Polaroid Impulse AF

It should come as no surprise to anyone that I’ve bought a new camera. This one only cost ten quid though. The film for it cost more than that (which reminds me a bit of ink-jet printers).

Anyhoo, the camera in question is a Polaroid Impulse AF which has a sonar based autofocus system. The gold thing in the picture underneath the flash window produces high frequency sound pulses. The camera listens for the echo and then adjusts the lens based on the time it took for the sound to come back. I’ve had a quick go with it and it seems to work quite well.

If you fancy having a go at instant photography I’d strongly advise you get a machine like the one above. I think they have a certain brutalist style which the newer devices lack, and they are available at very low prices. They are good at making the best of instant film, particularly the ones with flashes which also have the “electronic flash” look that everyone likes at the moment.