Polaroid Now+ (Plus) Gen 3 Instant Camera Review

After three ‘generations’ can I safely recommend the Polaroid Now+ now? Probably. Maybe. Sort of?

Reviewing Polaroid cameras is tough. I see a lot of reviews out there, often from more tech-focused publications, that knock Polaroid cameras for very things that I love about film. Modern Impossible-Project-derived Polaroid film is unpredictable and has cool color shifts – it’s not accurate and that’s the whole point. So it makes me want to tear my hair out when I see people complain about Polaroid being ‘inaccurate’ – use a digital camera if you want accuracy.

However.

For the past several years, Polaroid has been making some cameras that are tough to recommend. Exposure issues, focus issues – the Now series in particular has struggled far more than previous I-Type cameras. And that’s a problem, because new Polaroid cameras don’t just compete with the juggernaut that is Fuji instax, they compete with vintage Polaroid cameras.

To that end, the vintage Impulse AF is in my opinion, is the gold standard for the affordable box type Polaroid camera. It is a plastic box-type Polaroid 600 camera from the 1990s. It has a bright viewfinder, pop up flash, simple controls, and takes excellent, sharp photos with its sonar autofocus system. You can usually get this camera for less than 100 USD on eBay, sometimes much less.

The Polaroid Now+ costs more, so should at least match that camera. And unfortunately, it’s still not there. But Gen 3 seems to be getting every-so-slightly closer than Gen 1 and 2 versions of the Polaroid Now+. Let’s dive in.

(Quick side note: I was in the middle of writing a Polaroid Now+ Gen 2 review when this camera released, causing me to scrap that review and jump to this camera. And then in the middle of working on this review, Polaroid released the Polaroid Flip, which seems to address nearly every criticism of the Now+ Gen 3. So, I’m working on testing that camera now, but I think many people will still be interested in the cheaper Now+ Gen 3 so I kept working on this review).

Sharpness

When in focus, the sharpness of the Polaroid Now+ Gen 3 is perfectly acceptable. It’s not quite on par with the Polaroid Impulse AF or any of the vintage folding SLRs with full glass focusing lens assemblies, but it is a tad better than the fixed-focus box-type 600 cameras out there like the Polaroid OneStep Closeup.

The biggest obstacle to sharpness is not the lens, it’s the two biggest issues with the Polaroid Now series: exposure and hitting focus. I-Type cameras seem to have a weaker flash than vintage Polaroids (which might be a result of the power source), so sometimes it feels like sharpness takes a hit because of slower shutter speeds required. Also, the exposure meter often just… gets it wrong, causing the whole image to blur or get out of whack. And focus, well, let’s talk about that first.

Focus

The Polaroid Now line features an autofocus system which basically switches between two lenses, one for closer subjects, another farther away. It’s a fancy version of the fixed-focus/ closeup lens combos of cameras like the Polaroid OneStep Closeup. It’s perfectly fine for lower-end instant cameras.

What’s not fine is how unreliable the autofocus system is. Still. After three generations. Often the camera will fail to detect your subject on first half press of the shutter, and there’s no indicator on camera letting you know what focus mode the camera has picked for you.

Polaroid film is really expensive and you only have eight shots. There’s nothing more discouraging than an out-of-focus picture – especially when it’s too late to retake it. I love Polaroid and I want it to succeed, but this is the kind of thing that will drive people to Instax.

I’ve figured out a way to get around this by halfway tapping the shutter at least five times to make sure the camera’s autofocus system has detected the subject. Almost, without fail, it catches the subject and adjusts focus on my third or fourth attempt. But at least, for the most part, my pictures are in focus if I do this. If you just mash down the shutter you’re going to have a bad time. You know what camera you don’t have to do that with? The Impulse AF.

You can manually set focus using the app, but using the app kind of requires a tripod setup (you can’t hold a phone and camera at the same time), which is not how I generally shoot Polaroid.

Also, don’t expect to take handheld selfies with this camera. It can’t quite focus close enough to be held at arm’s length. If this is important to you, grab an Instax Mini camera. However, those of you who love tripod selfies will find the app that the Now+’s bluetooth connected app very helpful, as it adds a remote shutter.

Exposure and Metering

I don’t know exactly why, but modern Polaroid has really struggled with hitting exposure on their cameras. While Fuji Instax seems to get better with every generation, Polaroid falls behind even vintage Polaroid cameras from decades earlier.

Supposedly this is the biggest change with the ‘generation 3’ version of the Now cameras. But honestly, when shooting identical setups across all three generations, I really did not find much difference in my results.

To get the best results, you’ll need to get a feel for how the exposure system is going to be tricked. If your subject is standing in front of a bright window, the exposure system will expose for that window, not your subject. If your subject is wearing all black, it’ll blow out their face as it tries to expose for the dark clothes. All vintage Polaroids (and many Instax cameras) are tricked in some of these scenarios, but the Polaroid Now series seems to get it wrong more often than most.

