Kodak’s 65x zoom ‘bridge’ camera is back – but I’m not about to take it on safari

• Kodak's latest 'bridge' camera packs a 65x zoom and 1-inch macro focusing
• It adds USB-C charging to its 7-year-old predecessor
• It is expected to go on sale in April for $450 / £350 (around AU$675)

Today's Kodak – as in the third party who has licensed the legendary name — specializes in blast-from-the-past tech. Case in point, the 'new' PixPro AZ653 bridge camera, which follows the PixPro AZ652 from 2019.

(Most of) its specs look too good to be true — a stabilized 65x optical zoom that covers everything from wide-angle landscapes to distant wildlife, 1cm macro focusing, 20MP stills, DSLR-style handling and an articulated screen — all for just $450 / £350.

This is an affordable do-it-all camera, except for one important part — quality. Like most bridge cameras (with few exceptions such as the Sony Cyber-Shot RX10 IV), it packs a tiny 1/2.3-inch sensor — the type you get in cheap smartphones, which means image quality is lacking.

In bright light, highlights will blow out and shadows lack depth. In low light, detail will be mushy. It's the price you pay for such versatility, and personally it's not a compromise I'd be willing to take for a special vacation like a safari, where I'd want the best possible quality.

That said, the overall package, especially considering the price, could be worth it for general use. And now Kodak has released this newer version which adds USB-C charging to bring the series up to date, even if the other features are now considered dated.

I'm a little disappointed there are no other upgrades — for example, the PixPro AZ653's video recording tops out at Full HD (so no 4K), while burst shooting is only up to 5fps.

For sure, it's the 65x zoom lens, spanning 24-1560mm focal lengths, which is the big sell, and along with the price I expect it'll be a popular camera.

Still worth it?

So-called bridge cameras are named because they 'bridge' the gap between compact cameras and DSLRs. They are bulky do-it-all 'compact' cameras with one important catch — a compromise in image quality.

They very much had their heyday in the 2000's, but 20 years later the market is a shadow of its former self – my best bridge cameras guide now has just three entries, one of which was recently discontinued.

That said, when Nikon relaunched its own take last year, the Coolpix P1100 with its 125x zoom, it got plenty of interest, despite its much steeper price tag.

Panasonic got in on the act in 2024 by refreshing its own affordable bridge camera, the Lumix FZ80D / FZ82D, which also modernized the series with USB-C charging, but otherwise features dated tech.

The surprise for me is how close the Lumix model is in price to Kodak's, and given it shoots 4K video (albeit with a lesser 60x zoom), it feels like the better pick of the two. For context, we gave that underwhelming Lumix camera a 2.5 star rating.

Kodak says its PixPro AZ653 will hit stores in April.

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