Polaroid Originals - 9016 - OneStep 2 ViewFinder Blue

Product Information

The shell of the camera itself is made from a mix of polycarbonate and ABS plastics, resulting in a lightweight yet fairly robust body. Because it doesn’t feature weather-sealing, it is best to keep it stored away on miserable days. The Polaroid Now is our latest model. It has all the features of the OneStep 2, but with a few extras. The Polaroid Now’s strongest feature is its lens. It has an autofocus 2-lens system, which means it switches between a portrait and landscape lens based on what you are trying to photograph. The OneStep 2, on the other hand, has a fixed focus lens. This means you need to adjust your distance yourself to get your subject in focus for sharp photographs. Another extra with the Polaroid Now is the double exposure feature. Just two taps of the self-timer button and you can capture two moments in the one photograph for greater creative expression. Por tanto, a diferencia de las cámaras Polaroid vintage, la OneStep 2 no se sirve de una batería integrada en la carga de fotos sino que la lleva en su propio interior. Por esta razón no es posible usar la nueva película Polaroid i-Type, creada expresamente para este modelo y desprovista de batería, en cámaras antiguas. Generally, I leave this switch in the middle. All of the images in this article are shot with the light/dark switch in the center, except for the double exposures. With your left hand supporting the camera and your right index finger on the shutter button, you’ll find your thumb rests against the no-flash button. Pressing and holding that button while taking a picture suppresses the flash, which is otherwise always left on. The flash itself is a new addition to the camera — the 1977 model had the option to add a flash on the top, but didn’t house a built-in flash. Hilary Grigonis/Digital Trends

That said, the new i-Type colour film is a significant improvement, not just in terms of the shorter development time and reduced susceptibility to direct light exposure post-camera, but also the image quality, notably both the colour saturation and the contrast. As an instant film camera, the OneStep 2 uses a fairly minimalist control scheme, though has a few more options than the 1970s original. The shutter release sits at the front towards the bottom — which feels odd, as most modern cameras put it on the top — which remains true to the original.Unfortunately, the flare isn’t an artsy, rainbow-style effect, but a white blob at the edge of the photo. Light/Dark Switch: This is basically your exposure compensation switch. If you’d like your image to be brighter and exposed longer, switch it to right where you see the “+” sign. If you’d like it darker, switch it to the “-” sign. Before you do anything else, make sure to fully charge the camera using the provided USB cable. The LED light beside the USB port will stop flashing red once the camera is powered up and ready to go.

Lighten/Darken: Use the lighten/darken switch on the right side of the lens barrel to adjust the exposure of your shot. To get a brighter photo, move the lighten/darken switch right to the plus/lighten position. For a darker photo, move the lighten/darken switch left to the minus/darken position. These two settings correspond to different Exposure Values (EV). The camera’s Exposure Values are +½ EV (when you move the switch to plus/lighten) and -½ EV (when you move the switch to minus/darken). Warning: Shooting without flash will reduce camera performance and picture quality in most lighting situations except brightly-lit, sunny environments. We recommend always shooting with flash. Press the shutter button all the way in to take the photo. The photo will be ejected from the slot at the front of the camera as soon as you let go of the shutter button. It will be shielded from the light by the film shield, and will be held in place until you are ready to remove it. Though I really enjoyed the experience of using the camera, I couldn’t help but feel a little let down by the image quality of the i-Type colour film, especially compared to my Instax photos. It also flashes green between shots and will be a solid green when it’s ready to use. The light is orange at partially charged and red when it is out of battery.

The Polaroid OneStep 2

Of course, the image quality isn’t “good” by any modern metric, but that’s part of the “perfect imperfection” that Polaroid Originals says makes an instant film picture. Images are always a bit soft, which sometimes complements the desaturated aesthetic, but can also obscure some of the best parts of the scene. The instant camera is simple enough to use that my 6-year-old had fun snapping a photo with it (although, it was a bit too large for my four-year-olds hands). And while adults will enjoy the camera, too, instant film is a fun way to teach kids photography, and demonstrate that some things are worth waiting for. Keep your photos in a cool, dry place such a shoe box for 30 days after exposure. You can store the photos in an album or sleeve once the 30-day window has passed. This comes down to your preference for subjects and lighting situations, but you’ll only need the flash for subjects at close distances when you’re inside or in the shade. I primary shoot in bright sun or landscapes, rarely needing flash.

Polaroid Originals does state that their film works best between 13 – 28°C and that at lower temperatures, they tend to emerge over-exposed with less colour contrast and a green tint. Knowing this, I made a point to store the photos close to my body when shooting in colder temperatures but it didn’t really make a difference. To avoid a blurry photo, make sure you are at least 60cm (2 feet) away from your subject when you take the picture. For the best results, always try to shoot with your light source behind you. Flash: The flash will always fire automatically but if you decide you don’t want the flash, you can always suppress it by holding down the ‘flash off’ button on the rear as you take the shot. Avoid suppressing the flash indoors or in dark places as your image will likely end up too dark. The original OneStep, unveiled in 1977, was billed as “the world’s simplest camera” because all you had to do was press the shutter button… and the camera did the rest. There were no controls, not even an on/off switch and, while there was an adjustment for exposure, you didn’t necessarily have to use it. The print was automatically ejected via a motorized transport and was self-developing, a big advance on the previous peel-apart Polaroid materials.

So synonymous is the Polaroid brand name with instant film photography that many people colloquially refer to all instant cameras, including the Instax series from Fujifilm, as “polaroids”. Cuenta con un potente flash integrado para facilitar la captura de instantáneas. Un botón nos permite cancelar el flash cuando queramos, incluso usando el modo de disparo con temporizador If Polaroid Originals manages to improve the quality of the film, I can definitely see myself using this camera as much as my Instax Mini cameras, if only to have access to the wonderful square format and larger image area. Note that for this review, I only used the colour i-Type film. I hope to try out the B&W version soon and perhaps write a dedicated article!

Indoors, Polaroid says the built-in flash helps to color balance the images, but we still found the shots to be a bit too yellow. Of course, maybe that’s desirable as part of the 1970s look and feel. Our Take Slide the film door latch to open the film door. Push the film cassette all the way in, with the film’s darkslide facing up. Keep in mind, because this is a battery-free film, it will not work in 600 cameras. That film has its own battery in the film, while the new i-Type OneStep 2 boasts a rechargeable battery of its own. It’s pretty hard not to fall head-over-heals in love with the OneStep 2. Based on the design of the original OneStep, it has all the trappings of a vintage instant camera, along with a few modern perks that improve the user experience.Flash: The flash fires by default. This is probably my main critique of the OneStep 2. I end up using the flash override for almost every photo. If you shoot towards the light — going agains the recommendations — the lens sometimes flares and causes portions of the photo to blow out. Unfortunately, the flare isn’t an artsy, rainbow-style effect, but a white blob at the edge of the photo. You can usually tell through the viewfinder when this is going to happen, and can even prevent it by shielding the lens with one hand, a sort of makeshift lens hood, but this isn’t always easy to do and you risk getting your hand in the photo if you’re not careful.