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You may think of a Polaroid as an outdated camera that your parents used to use. However, instant cameras continue to enjoy enduring popularity for their ease of use and convenient image creation. There is something about watching a picture emerge from a camera body that is always fun and exciting no matter how old you are. A tangible picture is much more of a treasured memento than you’ll ever create by attaching a digital file to an email. In this article, we will provide a Polaroid Snap review to inform you as to what is going on in the world of instant cameras.
Comparison Table
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Polaroid Snap Review: What Is the Polaroid Snap?
Our Polaroid Snap review found that the Snap is a fun, compact camera that combines the best features of an instant camera with the technology of a modern digital camera. The Snap measures 1 by 4.72 by 3 inches, making it much smaller than a typical instant camera. The camera has six picture modes and a variety of filters so you can add an artistic touch when you’re out shooting. The Snap also comes in a variety of colors including black, blue, navy blue, pink, purple, red, and white.
Product Specs
The camera has a 10MP image sensor which creates a good quality image. There is also a Micro SD slot so you can create both a print and a digital copy of your photos. The camera prints 2 by 3-inch images in about one minute. The images are water and tear-resistant and have a sticky back so you can apply them everywhere. Imagine meeting a new person and instead of scribbling your number on a napkin, you take an instant selfie and then write your name on the image. That’s just one of many fun ideas you can use with the Polaroid Snap.
Pricing
The pricing of the products we looked at for our Polaroid Snap review ranged from $50 to $99. Some cameras used instant film, and some used photo paper. When determining the best camera for you, always evaluate the printing cost per photo. Expect photos from an instant camera to be slightly more expensive than those you print from photo printers. More expensive cameras had features like a Micro SD slot and artistic shooting modes.
How It Compares
For our Polaroid Snap review, we evaluated the Snap in the context of several other instant cameras and portable printers that are currently available. We looked at the ease of use of each model we tested along with the design quality, price, and warranty information. The other products that we used for our Polaroid Snap review were:
- Fujifilm Instax Mini 9
- Canon IVY
- Kodak Mini Shot
Polaroid Snap
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Ease of Use
This camera is very easy to use, all you have to do is point and shoot. The camera ejects a picture every time you take a shot, so expect to waste a few sheets of photo paper as you get started and learn how the camera functions. Other cameras in the Polaroid line include an LCD display so you can preview the images you want to print. The Snap does not have that feature, but this is a very inexpensive camera that allows you a lot of fun.
Design Quality
The Polaroid Snap addresses the corrects the biggest issue for instant cameras, that being their awkward size. This camera is small enough to stick into your pocket, and the images it produces are very good. It’s nice to have a digital copy of every picture you take which is an upgrade from most instant cameras. The photo paper is inexpensive compared to other instant cameras, but we found that the image quality wasn’t quite as good. Also, the 2 by 3-inch sizing is very small. However, the paper does not tear easily, and we liked the sticky back feature. For the price, this is a very good performing camera.
Warranty
The Polaroid Snap comes with a one-year limited warranty.
Fujifilm Instax Mini 9
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The Fujifilm Instax Mini-9 instant camera is a kind of odd-shaped, inexpensive instant camera. The body measures 3 by 5 by 5.5 inches, making it approximately the same size as a large coffee cup. The pastel coloration and grip are like what you’d expect on a child’s toy. The camera comes in several colors including cobalt blue, ice blue, flamingo pink, lime green, and smokey white.
The camera takes two AA batteries and creates an image that is 2.4 by 1.8 inches, or about the size of a credit card. The image takes from three to four minutes to print. There is no memory card slot to store your pictures after they print. No film is included with the purchase price of the camera.
Ease of Use
This is an easy-to-use point and shoot camera. However, we did not like the shape of the camera body. The square shape and the grip material made the camera hard to hold, and it was easy to catch all or part of a finger in the lens of a shot. It was easy to swap out the instant film, but the instant film is more expensive than the Zink Zero paper used by the Polaroid Snap.
Design Quality
For an inexpensive camera, the design is very good. The instant film creates a slightly better final image than the Zink Zero paper. However, the instant film does not have a sticky back, and there is a white border around the image. There are not any shooting settings. This is a good camera to give to children or at an event like a wedding where you have no aspirations other than to get some novelty snapshots. The body is solid enough to take a bit of abuse, although we don’t recommend dropping it.
