Polaroid 4+

Very useful!

The Plus is very much like my old 600 from the '90s, but has a tripod mount and this app gives full manual control from bluetooth distance (about 30'). The camera has fixed focus, but a multitude of apertures to control depth of field, up to 30s long exposure and bulb mode which holds open the shutter indefinitely while displaying a timer. This is really as far as I could ever dream of taking the format. 600's emulsion wasn't great even 30 years ago, so a packfilm version of this setup would be amazing. I far prefer the photo size of 600 vs. even Instax Wide.

What the app lacks (unless I just haven't found it yet) is that, while there is a self-timer mode and a full manual mode, there does not seem to be a self-timer within full manual mode. It would be nice to set up a long exposure selfie, set the phone out of the frame, then take a moment to settle down to stand completely still and composed for the shot.

Also, when set to manual eject (for not scaring pets, for example), the eject button becomes inactive after about 10 seconds following completion of exposure. The camera buttons do not work while using the app. This means to get the photo out, you need to power-cycle, cover the lens and press flash disable and shutter buttons at the same time...just to eject! I'm turning that feature off and just ejecting it automatically. This doesn't affect shaking during exposure, so only the noise is the issue for me.

Developer Response ,

Hello, thank you very much for this feedback. We forwarded everything to our developers. We cannot promise anything yet but we will take your suggestions into account. Kind regards.

User friendly app for Now+ BUT…

This review is mostly for the developers and potential users that might experience the same issue I’ve been having. Little to no info online but the app features on the Now Plus advertise that the app’s tripod mode automatically reads the light from the cameras sensor and adjusts accordingly the exposure time i.e. the app will show the amount of time the subject will need to remain still before the shot is ejected. After noticing the time shown on the phone app fluctuated wildly even though the camera was steady and no light in the room had changed (from a few seconds to 60 min which I assume is that max it will read) I realized that the app is using the phone camera itself as the light meter, NOT THE NOW PLUS CAMERA SENSOR!!!! This is completely opposite of what’s stated in the manual and nowhere online or on Polaroids customer support anywhere. I’ve done a factory reset on the camera itself and deleted and redownloaded the Polaroid app to try and get different results but this is a huge mistake from the devs and renders the tripod mode almost useless if trying to remotely take self portraits or group shots where the user is in the frame. I very much hope this review reaches the development team and they can rectify this very inconvenient flaw in an otherwise streamlined system for taking artful instant photographs. Longtime I-type film user since the I-1 model and don’t know how this oversight happened but hopefully will be fixed soon.

Developer Response ,

Hello, we tested the app both with iPhone and Android and it's working as expected, calculating the light from the camera light sensor. It could be your camera light sensor is not working properly. Please contact us to service@polaroid.com mentioning ticket number 449683 and we'll follow-up with you directly. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Very intuitive design and well made

I have been using this app on and off for a year now. I love the design and how well the the image scanner works. I use this for all of my Polaroids that I post online. There’s is only one thing that I wish was added. I wish I could quickly order film on the fly with the tap of a button, I do appreciate the option to order through the site but when out on shoots I’d like to just be able to order my usual order of round frame and standard 600 packs. And have the option to use my points when placing said orders. Otherwise a fantastic app especially compared to other apps from camera companies like Kodak and Fujifilm.