C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →instant
The Polaroid i-2 is a premium integral instant camera released in 2023 and stands as the most technically sophisticated instant camera Polaroid has produced in the modern reissue era. It shoots i-Type and 600-format film and distinguishes itself from all other current Polaroid bodies with three features absent from the consumer line: a three-element glass lens, full manual exposure control (shutter speed and aperture independently settable), and an active LiDAR autofocus system rather than passive zone AF. The result is a camera that produces measurably sharper images with better-controlled exposure than the Now or Now+, aimed at photographers who treat instant film as a serious medium rather than a novelty output.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the i-type format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →BW
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
View profile →Develop i-type film
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Before you buy used
About this camera
Polaroid's most capable instant camera since the SX-70 - manual exposure, glass lens, LiDAR AF.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | Polaroid i-Type / 600 integral instant film |
| Lens | Three-element glass lens; ~98mm equivalent |
| Aperture | f/8 - f/64 (manual) |
| Focus | Active LiDAR AF; 0.4 m to infinity |
| Shutter | Electronic leaf; 30s - 1/250s |
| Exposure modes | Program, aperture-priority, manual |
| Meter | Silicon photodiode, center-weighted |
| Flash | Built-in electronic flash; guide number ~12 at ISO 800 |
| ISO | 640-800 (film-determined) |
| Battery | Internal USB-C rechargeable |
| Bluetooth | Yes - pairs with Polaroid app for remote shutter and exposure data |
| Years | 2023 - present |
Following the 2017 rebrand from Impossible Project to Polaroid Originals, the reconstructed company focused on consumer-accessible cameras: the OneStep 2, OneStep+, and the Now line. These were competent but technically modest bodies with zone focus, auto-only or app-assisted exposure, and plastic optics.
The i-2 represented a deliberate departure, announced in mid-2023. Polaroid cited sustained demand from photographers who were treating i-Type film seriously - using it in critical creative work, in commercial projects, and in gallery contexts - and who needed a body that gave them control over the variables. The three-element glass lens addressed a persistent criticism that modern Polaroid images looked acceptably sharp at web resolution but soft in prints relative to vintage SX-70 optics. The LiDAR AF was a meaningful engineering commitment: time-of-flight ranging is more computationally expensive and hardware-intensive than passive zone estimation, and its inclusion at the i-2's price point (~$599 new) signalled Polaroid's willingness to invest in the enthusiast segment.
Manual shutter speeds down to 30 seconds opened astrophotography and long-exposure creative applications that no prior Polaroid body in the modern era had supported.
The i-2 is the closest analogue in the modern Polaroid lineup to what the original SX-70 represented in 1972: a precision-engineered instant camera designed for photographers who demanded optical and mechanical control. The SX-70 had a four-element glass lens and full manual focus; the i-2 has a three-element glass lens and full manual exposure. Neither is a toy.
Its existence validated the film itself. When a manufacturer invests in a $600 body, it signals confidence that the film stock will remain available and viable at a price point that justifies the hardware. For the instant film community, the i-2 functioned as a commitment signal from Polaroid that i-Type film had a long-term future.
The i-2 also prompted renewed comparative discussion between Polaroid i-Type and Fuji Instax Square in the enthusiast community, with image quality being evaluated with a seriousness that zone-AF auto bodies had not invited.
Polaroid i-2
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