Polaroid has launched the Mod, a $169.99 instant camera with a taste for photographic mischief. Four creative modes sit on a dial around the lens, ready to split a picture, overlap two moments or give moving light a visible trail. Auto remains available for a straightforward snapshot, and the camera takes Polaroid i-Type and 600 film.
Split Shot makes its two-part pictures with a small accessory that covers half the lens. Shoot one scene, rotate the cover, then photograph the other. Both end up on the same piece of film, with the photographer deciding what belongs on either side of the divide before seeing the finished result. Double Exposure lets the images mingle: two exposures occupy the same frame, allowing separate subjects or scenes to show through one another. Choosing the second image becomes as much a compositional decision as framing the first.
A flashlight becomes a drawing tool in Light Painting mode. The camera holds the exposure open while a moving light source traces lines through the image; a tripod keeps the surrounding scene steady. Motion Freeze gives movement a different treatment, recording it during a longer exposure before firing the flash at the end. A sharper subject can appear alongside the blur of its own movement, putting stillness and motion into the same photograph.
The physical dial makes these techniques something to reach for while holding the camera. There is no phone or companion app required to select them, and a separate brightness dial adjusts exposure. The decisions happen before the film comes out: which scene to layer, which half to cover, where to move the light. Making the picture involves a little choreography between the person behind the camera and whatever is in front of it.
At $18.99 for an eight-photo pack of color i-Type film, every experiment has a small financial stake: roughly $2.37 per photograph before tax. Polaroid lists a development time of 10–15 minutes for that film, so “instant” still leaves some room for suspense. A double exposure uses one finished photograph, giving two moments a share of the same film budget. The price and the wait make choosing the next attempt part of the process.
The Polaroid Mod is available through Polaroid’s website from September 29, with selected US retailers following on October 6. Retail availability outside the US is scheduled for early 2027.
