Polaroid/Instant Cameras have been big for over a decade now - everyone remembers these pastel beauties from 2013 and the excited fascination with taking a photo and having a physical copy just moments later.
For those of us who did have a Polaroid, and for those who do now, do you remember the feeling of your friends and family grabbing at the camera, wanting to try it for themselves, while you try to calculate how much it's going to cost you to replace the film?
What about the feeling of having a picture of your friends print out, develop, and instead of a beautifully captured memory of your loved ones, all you have is an over-exposed photograph of a group of Casper the Friendly Ghosts?
You can still get the nostalgic feeling of taking a photo without a screen, waiting to see it develop, AND have a physical copy with the Paper Shoot!
The resolution of Polaroid/Instant Cameras and Paper Shoots are nearly identical at 16MP with automatic exposure/light adjustment, f2.0 aperture, and 30mm Focus. The only difference is that Paper Shoot takes its photos digitally! There are a few reasons why this is beneficial.
1. You can take as many photos as you want
Because it's digital and runs on SD cards, the Paper Shoot takes unlimited photos! No more sweating over running out of film or deciding between shots - shoot away with Paper Shoot and decide which ones you want to keep.
2. You don't need to pay for film
Film can be quite expensive, as beautiful as it is! Tons of film photographers have added the Paper Shoot to their collection so they can be more free with their shots without worrying about the added costs of developing or replacing the film, and some have replaced their film cameras with the Paper Shoot completely! If you're looking for an eco-friendly, more cost effective replacement for film, then the Paper Shoot is exactly what you're looking for!
3. You can choose which photos you want to print.
This is my personal favourite part about the Paper Shoot. I love having physical copies of my photos and putting them into scrapbooks - with Paper Shoot, you can take as many photos as you want, check them out later, and decide which you want to print out! The photos even cost less money to print!
Instant Cameras cost anywhere between $80-$100 for the camera alone, then around $1 per photo after that. That adds up quick! With the Paper Shoot, you get your camera for $120 with no added developing, printing, or repurchasing film after that! You can take unlimited photos, videos, and timelapse videos. When you decide which you want to print, you can take them to get developed (this can replace your trip to the store to get more film!) for just $0.15 a photo.
For reference, you could get a polaroid camera and 400 photos for around $480, OR you could get a Paper Shoot Camera and 400 photos for just $180. That's $300 extra bucks!
At the end of the day, if you adore your Polaroid camera and view the cost as an investment (investing in what you love will never be wrong), then keep it! Keep doing your thing. However, if you're not too attached to your instant camera and are looking for a more cost-effective option, the Paper Shoot could be the perfect camera for you!