Polaroid Go Gen 3 Instant Review: Every bit is as old as it looks

If I could recommend a product based on looks alone, the Polaroid Go Gen 3 would be it – it’s absolutely gorgeous. It looks every bit the modern version of the classic Polaroid instant camera. The biggest difference is the dimensions. It’s smaller in everything, including film and photos.

But I’m confused because the resulting images were so mediocre. It’s very easy to get blurry, over- or underexposed photos. I suppose this looks just as outdated as the design. Personally I would choose something like Instax Mini 13 For almost the same price. Her photos look much better. However, if that warm, retro look is what you’re after, the Go is smaller and more refined than the Mini 13.

There’s not much to say about the Go devices. There are three buttons, including the shutter and only an LED display that shows flash readiness and the number of images remaining. Aim, press the red button, and it will make the delightful mechanical sounds of an instant camera that broadcasts the image: Brrr-Brrr-Brrrrrrrt. He walked.

There are some modern touches. The Go charges via USB-C, and Polaroid claims it will take about 120 photos between charges. The front of the camera lens has a mirrored finish so you can adjust your selfies more easily. Instax does this using a small convex mirror, but the Go’s are larger and easier to see.

One change from previous Go cameras is a longer focal length for “sharper, more zoomed-in selfies.” From arm’s length (my long arm, anyway), the results are a lot closer than you’d get with the selfie camera on most phones. This is definitely more for small sets and headshots, and less for larger sets and environments. This is probably a good change for expected use. Kodak claims that the new lens in the Gen 3 also allows sharper images to be captured with better contrast, but if that’s the case, the images from the Gen 2 should be rough.

There’s an app, but for the Go, it’s only for scanning photos you’ve already taken, not for controlling the camera. There is no bluetooth or wifi.

Ease of use and image quality

While you may think that there is no “trick” to taking instant film photos, this is not the case. I don’t remember the limitations of using my first camera (a black Polaroid 660, I think), but then again, I was a kid, and my weird habit of reading owner’s manuals didn’t start until years later. According to the Go owner’s manual, you have to leave the image covered by the “film shield,” also known as the black plastic tab that covers the image as it leaves the camera, for 5 seconds. then, Do not shake it Leave it either face down or in a dark place.

I mention this because the initial results I got from the camera were mediocre, even judged by the curve of instant images. Very warm, and it’s supposed to be warm, with very inconsistent exposure. Once I followed the instructions and paid more attention, the results were good.

I use the word “fine” here as a synonym for “Not great, not terribleEven when you do everything right, the results are soft, and I’ll generously say “golden.” They’re objectively bad photos, but they also have an undeniably vintage aesthetic that I bet is exactly what someone interested in a Polaroid camera would actually want.

For comparison, photos taken with the Instax Mini 13 have an almost brilliant color temperature, with more detail and a more natural-looking image. Definitely less retro, though. The Mini 13 is also much larger and subjectively less impressive. Go is an attention grabber. Mini 13 is not.

You’ll also need to make sure the flash is disabled if you’re outside. By default, the flash turns on with every photo unless you tell it otherwise. It’s a dangerous enough flash that it can blow up your selfie results very easily.

A friend of mine is doing something completely retro for an upcoming concert by Hilary Duff (aka Lizzie McGuire). I gave both the Mini 13 and Go to test for a few days before the show. Although she agreed with me that the Instax photos were better, the aesthetic of the Go and Go photos was what she was looking for. fair enough.

Is the Polaroid Go worth it?

Polaroid nailed the Go look. I think the white one looks the best (I bought the color you see here), but the other four colors look great too. Generation 3, with its longer focal length and bright flash, is simple and affordable. It kind of needs to be. Money is made of film. This costs $22 for a 2-pack, adding up to 16 total images Or about $1.40 per photo. You can save a little if you buy in bulk.

What’s frustrating is how easy it is to get unusable images. A slow lens means that any kind of shake – which is very easy to do when you’re trying to take a quick shot – will result in a blurry image. If you’re not at least a little careful with the image as it emerges from the camera, the exposure will look off.

But maybe that doesn’t matter. I know no one expects Hasselblad clarity and Fujifilm colors from a sub-$100 instant camera. Personally, I still like the idea of ​​a printer/camera combo like the Instax Mini LiPlay Plus, which lets you print only photos you know turned out. I’m talking about this from a different place than most people, though, as I think of the image first and the print second. I know that a lot of people, probably the majority of potential Polaroid buyers, are the real ones quality The image is no less important than the picture. Something that features a unique, non-digital capture of a moment to keep or share with friends. So, Go is perfect and undoubtedly looks the part.