Full Roll

Polaroid Now+ Gen 3 Test | B&W i-Type Film

Below is another test pack of Polaroid film. This time, the camera was the brand-new Now+ Gen 3 with a Polaroid B&W i-Type film pack. I purchased the Now+ Gen 3 at launch based solely on the reported improvements to exposure (the Gen 2 tended to overexpose). Still, it sat on a bookcase unopened for months until I decided the Gen 3 would be my project camera.

I'd been kicking around an instant film project for months in which I would take one (and only one) instant image each day for a year with the same camera. This project aims to build consistency while forcing me to work within the limitations of the medium and equipment. However, I needed to ensure this camera worked properly before starting this project. As you will see from the images below, there were issues. Aside from user error, images 2-4 jammed, which resulted in two blank frames, an accidental double exposure, and the final frame going unexposed as the camera thought it was out of the film.

A normal person may have considered returning the camera for an exchange, given that they had wasted half a pack of film (roughly $9) due to the camera (or pack) error. However, I am a fool who has come to love the incredibly imperfect nature of instant photography (especially with Polaroid film stocks). Any mistakes I encounter over the next year would make fitting additions to the overall project, so I decided to stick with the Now+ Gen 3.

Enjoy the test roll images, then click the link below to view the project.

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Haruyo in the kitchen. User Error: I moved the camera to quickly.

Jam #1. Chemicals squeezed by hand.

Jam #2. Chemicals squeezed by hand.

Jam #3. Ejected after exposing a second time.

Self-portrait. Slow shudder speed movement test.

Lunch. Low light test.

Emily eating pie from the tin. Mixed lighting test.

The final frame is still in the film pack but is now ruined due to light exposure.

Be kind to yourself and each other,

Joshua R. Williams

The dark slide from this pack.