This is serendipitously the 100th episode of In An Instant! With all the sweat and tears that go into each installment, seeing the number 100 is truly mindblowing to me. I could never have churned out all these hours of viddys without the love from this amazing community. Thank you to all the doinkers and the sweeties, I love you and I'm *in* love with you.

At first, I was a little bummed that it wasn't an SLR, but then I realized that this means the SX-70 (and its film) will keep a prominent place in the polaroid line-up which makes me appreciate this camera much more.

the Fact that we're all comparing the newest and greatest camera that Polaroid can produce in 2023 with the Sx-70 manufactured in the 70s and that the latter stills comes out on top in a couple areas (Slr, more premium build, foldability) speaks volumes for how incredible the sx70 is, truly a giant! However I-2 is looking very juicy, definitely Big 4 business :)

I think it's so amazing that we're in a time where high-quality polaroid cameras are actively being made again, it's like we're back in the 90s except more high-tech I just wish it had a manual focus mode, god there just always has to be that one thing

I don't think anything will ever fully replace my SX-70's, and that might just be the hipster in me. BUT - this little bad boy definitely has my interest. I'm definitely planning on getting one.

It's 700€ in the EU. Seven. Hundred. Euros. For a plastic lens and a built-in battery for which Polaroid doesn't offer a replacement service (AKA "this will be a doorstep in a couple of years"). That, along with their questionable quality control for film and cameras, as well as them advertising a 700€ camera with "Chase imperfection, embrace the random," will be a no for most Polaroid photographers and probably all potential new users. The video is great, as always! 👍

People must like Polaroids. Because when you mentioned that the images are sharp I just scratched my head, looked at my A7RIV and I questioned life!

Thorough, informative and entertaining! Your videos are always so well made and a pleasure to watch. Thanks for catching me up on this new camera as I was away when it was being teased.

Also, just, congratulations! It’s beautiful to see how far you’ve come from a polaroid enthusiast to releasing such a well done video for the review of such a revolutionary camera. I sense more than a little support from the now Polaroid company in this video, so I imagine it’s been amazing to work so closely with them lately. Congratulations again!

This is the type of camera I've been waiting for to get into instant. Appreciate your guiding hand :)

Thank you for this snappy and useful overview of the I-2. My last Polaroid was an SX-70 I bought in 1978, so it’s been awhile… I got my I-2 last week and have really enjoyed the camera and the results, both color and B&W. I’ve ordered a set of traditional B&W filters (Y, O, R) to try. And it’s great to know the on-board meter will automatically compensate for those filters! Really enjoy your channel and appreciate the info you’re putting out there!

I just got my email about this product and knew that you would release a very informative video. Thank you for having all my questions that I had! Looking foward to seeing more of your videos on this!

Was about to give up on Polaroids but this has rejuvenated my interest. This camera has blown every other instant camera out the park. Bad news for Fuji and Mint. Fuji missed a trick by not creating a camera like this. This could be the best instant camera ever made. Polaroid has done an amazing job, going from the inferior Impossible Project to where they are now.

Great video and some great features. But what a letdown at $600. A non-replaceable battery that will leave this a brick in under a decade. A plastic lens? (No plastic is ever the same). I guess I'll stick with my SX70. This should be $199, not $599

Ohhh, Olympus engineering. Ok, awesome. Good optics and clever design. I kind of love that the polycarbonate lens actually gives a hint of that glow I love so much in the SX-70 lenses. I hope people don't freak too much over the price, because it looks like it's actually worth it. The parallax correction should help composition enough, too. However, I CAN'T WAIT for studio photos at full manual with strobes on this thing. :)

OMG, I am in love! I have been waiting for this camera- it is what I wanted from the i-1, and from the sx-70! OK, I gotta sell some gear or film and get one of these NOW! Polaroid, you have made me very happy! Ben, thank you as always- you rock!

So good. That view finder with the exposure meter and f stop/shutter. Game changer

Ben this is an absolute BONKERS announcement!! This is without a doubt the coolest new film camera that I've seen and should be VERY exciting news for film lovers, instant or otherwise, to see this kind of support for and dedication to the format, that creating modern film cameras like this is not "Impossible", but quite possible. Now a very very hype reality! These are crazy times that we're living in...it's nice to get some crazy good news. And congrats and thank you for 100 episodes of In An Instant! I appreciate you. -Michael, your friendly doinker

I KNEW you would have a video today. Can't wait to snag one of these!

this is by far one of the best episodes, love that is the 100th! I would love that a new GO camera arrives with some of the capabilities of the i2

I feel that Fuji now needs to get working on their Instax camera game. While I love my Instax Wide, it really needs a serious upgrade to come to that level of sophistication.

