Having owned my I-2 for a couple of months, and talking to a lot of other owners, it’s best to shoot -2/3 in daylight. The exposure meter seems to work okay w/o exp comp in darker environments. My first I-2 overexposed by three stops; pretty sure it was stuck on the SX-70 film setting (ISO 160) even though I made sure to set film type, so I exchanged it. So make sure you’ve got your camera set for the right film: SX-70, 600 or I-Type, when you load it.
Unfortunately the camera was set correctly so we are not sure what is the real issue here, us not being able to understand properly how to use it or simply the camera not being so reliable as it should be
If you choose aperture or shutter speed priority, the camera tells you whether the shoot will be over or unter exposed, inviting you to change the f-stop or the equivalent speed. Very easy, read the manual. The camera is amazing if you read the user manual.
I think it would have helped this review if you had gotten to know the camera a bit before filming(read the manual, etc.) . I know that it is the trend to unbox and dive in, but then you get these results.
I have the I 2. Outside a minus (-) correction of either 2/3 or 1 stop works well. If you think the overexposure was 3 stops then the correction dial is not calibrated the way you assume it is. -1 does not mean -1 stop. This gives great latitude in overall control. Anyway, my results are consistently good whether I use a correction outdoors or my sekonic 308S-U and meter on manual mode. I have done direct comparisons with my Instantkon rf 70 that uses instax wide film and the primary difference is in developing time, not the vibrance or accuracy of the colors. If that was not the case a few years ago, it means that Polaroid has done a good job of improving their film. You guys should listen to all the newer youtube videos and do a new round of testing. You’ll have a lot more fun when your results are much better. The experience of shooting instant film with a camera that can be manually controlled, is unsurpassed.
1 Buy an SX-70 Sonar. 2 Have it overhauled and converted with an SX-70 R circuit board. You end up with an SLR(!) that gives you complete control, has BT connectivity, external flash sync, works with both 70 and 600 film and more features. All for around the same price or even cheaper than the I-2. I'd rather see Polaroid spend their time on improving their film instead of cameras.
Great video guys! I didn’t know that this camera was 700 euros. Even if they fix the imperfections, I wouldn’t waste my time on buying one. I’d buy an older one. You could buy multiple Polaroids instead of this! Anyway I like how you guys went in depth and tried everything you could to get the best images.
Hello everyone. Since this video was made a lot has changed. The i-2 is metering perfectly now since the firmware update. I used to always under expose by 2/3 stop to get a correct exposure. Not anymore. Also the black and white film is amazing. I used to get a lot of cobwebs for want of a better description on the pics after development. Not any more.polaroid should have really ironed out the problems with this camera before release.
This is super interesting. Not sure I understand why you are saying it's 'inconsistent', though - it seems to be consistently over-exposing when relying on the light meter. For manual it looks like it's ok if you're metering separately.
Instant cameras (not instant film) were originally invented for family snaps, not for camera and film experts. They should produce good results at the press of a button. No light shielding, minimum development time, true colours and longevity. Don't ya think?!
Thank you for the information. I was considering the camera with the hopes that Polaroid fixed the issues with the consistency of their film. Sadly, they have yet to figure out the chemistry. To me the biggest disappointment was that Polaroid sued Fujifilm when the square format was released. The dream was that perhaps these two can come together and produce a whole line of film that will support the SX-70 in all its variant. Polaroid.... spend the time working on improving the film!!!!!
The film is good and consistent, the issue is the crappy cameras they’re making. I can take consistently good pictures with my SX-70s and my SLR 680. Also Polaroid and Fujifilm will not come together, the film works in completely different ways between the two, the chemistry is so wildly different.
@ianbakke I've got to disagree, there. I've shot Impossible/Polaroid Original film on an SX-70, SX-70 (sonar autofocus), SLR680, a Pronto Land Camera..even a Spectra. I've shot the film from the Impossible Project Era, Polaroid Orginals, and now just Polaroid. I also spent decades with the real, OG Polaroid film through the 80's and 90's. Thats how I can tell you that the film produced by this company for a decade is nowhere close to the film produced 20-30 years ago. I'm ashamed to admit, I've spent several hundred dollars supporting Impossible/new Polaroid for almost a decade. Waiting hopefully for improvements in the terrible quality, the rampant chemical spreading issues, the awful dev times and sensitivity, the fact that the pack holds 8 shots instead of 10, the utter non-reliability, etc. The company has not improved a single thing. At least not up until last year when I gave up. They bought Polaroid...not just the name, but all the patents...years ago. All the excuses of "well, we're working from reverse-engineering the tech" hasn't been a viable excuse for years. They now know exactly how the OG film was produced, but they've done nothing with that knowledge. Instead, they spend their R&D on changing the frame colors every few months, selling cheap Bluetooth speakers, and making some of the worst Polaroid-branded cameras ever made. When all anyone has ever wanted was the old film quality back.
Thanks for a honest review. There's no need for all these control with Polaroid until they don't take the time to set these better. A simpler model just gets the job done.