I will say that the exposure system on the Gen 3 version of the Now tends to lean in the direction of overexposing rather than underexposing. This has been helpful in taking pictures of my all-black dog, so that’s good, I guess?

Basically, if you’re coming from a Gen 1 or Gen 2 camera and hoping that the Gen 3 fixes all your exposure woes, you’re going to be disappointed. This is fundamentally the same camera with some minor tweaks to the exposure formula.

Flash Position

Generally, lighting a subject from above is going to be the most flattering direction. We’re used to light sources like the sun and ceiling lights that cast shadows below. There’s a reason lighting from below is called monster lighting.

The past decade or so has seen the rise of ring lighting, which I think makes for horribly ugly looking images, but it has gotten people used to a light source being more direct. The Impossible Project really embraced this with their first camera, the Teenage Engineering-designed I-1.

The Polaroid Now+ Gen 3 has a flash immediately next to the lens, just like every other camera modern Polaroid sells, and I think it makes for ugly shadows on subjects. Shadows will appear next to your subject rather than below.

If you look at classic Polaroid designs, the flash is always as high above the lens as possible, even going as far as to create flipping flashbars and big chunky plastic separators. It’s not always pretty, but it makes for way better images. A few inches really does go a long way.

Yeah, the camera itself looks cool as it is, but creating great images should be the priority not aesthetics. Polaroid, please place your flash above the lens!

Update: Hey, they listened to my whining even before I published this and released the Polaroid Flip, which I’m currently in the process of reviewing. Stay tuned!

Build Quality and Appearance

The modern Impossible Project-derived Polaroid has consistently knocked it out of the park when it comes to beautiful design, and the Now+ Gen 3 continues that tradition. I got the teal/orange colorway and it looks great.

The plastic is a bit cheap, but the non-black colors hide it well. The black plastic on my Gen 2 model scuffs up and fingerprints easily, but it still looks neat on a shelf. I love that Polaroid is keeping the little rainbow touches on cameras. Despite my love/hate relationship with shooting modern I-Type Polaroid cameras, they do look fantastic.

There is no protection for the lens when the camera is off, but I haven’t had any trouble with scratches or damage even when throwing my Polaroid Now+ Gen 3 into a backpack.

Battery

Vintage Polaroid cameras were powered by a tiny battery in each pack of film. It’s admittedly a wasteful approach when each pack only has eight images. That’s why newer Polaroid cameras are all ‘I-type’, which is the use film as 600 just without the built-in battery built into the cartridge.

I think a rechargeable lithium battery inside the camera is a perfectly valid approach. However, for this to work, that lithium battery needs to be easily replaced. I have a pile of I-Type Polaroid cameras that can’t even hold a proper charge anymore, including my first generation Now+ camera that’s just a few years old. Unless you’re babying this battery by pulling it out of a drawer and charging it every week, this lithium battery will die.

And there’s no way to easily replace it without taking the camera apart, which means a whole lot of these cameras are going to end up in the trash in a few years when people pull them out of a closet and they don’t work. That sucks.

The camera charges via USB-C and comes with a cable.

Compared

NOW+ VERSUS THE NOW

The Polaroid Now comes in two variants, the Now+ (which I’m reviewing here) and the cheaper Now. The price difference is small (like, almost the same as a single pack of 8 pictures small), so I would not recommend the cheaper Now. The Now regular loses a tripod screw, all Bluetooth app connectivity (which is helpful for using as a remote trigger for selfies), and filter adapters. Honestly, the difference is so small I wish Polaroid just sold the Now+ to keep it simple.

NOW+ VERSUS THE I-2

Don’t get the I-2. It’s insanely overpriced, and you’ll pretty much get the exact same results with the Polaroid Now+ for a fraction of the cost. If you have I-2 money burning a hole in your pocket, the vintage Polaroid SLRs are some of the best cameras ever made, period.

Recommendations

So, should you get the Now+ Gen 3? If you’re just dipping your toes into Polaroid photography and want a new camera, this is the one to get. I understand not everyone is willing to mess around with eBay and garage sales to find an old Polaroid camera that might be broken or smell like smoke.

However, if you do get this camera and you are a beginner, do yourself a favor and get the black and white film instead of color. You’ll have a much better time with exposure and be way happier with the results, trust me.

The Polaroid Now+, like all the other I-type cameras, are also excellent looking devices. They look great on a shelf and are iconic designs that are way more handsome than anything Fuji is able to make these days.

But if you’re an avid photographer and want to shoot Polaroid, you will reap huge rewards if you take the time to dig up a vintage Polaroid camera like the Impulse AF. Even after all these years, they’re still the best Polaroid cameras out there, and sadly, the third generation doesn’t change that fact.

If you decide to pick up a Polaroid Now+ Gen 3 you can purchase one directly from Polaroid. If this article inspires you to grab a vintage Polaroid camera, I have a whole buying guide for that you can check out. Nobody sends me any cameras to review, so I have to pay for all of this out of my own pocket. Thank you for your support and for using my affiliate links!