New York, NY—The new Polaroid I-2 high-end instant photography camera combines a traditional analog experience with modern camera technology. Moreover, the camera is armed with the sharpest ever Polaroid lens and built-in manual controls.
“For a long time, it was our dream to make a high-end Polaroid camera and give people more choice in the world of analog photography. A choice that many passionate photographers told us they were craving,” said, Oskar Smolokowski, Polaroid’s chairman. “To develop the I-2, we expanded our engineering team and spent more than four years designing and finessing every element. It is the most capable camera we’ve ever made and a true milestone in our journey.
“The design of the I-2 is a celebration of its functionality,” he added. “The exterior is built around the lens and the camera’s manual controls. It is made with high-quality materials and has a modern look while remaining uniquely and unmistakably Polaroid.”
Polaroid I-2 Key Features
Foremost is the Polaroid I-2’s continuous autofocus (AF) three-lens system. The system takes the sharpest shots of any Polaroid instant camera for integral film. Moreover, it features a wide aperture to deliver depth of field. Further, the lens was designed in partnership with Japanese optical engineers with decades of experience developing marquee analog products. It’s capable of an f/8 aperture across a 1.3-foot ~ ∞ range, controlled via a stepper motor.
In addition, the AF system leverages the lens with a LiDAR (light detection and ranging) sensor. The sensor detects the distance to the subject and auto-adjusts the lens, for accurate focus. LiDAR also enables longer focusing distance and is more reliable in difficult scenes with bright or low light.
What’s more, this is the first Polaroid camera for integral film with built-in manual controls. A large, bright viewfinder offers a traditional optical experience and communicates camera settings via its display. Camera mode, flash mode, distance to the object, shutter speed, aperture as well as light meter indicator value are selectable on the camera and seen through the viewfinder display and external OLED display.
More Features
Six shooting modes are selectable on the camera. They comprise auto, aperture priority, shutter priority, manual, self-timer, and multi-exposure modes. Also, a vacuum discharge tube strobe flash has an 8-foot range.
Further extending photographers’ creative choices, the Polaroid I-2 is touted as the first instant camera compatible with i-Type, 600 and SX-70 film and that has a built-in 49mm lens thread mount. It also has a standard 1/4-20 UNC tripod mount.
The Polaroid I-2 is powered by an internal rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The battery is rechargeable via a USB-C connection and has 15-pack battery life.
The Polaroid I-2 instant camera is now available for a suggested retail price of $599.
