Polaroid Now+ (Plus) Instant Film Camera Review

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Last year, I was frustrated by the original Polaroid Now, and a few months ago I tore my hair out over the new, smaller Polaroid Go. Both were stunningly beautiful cameras that were a nightmare to shoot. So, to say that I approached the new Polaroid Now+ cautiously is an understatement. I drug my feet when it came to testing this camera, dreading what I would find. However, I need not have been afraid. The Now+/Plus is a worthy successor to the Polaroid OneStep+ it replaces.

So, a brief bit of history so the rest of the review makes sense. Vintage Polaroid stopped making cameras and film back around 2008. A company soon formed called the Impossible Project that started making new film for those vintage Polaroid cameras. Over the years, the Impossible Project started making their own new ‘I-Type’ cameras (get it? I for Impossible?), which were basically the same as vintage 600 type Polaroid, but the cameras held the battery rather than the film cartridge. Impossible Project became Polaroid Originals, which then eventually became the Polaroid that we know and love today.

Polaroid now makes both film for vintage Polaroid cameras (like the OneStep Closeup and SLR 680) and their own new ‘I-Type’ Polaroid cameras. The current lineup is the tiny Go, the entry-level Polaroid Now, and at the top of the heap is this Polaroid Now+. This camera replaces the older OneStep+/OneStep 2 cameras that I once (and still if you can find a deal on one somewhere) highly recommend.

The cheaper, older Polaroid Now’s fatal flaw was an unreliable ‘autofocus’ system that couldn’t be manually controlled that resulted in a ton of blurry, unpleasant photos. The Polaroid Now+ uses essentially the same lenses and focus system… but for whatever reason, it actually works for the most part. Throw in some truly useful features like a tripod mount screw hole and a companion app, and this camera is a winner.

On-camera controls are simple, with just a flash on/off button and a camera on/off button. The shutter is on the front side alongside a bluetooth connect button (that I haven’t had to use).

Image Quality (Autofocus and Sharpness)

Thankfully, the headline autofocus feature on the Now+ seems to be far more reliable than on my nightmarishly unpredictable Polaroid Now. The camera essentially switches between two modes: .4-1.2 meters and 1.2 meters to infinity. If you get it wrong (it focuses to infinity while trying to shoot something close up) you get a very blurry image. But if you get it right… it’s fine! Nothing to complain about.

My biggest problem with the original Now was that the camera almost never got it right, wasting tons of film. Worse, there was no indicator on the camera that let you know how it was deciding to focus before you shot the image, so you had no way of checking before shooting a very expensive photo. The Now+ addresses this in two ways. First, the autofocus just seems to work better. Two, you can use the companion Polaroid bluetooth app to actually see what it’s doing ahead of time. It’s clunky, and I would’ve preferred something in the viewfinder or on the camera body, but it’s far, far better than nothing.

The sharpness of the lens is about on par with a vintage fixed-focus camera like the OneStep Closeup, but falls behind higher end sonar-autofocus equipped cameras like the SLR 680 and the Impulse AF. The actual image quality is also almost exactly the same as older I-Types like the OneStep+ (it just does the job of switching focus modes for you).

Here’s a handy tip if you happen to pick up the camera. You can hear an audible ‘thunk’ whenever the camera changes between focus modes. To make sure the camera is set correctly, point it up into the sky or somewhere it will focus to infinity, press down halfway so it focuses (you’ll sometimes hear it ‘thunk’ into place), then point it at your close-up subject and feel for the lens switching. If nothing happens, the camera may still be in the opposite focus mode. Polaroid film is expensive, so every bit of reassurance helps (though my wish is that you never had to do this at all because there was an indicator in the viewfinder like on the Spectra System Cameras (RIP)).

The flash is equally powerful as vintage Polaroid cameras like the Impulse AF, but for some reason it holds back in auto mode, only firing at a lower power setting.

Exposure

The other major element of a film camera is shooting behavior when it comes to exposure. Polaroid cameras, like all instant film cameras, need as much light as they can get, so flash is critical when indoors or outside in anything but bright sunlight.

At first, I felt like the flash wasn’t quite bright enough in a few scenarios with this camera (something I felt when using the Now and Go as well), and my suspicions were confirmed when I was able to increase the flash power in the app to what I consider standard levels with this camera. If you’re not using the app, just be careful that neither you or your subjects are moving, as the shutter stays open longer than I think is helpful, sometimes resulting in blurry photos.

Otherwise, this camera seems to have the same exposure behavior as most Polaroid cameras. It struggled with some high-contrast scenes, but the vintage Polaroid cameras I shot it alongside exposed the exact same way. It’ll do the job just fine for the most part.

There’s no easy on-camera exposure slider, so you’ll have to use the app for any control over exposure and brightness.

At last! A tripod screw socket!

