the flash until you replace the battery. It’s available in blue, gray, mint, olive, pink, purple, scarlet or yellow.
Disposable cameras are back in fashion nowadays. Go to any music festival and it won’t be long before you spot one – and there’s a good chance it’ll be a Kodak Funsaver. With its distinctive yellow, red and black styling, the Funsaver is a mainstay of holidays and trips.
It uses an ISO 800 film stock, which gives it plenty of light sensitivity, although there is a built-in flash if you need it. That and the shutter button are the only control you get to exercise over the image – shutter speed and aperture are fixed.
A hardier disposable than the flimsy plastic things we’re used to, the Kodak Sport is encased in a rubberized shell that can take a knock or two, and also boasts a scratch-resistant lens. What’s more, it’s also rated to be able to go up to 50ft underwater, making it a terrific choice for beach holidays and snorkelling.
In other respects, it’s a near-identical proposition to the Kodak Funsaver, loaded with the same ISO 800 film and offering the same point-and-shoot experience. Be warned though – there isn’t a flash, so it’s a camera best used in nice, bright daylight.
Kodak makes a range of 'Astro Zoom' bridge cameras – offering DSLR-style grip and big built-in zooms. The AZ255 is essentially a budget version of the Kodak AZ538 - with the key difference being that this has a smaller 25x zoom. That's more than enough telephoto power for most users - and there is an advantage of weighing less (and costing less) than its bigger brother. We were disappointed with the image quality in our tests, however. It did well in sunny conditions - but struggled in low light, and when there was lots of contrast in the scene
(Image credit: Gavin Stoker / Digital Camera World)
We don't test compact and instant cameras using the same scientific lab tests we do on the latest mirrorless cameras and lenses – but our evaluation is no less exhaustive! When we get a point-and-shoot camera, we take it to an actual shooting environment, taking multiple images to see how it performs in a variety of lighting and environmental conditions.
Ie also take any "clever" features into consideration, especially as this relates to ease of use. After all, the sort of pocket camera Kodak makes are supposed to take pictures instantly with minimal fuss! Battery life is a key point as well, given that there's a physical mechanism and usually a flash being fired. Image quality is quite subjective – with instant and film cameras photochemical prints inherently possess a different set of characteristics.
Jon spent years at IPC Media writing features, news, reviews and other photography content for publications such as Amateur Photographer and What Digital Camera in both print and digital form. With his additional experience for outlets like Photomonitor, this makes Jon one of our go-to specialists when it comes to all aspects of photography, from cameras and action cameras to lenses and memory cards, flash diffusers and triggers, batteries and memory cards, selfie sticks and gimbals, and much more besides.
An NCTJ-qualified journalist, he has also contributed to Shortlist, The Skinny, ThreeWeeks Edinburgh, The Guardian, Trusted Reviews, CreativeBLOQ, and probably quite a few others I’ve forgotten.
