Last month, the ill-starred Polaroid Two hit New Zealand - a $379 take on the classic camera that swapped film for a digital chip.Now, the brand is back with the Polaroid 300 (pictured), and this time it's the real deal.Like the original Polaroid line, th
Last month, the ill-starred Polaroid Two hit New Zealand - a $379 take on the classic camera that swapped film for a digital chip.
Now, the brand is back with the Polaroid 300 (pictured), and this time it’s the real deal.
Like the original Polaroid line, the 300 takes film (yes, film).
However, it’s much smaller, thanks to a new ink-less printing system, which takes about a minute to pop a business card-size pic out the top of the camera.
The Polaroid 300 costs $199; a 10-photo film pack a cheeky $29.95, or nearly $3 a pic (in the US, a 10-pack costs $US10; we’re not sure how the local importer, Hagemeyer, calculates its exchange rate. The packs won't be in many retailers, if any, but can be ordered via Polaroid's NZ website.).
The Wall Street Journal thought the Polaroid 300’s design was a bit toy-like, and found action-shot prints tended to be blurry.
Polaroid marketing VP David Miller told the Journal that people actually like the soft, grainy colours.
He’s right. There’s a certain retro appeal about the Polaroid 300, and a strong nostalgic appeal (slightly undermined by the lame new design). If you’re looking for a leftfield gift for someone who has everything, this could be it.
The backstory
Polaroid went bankrupt in 2008, but has re-emerged as a commercial entity that licenses its name to all-comers.
A grab-bag of products from different manufacturers are now gathered under the brand.
In this instance, the Polaroid 300 is essentially a rebadged version of a camera that’s been a cult favourite for a couple of years now, the Fujifilm Instax Mini 7.
