Polaroid is coming out with a new instant camera that blends the past and present. The Snap is a digital point-and-shoot camera with a built-in photo printer, and will cost $99 when it’s released later this year. The camera is being shown at IFA in Berlin.
Designed by the creative firm that created the Polaroid Zip and Cube, Ammunition, the Snap is an easy-to-use camera not unlike old Polaroid instant cams. As its name suggests, just snap a pic and print the photo. And like the analog instant cameras, there’s an optical viewfinder for framing (there’s no LCD). This isn’t the first time Polaroid has made a digital instant camera, but it has a better design and, frankly, looks like a lot of fun.
But the Snap is digital at heart. It’s a 10-megapixel camera with three shooting modes: black and white, color, and vintage for that Polaroid look; you can continue the theme by printing photos with the iconic Polaroid border. There’s also a button that activates Photo Booth mode, which takes six photos within 10 seconds – allowing you to goof off after each subsequent photo is taken.
As for prints, the ZINK inkless printer makes 2×3-inch photos similar to the Zip. The technology uses special paper that exposes the embedded color dye crystals when heat is applied. And unlike old Polaroid camera, the photos are saved onto Micro SD cards (up to 32GB), so you can share them digitally later (there’s no Wi-Fi, so you can’t pair this with a smartphone).
The Snap comes in black, white, red, and blue. While it’s not a “serious” camera, we can see the appeal.
