At the start of the millennium, it looked like the Polaroid brand was doomed. Now it’s making a comeback, and it has everything to do with nostalgia. The latest camera to bear the Polaroid name (it’s actually the work of a company called C&A Marketing, a brand licensing outfit) is the cheap-and-cheerful Snap.
Snap isn’t like other digital point-and-shoots on market. It’s built for fun and shareability, but in an old-school, Polaroidy way. Instead of using built-in WiFi to zip your pictures off to Facebook friends, you can print out a copy and actually hand it to them on the spot. The 10mp shooter also has a cool “photo booth” mode. Switch it on and the Snap captures six pictures in 10 seconds, very much like those machines at the mall do.
It’s a lot like an updated version of the Polaroid Land Camera 1000 (you can even switch to a vintage color mode to give your pics that classic Polaroid tone). There’s no display on the back. You frame your shots through an optical viewfinder, and if you want to see your print, you have to print it out (or plug the Snap into a computer). You don’t have to pause to do it, either: you can keep shooting while it’s printing your pics.
Like other cameras with built-in printing capabilities, the Snap utilizes an inkless system that relies on ZINK’s special paper. It’s been around for years and has been the consumable of choice for numerous Polaroid-branded products, including the PoGo camerasand printers. The Snap’s prints measure 2 inches by three inches, so they should fit nicely into your wallet.
There’s one major difference between the Snap and other Polaroid-branded cameras with integrated printers: its price tag. The Snap will retail for just $99, close to half the cost of the Z2300.
No comments:
Post a Comment