Product test
Instax Wide Evo: this hybrid camera from Fujifilm can do more than you’d think
by Michelle Brändle
The Polaroid I-2 is disproportionately expensive
28.10.2023
The I-2 is the best of all Polaroid cameras, but the price premium is disproportionate to the value added. This is what emerged from the comparison with the cheaper Polaroid Now Gen 2.0.
Michelle and I spent an afternoon testing two Polaroids. One is the new and expensive Polaroid I-2 and the other is the much cheaper Polaroid Now Gen 2.0. We wanted to know if the I-2 is worth the extra price.
We test Polaroid cameras as beginners. I know about photography, but not the details of Polaroids. Michelle has experience with Instax Mini cameras and printers, but not with the Polaroid.
Michelle has experience with Instax Mini cameras and printers, but not with the Polaroid.
For us beginners, it was clear that afternoon that the I-2 is not worth it. It is better in many details, but we could hardly benefit from it. If you simply want to take a snapshot, it is better to opt for the cheap model.
The differences in theory and practice
Here are the advantages of the Polaroid I-2 over the affordable Now Gen 2.0:
- Better lens: the speed of f/8 is one f-stop faster than that of f/11.
The aperture and/or aperture and/or aperture speed of f/8 is one f-stop faster than that of f/11.- The aperture and/or shutter speed can be set manually.
- The I-2 can be controlled via a smartphone application.
- Information screen: aperture, shutter speed, battery level and number of images remaining are displayed. With Now Gen 2, you only see the number of images remaining.
However, these advantages have not served us well.
- The screen is difficult to read in sunlight.
The screen is difficult to read in sunlight.
- The aperture selection, in combination with the longer focal length, makes it possible to take pictures with a blurred background. With the Polaroid Now this is practically not possible. The combination possibilities are modest, however, because f/8 still has a rather large depth of field. And even at f/8 there has to be enough brightness to be able to take pictures without flash.
The choice of shutter speed is not easy. - The choice of exposure time does not help us much. The fastest shutter speed is 1/250 of a second. Digital cameras can achieve at least 1/4000 of a second. Fast movements such as water can therefore not be captured by the Polaroid I-2.
The Polaroid I-2's exposure time is not very fast. - Long exposures are difficult to handle. Since the ISO sensitivity is set at 640, it is not possible to make an exposure in sunlight for even one second. To do this, a grey filter is required.
The image quality with the I-2 is generally not superior to that of the Polaroid Now+ Gen 2.0. For portraits it has an advantage: the framing is better for faces and the background is more blurred. Ultimately, however, Polaroid films have some limitations and do not come close to the quality of today's digital cameras. This has a certain appeal, but that is not why the camera has to be so expensive.
Out of competition: SX-70
The Now+ can do many things that the I-2 also does
David Lee
Senior Editor
David.Lee@digitecgalaxus.chMy interest in IT and writing landed me in tech journalism early on (2000). I want to know how we can use technology without being used. Outside of the office, I’m a keen musician who makes up for lacking talent with excessive enthusiasm.
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