The haptics are brand plastic bomber, the ergonomics a disaster. But, there is no other way to write it: The Polaroid Now is simply beautiful. One likes to be photographed with a camera like this, so it doesn’t really matter what the result looks like in the end. The Polaroid Now is a current instant camera, its optical model is found in the Polaroid OneStep from 1977 – including rainbow colors.

The Polaroid Now is very colorful. Our test model was red; blue, yellow, green, black or all white variants are also available. The recommended retail price of the camera itself is 80 Euro , but you can find them cheaper. In a bundle with 2 film cassettes there is the Now for about 140 Euro.

The Now is a model that is particularly easy to use, similar to the Fujifilm Instax SQ1. It does not have Bluetooth or WLAN, which is why it is not like its sister OneStep + from the year 2018 can be paired with the smartphone.

The technical data are quickly defined: The scarce 450 Gram heavy camera works with Polaroid i-Type or 600-Film. These have the typical square Polaroid format with an image area of ​​almost eight by eight centimeters. There are eight recordings in a film cassette. The prices per photo fluctuate a lot, depending on which version and package size you choose: with a classic white frame, with a camouflage frame, blue frame, golden frame, for black and white pictures, with wrong colors … , 60 you have to calculate at least one euro . The slightly smaller Instax Square films from Fujifilm cost around one euro per picture.

Auto-fix focus The Polaroid Now has an integrated lithium-ion battery that is charged via micro USB. Polaroid supplies the right cable, but a power plug is not included. If in doubt, you have to borrow it from your smartphone. And since many current models already work with USB-C connectors, the connector archive is the right place to go. The Now shows the charge level via a small LED above the USB port.

The Polaroid Now is charged via USB.

The objective System consists of polycarbonate and acrylic glass lenses and offers two focal lengths, each with different fixed focus zones. The fixed aperture is f / . For close range – for example for portraits – the Polaroid Now uses 35 mm, everything from 50 centimeters to about 1.3 meters. This is a relatively large distance from the subject, which restricts the composition of the picture, as you always capture a comparatively large amount of accessories. Cameras like the Fujifilm SQ1 get closer here and have a close range (in selfie mode) with a focus range of 30 to 50 centimeters. By default, the Polaroid Now works with a 30 – Millimeter focal length and a focus range of 0.6 meters to infinity.

Polaroid says that the Now has an autofocus. What is meant, however, is that the camera itself decides when to work with which focal length (and which focus area). Photographers cannot influence this in any way. And that is a major weak point in the camera. To make matters worse, the camera does not show its focal length decision anywhere and you can only hear the change with a short click. If you want to consciously provoke this change, you can press the shutter button halfway and experiment with the distance to the subject – and just listen.

Fiddly manual In fact, the system worked fine in most cases. Not always, however. And when you consider what each individual picture costs, every missed shot hurts. But not only the “autofocus” stands in the way, the Polaroid Now is a fine weather camera that needs a lot, a lot, a lot of light to take good pictures. Therefore, by default, she takes photos with flash. And it is not exactly of the “fine spirit” type, which is why you often just flash your motifs “dead” in the standard area. The typical instant photo look. It burns a little less at close range. Here, however, flashed images sometimes get too dark if there is backlighting.

On switch, flash button, status display – the operating elements of the Now are straightforward.

Completely delivered But you are not: The standard flash can be switched off with a button on the back if you have made sure that the light is otherwise correct. If you press the flash button for about a second, you also activate a mini exposure compensation. The service is tricky and requires the greatest attention. In the small round display, in which the recordings usually count down, then appears a narrow line that can be shifted up and down with short tips on the flash button – from -1/2 EV to +1/2 EV. If the correction has been set successfully, the circular display alternately shows the number of films and the EV settings. Well, you can’t work miracles with it, but you can get closer to a balanced exposure and a somewhat more natural impression.

Immediately does not mean immediately The self-timer button (9 seconds) also has a double function. If you press it twice in quick succession, you start a double exposure. The mini-display on the back then flashes to indicate that it can start and after the second exposure the camera spits out the image.

Then it doesn’t matter whether you wave like crazy or the instant picture patiently stares at. It takes about ten minutes until the photo is ready, and after about 5 minutes you can at least roughly assess whether the shot went wrong or not. Immediately is relative.

Polaroid Now: Sample images (8 images) As long as they don’t move too fast, pets are a great motive for instant photography, if it weren’t for flash. This cat does everything right, she sits still and does not look at the camera.

Conclusion and alternatives The Polaroid Now is an instant camera with a good mood design. It is easy to use, but not necessarily intuitive. A quick look at the manual does not hurt. The setting options are somewhat more complex than, for example, with an Instax SQ1, so the double exposure function invites you to be creative. And that’s also easy on the wallet, because you get two exposures on one photo. With about 1, 60 Euro the single images are not a bargain, if you want to use bright frame colors or special editions, you have to dig deeper into your pocket. Alternatives are plentiful on the market, both from Polaroid and Fujifilm. If you are looking for something more unusual, look at Lomography.

Are a possible alternative also mini photo printer like the Canon Selphy Square QX 10. For example, it prints pictures from a smartphone in a Polaroid design with a white frame. Here the costs per print are around 80 Cent and significantly higher image quality. In addition, you can design the pictures more freely, make collages, insert writing, add filters – last but not least, every picture is also a sticker.

(ssi)