Photography

Polaroid's new analog instant camera is enhanced by an app

Polaroid's new analog instant camera is enhanced by an app
The smartphone-controlled Polaroid OneStep+, on display at IFA 2018
The smartphone-controlled Polaroid OneStep+, on display at IFA 2018
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The smartphone-controlled Polaroid OneStep+, on display at IFA 2018
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The smartphone-controlled Polaroid OneStep+, on display at IFA 2018
The Polaroid OneStep+ is priced at $160
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The Polaroid OneStep+ is priced at $160
The Polaroid OneStep+ features a portrait lens, in addition to its regular lens
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The Polaroid OneStep+ features a portrait lens, in addition to its regular lens
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While there may indeed be a retro appeal to analog instant cameras, digital cameras do certainly make some things easier. Polaroid has decided to combine the two – sort of – in the form of the smartphone-controlled OneStep+.

Announced this Wednesday at the IFA 2018 tech show in Berlin, the camera itself captures images using analog technology – this is unlike some other Polaroids we've seen, that spit out old-school instant prints but utilize digital imaging systems.

Utilizing an accompanying iOS/Android app on their Bluetooth-linked smartphone, One Step+ users can do a number of things. These include:

  • Taking double exposures
  • Holding the shutter open for time-exposure photography, in which they can "paint with light" (i.e: move a light source around within the shot, creating trails of light in the final still image)
  • Activating a timer that waits up to 25 seconds before taking a photo
  • Remotely triggering the camera either via a button on the app, or using a noise (such as a hand-clap) that's detected by the phone
  • Scanning prints while they're still in the camera, allowing the resulting digital versions to be cropped, adjusted and shared online

The Polaroid OneStep+ is now available via the link below, priced at US$160 (print paper not included). It's demonstrated in the following video.
Source: Polaroid

Meet the Polaroid OneStep+ Camera

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1 comment
1 comment
Gregg Eshelman
These cameras can use The Impossible Project film packs made for old SX-70 and compatible Polaroid cameras. They also use the new Polaroid branded I-Type film packs that don't have a battery.
An issue with both of those is The Impossible Project's film is thicker than original Polaroid, so they could only fit 8 shots with a battery into the space Polaroid put 10.
What doesn't make sense is why I-Type film is also only 8 shots. Without the battery there should be room for 10 or at least 9. These new cameras have only 8 indicator LEDs so it's apparent that 8 shots was decided on early in the design process for this new camera.
How The Impossible Project started was a group of people bought equipment from a shut down Polaroid film factory in Europe. IIRC it had been the last place their film was made.
While the owners of the Polaroid trademarks and other IP were willing to sell the equipment, they wouldn't sell or license their chemical formulas and other specific information on what went into the film. So they had to reverse engineer it, which is why TIP film is thicker than original SX-70.