Although instant cameras were a huge trend and developed as early as the mid 30’s, they are now making a comeback! Although they used to be quite expensive to purchase and rather bulky back in the 70’s all the way up to the early 90’s, people still went crazy to get their hands on one of the best polaroid cameras. There’s something special about taking a photo and being able to immediately print it, share it and look at it friends. Before smartphones and digital cameras, you’d have to wait until a film gets developed and processed by a photo shop.
This often came with wait times of course because it takes time to develop photos. This is the beauty of the polaroid camera and especially the best polaroid cameras. When they were first introduced to the market, people couldn’t believe that they could take a picture and view it within moments! This is especially what makes polaroid film great and famous with infamous ‘shake’ motion of it.
Today this trend is picking back up and even if almost everyone of us owns a digital camera (most likely on their smartphone) we still seem to value physical images more. It is maybe for that reason that polaroids are back and they’re coming over like a storm! Many people have taken advantage of this by becoming street photographers and roaming around bars to find people they can photograph, as you will always value the polaroid film with the nostalgia more!
We have gathered the best polaroid cameras in a neat list for you to peruse. They’re from all ranges and are especially useful for those looking for a cute gift for Christmas for their loved ones and friends. Polaroid film is also readily available to due the demand that has reemerged in the market! Be sure to read on to find out more!
What Type of Polaroid Cameras Are There?
There aren’t too many different types of polaroid cameras today, just as there weren’t that many different models decades ago. The main differences you can spot on todays cameras is that the image either comes out at the top, side or the well known front. Other than that you may have different image sized and camera shapes. Depending on your style there isn’t really any better or worse choice in terms of quality of the image.
Polaroid, the official company is still producing film and equipment for the cameras, so don’t be worried by a shortage of film. Some people have gone on to sell their old films which have not expired on eBay. These will include the original vintage polaroid film as well as newer ones that were available in the 80s and 90s. The sensors on the cameras are generally very similar so you shouldn’t have to worry about that too much.
Benefits of Best Polaroid Cameras
For some cameras there are obvious benefits of gathering one of the best polaroid cameras rather than cheap one which you’ll throw away once it breaks. You’ll find that the top brands will have many nice different color shades and add on features for specific models, whereas the other great cameras are nice and handy and don’t take up much space. For the female market there are some brands which offer a massive variety to style the finished results of images.
Polaroid cameras are very fun and extremely nostalgic. You will find a lot of polaroid cameras going around these days due to the nature of them, and the instant film that you can view and share with friends. It has become very trendy and hip to collect and have polaroid captured film with your friends!
Downsides of Polaroid Cameras
As mentioned previously, a bad camera will typically not last very long. They are also very impractical as they make it hard to snap an image properly, since the shape and form may be so bad the button gets hard to reach. Additionally you want to make sure to find a camera that has popular or easy to find films to actually snap some pictures.
Moreover, the sensor may not let in enough light for the image to be of high quality, so it’s important to choose a decent brand that has invested some time in a good camera sensor that is able to produce and transfer its rich tones on to the print which comes instantly after the picture is snapped!
Top 10 Best Polaroid Cameras Comparison Table
10. Fujifilm Instax Wide 300 Instant Film Camera (Black)
To kick off our best polaroid cameras review is the by the very well known brand Fujifilm. The install Wide 300 is a great polaroid camera and is always on point when needed. It comes supplied in a black shell which is very trendy. Although the newest trend is to have business card-sized polaroids these days, some still prefer to have a larger, more traditional polaroid picture come out of their instant cameras.
The Instax wide 300 does that for you. It combines the modernity of our time with the classic feeling of the elderly polaroids into one, meaning the feel and sensation is classic yet the image quality and overall standard of the camera is high class and from the future we’re living in!
9. Fujifilm Instax Mini 70 – Instant Film Camera (Gold)
The very popular and slick Instax Mini 70 is easy to cary around and looks rather professional compared to the other instax models. The smart design is more approachable for the male market as the most popular model (mini 8) as shown below, is a bit more bubbly and feminine in a sense.
It includes a tripod socket and has a selfie mirror built in for your instant selfie! This is a great little feature, because since it doesn’t have a display, you won’t always see yourself, so the addition of the mirror on this polaroid camera is very handy!
