Customer Reviews

Polaroid 300 Instant Camera PIC-300L

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Length:: 2:30 Mins

I have to admit, electronics and hardware don't excite me but I'd be lying if I told you that I wasn't just a little giddy when United Parcel delivered a package containing the new Polaroid 300 camera.

Earlier this month Polaroid Corporation, with the approval of their spokesperson Lady Ga-Ga, released the pic-300 camera. It takes 10 pictures per roll on business card-sized paper (the film is similar to the old 600 and SX-70 type film.)

Speaking of old-style Polaroid film, in January of this year, Polaroid announced that they will be updating their old-fashioned Polaroid One Step camera (The pic-1000 to be released later this year). The Impossible Project also announced the introduction of a new color film that will fit all Polaroid 600 cameras. No word yet if Polaroid film partner Fuji Film will also release 600 type film.

With limited features and a fixed focus, the Polaroid 300 may not be for everyone but I can tell you that it adds lots of FUN to any party where people can walk away with a smile and a color print in their hand.

All-in-all it is quite a year for instant film photography. Just think...this would be possible without YOU! So, pick up some film and start shooting!

In the age of digital revolution that metamorphosed photography for ever there is little reason to buy an analog product. A product with a large size and cumbersome function. rather than take hundreds of photos before you think of changing your memory card you are limited to 10 small expensive prints.
So why did I buy it. And how come did I give it five stars. Will here are the reasons;
1. I had realistic expectations for what I was getting into.
2. I love photography in all it's shapes and forms.
3. Again I had realistic expectation.
4. I'm into fun stuff
5. I'm sentimental for the old days.
look at reasons 1 and 3 again. some people buy things with inflated expectations and then get disappointed with what they have.
Honestly the photo quality was way way much better than I expected. The colors are vivid and vibrant and the focus is really sharp. The camera has for simple different settings for light conditions and an automatic flash which did a really good job for foreground lighting. The photos are small but that was a compromise I'm willing to make. They are expensive $1 per print, to me that makes them more precious.
In this day of digital we are so used to click click click with our digital cameras and our cellphones. We take thousands of photos and print literally zeros. The photos we take are free so we don't think twice of click click click. With this Polaroid and $1 per print price tag I enjoyed the click and the "Shake it like a Polaroid picture" and the sharing with others. It is really really fun.
But I have no illusions. And I want you to have none. This is a novelty / speciality item. It will not replace my DSLR or my point and shooter it will compliment them and thus I'm really happy with my purchase and if you buy this camera with a realistic expectations and if you are a sentimental guy/gal you will enjoy it like I am.

I purchased this Camera for my boyfriend James. We both are quite nostalgic for the 70's and 80's and both of us love photography. He himself has quite the eye for framing a picture perfectly, and finding subjects to shoot that are quirky, and beautiful and unconventional. Polaroid's are in essence, exactly that as well.

The new Polaroid PIC-300B is the answer to anyone's prayers who missed the look and feel and fun of those instant photos. We all know how a Polaroid picture looks, it's not crystal clear in the slightest, and it has such a harshness of reality woven into it. By nature it's more contemporary than the newer digital cameras, because you have instant gratification. You cannot zoom, or look at the picture first and then delete or save; you cannot download it onto your PC and fix it. You point and click and there is NO turning back you must accept that picture! It's half the fun of it to see it develop, the other half is having something in your hand. A tangible memento of the moment before.

It's a good looking camera, I loved how the old ones looked, but I like this one as well. It also comes in different colors now; I went for good old black. It's not too heavy, comes with batteries and a strap for the side. The Polaroid PIC-300B is easy to use. Just load the film, then you pop open the lens and that turns on the camera and the first photo that comes out will not be a picture but rather the films protective layer coming off. Then you point and click and the photo comes out the top now! It still makes the same noises as it spits out, and that made me smile. The photos are now business card size , which I didn't know if I would love or not but I DO!!

This camera isn't for someone who wants an everyday camera, this is for special use. Yes, because the film isn't cheap for it, but also because the pictures themselves are meant to be slices of life, not all of life.

I am so happy with this camera, now go and get yourself one!

This camera is simple to use and works just fine for it's intended use.
The photos are small - smaller than the normal polaroid that most of us are used to. We used it for an annual event at Halloween to take photos of the kids in their costumes and still need the relatively easy "Make and Take" that a polaroid camera is designed for. I still wish they would hurry with the re-release of the old school type though.

The camera is a good price, and the film is reasonably comparable to the old film - about $1 a shot.

The only problem I have is the manual light setting dial. When you load a new cartridge of film, it resets back to the default. This caught me a couple times when I reloaded quickly and forgot to set the dial back to the outdoor sunshine mode.

I had realistic expectations about this camera. I knew it wouldn't replace my digital camera and I also knew it wouldn't be up to my Nikon camera, the version with film that had to be developed (which I did in my own mini darkroom). Still, I thought it could be useful in some situations where saving photos on a computer wasn't necessary.

