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on August 20, 2013
This camera was an early Christmas gift last year and I find it perfect for what I need. I wanted a camera that took digital pictures, had expandable memory, was easy to use, and printed out pictures directly from the unit. The Polaroid Z340 Polaroid Z340 3x4 Instant Digital Camera with ZINK (Zero Ink) Printing Technology was too much money and bigger in size than I wanted and the Polaroid 300 Polaroid PIC-300P Instant Film Analog Camera (Purple) didn't have the memory ability I was looking for.
After some research of this and the Fuji Instax instant camera line, I settled on this one because of a couple of things.
PROS:
1) The Polaroid Z2300 has the throwback design that ultimately made it more portable than the Fuji Instax cameras. Yes, it is bigger than many purely digital cameras but you have to take into consideration that it has the printer inside. I have no issue with their being actual buttons, at times it is easier for me than having a touchscreen.
2)User friendly memory. I got a 16gb sd card as a promotion and it serves me to be able to selectively print pictures than to just have them print immediately after taking them. I am not the world's best photographer and I wasted many an instant camera in high school due to my lack of skills. Nothing sucked more than finally getting everyone together in the perfect pose at the dance than to press the shutter and find my last picture was already taken :( I have been able to successfully transfer photos from my computer to the sd card to print from Facebook and other cameras, and have also used my phone's micro sd with an adapter to make prints directly using this camera.
Some photos do not show up because they are too high resolution (12MP is where I maxed out.) The Polaroid Z2300 only likes landscape, otherwise you get an error message and cannot print. I set my Polaroid Z2300 at 8MP and the pictures come out nice, very little gets cropped in the printing process. My new phone (HTC ONE 32GB)takes true landscape pics and I found that it will fit the entire picture in the print, but the pictures come out "letter boxed" at the top and bottom with white bars (see customer pics for mine.)
The ability to take video was another selling point as I do not always have enough battery or memory available on my phone to take HD videos. The format is .avi and to my amateur pov looks good, definitely HD quality. Be warned that the video takes up A LOT of memory and the camera only takes up to 32GB SD cards.
3) INSTANT MEMORIES! I love that I can just print out a picture and touch it, use it, rub it and none of those things will mess it up after it's done. The fact that it is also a sticker makes making albums and Smashbooks easier. I have given them out as gifts to friends, use it to make going away presents for coworkers and it has been handy to use as "wallets" like back in the day. My little cousins personalized backpacks and for an avid Disneyland visitor like me, having prints of those memories is priceless.
CONS:
1) Picture quality is not always the best, you have to learn what setting works for what scene. This may be a hassle for some people but since I choose what pictures to print and save, not so much of a dealbreaker, just wanted to point it out to others. Colors are either brilliant and spot on, or slightly orangey. They look better on the computer than the camera's LCD screen. Printouts also can come out washed out but it depends on the picture taken in my pov.
2) Battery life not so good when printing multiples. It tends to run out faster when I am just in a printing session and unfortunately taking out the camera battery deletes the date/time setting, which you have to set before being able to take pictures. The battery is removable though but it does charge through ac adapter only. I have yet tried to charge it through usb. Mine came with all these plug adapters for different countries, which may be useful for those that travel, but I just stored them in the junk drawer. I do plan on getting a new battery for just in case.
3)You will not find ZINK Premium photo papers Polaroid 2x3" Premium ZINK Photo paper - 50-Pack in stores. I have been able to order some off Amazon but if I run out, I cannot just go to the store and get more. Keep that in mind if you are wanting this camera for crafting purposes or events. The paper itself is cheap and I haven't wasted more than a handful in the past year. I believe around $0.50 a print.
If you want a fun camera that helps you shares memories in a unique way, I recommend this camera. This is a gadget in all the sense of the word, not something professional photographers or nitpickers should get, because you will be disappointed. Figure out if your needs are what this camera can give you, because I am thoroughly happy with mine and will be giving one to my cousin now that the price has gone down.
After some research of this and the Fuji Instax instant camera line, I settled on this one because of a couple of things.
PROS:
1) The Polaroid Z2300 has the throwback design that ultimately made it more portable than the Fuji Instax cameras. Yes, it is bigger than many purely digital cameras but you have to take into consideration that it has the printer inside. I have no issue with their being actual buttons, at times it is easier for me than having a touchscreen.
2)User friendly memory. I got a 16gb sd card as a promotion and it serves me to be able to selectively print pictures than to just have them print immediately after taking them. I am not the world's best photographer and I wasted many an instant camera in high school due to my lack of skills. Nothing sucked more than finally getting everyone together in the perfect pose at the dance than to press the shutter and find my last picture was already taken :( I have been able to successfully transfer photos from my computer to the sd card to print from Facebook and other cameras, and have also used my phone's micro sd with an adapter to make prints directly using this camera.
