Kodak’s press release for CES 2009 (Consumer Electronics Show) appears to have leaked out onto the web a few days early, revealing a number of interesting items to be introduced by Kodak in the coming days.

Kodak has introduced two new point and shoot cameras and one pocket-sized HD video camera.  The Kodak Z980 is a 12 megapixel sensor and a whopping 24x optical zoom.  Of course, the Z980 also offers much needed image stabilization for its extended focal length.  This spec-heavy superzoom will run $399 retail when it releases.

The Kodak M380 is a more affordable 10 megapixel camera with a 5x optical zoom and 2.7″ LCD screen.  The M380 is available in black, red and teal for a retail price of $179.

The Kodak Zx1 is a competitor to the Flip-series cameras (Read Photography Bay’s Flip MinoHD Review).  The Zx1 features 720p capture at 60fps.  Like the Flip cameras, the Zx1 includes software to enable easy uploads to YouTube.  It is also SD card compatible for sizes up 32GB, which will result in recording times up to 10 hours.  If its performance lives up to its specs, the Zx1 will be a bargain at $149.95. [Read more…]