Kodak’s $100 cameras keep outselling Sony and Canon

Cheap Kodak point-and-shoots are still topping sales charts, even though most smartphones take better photos. According to TechRadar, the Kodak PixPro FZ45 and PixPro FZ55 have been leading best-seller lists on Amazon US and at retailers including Yodobashi Camera in Japan, with prices starting at roughly $100 / £90 / AU$145.

That popularity comes down first to price and basics. TechRadar notes that it is hard to find another digital camera with 4x optical zoom for less than the PixPro FZ45, or a model with 5x optical zoom and a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery for less than the PixPro FZ55. Both pocket-size cameras shoot 16MP stills and HD video to an SD card, and come in colors including black, white, blue, and pink.

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The Kodak badge also matters. For casual buyers, it remains one of photography’s most recognizable names. But TechRadar points out that the cameras are not made by the original Eastman Kodak, the 138-year-old company that exited consumer digital camera production long ago and has faced severe debt problems. Today, the PixPro FZ45 and FZ55 are made by JK Imaging Ltd, which licenses the Kodak brand.

Beyond branding and price, TechRadar argues there is a broader shift helping these cameras sell: rising compact camera demand, resistance to always-connected devices, and growing privacy concerns. A camera like the PixPro FZ55 stores images locally on an SD card rather than sending them to the cloud.

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TechRadar is blunt about the trade-off: even a basic mid-range phone will take better pictures. What buyers get instead is a simpler, more nostalgic experience, plus full control over where their everyday photos live.