Photography

Polaroid Z2300 instant digital camera with ZINK printing technology

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Polaroid's Z2300 instant digital camera packs ZINK printing technology
Polaroid's Z2300 instant digital camera packs ZINK printing technology
Polaroid's Z2300 instant digital camera has a 3-inch LCD display
Polaroid's Z2300 instant digital camera comes in black or white
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While Kodak finally succumbed to the march of technology and bowed out of the camera-production biz earlier this year, another icon of the pre-digital photography age is determined to stick around. Looking to leverage its expertise in instant film cameras, the company has developed a number of digital cameras, such as the PoGo, that provide the same instant photo capabilities, but with the use of new technology. The latest is the Z2300, which packs an integrated printer to spit out prints in under a minute – no shaking required.

Introduced at this week’s CEA Line Show in New York, the Z2300 produces 2x3-inch prints of captured images using ink-free Zero Ink (ZINK) printing technology. ZINK is a thermal printing technology that produces full color hard copy prints by using heat to activate cyan, yellow, and magenta dye crystals embedded in layers inside the ZINK paper. Because the ZINK paper is coated in a protective polymer outer coating, the resulting photos are moisture and UV resistant, smudge-proof and long lasting. The ZINK technology also allows the Z2300 to be more compact than its analog predecessors – however the prints are also much smaller.

Polaroid's Z2300 instant digital camera has a 3-inch LCD display

The Polaroid Z2300 is a 10-megapixel camera and packs a 3-inch LCD color display, 32 GB of internal storage and comes bundled with 4 GB of external storage. This can also be expanded with support for SD cards of up to 32 GB. In addition to stills, the camera can also capture HD video that can be viewed on the rear display with the unit’s built-in speaker providing audio playback. The display also provides the ability to crop images without connecting to a PC and users can choose to print every image they snap or pick and choose to save on paper.

The Z2300 comes in black or white and will begin shipping this August, with Polaroid currently taking preorders. The camera is priced at US$159.99, with 50-sheet packs of 2x3” ZINK paper retailing for $24.99 and 30-sheet packs selling for $14.99.

Source: Polaroid

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7 comments
Ender Wigin
Just saw the hands on @ Engadget and asseverate nuts on anyone preferring the new to the old. The old was instant and cheap and fun, while the new is slow and expensive and nerdy... what a laugh.
windykites
Could they make the lens any smaller? Anyway, if it works.... What do you do with instant prints? Give them to your friends, or take them home and put them in an album, I suppose. This camera is really a gimmick. Do we really need prints?
evearc
Actually, a lot of people still need prints. Especially in public places or at work where you want to post a picture etc... that's why we still have printers too.
yrag
The housing of the camera looks like a throwback to the 70's right down to the retro rainbow stripe.
Mr T
Of course it looks retro, that's the point. And the prints from this are a lot cheaper than the old film cams, this is 50 cents a print, I recall the polaroid films to be $15 to $20 for 10 prints, and it's twice that now (yes, it's still made, see www.the-impossible-project.com). And, of course, it's a hell of a lot smaller and lighter than the old polaroid cameras...
carbon
There is a huge need for this technology. Last time I was in Africa I used a Polaroid camera to pass out photos to people who had NEVER seen a photo of themselves. My primary purpose for it was to take field notes with photos, but the interaction with locals turned me into the family photographer for hundreds of miles around. I still have a freezer full of Polaroid film. There is still a limitation that this camera will need to be charged. The old version did not. Charging a camera becomes a major issue in remote areas that have never had electricity. Solar chargers exist, but the truth is the old film technology was superior. I have DSLRs but still do not hesitate to carry a 35mm.
Rajeev Rey
This is a good piece of contraption