Was hoping polaroid would have given you a camera to test, and for a whole year too! Glad it is performing well for you, really enjoyed the review.

Holy grail of instant cameras Batman! Parallax frame lines have been a wishlist item for years! Can’t wait to get my hands on one of these 😲

This is cool for people who really love polaroids. On the one hand you get manual controls for people who are really skilled and want to make the best of their shots - but it also gives auto mode and truly takes the guesswork out of it for people who just wanna make a quick shot or are not as skilled.

I’m not even half way through this video and I already understand and the features and exactly why it’s priced accordingly, so truly this video is big for Bussiness.

Excellent video! I have been watching several videos on the I-2 and yours was the most informative (especially the part about turning on the camera with the film door open in order to select the Film-Type Mode; no other video has mentioned that!) I wish Polaroid would send me one, but at least they did offer me a nice discount based on my body of work, so will be ordering first thing Monday morning! But you've got a new subscriber here.

Built in, not replaceable battery… remember what happened to the I-1?

Been watching and loving your videos since day 1 and this is one of your best! Love your stuff man, definitely going to get this camera! (after maybe a year of saving up haha)

Episode 100 already? :O I still remember when the channel has just begun, wow. I cannot believe, that there were so little hints and leaks...and you were able to shoot through it the whole year? Wow, it does seem, like there is finally a camera, that can replace my two semi-broken I-1s. About a few weeks ago, a few posts popped up on Reddit and some people claimed the I-2 to be a hoax. I am so glad, that it isn't. Thanks for the awesome review and everything else you've done for the instant community as a whole.

This video has everyhing. Everything what I looked for. Now after 7 years and 89 differend polaroids cameras I tried I can buy this I2 and be satified - I hope so.

What a cool camera - thanks for the info, Ben!

Great review, as always! Tbh the battery issue is what bothers me most, too - really hope they can find a solution to this. Anyway, I love that beast and the images it produces, I'm in my own little filter heaven with the filter thread. Ouch for my recent eBay purchases of 49mm filters :D

This camera could make the step into Polaroid's future, but to make the step complete I really hope for improvements on their film. Out of all available cameras, the possibilities and precision of this one probably allow for the best results with the current film. And having the current film in the state it is in right now is a miracle by itself, but imagine how much bigger the difference to the photos possible with e. g. the SX-70 would be if this new camera could utilize an improved film formula. Also, advertising the precision and possibilities of a professional camera with keywords such as "imperfection" doesn't work that well in my opinion. Nonetheless a great camera and I wish for it to get even better with improved film!

thank you Ben! It sounds so cool! I'm glad they got such a great camera release. I'm gonna wait for offers on the price before deciding to buy it

Im actually very happy this came out, once i fet my hands in the camera i literally will not stop taking pictures

Been waiting for something like this for a looong time.

Wow! Christmas and birthday wishlist now complete!!!

Thanks Ben for another great and informative video. I’ve been eagerly awaiting to see how this camera would perform and can see myself buying one. I still like my SX-70 Sonar and SLR 680 both bought after watching your previous videos. I’ve just had the SX-70 fully refurbished also a full manual control mod done by Dennis of Chromatic Parts. Excellent! I’ll send him the 680 next which I must admit was my Baby but I have Twins now as both cameras are excellent!😃 Thanks again for your videos! They’ve kept me inspired and sane in this insane world we live in - the Ripple Effect. Thanks Again! Glenn

Never stop never stopping. These videos are top.

I'm super excited for this. My husband surprised me this morning saying, did you look at your email? I said yes i did but i didn't even read the email, just just went right to the Polaroid page. He said, i did and it's on its way 😮 i was like, no way! You really bought it?! You're going to make me cry. ❤ He's so awesome.

The pricing isn’t bad at all. Was worried about leaks that it’d be close to the ridiculous pricing of some MinT products that scrape close to 1000$. Not sure if I’ll buy the I-2 just yet but at 599$ I think it’s definitely in the books for me.

I spotted Grainy Days. 😎

Will buy as soon as they update the store. This is amazing

I-2: 600 $ Random second hand 600 type: 10 buckaroos

Nice that Polaroid paired up with Olympus engineers again, like the Olympus Camedia c-211 hybrid back in the day.

Thanks very much for this review. What a wonderful and apparently very versatile new camera. It would be nearly impossible for the company to top the aesthetic pleasure of using an SX-70 combined with the joy of the quality images it produces. But this looks like an awesome camera and I'm sure it'll make a lot of people happy.

