2019 Polaroid-inspired Gift Guide

It’s that time of year - when you’re struggling to find a gift for the instant photographer in your life, or you're looking for excuses to purchase that one new thing that you "must" have.

To make things a little easier, we’ve compiled a list of things that we absolutely love, or things we've placed on our wish-list for this year.

Instant Film

There’s one thing an instant photographer can’t get enough of, instant film. As we near the holiday season some retailers might have sales that you can watch out for, however the best place to find instant film is directly from the source.

Instant Film from Polaroid Originals

Photo Albums

After you’ve shot all of the film, you need somewhere to store it - and these new albums from Polaroid Originals are perfect. They come in two different sizes, large(160 photos) and small(40 photos).

Photo Albums from Polaroid Originals

MiNT SX-70 Flash Bar

If that special someone(or yourself) owns an SX-70, the flash bar by MiNT is a must to improve the quality of images.

Most box box style cameras from Polaroid come with a built in flash, but when you look at the original SX-70 it lacks the ability to add extra light to low light situations.

In the past, you would be required to use disposable flash bars that only give you 10 uses. This flash bar replaces the need for vintage disposable flash bars, by using replaceable batteries, which will last for many packs of film.

Some people have even found that you can use the flash bar to trick your camera into shooting at a faster exposure, allowing you to shoot 600 film in an SX-70 camera.

MiNT Flash Bar from Polaroid Originals

Polaroid Originals OneStep+

If you’re looking to take advantage of the cheaper I-Type film or gain more control over your camera, the new OneStep+ by Polaroid Originals is worth looking into.

Styled like the original OneStep box camera, this newer model takes advantage of a Bluetooth connection with your smartphone to enable and extra level of control that you can’t get with the regular OneStep or OneStep 2.

OneStep+ from Polaroid Originals

Fujifilm Instax SQ6

If you're looking for a cheaper budget option, but still want to remain in the square Polaroid format - the Fujifilm Instax SQ6 might be the way to go.

It comes in a few different colours, and the camera and film is available at most retailers and some big box stores.

The instant photos this camera produces are noticeably smaller than a normal square Polaroid photo, however the film does come in at almost half the cost of what Polaroid Originals film retails.

While this is the cheaper option, this camera does lack some of the quality and features that the next item - the Lomo’Instant Square Glass Combo - does better.

Fujifilm Instax SQ6 from Amazon

Lomo’Instant Square Glass Combo

If you're looking to cut costs by going to an Instax camera, and you've decided on the square format - the Lomo’Instant Square Glass Combo is one of the best Instax kits out there.

The biggest feature, being the glass lens is a massive improvement over the SQ6 - other features like the ability to shoot both Instax square and Instax Mini, manual focus, built in portrait distance focusing, and other signature Lomography features make this camera superb.

For us that are farther north than others, where our winters get cold and Polaroid Originals no longer work correctly - this is a great reliable alternative during the winter months.

Lomo’Instant Square Glass Combo from Lomography

Polaroid Lab

Photographer or not, the Polaroid Lab is a fantastic item those interested in Polaroids.

The Polaroid Lab is a photo printer that turns digital images from your phone into instant prints using their device.

Wether you're replicating your own polaroids, or turning your digital photos analog - the Polaroid Lab is a lot of fun, which makes it a great buy for 2019.

Polaroid Lab from Polaroid Originals

Peak Design Leash Camera Strap

We recently upgraded all of our straps to the peak design system, and the only thing we wish is that we would have sooner.

Peak design has a range of straps as well as other products focused on design and travel. Our favourite strap for Polaroid cameras is the lighter Leash model.

Leash Camera Strap from Peak Design

Polaroid Pins

If you’re interested in Polaroid Swag, Official Exclusive has a ton of different enamel pins of a range of cameras and film stocks - They even have a few Polaroid pins.

Camera Pins from Official Exclusive

Although if you’re looking for something a bit more unique, these sellers on Etsy might have what you’re after:
Etsy Send Nudes Pin
Camping Pin

Polaroid T-Shirt

If you’re interested in clothing, Polaroid Originals has fantastic shirts in a few different styles. We can vouch that these are made high quality and very comfortable.

Polaroid Shirt from Polaroid Originals

Photo Books

Last on the list is a collection of Polaroid photo books that we’re really interested in.

The Polaroid Book from Amazon
Andy Warhol Polaroids from Amazon
Wim Wenders: Instant Stories from Amazon (Hard to find)

We hope this guide helps you find the perfect gift for someone interested in instant photography. If you have any other recommendations that we can add to the list, let us know!

Happy Holidays!

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