I’m sorry your experience was such a failure - but this is NOT an in-depth review. An in-depth review involves far more than a handful of photographs shot over a couple of sessions. I’ve had my I-2 for a few weeks and can attest to much better and consistent results than these two gentlemen. My conclusion: this camera is not for the Polaroid dilettante or casual user. It is for a serious photographer who is willing to investigate the camera and films, both of which have quirks and features. (I shoot Leica, Mamiya, Toyo LF, and Canon dSLR.) I love the way this camera and film transform “reality” into something different - photographs that are beyond merely faithful reproduction. If you can accept serendipity and trust the results to be unique, you too may find this little camera to be all I have found it (and in comparison with other high end gear, $600 for all it offers is a modest price). Happy shooting always!
@@michaeltuffin8147 There are lots of Polaroid shills around with the I-2, seems like 90% of the reviews only talk positives about it (without even addressing the obvious design problems). I guess they poured the money into the advertising and fake reviewing of the camera and not into troubleshooting the design of it before mass production. Either this guy is a shill or he just doesn't want to accept that he got scammed with a 800USD crappy camera. The SX-70 is 50 years old and even then it's better designed than the I-2. At least it accomplishes what it's supposed to do.
Only honest review on the RUclips:I has slr 680 and impulse and black white are very problematic whit fogged pictures and overexposure;this camera is shit;my photos are very better of this;i2 overexpose more of old cameras and has wrong long exposure time At 700 € and whit no replaceable battery is very not good to Buy
I really wanted this camera to be good and restore my faith in Polaroid :(
Better buy refurbished SX 70!
Having owned my I-2 for a couple of months, and talking to a lot of other owners, it’s best to shoot -2/3 in daylight. The exposure meter seems to work okay w/o exp comp in darker environments.
My first I-2 overexposed by three stops; pretty sure it was stuck on the SX-70 film setting (ISO 160) even though I made sure to set film type, so I exchanged it. So make sure you’ve got your camera set for the right film: SX-70, 600 or I-Type, when you load it.
Unfortunately the camera was set correctly so we are not sure what is the real issue here, us not being able to understand properly how to use it or simply the camera not being so reliable as it should be
If you choose aperture or shutter speed priority, the camera tells you whether the shoot will be over or unter exposed, inviting you to change the f-stop or the equivalent speed. Very easy, read the manual. The camera is amazing if you read the user manual.
@@bebra2 I always read the manual first. I’ve read the I-2 manual several times. Doesn’t help. It overexposes ⅔ stops in bright daylight.
After much research, shooting -2/3 exposure eliminated my shots being over exposed and I haven't had the problem since.@@gottanikoncamera
I think it would have helped this review if you had gotten to know the camera a bit before filming(read the manual, etc.) . I know that it is the trend to unbox and dive in, but then you get these results.
reading the manual won't change the ridiculous €700 price tag
That is absolutely, undeniably true. @@austinfassino
I have the I 2. Outside a minus (-) correction of either 2/3 or 1 stop works well. If you think the overexposure was 3 stops then the correction dial is not calibrated the way you assume it is. -1 does not mean -1 stop. This gives great latitude in overall control. Anyway, my results are consistently good whether I use a correction outdoors or my sekonic 308S-U and meter on manual mode. I have done direct comparisons with my Instantkon rf 70 that uses instax wide film and the primary difference is in developing time, not the vibrance or accuracy of the colors. If that was not the case a few years ago, it means that Polaroid has done a good job of improving their film. You guys should listen to all the newer youtube videos and do a new round of testing. You’ll have a lot more fun when your results are much better. The experience of shooting instant film with a camera that can be manually controlled, is unsurpassed.
Is the camera set for the right film type? It could be in SX-70 mode causing the over exposure. Or maybe you just have to use a hand held meter.
did you cuys check if the camera was set to sx70 film? if only automatic shots come out over exposed that would explain it
How do you set what film is in the camera? I can't find a how to anywhere. Nothing obvious in the app or on the camera.
1 Buy an SX-70 Sonar.
2 Have it overhauled and converted with an SX-70 R circuit board.
You end up with an SLR(!) that gives you complete control, has BT connectivity, external flash sync, works with both 70 and 600 film and more features. All for around the same price or even cheaper than the I-2. I'd rather see Polaroid spend their time on improving their film instead of cameras.
Great video guys! I didn’t know that this camera was 700 euros. Even if they fix the imperfections, I wouldn’t waste my time on buying one. I’d buy an older one. You could buy multiple Polaroids instead of this! Anyway I like how you guys went in depth and tried everything you could to get the best images.
Thanks for testing!
Hello everyone. Since this video was made a lot has changed. The i-2 is metering perfectly now since the firmware update. I used to always under expose by 2/3 stop to get a correct exposure. Not anymore. Also the black and white film is amazing. I used to get a lot of cobwebs for want of a better description on the pics after development. Not any more.polaroid should have really ironed out the problems with this camera before release.
