Polaroid JoyCam 500 Instant Camera, Blue

by Polaroid

Product Details

Product Manual [327kb PDF]

• Item Weight: 10.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004RFC0
• Batteries: 2 AA batteries required.
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,641 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
  • #40 in Electronics > Camera & Photo > Film Cameras > Instant Cameras
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 15, 2000

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

The Polaroid JoyCam is an instant camera designed in the spirit of the saying, "Everything old is new again." Polaroid has taken their signature product, the instant camera, and repackaged it in a slim silver body. In an age when camera makers are overloading their new products with automatic bells and whistles, Polaroid has instead made the JoyCam design simple and manual.

This camera is so easy to operate that anyone can load and use it. It works with Polaroid 500 (formerly known as Captiva) film and produces wallet-size pictures. To advance your film, you simply pull a plastic ring on the side of the camera. The JoyCam also features a manually selected built-in flash.

What we found most pleasing about the updated design is that it is noticeably less cumbersome than traditional instant cameras. While still much larger than a 35mm point-and-shoot, the JoyCam is small enough to throw into a backpack and bring along. Also, because the film ejection mechanism is manual in this updated design, Polaroid no longer has to build a battery cell into each film cartridge--so film costs less.

In redesigning the body of the JoyCam, however, Polaroid has done little to improve the actual picture-taking mechanism or picture quality. In our tests, this camera was incapable of taking a decent indoor picture without using the flash. When we did use the flash, it distorted colors and produced washed-out images of the subjects in our photos. However, if picture quality and stunning portraits are what you are after, you'd be silly to buy an instant camera of any sort, much less a Polaroid JoyCam. The Polaroid JoyCam is designed for impulsiveness and fun, and it serves those purposes well.

Pros:

• Light and portable body
• Simple operation
• More economical film

Cons:

• Flash causes color distortion
• Grainy picture quality

Amazon.com Product Description

The Polaroid JoyCam Kit includes Polaroid's latest JoyCam camera model and a 10-frame film cartridge. The Polaroid JoyCam is a revision of the instant camera design that made Polaroid famous. It has a small body in comparison to its bulky predecessors and offers a frame counter and a built-in selectable flash with a flash-ready light. Easy enough for a child to use, the Polaroid JoyCam operates with the push of a single button--no focusing is necessary.

The design feature that sets the Polaroid JoyCam apart from other instant cameras is its film delivery system--or lack of one. Traditional instant cameras relied on film cartridges with built-in batteries to enable the camera to expel each shot; however, this model works without a battery. Instead, users pull a plastic ring on the side of the camera to extract the exposed frame. This manual process enables Polaroid to offer a lighter camera body and compatible instant film cartridges at a more reasonable price.

The Polaroid JoyCam takes pictures at a range of 3 feet to infinity. It works with Polaroid 500 instant film and produces pictures that measure 4.4 by 2.5 inches, which is slightly smaller than traditional Polaroid shots.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

103 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Easy Camera to Use for Fun Shots, April 13, 2000

By 

Christine (Prattville, Alabama) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Polaroid JoyCam 500 Instant Camera, Blue (Electronics)

The JoyCam by Polaroid is one of the easiest cameras I have ever seen to use. All you have to do is drop the film in the bottom, choose whether you want the flash or not, point, push the button, and pull the tab to receive the photo. The tab can't be pulled unless a picture has been taken either, so you don't have to worry about having a picture popping out when you haven't taken one. One drawback is you have to be sure to pull the tab straight and quick or your picture will have splotches. Another drawback is the odd size of the picture itself. If you want to frame it, you have to trim the sides, which Polaroid doesn't recommend anybody doing. It also is not a very good camera for taking scenery pictures. The pictures do have great color quality though, and the close-ups are clear and sharp. If you think the film for the camera is kind of expensive, just remember, you don't have to pay for batteries and you don't have to pay for the cost of developing the film. All in all, it doesn't cost any more for the film for this camera than it does for film for a regular camera. So, if you want a camera to take fun pictures of friends, pets, etc., this is the camera for you.

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Fun but not for V.I.P. (very important photos), November 28, 2000

By 

"wildirishrose" (IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Polaroid JoyCam 500 Instant Camera, Blue (Electronics)

The concept is cool, and the camera is fun for kids/teens or parties. It is particularly suited to close-ups for the best picture quality.

However, I want to warn people that (unless they have changed the chemical makeup of the film over the years) the polaroid pictures do NOT age well. We have some pictures taken when we were kids 20 years ago with polaroid film. The pictures are ruined b/c the "paste" or whatever the picture is composed of turns brittle, and if you bend the picture even slightly, the image cracks all throughout the surface like a mini jigsaw puzzle. It's heartbreaking to lose irreplacable photos like these because the integrity of the film deteriorates over the years. Whether or not the film Polaroid uses today will do the same two decades from now, I guess remains to be seen. But **JUST IN CASE** I would NOT recommend using a Polaroid camera for photos that will be precious to you in the future!

In summary, if you want quick photo enjoyment, this will do fine but be sure to bring a "regular" 35 mm camera to that wedding, birthday, or family reunion in addition to this!!

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!, October 16, 2000

By 

Susan Herrick (Sausalito, Ca USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Polaroid JoyCam 500 Instant Camera, Blue (Electronics)

I got the JoyCam and had a ball with it. My Nephew and I took pictures with the 'big silver camera' and he made a scrap book. The only caution I would issue is that the shutter button is not well protected. So it is not hard to take pictures of the inside of your bag. Beware. Those are some expensive all black shots.