My first proper camera was a compact digital camera that I took everywhere with me. Something about the simplicity of such a camera makes me happy and fills me with nostalgia. And if you’re looking for one of the best cheap cameras in today’s world, the Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 should be on your radar.
This camera is waterproof, shockproof, dustproof and its ease-of-use make it foolproof too. It’s compact and portable, making it great for adventures, and it takes surprisingly good photos and videos too with a decent battery life. For $179, it could be yours — as long as you’re okay with subpar low-light performance and a basic feature set.
For the complete breakdown, read my full Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 review.
Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 review: Specs
Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 review: Cheat sheet
- What is it? A compact digital camera that’s waterproof, dustproof and shockproof
- Who is it for? For people looking for a cheap, portable camera to take on adventures
- How much does it cost? The Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 is available for $179 / £149
- What do we like? Its ruggedness, compact size and portability, decent battery life, and the fact that it takes surprisingly good photos and videos
- What don’t we like? Low-light performance is subpar and the feature set is very basic
Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 review: Price & availability
The Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 has a retail price of $179 at Amazon U.S. / £149 at Amazon U.K. and it’s available in yellow, red and blue colorways. We’ve also seen it drop to as low as $137 at Amazon U.S. For a compact camera of its caliber, this is reasonably priced. There are cheaper cameras available, like the Kodak PIXPRO FZ45 ($99) and the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W800 ($100) but neither of them are as rugged as the PIXPRO WPZ2.
Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 review: Design & build quality
The Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 is one of the most rugged cameras I’ve used. Its body is made of hard plastic and it’s the perfect camera for outdoorsy adventures. It is waterproof up to 15m/49ft and it’s fully dust-sealed against fine and solid particles too. It’s also shockproof and can take a beating, even if it’s dropped from 2m/6ft. I dropped the camera into a filled kitchen sink and it suffered no damage. Similarly, I dropped it from above my head (I’m 5’6”) onto a cobblestone path and again, no damage done. Aces!
It’s a very portable camera, measuring just 4.06 x 2.62 x 2.06 inches, so I could easily slip it into my pocket. It’s quite light too, weighing 6.21 ounces, which makes it comfortable to hold in one hand. You could even clip it onto your backpack or belt loop and not feel weighed down.
On the camera’s underside, you’ll find the USB-C slot for charging, the battery and microSD card compartments. The cover locks into place well thanks to two locking mechanisms, ensuring these parts remain safe underwater. It’s important to note that the PIXPRO WPZ2 comes with a measly 8MB internal storage so you’ll definitely need to get a memory card.
Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 review: Controls
The Kodak PIZPRO WPZ2 is an easy camera to use, with a well-laid-out control scheme. You’ll find the power button and the shutter/record button on the top plate. The shutter button gives good tactile feedback when pressed.
All other controls sit next to the LCD screen on the back. These include the zoom in and out buttons, a mode button to switch between manual, auto, waterproof, etc., and there’s another record button here.
Navigation buttons to cycle through different settings also double as the display, flash, macro and delete buttons. You’ll find the playback and photo editing buttons under the navigation wheel. I had no problem getting to grips with the camera. All my button presses were quick to register, too.
Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 review: Lens & viewfinder
The Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 is fitted with a 27-108mm lens (35mm film equivalent) with two focusing ranges: 60cm-∞ for wide-angle shots and 100cm-∞ for telephoto shots. The camera has a 4x optical and a 6x digital zoom, giving you a 24x combined zoom. Much like other compact digital cameras, the PIXPRO WPZ2 doesn’t have a viewfinder. It’s fitted with a 2.7-inch color LCD screen with 230,000 pixels. The LCD screen is a little slow to respond but it’s not too bad, and framing shots with it is easy.
The PIXPRO WPZ2 also has an f/2 aperture for wide shots and f/6.6 aperture for tele shots. Its f/2 aperture is decent for low-light situations but not fantastic, as you’ll soon see.
Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 review: Image quality
The Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 utilizes a 16.35MP 1/2.3-inch BSI CMOS sensor, and while images aren’t as detailed and sharp as the best mirrorless cameras, they’re good enough — especially for the price.
16MP isn’t a lot of resolution so images aren’t hugely detailed, but will satisfy photographers seeking that retro aesthetic. You can see a few examples above, taken on a misty day in Bath, U.K. I love the photo of the leaves where you can see the reflection of the trees in the puddle — it’s fairly detailed as you can clearly make out the leaves’ veins.
I really like how colors are faithfully reproduced in the photos taken with the PIXPRO WPZ2, as you can see in the photos above. In the first photo where the pigeon is posing, the teal and purple shades on its neck have come out great, and the pigeon itself is in focus with a slight background blur. Similarly, I like the contrasting shades of greens and reds in the second photo. The plants appear sharp too and the PIXPRO WPZ2’s AF has done a good job of keeping most elements in focus, especially in such a busy image.
The PIXPRO WPZ2’s autofocus system obviously isn’t as advanced as that of cameras today, and you can see how it struggles to keep up with the swimming cygnet in the first photo. The image is slightly blurred as the cygnet was moving but the image isn’t terrible per se. The swan’s head in the second image is very slightly blurred too but again, the photo has still turned out nice.
The 24x combined zoom will come handy in some situations but bear in mind that you’ll lose a lot of fine detail, as you would with any digital zoom camera — even my Google Pixel 7 Pro can’t handle images shot at full digital zoom. The photos above demonstrate this. The first was shot with the 4x optical zoom and the second with the 24x zoom. As you can see in the second photo, the swan is pixelated to the point that the image isn’t usable. The camera features digital image stabilization to help reduce camera shake but it isn’t enough at the highest zoom. Check out our optical versus digital zoom guide to find out more about different zoom types.
The PIXPRO WPZ2’s low-light performance isn’t anything to write home about, as you can see in the photos above. The camera adjusts the shutter speed and aperture manually. The second photo of the flowers is very blurry as the camera doesn’t show you how long or short the shutter speed is, which can lead to camera shake, so it’ll take some trial and error. With the flash on, low-light performance improves, as can be seen in the third photo. The colors have come out nice and you can see droplets on the leaves too.
Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 review: Video quality
If you want a camera that shoots decent video clips, you’ll be happy with the Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2. It can shoot 1080P video at 30fps so it isn’t great but it isn’t terrible either. You can see some sample footage above. The camera is fairly quick to focus on the swans when the scene changes, and you can see the finer details too, like water dripping from the swans’ beaks. The audio is quite good too, as you can hear birds tweeting in the distance and the movement of the water. Towards the end, you can see how the combined 24x zoom works too. Finer details are lost and the footage starts to appear grainy but that’s to be expected.
Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 review: Battery life
The Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 is fitted with a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery with a CIPA rating of 200 shots or 70 minutes of 1080P/30fps recording. For a camera of its (small) stature, this is respectable battery life and I wouldn’t expect more. Battery life will depend on usage conditions and in my testing, the camera died after 189 shots — not bad at all.
Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 review: Verdict
If you’re looking for a no-frills camera that lets you shoot in practically any condition, then the Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 will be right up your street. It’s waterproof, dustproof and shockproof, and it takes surprisingly good images during the daytime. Its 1080P/30fps video capabilities aren’t bad either and should satisfy most shooters. It has a decent battery life and its small form factor makes it a great travel companion. However, its low-light performance isn’t fantastic, and its feature set is very basic.
But for $179, you get a rugged camera that can survive drops and dips in the pool — and the PIXPRO WPZ2 could be great for your next adventure.