There are some significant problems with this, however. I expected the photos to be small since other reviewers had noted this. But 10 shots cost about $1 each, making each roll of film about $10. Ouch! Also, I thought perhaps I could use the photos to help label boxes. You know, Halloween pics on the outside of stored Halloween items, etc. But the photos are so small that I can't really tell what is inside each box. I even tried to use them on shoe boxes so I'd know which shoes were inside. Complete failure!

Part of the problem is that the colors aren't true and I don't know how to get around this. The size of the photos makes them impractical for putting them on boxes to "see" what is inside. Yes, this is a novelty item and a conversation starter. You could make place cards with it or incorporate the photos into a photo montage or an artist's collage. But does this have appeal to the average consumer? I don't think so- and certainly not for me. However, if they come out with a more sophisticated version, one with more controls as well as larger photos...that might be tempting!

Polaroid finally recreated a relic of their past and changed things up a bit. Technically, Fuji-Film did considering this is the same camera with Polaroid's name on it, but that's another story altogether. I'm not sure if these two cameras are EXACTLY the same since I've heard that the film is interchangeable as well as not interchangeable. You can decide on that. However, this is a nice little camera. I purchased this camera for a couple of reasons; 1st I love and collect Polaroid cameras, 2nd I missed having any non-expired film for my older Polaroids, and 3rd, I wanted something different to bring to my advanced level Photography class. I've had this camera for about 2 weeks now and am trying to get used to it. The pictures are smaller than the original Polaroid pictures most people are used to seeing. They are a little bigger than half the width and a little bit smaller than the length of the originals. It's about the same as the quality of Polaroid 600 film which helps keep the nostalgic look and feel to the images themselves. You can get a pack of film on here for 9.99 for ten pictures. My advice is to get three of these packs that way you don't have to pay shipping and there is no sales tax (it's the cheapest way). The camera itself does have some problems. The flash cannot be turned off. It can be overpowering to say the least. The flash seems to have a sensor next to it to compensate how much flash it needs, but even with all the lights on the flash can wash out the color of any picture. The only thing you can do is to diffuse the flash and that's about it. I have shot about 2 packs of film inside using the indoor setting. I tried diffusing the flash with see-through plastic party cups (cutting out pieces that fit directly on top of the flash) as well as clear-frosted CD cases (holding them over the flash) and even an old Polaroid filter from a model 180 (again, holding it over the flash). The results were interesting. Instead of just diffusing the flash, this acted like a filter for the lens. Again, this is due to an overpowering flash. There are even some people who put a special gel pack over the flash which can help with diffusing. When I tried to put the filter over the lens itself, the pictures came out much darker. I am still playing around with this camera and will take it outside to see what results I can get there. Maybe the flash won't be so overpowering on a different setting with the help of the sun. The camera also is slightly curved on the bottom as well as lacking a tripod mount. I know many similar older Polaroids were without the tripod mount, but they were all flat! Yes, the camera can sit flat, but with the slight curve it can fall over with a small tap. I still look past all these flaws and love the camera just as much. All in all the camera is fun, the pictures are fun, and it makes for a better 'party' camera; instant satisfaction.

i love this camera. i've been addicted to my holga for years, and won this gem as a center piece at a wedding. camera is easy to use, works decent in low light (with the correct setting) and allows you to get closer up to objects than the polaroid 600. i highly recommend this camera to anyone that likes to experiment with toy cameras.

Me, being a polaroid enthusiast, bought this camera to add to my vast collection of polaroid cameras and film. When this camera came out i was surprised to find out that it is an EXACT replica of the fuji instax mini camera but priced more. The thing with this camera is that unlike most cameras of today, what you see in the viewfinder is not what your picture will look like. In fact the viewfinder is placed next to the lens so when you take a picture alot of the time its off by a few inches to a point where its noticeable.Not only is the camera overpriced but the film that is used in the cameras is WAY overpriced. In fact you can even use the instax mini film which is priced cheaper and works the same way in the camera. If you are going for the classic polaroid look that you remember this is NOT IT. This film is 10x smaller than the old polaroid film.

My advice is that if you want one to play with go for it, but its not worth the money at all.

I bought this camera for my camera buff daughter who is all of 7. Pictures are about a $1 a pop. Nothing beats the instant gratification of the picture popping right up. Easy to operate and handle. Vintage, artsy looking pics. In this digital camera worked the Polaroid 'technology' is so old, it's new again. Love it!

I gave this to my husband for a Christmas present...we took it over for the big christmas breakfast at my mother's house and everyone had a ball hamming for the quick developing photos. It was big hit with the teenagers as well as all the adults. The clarity and realistic color was a nice surprise.Polaroid PIC-300L Instant Analog Camera (Blue)