Polaroid Now+ Gen 2 Review

Considering how capable modern smartphone cameras have become, it makes sense that you’ll use them to capture all kinds of moments in your life. But the problem is, they aren’t exactly something tangible.

While it makes it easy to upload to social media or share with others online, the photos you take can’t exactly be hung up on your table or the wall. Sure, you can have it printed, but that takes extra time and effort.

What I’m saying is that there’s something different about being able to hold and see something that isn’t on a screen. Maybe it’s nostalgia talking, but having a printed photo once in a while is nice.

That’s where the new Polaroid Now+ Generation 2 comes in. I mean it’s a Polaroid, so it’s still very much old school. You have to load the film, pick your shot, and the photo comes out immediately. But given how it now faces several competition, is it a worthwhile addition to your lineup of camera gear? Well, let’s find out.

Design and Construction

The Polaroid Now+ Generation 2 looks and feels very much like an old Polaroid if you’ve ever had the opportunity to use one. Opening up the box feels nice, and it’s here where you’ll see that this isn’t the same as your parent’s old Polaroid camera.

Inside, you’ll find the camera, the instruction manuals, and a set of lens filters (inside the pouch) that you can affix to the camera to give your photos. There’s even a strap to make it easy to bring around and make sure it won’t fall. But you’ll also notice that it comes with a USB-C cable since that’s how you’ll be charging the camera.

Our unit of the Polaroid Now+ Gen 2 is in black with the signature Polaroid rainbow stripe running down the center. The viewfinder is offset to the left, which takes some adjusting, and the same goes with the shutter located on the front.

Behind the shutter, you’ll find the power button and the button to turn the flash on and off. It’s also here where you’ll find the counter to see how much film you have left. On the right side, you’ll find the USB-C port, and to load the film, you open up the front portion. At the bottom, there’s even a provision to use it with a tripod.

The body of the Polaroid Now+ Gen 2 doesn’t feel the most retro with all the plastic parts, but it does look the part. It is lightweight though, and more importantly, it feels durable. There’s no mention of an IP rating though.

There’s also an option to pair the camera with the Polaroid app where you can tweak some settings, but for this review, I opted not to do so. Instead, everything is from the factory setting to give it the best out of the box results.

Film and Image Quality

So there’s no question that that Polaroid Now+ Gen 2 looks the part when it comes to the retro vibe. But the more important question is this – how do the images look?

Before that though, I have to talk about the film used. The Polaroid Now+ uses Polaroid i-Type Film or 600 Film. Now the problem is we only had a roll of film (Polaroid Color i-Type Film) to work with, meaning I only had 8 shots.

That means I had to pick and choose my shots carefully as if I were using my old 35mm film camera. I initially wanted to experiment with the various lens filters, but opted not to given my limited resource. Depending on the bundle you choose, you can get the camera as a standalone model or with film included.

Over the weekend, I used the camera to take a few photos of the 2024 Toyota Gazoo Racing Philippine Cup with the drivers and of course, the race track itself. Now if you’re expecting DSLR level sharpness, contrast, and clarity, well that’s not the case. This is a film camera after all, and a Polaroid at that.

When in low-light conditions like out on the race track past 5PM, it doesn’t take photos that well. Even with flash, there’s not enough light for it to bounce around. As a result, I was able to capture the sunset nicely and the colors are nice, but the foreground is quite dark. In fact, it’s hard to make out the Vios Cup car in the lower right corner.

During dinner, I took another photo with all of the Novice Class drivers (myself included), and the photo came out a lot nicer. I also used flash this time, and all of us were seen clearly. I suspect the better lighting in the venue also helped a lot.

While I ended up gifting the photo to the president of Toyota Motor Philippines, everyone in my team took the time to take photos of the Polaroid image. We even wrote on bottom portion to commemorate the successful racing season. While we did take photos using our phones (which looked better), having the Polaroid made the occasion more exciting.

These are the other Polaroid images I took which was were left with me (gave the others away as memorabilia), and they all have their unique characteristics. However, I did notice that the film sometimes tend to bleed into the images, especially at the bottom portion of the image. You can see some discoloration, and in some images, it’s like the photo didn’t show up at all.

Overall though, I still enjoyed using the Polaroid Now+ Gen 2, up until I ran out of film to shoot.

Conclusion

There’s no question that the Polaroid Now+ Gen 2 brings back a lot of nostalgia with the instant film images that come out. The images aren’t perfect, but for me, that’s just part of the characteristics of the film and the camera. The film photos are also a great gift to friends, family, or more.

However, there is a problem with the Polaroid Now+ Gen 2 – the price. Depending on where you order the model it can retail from around PHP 11,000USD 187INR 15,891EUR 179CNY 1,365 or more. Then you have to buy the film too. For only 8 photos, you might have to spend around PHP 1,400USD 24INR 2,022EUR 23CNY 174 or more. It’s a lot of money for 8 photos.

There’s certainly a price to pay for the vintage and nostalgic feel the Polaroid Now+ Gen 2 offers, but if you have the budget why not? It’s a great conversation piece too, and not to mention the photos are memorable.

If you’re tight on budget though, there are alternatives out there that you can consider with a more affordable body and film pairing. Worst case, you can also pick up an older digital camera. Remember, you’ll also have to spend a lot on film too every time you run out.

Think of it this way though, when you think of instant film cameras, Polaroid is one of the first names to come up, and there’s a good reason for it. I mean, there’s a reason why Taylor Swift’s 1989 album used a bunch of Polaroid photos. Just be prepared to pay the premium price that comes with it.

But what do you think about the Polaroid Now+ Gen 2 instant film camera? Would you get one for yourself? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

What we liked:
* Nice, retro-looking images
* Great looking body
* Easy to use

What we didn’t like:
* Camera is expensive
* Film is expensive