Why the hell is this camera so popular? Beats me, but it is – and it's still on sale for Cyber Monday

Kodak Pixpro FZ45 camera against a maroon background with the text "price drop"
(Image credit: JK Imaging)

I've seen all manner of things discounted since Black Friday, including one of the most perplexing cameras you can buy – and buy it people are, in droves. No doubt even more will be buying it, since it's still among the Cyber Monday camera deals.

The thing is, I can't understand why this compact camera keeps on selling so well. But hey, if you're one of the many people who apparently want one, the Kodak Pixpro FZ45 has been discounted in both the US and UK.

Kodak Pixpro FZ45
Kodak Pixpro FZ45: was $99.99 now $89.99 at Amazon

A back-to-basics camera aimed at beginners, budget buyers and Gen Zers, the FZ45 packs a 27-105mm focal range and a pop-up flash, with a simple menu system and a 2.7-inch screen – and it even has 63MB of internal memory.

Kodak Pixpro FZ45
Kodak Pixpro FZ45: was £99.99 now £93.99 at Amazon

As you may have guessed, specs are a little on the lo-fi side, though the photos produced by the 1/2.3-inch, 16.35MP BSI CMOS sensor are highly sought after by TikTokers – and it can take FullHD videos at up to 30p, too.

As someone who has purchased my fair share of weird, low-tech cameras, I'm not going to judge anyone who's been scoping out the Kodak Pixpro FZ45 (review).

That said, I feel I should point out that cameras like the Instax Mini LiPlay are only about $40 / £30 more – and that's a much better buy because as well as being a digital camera, it's also an instant camera that uses Instax film, and it's an instant printer as well (turning any picture on your phone into an Instax photo). But hey, you do you.

"The Kodak PixPro FZ45 works well for snapshots, especially in situations like beach holidays and other occasions where you want to travel light, or not risk using an expensive camera," said my colleague Matthew in his review.

"Naturally, the image quality and all-round performance don’t compete with expensive cameras but the Kodak is a bit of fun at a very affordable price."

You might want to take a look at the best Kodak cameras along with the best compact cameras from other brands.

James Artaius
Editor

James has 22 years experience as a journalist, serving as editor of Digital Camera World for 6 of them. He started working in the photography industry in 2014, product testing and shooting ad campaigns for Olympus, as well as clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal. An Olympus / OM System, Canon and Hasselblad shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and he loves instant cameras, too.