Some photos do not show up because they are too high resolution (12MP is where I maxed out.) The Polaroid Z2300 only likes landscape, otherwise you get an error message and cannot print. I set my Polaroid Z2300 at 8MP and the pictures come out nice, very little gets cropped in the printing process. My new phone (HTC ONE 32GB)takes true landscape pics and I found that it will fit the entire picture in the print, but the pictures come out "letter boxed" at the top and bottom with white bars (see customer pics for mine.)
The ability to take video was another selling point as I do not always have enough battery or memory available on my phone to take HD videos. The format is .avi and to my amateur pov looks good, definitely HD quality. Be warned that the video takes up A LOT of memory and the camera only takes up to 32GB SD cards.
3) INSTANT MEMORIES! I love that I can just print out a picture and touch it, use it, rub it and none of those things will mess it up after it's done. The fact that it is also a sticker makes making albums and Smashbooks easier. I have given them out as gifts to friends, use it to make going away presents for coworkers and it has been handy to use as "wallets" like back in the day. My little cousins personalized backpacks and for an avid Disneyland visitor like me, having prints of those memories is priceless.
CONS:
1) Picture quality is not always the best, you have to learn what setting works for what scene. This may be a hassle for some people but since I choose what pictures to print and save, not so much of a dealbreaker, just wanted to point it out to others. Colors are either brilliant and spot on, or slightly orangey. They look better on the computer than the camera's LCD screen. Printouts also can come out washed out but it depends on the picture taken in my pov.
2) Battery life not so good when printing multiples. It tends to run out faster when I am just in a printing session and unfortunately taking out the camera battery deletes the date/time setting, which you have to set before being able to take pictures. The battery is removable though but it does charge through ac adapter only. I have yet tried to charge it through usb. Mine came with all these plug adapters for different countries, which may be useful for those that travel, but I just stored them in the junk drawer. I do plan on getting a new battery for just in case.
3)You will not find ZINK Premium photo papers Polaroid 2x3" Premium ZINK Photo paper - 50-Pack in stores. I have been able to order some off Amazon but if I run out, I cannot just go to the store and get more. Keep that in mind if you are wanting this camera for crafting purposes or events. The paper itself is cheap and I haven't wasted more than a handful in the past year. I believe around $0.50 a print.
If you want a fun camera that helps you shares memories in a unique way, I recommend this camera. This is a gadget in all the sense of the word, not something professional photographers or nitpickers should get, because you will be disappointed. Figure out if your needs are what this camera can give you, because I am thoroughly happy with mine and will be giving one to my cousin now that the price has gone down.
on April 10, 2017
This thing sucks. Just buy a regular Polaroid camera. Tried to use this for a DIY photo booth and chose this camera because the paper/film is cheaper than the other Polaroid film. Really bummed now. The picture takes forever to print, the color sucks, the battery died after an hour, every 5 prints it overheats and you have to wait for it to cool off; it literally says: Please wait I'm cooling off. The only thing I liked was that it saved the pictures so we could look at them after the party. Too bad it was so irritating to use that there weren't many pictures. People just used their own phones. I wish I could return this but it's past the return period.
on June 27, 2016
It is a little to big for a point and shoot camera. In the same way, 10 MP might be not enough for today standards and I am not completely sure that this camera produce better pictures than my 8MP iPhone (thats why I dropped 1 star). BUT! been able to print the pictures makes this camera really fun, specially on social events / family reunions. My main camera is a mirrorless with some expensive lens, but I use this one to let someone else make "snapshots" and then print some of those.
The camera can store 1 picture on the internal memory, so you can still use it w/o memory card if you plan to print immediately. On the other hand, the camera can hold 10 sheets of Zink paper, so you might want to carry some extra packages. Each package contains 10 sheets which makes it easy to reload the camera.
Note. I read somewhere that you should keep the blue sheet with bar codes that came with the Zink papers that are included with your camera. This is in case the new packages are not working properly.
The camera can store 1 picture on the internal memory, so you can still use it w/o memory card if you plan to print immediately. On the other hand, the camera can hold 10 sheets of Zink paper, so you might want to carry some extra packages. Each package contains 10 sheets which makes it easy to reload the camera.
