Kodak FriendlyZoom FZ45: barely usable
Most cameras under 150 francs/euros are no good. This one is reasonably okay - and therefore a welcome exception.
You have to be careful with cheap clippers as a gift. Many of them are so bad that even a child will hardly enjoy them. The Kodak FriendlyZoom FZ45 is one of the few cameras under 150 francs or euros that are usable. It has a proper lens with an optical zoom and produces pictures in which you can recognise something. It is also not unnecessarily complicated to use. That's enough to set it apart from many competing products.
Differences to the Kodak Pixpro FZ55
The name and packaging look very similar to the Kodak Pixpro FZ55. The functionality and operation are also largely the same. One difference: the FZ45 only has a fourx zoom (28 to 107 mm), the FZ55 a fivex zoom. However, this is not necessarily a disadvantage. With the smaller zoom, the images at the long end are slightly less blurred than with the FZ55.
The second difference concerns the power supply. The FZ45 uses two standard AA batteries instead of a rechargeable battery. This makes the device considerably thicker. But you never have a problem if the battery runs out - replacement batteries are always available everywhere, including rechargeable ones.
The EU has stipulated since 2025 that charging in the camera must be done via USB-C. Because the Kodak FZ45 uses batteries, it avoids the USB-C requirement and can still have a micro USB port. Transferring the images to a computer therefore takes longer. This is not a bad thing: the files are relatively small and there are also cheap and fast card readers. A suitable micro USB cable is included.
A normal functioning camera after all
With the Kodak FZ45 it is possible to take a reasonably sharp picture - even with zoom. I emphasise this because there are cameras in this price range where this is not the case. The cheap cameras often have a «digital zoom», which is a nicer way of saying that the lens cannot zoom. Sometimes lenses are also used that are usually installed in mobile phones - but without the software of mobile phones, which corrects many weaknesses.
The camera has a macro function for photographing small objects up close. However, this only works at wide angle. Without the macro function, you have to maintain a distance of between 20 and 70 centimetres to be able to focus, depending on the zoom.
The colours do not always match. A brown tree trunk can sometimes turn purple. This can be corrected: by white balancing during the shoot or afterwards on the computer. However, most people who use such a camera probably don't even know what white balance is. As usual, there is no RAW format for such cameras.
The camera records videos in Full HD at 30 frames per second; the zoom can be used during recording. However, the image quality is anything but good, and as the camera has no image stabiliser, video recordings are blurred without a tripod, especially when you zoom in. Despite all the criticism, I have to say that we're talking about a camera that costs less than 100 francs at times. For the price, that's fine.
In a nutshell
OK for the price
Everything on the camera works as it should and there are no bumps in operation. Both are not a matter of course in this price range. The value for money is fine: you get little, but you also pay little. As a gift for a child, the camera is worth considering - at least more so than the disastrous Agfaphoto DC5200 or the disappointing Easypix V64 Flip.
Pro
- favourable
- Correct camera lens with optical zoom
- Logical operation
- Macro function
Contra
- Modest photo and video quality
- microUSB
- slow autofocus
- No optical image stabiliser
- no RAW
David Lee
Senior Editor
David.Lee@digitecgalaxus.chMy interest in IT and writing landed me in tech journalism early on (2000). I want to know how we can use technology without being used. Outside of the office, I’m a keen musician who makes up for lacking talent with excessive enthusiasm.
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