Kodak PIXPRO AZ401 Review: A $170 Superzoom That Still Makes Sense in a Smartphone World
Smartphones have made dedicated cameras unnecessary for a lot of people. Pull out your phone, tap the shutter, and computational photography handles much of the work. But one simple problem can still get expensive to solve on a phone: getting genuinely close to something that is far away. That is where the Kodak PIXPRO AZ401 still makes sense — a budget superzoom that puts serious telephoto reach in a camera that costs less than many phone cases.
Kodak PIXPRO describes the AZ401 as one of its best sellers, which is notable because there is little about this camera that looks cutting-edge in 2026. It has a 16.15-megapixel 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor, records video at up to 720p, runs on AA batteries, and supports SD/SDHC cards up to 32GB. Kodak lists it at a $169.99 MSRP. Those specifications sound dated — but the AZ401 has one feature that remains easy to understand: a 40x optical zoom lens.
The lens covers a 24-960mm equivalent focal range. At the wide end, 24mm works for landscapes, groups, buildings, and vacation photos. Zoom all the way in and 960mm gives you serious reach for subjects you cannot physically approach: zoo animals, birds in the backyard, distant landmarks, or architectural details across the street. The 40x optical range comes from the lens changing focal length, and Kodak also lists up to 4x digital zoom for a claimed 160x combined maximum. Optical image stabilization is included, which matters because camera movement becomes more noticeable at long focal lengths — though it does not guarantee a sharp photograph at 960mm. Shutter speed, lighting, subject movement, and technique still matter.
The AZ401 also provides something different from shooting entirely on a phone: conventional camera controls. Physical buttons, dials, and a viewfinder-style shooting experience give it a deliberate, camera-like feel that many users find more satisfying than an on-screen interface, and the AA battery requirement is a feature in disguise — you can always find AAs anywhere in the world, which makes this a practical travel companion. The trade-offs are real: the small sensor struggles in low light, 720p video is firmly retro, and the autofocus will not match a modern phone's speed. Compared with a current smartphone, the AZ401 loses on sensor quality, video, and convenience; compared with an interchangeable-lens superzoom setup costing five times as much, it wins on simplicity and price.
For casual photographers who want one camera that reaches across a stadium or a canyon without a second lens purchase, the AZ401 remains an easy-to-understand proposition. It will not replace your phone for daily shots — but it will get the shot your phone cannot.