The retro tech craze has brought back cheap digicams – and some of the most iconic names in photography. A key example? Nearly half of the top ten best-selling cameras on Amazon Japan and Amazon US are Kodak-branded cameras right now.
While Eastman Kodak is alive and well and still producing film, digital cameras that carry the Kodak name come from a variety of manufacturers that license the Kodak name and not the New York-based brand that first created the point-and-shoot with the phrase “You push the button, we do the rest.”
The nostalgic tech and compact camera craze has proven to work particularly well for cameras carrying the Kodak name. The 1.6 MP Kodak Charmera went so viral at launch that stock was severely limited, while cameras like the Kodak PixPro FZ55 have continued to hit best-seller lists for mixing an affordable price point with a compact design and 5x optical zoom.
While Kodak is arguably one of the most well-known camera brands originating from the US, Kodak digicams have also done particularly well in Japan. The region housing key brands like Canon, Sony, Nikon, Fujifilm, and Ricoh is particularly fond of Kodak compact cameras based on Amazon’s best-seller lists.
According to Amazon Japan, the top ten best-selling cameras right now include the Kodak Pixpro FZ55 – which is on the list twice, once alone and once in a kit with a case and memory card – the Kodak PixPro C1 and the Kodak Charmera.
Other brands don’t come in until after the top four, but compact cameras like the OM System Tough TG-7, Canon IXY 650 (which is the PowerShot ELPh 360 HS and IXUS 285 in other regions), Canon PowerShot SX740, and Ricoh WG-80 also make the top ten.
The Kodak FZ55, Kodak Charmera, and Canon PowerShot ELPH 360 HS A also make the top ten on Amazon’s US best-seller list, but the Kodak FZ45 sits in the number one spot, and the retro PixPro C1 doesn’t come in until number 15.
Amazon’s best-seller lists tend to lean more towards affordable consumer cameras, where photography speciality stores tend to have more pro-level gear and mirrorless cameras on their best-seller charts. But the data from the world’s largest online retailer makes it clear – Kodak digicams are in high demand.
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