Kodak Pixpro FZ152 Reviewed
On initial glance, the Kodak Pixpro FZ152 camera is a great value offering with neat features and a decent specification. This particular Pixpro boasts 16 megapixels with 15x optical zoom, HD video recording and a large LCD screen. However, having tested it, we aren’t so sure it is worth the £99.99 price tag and the unit is riddled with some basic issues. Here are the pros and cons of this budget camera…
Pros: Sleek styling and solid build
Picking up the Pixpro FZ152 there is a good weight, a feeling of solid construction and a decent balance to the camera in the hand. A dark black finish with black grip elements is neatly designed, therefore giving us good first impressions.
Cons: Low resolution screen
The screen also has potential – large, LCD and with a vari-angle output, we were excited to see how images looks. Unfortunately, the screen simply has too low a resolution to convey images in all their glory. Too low-res that you can barely take advantage of all the detail captured via a 16mp camera.
Cons: Auto focusing needs work and image quality suffers
For us, the inability to achieve a consistent focus with the camera’s auto-focus really, really lets it down. Focussing just seems to take forever and multiple attempts are usually required to achieve any semblance of stability. The on-board image stabiliser does very little to assist the final result and changing from single point to multi-point focus doesn’t seem to help either. The final image quality therefore suffers greatly!
When taking an image it seems as though the cameras struggles with the basics thanks to an underperforming auto-focus, which is really disappointing. This is an issue which plagues all of the cameras image taking functions, from zoomed images to macro style images. Plus, it doesn’t improve in highly lit situations either. Sometimes the focus failed to work altogether and the image is left blurry, even when settings are altered.
There is an array of automatic scene selections on offer with this camera, which gives you the choice of Beach, Children, Fireworks, Landscape, Museum, Night, Night landscape, Night portrait, Panorama, Portrait, Snow, Sports, Sunset. However, as you may expect with a low cost camera, that is just about where the customisation ends. No real shocker here, as it is after all only £99.99.
Undecided: Optical Zoom
The optical zoom is a healthy 15x. For us, this is one of the main reasons you would look at purchasing a compact camera. In a world where we take most of our images with smartphones, this element really has to work well. On the occasions we could muster a focussed photo (focus issues being a big problem here), the final image did show clarity and sharpness from distance. Just what you need! It’s just a shame it sometimes took a lot of coercing for the camera to yield a focussed image.
Pros: Video recording
Video recording capabilities are good! The camera offers 720p recording which is smooth, sharp and clear. The built in mic provides solid sound to compliment the visuals here.
Cons: Battery life
Our experience with the battery life was quite a strange one. On some occasions a full charge would lend us enough power for an extended period of use. Others, we would only be able to achieve 50+ shots with some image tinkering time thrown in.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, this camera’s auto-focus seriously lets it down and makes it extremely frustrating to use! It’s just too inconsistent in this area and really takes the fun out of the point and shoot nature of Kodak’s other cameras. Yes, it is low cost and the build is relatively good, but there are just too many issues for us to recommend it. The optical zoom is the only benefit we can see over using a smartphone camera, yet even this suffers as a result of the focus issues. If we had to give it a score out of 5, it would be a reluctant 2.
The Kodak Pixpro FZ152 was reviewed on a trial basis and no payment was received.