Note. I read somewhere that you should keep the blue sheet with bar codes that came with the Zink papers that are included with your camera. This is in case the new packages are not working properly.
on April 8, 2016
This product was an extreme disappointment. After fully charging the battery when I first received it for a camping trip, it only lasted about 1 minute before it died. I didn't use it again for months and then when I tried to print photos from it for a birthday present, the menu buttons on the camera apparently no longer work so I can't even get past language selection or take a photo despite many troubleshooting methods. The seller failed to mention that 1) the battery was extremely depleted beyond being able to hold a charge, and 2) the electrical wiring for the camera is faulty. Complete rip-off, and the camera is useless. Hope everyone else had better luck than I did.
on January 7, 2018
My daughter wanted the Fuji instant camera for Christmas. I did not like that it 1) could not save the image digitally 2) could only print the picture once and 3) always printed the picture. I set out for a better camera with the instant ability. This is it!
Pros: It accepts an SD card so images can be saved.
You can chose not to print the picture
you can print the image more than once.
There are other options as well like making the image passport size. Since it is my daughter's I have not played with it all that much.
Cons: It is more bulky than the average point and shoot digital (but WAY smaller than the one she said she wanted)
the film is kinda pricey and I wonder how long the film will be available (think old polaroid - can't find that film anywhere)
Overall we are very happy and as a preschool teacher that sometimes needs images of the students quickly, I think there will be opportunities for me to borrow her camera. ;)
Pros: It accepts an SD card so images can be saved.
You can chose not to print the picture
you can print the image more than once.
There are other options as well like making the image passport size. Since it is my daughter's I have not played with it all that much.
Cons: It is more bulky than the average point and shoot digital (but WAY smaller than the one she said she wanted)
the film is kinda pricey and I wonder how long the film will be available (think old polaroid - can't find that film anywhere)
Overall we are very happy and as a preschool teacher that sometimes needs images of the students quickly, I think there will be opportunities for me to borrow her camera. ;)
on March 23, 2016
We ended up returning it. Camera size is fine, picture size is also fine. Picture quality however was just not good enough for us to keep. My girlfriend wanted an Insta camera and we ended up trying this polaroid, Mini 90 and the Instax Wide 300. We mainly compared the Mini 90 to the Polaroid. Yes, the Polaroid is more like a digital camera capable of printing on the spot. If you find the storage and 10MP useful, then this might be a good option for you. We didn't, we only wanted something that can print instantly.
The polaroid wasn't hard to use, typical digital camera controls and settings. The photo paper was a bit cheaper compared to the Mini 90.But the quality of the prints is just not there. We did play around with the settings, took sample pictures indoor as well as out. It just did not compare to the Mini 90. I know, I know, different technology.
The polaroid wasn't hard to use, typical digital camera controls and settings. The photo paper was a bit cheaper compared to the Mini 90.But the quality of the prints is just not there. We did play around with the settings, took sample pictures indoor as well as out. It just did not compare to the Mini 90. I know, I know, different technology.
on April 21, 2017
Camera may not be the most megapixels, and the pictures may not be the clearest pictures out there, but I am seriously grateful for having bought this camera, my grandfather is dying right now and with this camera I have been able to capture so many moments and print them all out so easily for everyone, putting pictures all over the place for him, capturing his final days with this camera is all I could ever ask for in a camera and this thing does it flawlessly, I'd recommend to anyone who is just wanting to make memories with a camera, this is the one to use
on June 27, 2015
I love the camera and the concept of it. I love that it advertized that it comes with Sticky paper which it does. I use it to add photos to journaling I do during my travels.
HOWEVER... When I re ordered the "sticky paper" that goes with it I did not receive the same paper that came with the original camera. The biggest feature that I was looking for in a journaling camera was sticker photos. And I'm having a hell of a time trying to find the ORIGINAL paper that came with this camera. The one that is sold by Polaroid here on amazon (50 pack) IS NOT BY POLAROID! You will know this from opening the package and not finding the Zink logo on the back of the paper. Instead it will have a blue tint to it AND IT IS NOT STICKY!
So while I absolutely love the camera and the 10 sheets of paper it originally came with, I am ABSOLUTELY NOT IMPRESSED that It's impossible to re order the ORIGINAL sticky paper that came with the camera.
Even going to the polaroid website and clicking on the 30 pack brings you to the Amazon listing for the 50 pack of fake Non-sticky stuff that I am not stuck with. I am heart broken over this.
Essentially I paid a bunch of money for something that only works as advertised 10 times.
HOWEVER... When I re ordered the "sticky paper" that goes with it I did not receive the same paper that came with the original camera. The biggest feature that I was looking for in a journaling camera was sticker photos. And I'm having a hell of a time trying to find the ORIGINAL paper that came with this camera. The one that is sold by Polaroid here on amazon (50 pack) IS NOT BY POLAROID! You will know this from opening the package and not finding the Zink logo on the back of the paper. Instead it will have a blue tint to it AND IT IS NOT STICKY!
