Polaroid is following last year's Now instant camera with a Bluetooth-connected model, fittingly called the Now+ ($149.99). For an extra $50, the Now+ includes features artistic photographers will love, including app-based manual control and a set of creative filters. Polaroid is also back to making interesting film stocks, beyond the basic color and black-and-white options, adding some appeal for out-of-the-box photographers working in the instant medium. It remains more of a niche choice for artists, and is pricier to buy and feed compared with our Editors' Choice winner, the Fujifilm Instax SQ1. But if you're in that niche, be happy to know that the Now+ lives up to the Polaroid name.Retro Looks, in Three Colors The Now+ uses the same film packs as vintage cameras from 1980s. Because of this, its form factor isn't too far off—the system used to expose and eject the film dictates the camera's general shape and size. Polaroid's designers are taking aesthetic cues from days of yor...
The Polaroid Now+ is an instant camera with a companion app for manual exposure control. It's a terrific tool for artists and creators, but you pay more for its film than with rival Fujifilm's Instax Square system.
Big, square instant photos; Color, black-and-white, and limited-run films; Easy one-button operation; Smartphone app for creative control; Tripod socket; Convenient USB charging
Color film delivers inconsistent results; No selfie mirror; Film is expensive