For the last year, I have been watching your channel and flirting with the idea of buying an SX-70 simply because I'm bathed in instant gratification. But have yet to pull the trigger simply because other owners have made modifications that aren't going to work for me, or have made changes to the camera that don't allow it to operate as its normal functioning camera as it did out of the box. If this is that new blend of SX 70 experience in a new shell with new functionality, this might be the one thing that really gets me to buy the camera and the film and go all in. I am saying this before watching the video....that being said, Ben, take me to the SX70 promised land!

Lovely video as always. Just wanna add that the I-2 has a maximum shutter speed of 1/250th of a second. Polaroid has this listed deep on the product page in the "full technical specifications" but this feels like pretty important info to surface for customers since its the only downside of this camera compared to a nicely modified SX-70 from MiNT Probably still gonna get one but I thought I should share this info with folks

I couldn't resist!!! I just bought one!! 😁

Ben! It is a beautiful camera! This is a glorious review! But there is exactly one down side, and that is that there is no manual focus. It’s not a big deal, it’s really not a big deal, but I do slightly wish it had manual focus, but this is truly just an incredible creative tool, it’s inspiring

Wait! is this a review for this camera without an affiliate link? the holy grail.

Definitely an interesting camera seems like theyre slowly going into a more user friendly camera system for all the films Still looking forward to how that film turns out i sent you though (some was experimental)

BENNYBAGS LETS GOOO. So excited for this video I've been waiting for the moment it uploads

Great review! But I think it would have been nice if you included some info on how well the auto-exposure works as it is what most people would use. I really love the manual modes, built-in self-timer and multiple exposures, these are features I really long for with my SX-70, but the 600 dollar price tag is not very encouraging😅 I'm aware that this is not considered much in the analog world, but it would definitely be a future splurge for me, maybe if they do a sale. Other than that, I'm glad that Polaroid came up with a good enthusiast-oriented product. Edit: my only concern with this camera is the built-in battery as a potential point of failure in a couple of years and how those can be serviced, as it wouldn't be a good look to end up with a 600 dollar paperweight right after the warranty runs out.

This is the video I was waiting for. I love the clear body version and I was looking at an Onyx Polaroid last night. And those aperture blades! Real aperture blades!

Love this video, now I'm a fan of the I-2!

YEAH BOIIII also love the Dharma Initiative logo! 3:28

So happy that this beast is finally out :D

Well, Ben... it's coming. I bought it. YOU sold me on this, dude... I might have waited, but the Pioneer discount and this glowing review did it. This might finally allow me to start thinning out the collection of box cameras that has grown a bit cumbersome over the years... Can't wait to play with this thing! Congrats on 100 my dude- I still owe you a beer!

Excellent video, well put together as always, I really like this camera, it has all the benefits of the One Step + and more but with all facilities on the camera itself or used via the app. Though, I can’t help feeling like this camera is trying to compensate for bad film, rather than it having genuine good features, which is still true, I just feel Polaroid have made this in vain. Original Polaroid film didn’t need to fall back on fancy cameras because the film was that good. You still got your sharpest shots from the SLR and Spectra models but it was much crisper, vibrant colours, developed in 90 seconds, not light sensitive after ejecting from the camera, stable, it was excellent. New film now is less sharp, softer, either really washed out or very underexposed/ over saturated. The colour shifting in the new film is all over the place. It’s a shame because with real Polaroid film, this would be a fantastic camera. We can only dream of film as good as the original 600 and SX-70 chemistry. I love Polaroid and I am absolutely amazed they managed to remake the film at all but unless they improve it at this stage, I can’t see it lasting much longer. Granted they are always working on it but I can’t live in denial that they have been trying to perfect it for the last 13 or so years, of course, it has come a long way since but it still has quality issues and mixed results, after all this time and investment, personally, to get it back where it was in the 90s, I think will always remain “impossible”. I am not saying the film is complete trash because it isn’t, I have taken some wonderful pictures with it but at this stage in the game and based on the price of this new camera, I think it is a big capital outlay, when the film is no where near the quality it should be, respective of the camera. I like to keep an open mind though and would definitely be willing to try it for myself and see how it handles.

I think I'd really be interested in side-by-sides of this vs Mint's SF70 because that's really what I'm likely deciding between.

One thing to note when you were talking about the design of the camera, from an industrial designer point of view, it's design language comes from the existing box cameras, but the top "pyramid" half which terminates into the lens, pays a homage to the sx-70 sillhouette.

I love the developments but their film really needs to step up. Instax is really leading the charge on instant film right now, even if their "image" is more consumer.

This is clearly the preeminent review of the i-2! You must have been so looking forward to today for the embargo to be up. Also, that SX-70 mode is amazing! Great video!

Amazing video! The price is reasonable but not affordable for me. I'm hyped tho

All of these features + slr and I would buy it. However still staying with my sx70.

