While Polaroid has become the top producer of instant print cameras in the industry, its new Snap features the simplicity of film-based photography. It uses the most basic functions to produce ink-free instant digital prints.
A 10-megapixel sensor is located behind the camera's small lens. However, instead of an LCD on the back, users must frame the photo in an old-school pop-up window.
Various buttons are located on the unit's top. They allow the user to choose a color mode (full/vintage color or black and white), set the timer, or use the "photo booth" mode that takes a series of shots.
A built-in Zink printer then prints out the images on the right side of the unit, according to NBC News. The dimensions are 2x3 inches (5x7.6 centimeters).
One digital print takes less than one minute. The timeframe is actually shorter than it took old-school Polaroid photographs to develop.
The ink-free Zink Paper is an advanced blend of materials that contain dye crystals and a heat-activated polymer overcoat that colorizes those crystals, according to BGR. This results in high-quality images that are colorful, durable, and smudge-free, without the use of toner, ribbons, or ink cartridges.
Users can download the images from the camera's memory card. They can then be printed or posted on the Web.
Polaroid Snap has a $99 price tag, although the printing paper costs around 50 cents per shot. It should be on sale in the fourth quarter of this year.
The Polaroid Corporation was founded in 1937. It is best known for its instant-film cameras that used a polarizing filter.