Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

If you only take away one thing from this review it should be that the “new” Polaroid film always develops much too dark. You are way better off going with one of the many Fuji Instax cameras and their far superior film (I’m a fan of the square version). I’ve been taking pictures for quite some time and have shot using all sorts of film including 110, 35mm, the old Kodak Disc film, medium format, Kodak Instant, the original Polaroid 800 and Spectra films, APS, Fuji Instax, etc. (and of course tons of digital cameras more recently). I’ve also developed my own film and made my own prints back in the day before we had the magic of digital. I mention these things because I feel like I have at least some knowledge of how cameras and film should work. Let’s go over a few things about the Polaroid Go camera first and then I’ll explain why you shouldn’t buy it… IN THE BOX In the box you’ll find the camera itself, a strap, a USB-A to Micro-USB cable for charging the built-in battery, a quick start guide, and some stickers. In this particular package you will also get 2 packs of film, each containing 8 exposures. DESIGN The camera looks like a smaller version of the standard size Polaroid cameras. It is by no means “tiny” by today’s standards, but it is small compared to other Polaroid cameras and will fit in your hand (although definitely not in your pocket). The camera has a door on the bottom that flips open to reveal the film chamber. You can also see the large mirror inside when you open the door so you’ll want to make sure not to touch it or allow dust inside. The left side of the camera has the Micro-USB port for charging along with a LED to indicate the charging status and battery level. On the back is the optical viewfinder, a slot for the strap, the power button, and a small LED display which indicates the number of remaining exposures, the flash status, and other information. Up top are the red shutter release button and a flash button which is used to control the flash, self-timer, and double exposure mode. The front of the camera has the flash with exposure sensors and a LED underneath, the main lens, and the lens for the viewfinder which doubles as a selfie mirror with it’s faint reflective coating. There is also the film slot where your photos will eject. SETUP Getting the camera ready for use is easy. Plug it into any USB port (no charger is included), charge it up until the light is green, and then load some film. The film is easy to load and simply drops into the bottom of the camera. There are indicators on the film back and inside the camera to help you line up the film cartridge correctly. 
Once you’re charged up and have film loaded you’re ready to take pictures. IN USE To turn the camera on simply hold the power button for a moment. The display on the rear of the camera will light up showing how many exposures you have left, and a small dot will blink and then become solid to show that the flash is charged and ready for use. By default the camera will always fire the flash. If you want to turn it off you can press the flash button for about a second. If you want to use the self-timer you can hold down the flash button for 2 seconds. An orange LED below the flash on the front of the camera will light up to show that the camera is in self-timer mode. When you push the shutter release in this mode you’ll have 9 seconds to get in position before the photo is taken. The camera also features a double-exposure mode which allows you to expose the same film frame twice for creative effects. To put the camera in this mode you double-tap the flash button. Once you are in the double exposure mode you’ll see the number 1 flashing in the display to indicate that you are on the first of the two exposures. Once you take the first exposure the display will change to a flashing number 2. Once you take the second exposure the film will be ejected as usual. PERFORMANCE There’s no other way to say it. The new Polaroid film is absolutely terrible. Not only does the film take 10-15 minutes to develop (hardly “instant”), but once it is fully developed it is extremely underexposed. Every photo I took with this camera came out much too dark. I’ve attached several samples to this review. My digital camera actually made them appear a little lighter than they really are and yet they still look dark. All photos were taken outside in very bright sunlight (but not pointed at the sun) or inside within 2-3 feet of the subject with the flash on. I’ve had the larger new Polaroid cameras and experienced the exact same thing with their larger film format as well, so I don’t see how it could be any issue with the particular camera I received unless all their cameras have an issue and underexpose the film. The photos come out so dark that they are actually unusable and I have to say that both the camera and the film (which is quite expensive for such a tiny image) are a complete waste of money. I’ve used all 3 formats of the Fuji Instax films and all of them produce results that are far better than these new Polaroid films. Bottom line: Do yourself a favor and avoid all the new Polaroid products. If you are interested in old school instant photography you will get much more enjoyment and better results using the Fuji Instax products.