Latest news with #OneStep
Newsweek
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Woman Thrifts 1970s Polaroid for $5.59—Unprepared for What She Ends Up With
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A woman has gone viral after sharing her excitement over a vintage Polaroid camera she thrifted for just $5.59—and was amazed to find that it still works. Hailey (@hailsjournal) posted the moment to TikTok, where the video has since garnered over 1.3 million views and more than 166,300 likes. "I cannot believe I found this," she captioned the clip. The footage shows Hailey sitting in her car with a friend, snapping a test photo with the camera—only to discover, to their surprise, that the decades-old device still functions perfectly. The same cameras often retail for upward of $93. The camera in question appears to be a Polaroid OneStep Land Camera, a cult classic model originally introduced in 1977. Known for its rainbow stripe and big red shutter button, the OneStep became a bestseller due to its ease of use and accessible price point. It used SX-70 film and was designed to be a true point-and-shoot experience—ideal for instant photography beginners and hobbyists alike. A split image showing Hailey's Polaroid find and her taking a selfie with the camera. A split image showing Hailey's Polaroid find and her taking a selfie with the camera. @hailsjournal/@hailsjournal While the nostalgia of instant film has made Polaroids trendy again, using vintage models comes with a learning curve. One key myth that modern users need to shake (or rather, not shake) is the idea of waving the photo around to develop it. In fact, Polaroid advises not to shake photos, since it can cause the chemicals to spread unevenly and create blotches or haze. Instead, Polaroid users should allow their photos to develop face down out of the light. Hailey's thrift-store treasure also sparked a wave of commentary from fellow enthusiasts and camera collectors. "A tip, ALWAYS use the flash, even when you think it's not needed you need the flash so the picture comes out great. also don't shake the picture and instead place it down away from light," posted Amber. "Sx-70 is 100 iso [sensitivity to light as a numerical value] film so using 600 film in normal outside settings would make it overexposed so either needs sx-70 film or an nd [neutral-density] filter over the film, but surprised it shoots alr [all right]," Vincent recommended. "Don't shake the picture! I have the non vintage one but the instructions say to just place it face down to let it develop lol [laugh out loud] it shouldn't come out blurry if you leave," suggested another Polaroid user. "Thrift find of the century," said another user, echoing the sentiment of many TikTok users who were stunned by Hailey's luck and the camera's performance. Do you have any amazing thrifting finds that you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to life@ and they could appear on our site.
WIRED
15-04-2025
- WIRED
Polaroid Flip Is Here to Give You the Best Shot In a Flash
How long can a revival be called a revival? At what point is something considered, well, just back? The 'renewed' interest in analog experiences and physical media is something that's been discussed and dissected for well over a decade now, and where vinyl and record players have led the way, instant photography has followed. With the launch of the new Polaroid Flip, Polaroid's second new launch this year, the mood seems to one of being not only 'back' but 'here to stay'. There's now a whole family of cameras to suit different prices and abilities, but the focus with the Flip is now to supposedly make the experience as good as possible for as many people as possible. 'We believe this is the best instant camera for most people,' Polaroid's new CEO Dan Dossa tells me. Let's find out if the Flip lives up to such a lofty claim. A Nod to Its Roots Photograph: Polaroid As someone who was born in the 80s, it's impossible not to see the Flip's nod to its roots. The whole Polaroid family is suitably retro in its styling, but the clamshell design of the Flip, which sees the flash fold into itself and double up as a lens cover, is a clear nod to the One Step camera—just with rounder edges and an overall softer look. It's available in white with an orange and black lens panel or in all black and grey, with an orange shutter button. To my eyes, the white is the most striking of the two, but of course, it's also the most likely to get grubby and marked. My review sample has picked up its fair share during two weeks of snapping so far, some of which have become more engrained and difficult to remove. At least the lens is protected, though, and for a camera you'll likely want to be taking around with you, that's the most important thing—and one of the clear benefits over the recently announced, slightly cheaper Now Gen 3 family. Another notable addition here is sonar autofocus, a well-loved feature first developed by Polaroid in 1978 but that hasn't been seen on a new camera for decades. It works when you half press the shutter button to focus, and trigger an ultrasonic pulse from the small circle of dots that sit to the left of the lens. This pulse bounces off any nearby large objects and helps the camera to understand how far away the subject—or subjects—might be, reaching a distance of 0.4 to 4 meters. With this information, the Flip can theoretically then automatically choose the best option from its hyperfocal four-lens system, which you can literally hear the camera switching between them as the scene changes. There's a choice of lens for sweet spots at 0.65m, 0.85m, 1.2m and 2.5m, which roughly translates to a macro shot, a single person portrait, group of people or a landscape picture.
