Kodak M381

Kodak M381 is Kodak's Ultracompact camera first revealed on July of 2009. It includes a 12 MegaPixel, CCD 1/2.3" sized sensor and has a full resolution of 4000 x 3000.

The M381 is positioned #134 out of 151 in Ultracompact cameras & overall #1224 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our collection. Please use our Smart camera filter to see camera rankings based on your custom criteria.

Here is a chart of specific factors used in the rating system.

The Kodak M381 is part of a family of digital cameras. You can view the complete range below.

You can check the M381 from various angles in the gallery underneath.

Below is a list of benefits and drawbacks of the Kodak M381 based on factors that are usually regarded as useful in a camera.

The sensor specification on the Kodak M381 is 6.08mm x 4.56mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor is able to capture 4000 x 3000 pixels and aspect ratios of 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9.

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The CCD sensor has 12MP and features a native ISO range of 64 to 1600. Sadly, RAW format is not supported which means that you have less room to maneuver in post.

The image below illustrates the M381's sensor dimensions compared to other common sizes. The M381 sensor has a crop factor of 5.9 and is shown in green.

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To get a sense of various aspect ratios, you can refer to the visual below.

Kodak M381 is 0.34 lb (153 gr or 5.40 oz) & has exterior measurements of 101mm x 60mm x 20mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8"). The weight of average Ultracompact camera is 121 gr and the Kodak M381 is weightier when compared to its competitors.

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Listed below is a photo of the Kodak M381 alongside a softdrink so you can get a feel for its scale.

The top view directly below will provide the button arrangement on the M381.

The M381 houses a built-in lens featuring a focal range of 35-175mm making it a 5.0 x zoom which is not at all ideal nevertheless it will be useful in certain conditions.

At the widest 35mm, it has an aperture of f3.0 making it kind of slow and not the best for low light conditions and you will find it difficult to get good bokeh. You will likely also need to increase the ISO causing noisy photographs. For the tele end, 175mm comes at f4.8 making it really sluggish and you would need to choose slow shutter speeds.

The M381 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes

Digital cameras that come with NFC or Bluetooth connectivity can easily be used wirelessly with smartphones. You can easily copy photos and sometimes change camera settings with no need to connect straight to the camera.

Some applications even allow a Liveview and release the shutter when you are not close to the camera. If the camera contains a HDMI port, it could be connected to an external display. The majority of cameras will allow you to charge the battery pack through the USB socket.

The highest possible video resolution on the Kodak M381 is 640 x 480 and you can shoot in Motion JPEG format. 480p is awful for today's standards. You should really shoot for a minimum FUll HD resolution for good video. The camera does not offer a microphone or headphone socket which means you have got little control over the sound. It is probably a better idea to find another camera in case you need good sound for your video clips.

Kodak M381 does not include environment proofing so wet conditions could affect the camera.

The Kodak M381 includes a 3" fixed display supporting a resolution of 230k dots.

Please be aware that the display screen has no touch support.

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The View Finder details for Kodak M381 are as follows:

• ViewFinder None

Viewfinders are pretty useful during bright outdoor situations which can easily make the camera display washed out and hard to see.

The highest shutter speed is 1/1400 seconds.

Kodak M381 has only built-in flash lacking external flash support.

Kodak M381 has just Contrast Based AF & doesn't have Phase Detect AF. Phase Detection autofocusing is a lot faster and precise when compared to Contrast Based autofocusing.

Kodak M381 has not got manual focusing. Manual focusing option can be useful during low light scenarios or you want more precise control on focus.

The average Ultracompact camera battery life is 214. Nikon L32 has got the best (320) battery life within this kind of cameras.

Underneath is a listing of Ultracompact cameras that have the highest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Nikon L32
M381 vs L32320 nonono

Olympus TG-870
M381 vs TG-870300 nonono

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Panasonic FP5
M381 vs FP5260 nonono

Sony TX20
M381 vs TX20250 nonono

Sony TX55
M381 vs TX55250 nonono

The following bar chart indicates a rundown of the Kodak M381 for varying styles of photography. To learn more, go to the specific paragraph below.

The Kodak M381 gets a points tally of 21 which is subpar, meaning that it is simply not good to use for portraits. Taking portraits leans heavily to sensor specs, RAW support along with the flexibility to work with off-camera flash.

With a moderate rating of 47, the Kodak M381 is somewhat suitable to buy for street photography. A good street photography camera offers a good balance of picture quality plus portability.

A subpar sports photography points total of 17 indicates the Kodak M381 is simply not good for shooting sports. A camera really should have good focusing plus fast shutter speeds for sports photography.

Portability is super crucial in buying a camera for travel. In general, the Kodak M381 gets a reasonable 50 for a travel camera which makes it reasonably adequate to take with you on your travels.

If you're planning to purchase a camera for landscape photos, the most essential aspect will no doubt be image quality. The Kodak M381 at it's subpar grade of 28 for a landscape camera is simply not good among it's competition.

A vlogging camera ought to posses a articulating display, microphone input and ideally image stabilization. Considering all things, the Kodak M381 is simply not good for vlogging as it delivers a subpar score of 22.

If you are in the market for alternatives to the M381, below is a range of the top placed cameras that fall within the family of Ultracompact.

The line graph below gives you a bird's eye view of the M381 versus it's top rated rivals listed earlier.

Following are several cameras you may have a look at as alternate options. To read a thorough comparison, click the "compare" link.