The classic camera peddler and ultimate nostalgia stoker Polaroid has just released what they claim to be their “most creative camera yet.” The Now+ Instant Camera is chock full of new features to push your creative expression and elevate what an instant camera can achieve.
In addition to preserving the autofocus, dynamic flash, and self-timer offerings introduced in the original Polaroid Now, the assortment of new features in the Now+ include aperture priority and tripod mode, along with five physical snap-on filters—Starburst, Red Vignette orange, blue, and yellow—to achieve heightened colors and experimental visual effects. While remaining true to its retro roots, Polaroid has also allowed for Bluetooth pairing to smartphones and the functionality to control the camera’s settings through the Polaroid app.
To show off all that the Now+ has to offer, Polaroid worked with a cluster of cutting-edge artists along with their in-house photographer Harriet Browse whose photos they shared as part of the camera’s launch. Make-up artist Kicki Yang Zhang flexed the aperture priority mode to demonstrate how users can control the depth of field in photos, easily transitioning from sharp focus to fuzzy backgrounds. She also experimented with the tripod mode for long exposures in low light.
Polaroid recruited dancer Jojo Akams to tout the double exposure possibilities you can achieve with the Now+, while one-line portrait artist Niels Kiené Salventius played around with the light painting feature that lets users use the flashlight on their phone as a paintbrush. They also compiled all of this Now+ experimentation into a flashy video asset set to music by Bakara.
The Now+ will sell for $150 exclusively on Polaroid.com and is available in blue-gray, white, and black. And while you probably already have a vintage Polaroid that you salvaged from your grandparents’ attic, I think it’s safe to say that the Now+ is a cut above.