Well, this is very interesting. I'll have to wait on getting one, but it's on my list. The one thing I would have liked is a removable/replaceable battery. Polaroid may service these when the battery starts to fade, but I'd much prefer a battery I can easily replace myself. Still, very cool!

okay I was weary about this camera but after seeing your photos i really might consider getting one

If you like shooting polaroid, buy the Mint SLR670 with the shutter speed dial.

What a comeback. We missed you, Benny-bags

Oh man, this video had me so pumped to get the I-2 to add to my collection. I was thinking that it was going to be my new go-to, the mother load of modern instant cameras... and then the price came.... Well... maybe in a few years someone will sell a used one on Mercari....

Hi Ben! I've just watched your video about the Fujifilm instax mini evo and i really enjoyed it, can't believe that you posted right after i ended that video! Do you know any other hybrid camera like the mini evo?

The fact the autofocus is LiDAR based has me incredibly interested in this. It’s like an updated sonar focusing I love from the 670

great review really good!! question where can you get that clear I-2?

Holy snap... that caught me by surprise. Will not be able to order the first batch due to already spent holiday money. However, it will be mine, yes, it will be mine!

Just trying out the I-2. With my Polaroid Now / Now+ I can hold the shutter button pressed to stop the film auto ejecting. This is useful for certain situations. My I-2 doesn't seem to allow that. Did you manage to get that working? Wondered if there is a setup to do this somehow?

Got the email from Polaroid in the morning while at work, looked at it for less than a few minutes and hit "Order" in an instant!

amazing and the price is pretty good

Just bought mine today 🎉 already have an adapted MINT SX70 and a Spectra as well as the Lab, HELP 🤪 Great video and images, thank you,…much better than the official Polaroid ones .. shhh 🤫

Good job Polaroid, I start wishing the day when I see a new i-2 which have the SLR structure. That will be the true perfect Polaroid camera.

It would be worth the $600 price tag if their color chemistry was still pre-impossible project original Polaroid quality. At least the b&w slaps.

Extremely beautiful! The external flash socket is truly a game changer! but it costs way too much. they can't afford to charge that much for a camera, their films aren't that high quality. it is stupid to have such a high-performance camera and then have defective or low-quality films!

Getting mine in a few days 😍.

The SX-70 can still fit in my back jeans pocket! So THERE!! And as an owner of a NONS... I LOVE IT!

Dios mío. Let’s get itttttt!

yeah... well this is the Polaroid I've bee waiting for, but, honestly... I just bought a Nons SLR660 Instant with interchangeable lenses and its fantastic. Its not a Polaroid I know, but the manual controls are nice to have. I'll just have to save up for this I-2. In the meantime, I'll still use my I-1.... I do still love that camera.

Looks sweet. That clear model is yum!

Lovely review, it does have shortcomings too, the film could be better, and it's not an SLR. No interchangeable lenses too.

Not the first fully manual Polaroid. I love my Model 195, which I just shot all weekend at a wedding. Aperture f 3.8 - f 64, shutter 1 s - 1/500th s, manual rangefinder focus - the best pack film camera Polaroid ever made. But pack film is growing only scarcer, & the I-2 might be a good, albeit less capable, path forward to integral instant film manual photography.

Killing it Benny boy! 😊

sx 70 killer feels like a stretch but this is a very cool camera and I'm super happy to see polaroid making cameras instead of speakers lol

Lighthouse lounge yo what up from Utah union Station baby how you doing!? Was not expecting to see my bar here on this video that's incredible.

Ben, thanks so much for all of the information in your videos. A couple of questions I'm hoping you can answer about many images from the I-2 I'm seeing on the internet. There is often a "half star" at the top right of the frame, or some unusual free-rom overexposure at the bottom of the frame. Are these defects due to uneven developer spreading? Is it just inconsistency in the packs, or the rollers in the camera? And on the internal exposure meter when in manual mode: is it not simply a center-weighted meter that one could aim at an object in the frame, and then use knowledge of the zone system to calculate an accurate exposure without carrying a hand-held meter?

Does the camera/film have any infrared abilities with a red 25 or R72 filter?

Damn this thing looks so good! Might need to get one to compliment my Sonar!

Woah that is VERY interesting

What was the white "next70" adapter on the SX-70 autofocus at 3:39?

I always look at a Polaroid camera in like a movie and I was like "That's so cool. I want to have that". And now with Polaroid finally returned from the dead, I can finally make that wish come true. Well, maybe once I got enough money to buy the camera with some film.

I hope this sells well, I might wait till the I3, I’ve seen complaints of the optical viewfinder and consistency of shots that I hope they can work out. My sx70 still is chugging along lol

Heckin' sweet camerino, but that dang price tag is QUITE a chonker!