Warranty
The Fujifilm Instax Mini-9 comes with a one-year limited warranty. Additional warranties might be available depending on the seller.
Canon IVY
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The Canon Ivy is a novel idea that takes advantage of the fact that you probably have a high-quality camera with your cell phone. This is a printer only system that connects to your camera via Bluetooth or social media. The camera uses Canon Zink paper which is similar to the Polaroid paper used by the Polaroid Snap. The images have a sticky back and are both tear and water-resistant.
The printed images are 2 by 3 inches and printed with 314 X 400 dots per inch. You will have to download the free Canon mini print app to your cell phone in order to connect with the printer. The device is very compact and measures 4.7 by 3.2 by 0.7 inches, but it requires you to carry both a camera and the printer.
Ease of Use
Ease of use will depend on the camera you intend to pair to this printer. The other items in our Polaroid snap review had the advantage of being self-contained point and shoot instant cameras. For the Canon, you have additional setup time that requires you to download an app, connect to the printer, and familiarize yourself with the interface. Loading new paper into the machine is easy, and the machine prints the image in about ten to fifteen seconds.
Design Quality
It is a very good idea to focus only on the printer so that the engineers did not have to waste energy also including a camera unit. The Canon Ivy is compact and easy to bring with you everywhere. The images emerge quickly and are of great quality. It’s not quite as easy to operate as the point and shoot instant cameras, but the Ivy is a highly functional device that creates great quality images.
Warranty
The Canon Ivy comes with a one-year limited warranty. Note that the warranty might not apply if you purchase this device outside the United States.
Kodak Mini Shot
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The Kodak mini shot 2 in 1 instant camera has a wide variety of features that make it a great instant camera option. The Mini Shot has a small LCD display so you can preview the images before you decide to print them. It is also Bluetooth compatible so you can either send your photos out to social media, or you can send in photos to print from your phone. The camera does not have a Memory SD slot, however, so you’ll have to rely on the Bluetooth feature for digital backup.
The camera comes in a sleek body that weighs a half-pound and measures 0.9 by 3 by 5.2 inches. The camera is available in black, blue, yellow, pink, purple and white. The printed photos have a sticker backing and are good quality. The unit features a ten-megapixel camera.
Ease of Use
This camera is an easy-to-use point and shoot that is well served by the LCD display. The only problem with this camera is that in order to save a digital copy of the image, you have to be paired with some other device. The printing paper is slightly more expensive than the printing paper that is used by the Polaroid Snap. You can add filters and tinker with the images through the free app. There is some setup time spent getting the app to work and connecting to the device via Bluetooth.
Design Quality
The device is a convenient size that is easy to hold and operate. We loved the LCD display and the Bluetooth connectivity, but we wish this device had a Micro SD card slot to store the images. The camera takes very high-quality pictures, and the printed images are very high quality.
Warranty
The Kodak mini shot 2 in 1 instant camera comes with a limited one-year warranty.
Conclusion
Any of the instant cameras or portable printers that we tested for our Polaroid Snap review can provide users with a lot of fun during parties, travel, scrapbooking, or other uses. The modern instant camera has evolved from the original Polaroid that was popular in the 1970s and 1980s. One big advantage is the use of photo paper rather than instant film cartridges that are a lot less expensive and still produce a very high-quality image. Also, older cameras only allowed you to take around eight photos with a cartridge, and modern cameras can take around twenty.
The Polaroid Snap is a very fun camera that is easy to use and produces inexpensive, high-quality images. The print paper for the Snap is significantly cheaper than the paper used by the Kodak Mini Shot. The images are vibrant and the sticky back, no tear, and water-resistant features of the images ensure they will last a long time. We liked that the Polaroid Snap had a Micro SD slot so that you can have a convenient digital backup of all your images. The artistic shooting modes provide this camera with a lot of versatility.
An LCD display would have been a nice addition to the Polaroid Snap, but we liked that this camera does not require you to download an app for use. This is an economically priced unit that performs better than the Fujifilm Instax Mini-9 because it is easier to hold and operate, and the film is less expensive. Our Polaroid Snap review found the Polaroid Snap has a great body design, is available in a wide variety of colors, produces terrific prints, and offers a more economical price per print. The Polaroid Snap is a fantastic choice if you’re looking for an easy to use, economical, and modern instant camera.
Feature image source: Unsplash