8. Vintage Polaroid Time-Zero OneStep SX-70 Land Camera
Ever wondered where the application Instagram got it’s inspiration from for their world famous logo? This model explains it! The vintage polaroid is something very rare and special. It is one of the original polaroid cameras. You will have trouble finding these in shops and only a handful are still available.
If you want to get the real polaroid experience it will be fulfilled with this model.This is the vintage model and one of the better ones in our best polaroid cameras review. These are very rare as they are a classic piece of history.
7. Polaroid One Instant Camera (Discontinued by Manufacturer)
The Polaroid One instant will give you the real polaroid experience. Get great images that take you back in time. Most of the modern cameras typically print out smaller images which is nice and fun but only a true polaroid comes in the squared shape we all remember. Although the camera itself is also rather bulky, the results are well worth the size.
This is unfortunately a discontinued model, which makes it a very rare and vintage model. This is in fact the fundamental of polaroid cameras, taking you back on memory lane to when they were first created. A classic piece of history!
6. Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 Neo Classic Instant Film Camera
Next up in our best polaroid cameras review is another by the Fujifilm brand. You can’t get a cooler camera than the Instax Mini 90. With a stylish design reminding of a traditional camera, the Instax mini will definitely take away the attention of everything around it.
With many cool features to get creative such as capturing light trails, this is one of our personal favourite models! A great model indeed as it has features that digital cameras can dream of, such as the incorporation of lights trailers. The design is also something to write home about which is fantastic!
5. Polaroid Z2300 10MP Digital Instant Print Camera (White)
The Z2300 could almost be compared to a pocket sized printer rather than a instant camera like you expect a polaroid camera to work and function. With a memory card of up to 32GB of space you can save thousands of images before you need to think about deleting some. The images print in less than a minute in superb quality!
This is the polaroid of the future! It also comes in a beautiful white casing. As mentioned, the beauty of this camera is the inclusion of a memory card, which allows you to snap photos and then choose the best one which you think is appropriate to be printed!
4. Polaroid PIC-300 Instant Film Camera (Purple)
Similar to the Fujifilm’s instax, the polaroid PIC-300 will snap you some cute business card sized polaroids. There isn’t much to say except that it is very user friendly in all aspects. Wether you need to change the film, find the right light or snap some images. Just click away and watch the magic pop out the top!
Another by the Polaroid brand which is an amazing part of the collection. It’s also quite easy to handle as mentioned, and will be a perfect addition to your other cameras. This will print in the small sized polaroids.
3. Polaroid One600 Pro Instant 600 Film Camera
If you’re looking for the traditional Polaroid camera and want that vintage look in your images this is the one to get! Jump right back into the 70’s and feel the vibes as you snap your images. There isn’t a comparable feeling and with the great autoflash you’ll always have the right lighting for your polaroid pictures to come out perfect!
Another by the Polaroid brand in our best polaroid cameras review. This one especially will take you right back into the past, when they were hugely popularized as it holds that nostalgic feeling. It’s the perfect buddy for all your photos!
2. Polaroid Snap Instant Digital Camera (White) with ZINK Zero Ink Printing Technology
In number two for our best polaroid cameras review is the Polaroid Snap. The Polaroid Snap actually looks more like a modern casual digital camera. The great thing about it looking like that is that firstly you can surprise people when snapping pictures and secondly it fits in any pocket or handbag.
Once the image slides out the side everyone will want to grab it and shake it! The biggest surprise is that it contains an SD slots you can actually save images for digital purposes as well!
1. Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 Instant Camera (Pink)
In number one in our best polaroid cameras review and the Amazon best seller is the Fujifilm Instax Mini 8. Not only does this camera fall right on the top spot for being the absolutely most popular one by far, it comes in various different colors and it has an immense amount of add on features you can purchase to it.
Although this color may be slightly more feminin there are male targeted ones as well. Very light and great fun to use! Everyone wants to have one of these! This is a fantastic camera and has a great printer for those instant photos that everyone loves!
If you enjoyed this review, you might also enjoy our Best Camera Tripod review! If you’re into photography then you should be aware of how hard it can be to get the perfect light. Why not have a look at these ring lights to illuminate your pictures just the way you want to?