Kodak has just launched a point-and-shoot camera for casual users at a very “universal” price point, and it is worth noting that the features and image quality of the EasyShare C142.
The compact Kodak EasyShare C142, smooth rounded and crimped round edges, is suitable for women.
Battery powered AA and SD cards are popular.
The right side of the machine is a USB connection to the computer. The Kodak EasyShare feature is, as its name suggests, easy to share with social networks like YouTube, Facebook…..
The face on the machine is quite simple, the buttons are relatively large and sensitive. However, the overall design is not yet delicate in every way.
The 2.5″ LCD screen is light, but the size is slightly smaller than most current cameras. The buttons are neatly designed, noting the black buttons along the right LCD. Quite convenient access.
Enclosed is a manual, 2x AA batteries and cables connected to the computer.
Kodak Easyshare C142 10 MP Digital Camera with 3xOptical Zoom and 2.5-Inch LCD (Blue): Buy it now
Kodak Easyshare C142 10 MP Digital Camera with 3xOptical Zoom and 2.5-Inch LCD (Red): Buy it now
Kodak EasyShare C142 10MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and 2.5 Inch LCD (Silver): Buy it now
Design and Build
The C142 is plastic, not metal — Kodak clearly went for light and simple over premium feel. It’s small: 95 x 60 x 24mm, about 115 grams, the kind of thing you forget is in your pocket.
The rounded shape sits well in the hand. Mode dial on the right side, playback and menu buttons within easy reach on the back — nothing here requires you to know anything about photography going in.
The 2.7-inch LCD is only 230,000 pixels, low by today’s standards, but good enough for framing a shot and checking menus. Indoors it’s fine. Take it into direct sun and it starts to wash out.
The lens is a 3x zoom, 35-105mm equivalent, f/3.1 wide narrowing to f/5.2 at telephoto. It won’t help you after dark, but for portraits, landscapes, everyday snapshots, it covers what most people shoot anyway.
Performance
The 12-megapixel CCD sensor is small next to what higher-end cameras carry, but enough for casual shots — print up to 8×10 and the detail still holds. Push the ISO and both noise and quality start to slip.
Kodak’s processing engine moves at a decent pace for capture and menus, though it lags behind newer cameras.
Autofocus is contrast-detection — fine for still subjects, slower than phase-detection, and it starts to miss once something moves or the light gets low.
Otherwise it’s full auto, a few scene modes (portrait, landscape, night portrait), and some manual tweaks for exposure compensation, white balance, ISO.
In good light, photos come out with decent detail and accurate color. Push the ISO and things get noisier and softer — low light is clearly not this camera’s strength.
Video caps at VGA, 640 x 480 at 30fps — basic even when this camera was new, and it looks dated next to anything shooting 1080p or 4K now. The mic gets the job done for casual clips.
Battery life is enough for a normal day of shooting. Plan on heavy use or a lot of video and you’ll want a spare.
Other Features
Everything about this camera is built around not making you think — labeled buttons, a simple menu, a mode dial you can figure out on the first try.
It’s part of Kodak’s EasyShare line, so sharing is baked in: USB to a computer or printer, and the EasyShare software takes care of organizing and uploading from there.
Scene modes for portrait, landscape, sports, night — each one adjusts settings automatically so you don’t need to think about the technical side.
There’s a self-timer for group shots, and continuous shooting for anything moving fast or a moment you don’t want to miss.
The built-in flash covers close-ups and shadow fill, with auto, red-eye reduction, and fill flash modes.
A few in-camera effects — black and white, sepia, a couple others — for playing with looks without needing separate software.
Storage is SD/SDHC only, no internal memory, so you need a card from day one. At least those cards are cheap and everywhere.
Bottom Line
It’s small, genuinely easy to use, takes fine casual photos, has a flash, and shares to a computer without any fuss. Low light is where it falls apart, video is stuck at VGA, there’s no viewfinder, and manual control is limited even by the standards of its time.
If you want a camera that just works for snapshots — nothing to configure, nothing to think about — the C142 does that job fine. Anyone chasing image quality or video should look elsewhere.
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Tech Reviewer & Product Analyst
Định Bia has spent over 10 years testing consumer electronics with a focus on smart technology. He work as a product advisor at Biareview where he helped customers find the right devices for their needs. He personally tests every product featured on this site using a consistent evaluation framework covering quality, durability, and value. All reviews are based on experience, not influenced by the manufacturer.