Unedited photograph from my digital camera
I love my Nikon DSLR camera. Since I purchased it, it’s been one of my favorite things to use to take photographs of special events, moments, and memories that I want to capture for years to come. However, it’s pretty large and clunky, so I’ve been looking for a small camera that I can carry in a bag, but isn’t my iPhone camera (the iPhone 14 camera isn’t that great, to be honest). I wanted something that I could bring with me every day and use to snap photographs whenever the moment arose. It didn’t need to have as high of picture quality as my DSLR, but something I could take photographs of randomly on my way to work or just spend time out with loved ones.
The thing is, as a millennial, I’ve owned a digital camera before. I cannot remember the exact model of it, but I believe it was a Cannon. Either way, digital cameras aren’t new to me. I remember using the digital camera that I once owned to snap photographs while I was out at events, parties, or dinners and then uploading all of the photographs I took from that night, without editing or reviewing them, to an album on Facebook that I probably titled “Fun Night at Dave’s” or something cheesy but incredibly specific like that. We’d tag all of our friends who were there or tell them to tag themselves, reminiscing on what a fun night it was. I guess the “photo dumps” we now see online are pretty reminiscent of that.
While I can’t say that I miss uploading 100+ photographs each time I go out, I do miss the freedom of being able to snap and go. Sure, our mobile phones have evolved to the point where we can do the same thing, but I’ve still found myself wanting a smaller camera that I could take without having to take my phone out. Also, to be honest, I missed the random, unedited quality of smaller digital cameras. I miss posting photographs sometimes and not caring about their color composition or if they match with a particular feed. There’s something special about just taking a photograph and keeping it moving as opposed to overthinking it and I remember digital cameras providing that sort of photography experience for me. Maybe also we just didn’t care about that kind of thing when I was growing up. I mean, we are the generation that used those horrible Instagram filters when it first started.
When I heard about the Kodak PIXPRO camera, I immediately loved the kind of photographs that it produced and the reviews seemed to share the same. The photographs could be as crisp or as sharp as you wanted them to be, or as blurry and nostalgic if that’s your aesthetic or desire. After some back and forth (because I am still planning on getting a film camera to add to my camera collection), I decided that I would give it a shot myself to see whether it met my needs.
I Purchased The Kodak Pixipro. Here’s What I Thought of It
FIRST THOUGHTS
“Wow, this is small,” were the first words I uttered when I opened the package and saw the camera.
This isn’t a bad thing because I wanted a camera that was smaller than my Nikon DSLR, but this almost camera fits into my palm and I wasn’t used to that. Holding it suddenly made it feel more fragile and I remember thinking that I immediately needed to try to find a camera case for it.
I loved the look and while I would’ve gotten a different color, I decided to get the black because it shipped faster and I thought it would be easier to find accessories that matched for it. It’s small, but it’s sleek and shiny. It comes with a cable to use to upload your photographs onto your computer and a strap to attach the camera, so you can securely carry it on your wrist.
It didn’t take me long from the moment I opened it and put the strap on it to begin testing it to see what the photographs were like.
The Mechanics
Like digital cameras I’ve owned before, there are different settings on it such as a nighttime setting, but there’s also a beauty setting that adds a little bit of blur to your face to hide any impurities on it that you may not want to be seen on camera. I hear from the reviews that this is one of their favorite features on the camera.
There’s a flash on it, which is nice and helps to aid in having photographs that are clear and sharp as opposed to blurry. I will say that when I’ve tried to take shots up close, it’s been difficult to get it to focus which can sometimes cause the photograph to come out blurry – especially if the background I’m photographing is very light. I will likely have to play around with the settings a bit to try to make that work because I am used to my DSLR’s zoom feature being one that I could either set on auto or manual. This one you kind of have to play around with the shutter button a little before fully clicking it to try to get it to focus the way you want, but it isn’t quite as good, in my opinion so far, as focusing on the an up-close subject without a lot of patience. That said though, there are a lot of really cool features on it that make it easier to use for a first-timer and would make a great starter camera.
I haven’t experienced this myself, but I hear it’s best to put it on the 3-photo setting because it has a slow shutter and sometimes that can cause photographs to be blurry, depending on the environment. I also read that sometimes if you take too many photographs at once, it’ll begin to slow down and take a while for the next photograph to take.
What I Thought of the Photo Quality
I liked it! Is it as good as my Nikon DSLR? No, but I did not purchase it, expecting that it would be. That being said, for a digital camera of its size, the quality is not terrible and I think once you play around with the settings on it, you’ll be able to get some good shots according to what you’re hoping to get out of it.
I get the most use out of the standard setting at this moment, but I am excited to play around with the other settings, depending on the setting or environment we are in. As someone who loves photography, I honestly enjoy having cameras that I can use for different settings or reasons, so I am looking forward to carrying this camera around with me to begin snapping photographs of things as the inspiration strikes.
WOULD YOU RECOMMEND IT?
I like it! I’d recommend it if you’re looking for an alternative to using your phone camera all of the time because you’re hoping to disconnect from your phone a bit. I also think it’s convenient to have a smaller camera that you can bring with you anywhere that can take pretty good pictures. It may not be as good as DSLR quality and I consider my DSLR to be more reliable, but the quality is still pretty great and I’ve liked the pictures I’ve taken on my camera so far. If you’re looking for a camera that’s small enough to carry around, this may be one you’d be interested in checking out.
