Polaroid has never been on my radar as a photography enthusiast. While I had a film camera back in the day, I never really used it much. The only thing I can remember about the camera was that it was blue and had a fixed lens (birthday present). However, I do recognize the popularity of Polaroid’s old instant cameras. They were and still are popular with many people because they provided a unique and instantly gratifying experience.
 |
| Enter stage left, the Polaroid Z340 Instant Digital Camera. |
I’ll say it’s about time Polaroid takes the obvious step of making an instant camera for the current era. Looking at a retail price of $300 it is within reach of many people. It’s a good thing they tried to keep the price down by presumably making most of their profit on consumables. So if the camera eventually gets around $200 I think it will have a good chance at becoming popular, not considering if it will work as advertised.
What does the camera have going for it?
- Nostalgia. That’s probably a big one for many people.
- Instant tactile gratification in one package. Says it prints in under a minute, which isn’t bad. The consumable also sounds very convenient as it is just a simple paper with embedded coloring material.
- A simple yet fun style of photography. Opens up many social possibilities.
- The benefits of a standard digital camera with 14mp sensor and SD card slot.
I’d like to see one in person eventually to see how well it works. The one issue I see of the bat is the battery only lasts for 25 prints, but considering the cost of around 70 cents per print that probably isn’t a problem.