I get great results but the camera definitely needs to be set at -2/3 EV most of the time outdoors. Not sure why Polaroid cannot get this right.
This is super interesting. Not sure I understand why you are saying it's 'inconsistent', though - it seems to be consistently over-exposing when relying on the light meter. For manual it looks like it's ok if you're metering separately.
Instant cameras (not instant film) were originally invented for family snaps, not for camera and film experts. They should produce good results at the press of a button. No light shielding, minimum development time, true colours and longevity. Don't ya think?!
Thank you for the information. I was considering the camera with the hopes that Polaroid fixed the issues with the consistency of their film. Sadly, they have yet to figure out the chemistry. To me the biggest disappointment was that Polaroid sued Fujifilm when the square format was released. The dream was that perhaps these two can come together and produce a whole line of film that will support the SX-70 in all its variant. Polaroid.... spend the time working on improving the film!!!!!
The film is good and consistent, the issue is the crappy cameras they’re making. I can take consistently good pictures with my SX-70s and my SLR 680.
Also Polaroid and Fujifilm will not come together, the film works in completely different ways between the two, the chemistry is so wildly different.
If there's one consistent thing about modern Polaroid, it's constant disappointment.
At least the film is good, as long as you’re using a decent camera, such as an SX-70 or SLR 680.
@ianbakke I've got to disagree, there. I've shot Impossible/Polaroid Original film on an SX-70, SX-70 (sonar autofocus), SLR680, a Pronto Land Camera..even a Spectra. I've shot the film from the Impossible Project Era, Polaroid Orginals, and now just Polaroid. I also spent decades with the real, OG Polaroid film through the 80's and 90's. Thats how I can tell you that the film produced by this company for a decade is nowhere close to the film produced 20-30 years ago.
I'm ashamed to admit, I've spent several hundred dollars supporting Impossible/new Polaroid for almost a decade. Waiting hopefully for improvements in the terrible quality, the rampant chemical spreading issues, the awful dev times and sensitivity, the fact that the pack holds 8 shots instead of 10, the utter non-reliability, etc. The company has not improved a single thing. At least not up until last year when I gave up.
They bought Polaroid...not just the name, but all the patents...years ago. All the excuses of "well, we're working from reverse-engineering the tech" hasn't been a viable excuse for years. They now know exactly how the OG film was produced, but they've done nothing with that knowledge. Instead, they spend their R&D on changing the frame colors every few months, selling cheap Bluetooth speakers, and making some of the worst Polaroid-branded cameras ever made. When all anyone has ever wanted was the old film quality back.
@@ianbakke Not as good as the first Polaroid. Not as good as Fuji.
Thanks for a honest review. There's no need for all these control with Polaroid until they don't take the time to set these better. A simpler model just gets the job done.
Very confusing, some reviews clearly show great results and then these terrible results. Quality control of the cameras?
Maybe the ability of the photographer?
it's a mix between people not used to instant film and quality control of the cameras
Why I use instax pro cameras. So much better. And consistent quality
Thanks for an honest review!
Thank you for your honesty
Did you guys read the user manual? Cheers 🍻
No, unfortunately we toss it before being able to read it
The perfect camera for people who hate money
Honestly at this price id rather have a nons sl660 its a instax square SLR camera.
I’m sorry your experience was such a failure - but this is NOT an in-depth review. An in-depth review involves far more than a handful of photographs shot over a couple of sessions.
I’ve had my I-2 for a few weeks and can attest to much better and consistent results than these two gentlemen.
My conclusion: this camera is not for the Polaroid dilettante or casual user. It is for a serious photographer who is willing to investigate the camera and films, both of which have quirks and features. (I shoot Leica, Mamiya, Toyo LF, and Canon dSLR.)
I love the way this camera and film transform “reality” into something different - photographs that are beyond merely faithful reproduction.
If you can accept serendipity and trust the results to be unique, you too may find this little camera to be all I have found it (and in comparison with other high end gear, $600 for all it offers is a modest price).
Happy shooting always!
You sound like a paid Polaroid shill.
@@michaeltuffin8147 😆
ezpoppy is speaking the truth. Just like the SX-70, you'll need to get used to shooting instant film.
@@michaeltuffin8147 There are lots of Polaroid shills around with the I-2, seems like 90% of the reviews only talk positives about it (without even addressing the obvious design problems). I guess they poured the money into the advertising and fake reviewing of the camera and not into troubleshooting the design of it before mass production. Either this guy is a shill or he just doesn't want to accept that he got scammed with a 800USD crappy camera. The SX-70 is 50 years old and even then it's better designed than the I-2. At least it accomplishes what it's supposed to do.
I will stick with my Mint SX 70.
Polaroid strikes again
Only honest review on the RUclips:I has slr 680 and impulse and black white are very problematic whit fogged pictures and overexposure;this camera is shit;my photos are very better of this;i2 overexpose more of old cameras and has wrong long exposure time
At 700 € and whit no replaceable battery is very not good to
Buy
such a waste
skill issue