So while I absolutely love the camera and the 10 sheets of paper it originally came with, I am ABSOLUTELY NOT IMPRESSED that It's impossible to re order the ORIGINAL sticky paper that came with the camera.
Even going to the polaroid website and clicking on the 30 pack brings you to the Amazon listing for the 50 pack of fake Non-sticky stuff that I am not stuck with. I am heart broken over this.
Essentially I paid a bunch of money for something that only works as advertised 10 times.
on August 30, 2015
This camera is fun for the price point.
I have only had the camera a few weeks. Since there have been quite a few reviews already posted, here are just a few thoughts based on my experience to date.
CAMERA BUILD: It feels like an inexpensive camera, perhaps because it is one. It has been described as bulky. My response would be 'Compared to which other cameras that print pictures?" I am impressed at its size versus what it can do. I concur with input from other buyers that the door to the printer paper pops open too easily. Likewise, I find the camera sometimes turns on when I am just putting it in the case. I find these minor annoyances.
EXTRA BATTERY: I got an extra battery. Contrary to what was written in a prior review, I have not had to reset the date & time when swapping batteries at an unhurried pace. I am not challenging the prior review, but rather speculating that there is a limited window of time in which the swap can be done without loosing that date/time data.
POLAROID CASE: A complete waste of money. I subsequently ordered a Case Logic CPL102. Camera plus two packs of paper and spare battery all fit in it. It comes with both a belt loop and over-the-shoulder strap.
PRINTS: I have taken about 75-100 pictures so far and printed out about 15. In keeping with every Polaroid camera that I have ever had, the picture is more about instant gratification than image quality. That said, I have found the image quality quite good. The picture is certainly not what I can do using a high-end printer for an image pulled from the SD chip and run through Lightroom, but it is respectable. The biggest problem I have with the prints is that they are a mite small. To make them look bigger, I have cut up some stiff paper into 4.25" x 3" pieces on which (using Excel) I had faintly printed a centered rectangle just under 3"x2". I peal off the adhesive back off a Zink print, mount it on the paper using the faint lines to position it and presto, it is a framed picture that look larger.
PRINTING PICTURES TAKEN ON OTHER CAMERAS: Let me preface the following by saying that I have only tried this with one camera - a Canon S120 shooting hi-res RAW in3:2 format. I took the 32GB chip out of that camera and put it in the Polaroid. I could see the pictures taken with the Canon. I tried to print one. It worked. Again, this was a highly limited experiment from which I am not prepared to make any generalized statement about the ability in print pictures taken by other cameras.
I have only had the camera a few weeks. Since there have been quite a few reviews already posted, here are just a few thoughts based on my experience to date.
CAMERA BUILD: It feels like an inexpensive camera, perhaps because it is one. It has been described as bulky. My response would be 'Compared to which other cameras that print pictures?" I am impressed at its size versus what it can do. I concur with input from other buyers that the door to the printer paper pops open too easily. Likewise, I find the camera sometimes turns on when I am just putting it in the case. I find these minor annoyances.
EXTRA BATTERY: I got an extra battery. Contrary to what was written in a prior review, I have not had to reset the date & time when swapping batteries at an unhurried pace. I am not challenging the prior review, but rather speculating that there is a limited window of time in which the swap can be done without loosing that date/time data.
POLAROID CASE: A complete waste of money. I subsequently ordered a Case Logic CPL102. Camera plus two packs of paper and spare battery all fit in it. It comes with both a belt loop and over-the-shoulder strap.
PRINTS: I have taken about 75-100 pictures so far and printed out about 15. In keeping with every Polaroid camera that I have ever had, the picture is more about instant gratification than image quality. That said, I have found the image quality quite good. The picture is certainly not what I can do using a high-end printer for an image pulled from the SD chip and run through Lightroom, but it is respectable. The biggest problem I have with the prints is that they are a mite small. To make them look bigger, I have cut up some stiff paper into 4.25" x 3" pieces on which (using Excel) I had faintly printed a centered rectangle just under 3"x2". I peal off the adhesive back off a Zink print, mount it on the paper using the faint lines to position it and presto, it is a framed picture that look larger.
PRINTING PICTURES TAKEN ON OTHER CAMERAS: Let me preface the following by saying that I have only tried this with one camera - a Canon S120 shooting hi-res RAW in3:2 format. I took the 32GB chip out of that camera and put it in the Polaroid. I could see the pictures taken with the Canon. I tried to print one. It worked. Again, this was a highly limited experiment from which I am not prepared to make any generalized statement about the ability in print pictures taken by other cameras.
