#Polaroid digital photo frame review series#

Loading the Polaroid Snap with ZINK paper is a pretty easy process. It also charges using a standard MicroUSB cable, so even if you lose the supplied cable, you shouldn’t have much problem replacing it. Speaking of the battery, one of the Polaroid Snap’s benefits is a rechargeable battery - meaning you won’t be forking out for additional batteries when it runs out. Or at least that’s the theory - my unit would only take two shots per print.

#Polaroid digital photo frame review series#

If you hold down the shutter release button for four seconds, it will take a series of four shots in a row, printing them all out on the same piece of paper. Sadly, it doesn’t have too much give to it, but there is a quiet beep sound made to let you know when an image has been taken. To take a shot, you press the shutter release button. It takes some time to get used to how much space you need to allow without cutting off people’s heads or missing out landmarks, but it’s something you get used to with a little time and practice. It’s billed as a “retro viewfinder” but its use is limited since it shows a much wider view than the lens actually reproduces. It’s literally a hole through a piece of plastic. This viewfinder doesn’t have optics, nor is it electronic. Fortunately, the Snap has an automatic timer for switching off the camera when it hasn’t been in use for a few minutes, so the battery shouldn’t run down too easily. Since the hinge of the viewfinder is reasonably loose, it’s very easy to accidentally push it while it’s in your pocket, or for it to push against something when the Polaroid Snap is in a bag. Yet other times still, it would switch on instantly.

Other times it would switch on after a couple of seconds. During testing I found that a few times the camera seemed unresponsive and needed me to push the viewfinder back in and up a couple of times before it would switch on. To switch the camera on, you need to push down the pop up viewfinder - the camera should turn on automatically when you do this. This has the dual effect of slotting very neatly and quickly back into place and making it harder for it fall off and be lost somewhere in a bag. This first becomes apparent with the magnetic lens cap, which handily snaps (see what they did there?) into place on the front of the Polaroid Snap. What’s also clear is that the designers have spent some time thinking about how each element of the camera will function for the best user experience. It’s clear that Polaroid’s designers were keen to stick to a minimalist design with the Snap, with clean lines and rounded edges to give it a modern twist on an old style. It was designed by the Ammunition firm, which has made its name working with the likes of Beats by Dre, Square, Lyft and other big brands. The Polaroid Snap has a 10 million pixel sensor, and a fixed length lens. This cost doesn’t take into account the price of supplying it with the paper which you need to print your, er, prints though. The Polaroid Snap is available in four different colours, with one of its unique selling points being a relatively low price (£89 in the UK). There’s also relatively few changes you can make to settings. You don’t however get a rear screen, or an electronic viewfinder. The ZINK paper also has an adhesive backing so you can also use each print as a sticker if you wish. The Polaroid Snap prints out 2x3 inch photos straightaway using ZINK (Zero Ink) technology, and can even store a back up of the photo you’ve just printed on a memory card.

The new Polaroid Snap camera attempts to recapture the fun of instant photography, but with a modern, digital twist.