Build Quality

Like all of Polaroid’s new generation of cameras, the Now+ is beautiful. As much as you’ll hear me complain about the Go and original Now in this review, you’ll never hear me call them ugly. All of them are wonderfully designed cameras that come in all kinds of fun colors. Even the best Fuji Instax cameras often look like gross lumps of plastic designed by a time traveler from the year 2002. If you want something that looks good on a shelf, or is going to entice you to pick it up and shoot more, Polaroid is the way to go.

Honestly, I’d argue that these new I-Type cameras beat out most vintage Polaroid 600 type Polaroid cameras in this department. The OneStep CloseUp and One600 have their charms, but looks ain’t it.

Otherwise, the camera is built of high-quality plastic and is tough enough. The charging port is micro-USB, which, okay, fine, isn’t as good as USB-C but probably safer and cheaper. However, that brings me to…

(long sigh) Micro-usb…

Battery

I get it. The original Polaroid 600 and SX-70 system of having a tiny, disposable battery in every cartridge of film and none in the camera itself is a disaster for manufacturing and the environment. However, I’m not convinced the built-in rechargeable lithium battery in I-Type cameras is much better.

Lithium batteries only last a few years, and that’s if they’re well taken care of. If Polaroid cameras are going to have a battery inside them, it must be easily replaceable by the end user with common battery form factors. I use vintage Polaroid cameras that are over 30 years old. I already have I-Type cameras that are barely usable after 4 years because the lithium battery inside can’t hold a charge.

Please, Polaroid, make it so we can replace the lithium battery, preferably with a AA form factor rechargeable battery included in the box. That way, we’d be able to pull the batteries out when the camera is in storage, reducing the potential for a swelling battery catching fire in a closet somewhere, and definitely increasing the chance that the camera will work for photographers 10, 20, 30+ years into the future. That may seem crazy, but cheapo 600-type plastic cameras probably felt disposable decades ago – and they’re still sold, shot, and loved today. I want that future for these cameras as well!

Thank you for tolerating the rant that I will include on every review of a new Polaroid camera until the batteries are easily replaceable using a standard battery type.

(If you’re wondering, the Instax Mini 11 is the only camera that almost gets this right by using two AA batteries. Unfortunately, you’ll have to provide your own lithium rechargeable AAs, as the included alkalines are a huge problem for a different reason.)

The app interface is very powerful if you have the patience (and money for packs of film) to experiment with it.

Bluetooth and App System

The headline feature for this camera is that like the I-1 and OneStep+, this camera is able to interface with your smartphone through an app. I’ve always been impressed with how fast Polaroid cameras find and connect to a phone (especially after the nightmare that Nikon puts me through doing the same thing with my Z6), and the Polaroid Now+ is no exception. It found and connected to my Polaroid Now+ without me doing anything other than opening the app and turning on the camera, no pairing or fuss involved. Bravo!

The features the app brings are actually useful too. There’s a full manual mode that lets you control (and see) exactly what the camera is doing, which is super helpful for controlled studio environments. I found it most helpful for controlling flash, and turning it up to full brightness to reduce blur caused by the shutter being open too long.

Unfortunately, it’s too hard to juggle both the camera and your phone on location without an assistant, so it’s not much use outside of a controlled environment.

Remote shutter is critical for those who love self portraits and selfies (don’t try to shoot this camera at arm’s length – it can’t quite focus that close), and you can control delay and how long it will take for the camera to go off. With the discontinuation of the OneStep+, this is now my recommended camera for selfies.

There are some other fluff modes, but I’ve actually seen some photographers do impressive work with the double exposure function.

The box is full of all kinds of goodies I tend to ignore.

Other Stuff

To make this camera more ‘premium’ Polaroid has included all kinds of stuff like color filters and whatnot in the package. This stuff is fine, but it falls more in the category of ‘toy’ (think Lomography) than ‘tool’ for me. There’s nothing wrong with toys (they make great gifts!) but they’re not going to help me on set when I’m trying to work. I don’t know about most people, but as a photographer I almost never need to do light painting. The stuff is all fine. It’s there if you want to play with it! I didn’t test it.

Recommendations

If you want a brand new Polaroid camera, this is the one to get. The Polaroid Now is a bit cheaper, but it is money well spent to jump up to the Now+. You’ll get a camera that’s actually usable, and features like the tripod head and bluetooth connected app are essential if need any level of control. Also, just skip the Go – if you want tiny images get an Instax Mini camera instead.

This is a great ‘beginner’ Polaroid camera, but I also recommend checking out a vintage OneStep Closeup or equivalent fixed-focus 600 type camera. These can sometimes be found cheaper, but they do come with all the hassles that vintage gear can bring (like not working).

I’m endlessly thankful that Polaroid didn’t whiff it on the Now+. I love Polaroid film and shooting with vintage cameras like the SLR 680, and for that all to stick around, I need Polaroid to make and sell new cameras that are fun to use. My biggest worry with cameras like the original Now and the Go is that people who shoot with them get frustrated and decide they don’t want to shoot instant film ever again. And this fear is well founded – I’ve already seen it happen with the Now! So, I’m glad I have a new camera I can safely point people towards that will do the job – all while looking handsome on a shelf.