I have no idea why I bought this, given my general dislike of Polaroid film and cameras. It wasn’t improved by my latest foray into the format with a Onestep 2. But, I had some money in my Vinted balance and this popped up for just £20 with a film included.

When the camera arrived, it turned out to have 2 films as there was one already loaded inside. Given that a double pack of film is £16ish, I basically got the camera for £4, bargain.

The previous owner had stuck on the supplied stickers, but I was fine with that. This version is powered by an internal battery that is charged by a USB-C cable. There are a few differences from the first generation, which are:

• The 2 has a larger maximum aperture of f9 than the first’s f12.
• The 2 has a smaller minimum aperture of f52 compared to f42 on the first.
• The 2 uses USB-C rather than micro-USB.
  

The differences aren’t huge, so there is no point in upgrading if you already have the first version. If you want a more detailed explanation of the differences and see photographic examples, check out this excellent blog.

I had no way of knowing how the film packs were stored or how old they were. So I didn’t shoot them anywhere I might not be able to return to. Hence, I shot the already loaded pack around my house. Both packs were a little sticky. Plus, the first pack only had 7 shots, as I didn’t know there was a pack inside and fogged one photo.

Here are the results from my home area, including one double exposure, just to see if the function worked.

The scanning added a little density to the photos; they are a little more washed out in real life. The second pack was sealed, though not in a box, so I hoped for better results. I took it to York on a photowalk. Oh, and I also took a HUGE Instax camera with me, check out the difference in size.

And here are the shots from the second pack. The day started dull and rainy, but soon turned sunny and bright.

I was not impressed with either pack and thought, well, here we go again with Polaroid. In comparison, here are the results from the older Instax wide model.

Nevertheless I decided to get some fresher film and take it on another trip. This time I went to Durham on a city break with my cousin. We have not travelled together as adults; it was a lovely experience, and we will probably do it again. I chose the destination as I haven’t been there before, luckily neither had my cuz. I had recently bought a few mini zines filled with Polaroids, each zine about a new location. One was based on Durham.

I am not going to post any of the photos inside as I haven’t asked permission. My cousin and I visited many of the locations featured in the Durham zine. We had decided on an itinerary and tried to include them. We visited the cathedral, took a tour of the castle, walked along the River Wear, and explored Crook Hall Gardens. The latter wasn’t featured in the zine, but was well worth the detour.

I loaded the fresher packs and shot away. Here are the results.

During these packs, my attitude towards this little camera changed; I started to love it. I especially love the inside shots where I turned off the flash. It handled low light very well. I do think the black borders add to the charm, enhancing the subject. I loved the small size of the camera, too. It fit perfectly in my coat pocket.

I still have two packs of film left, which I might save for another holiday. I have a few camping trips booked. As for Durham, I might add another photo post about that as I took another camera (of course I did), but haven’t developed that film yet.