Written by Jennifer Stamps
I recently wrote about my experience with the Polaroid Now+ camera. What I didn’t write about were the filters that come with the camera.
When you purchase the Polaroid Now+, it comes with a carrying case and five filters that fit right over the lens:
- Starburst Filter
- Red Vignette Filter
- Orange Filter
- Blue Filter
- Yellow Filter
Find the Polaroid Now+ on Amazon.
How to Use the Filters on the Polaroid Now+
Using the filters on the Polaroid Now+ is rather simple. Three of the filters – orange, blue, and yellow – you simply place right over the lens, letting it snap in place.
The starburst and red vignette aren’t much different; all you need to do is make sure the filter sensor matches up with the tiny hole on those two filters. The filter will gently click into place with the hole matching the filter sensor.
Using the Color Filters on B&W Film
I’ve experimented with filters on black and white film before – and wrote about it here. But for the sake of this article, I decided to shoot a few packs of black and white Polaroid film to show what these filters can do. Just in case it was different.
After all, Polaroid film is its own class of film and reacts differently in different settings.
One thing I noticed – which I was expecting – is how much contrast the yellow and even orange filters added to the black and white film. With the yellow filter especially, the whites are much brighter and the blacks richer. You can see that with the orange filter as well, but not quite as exaggerated.
What I wasn’t expecting, was how cool the red vignette would look on black and white. The center of the image is bright where the filter is cut out, leaving a dream-like vignette as the image reaches the sides of the frame.
Using the Starburst and Color Filters on Color Film
And the sunburst filter is just downright cool. Shooting it in bright sunlight is so much fun! It adds such dramatic light streaks in the image.
I didn’t use all the color filters on the color film (didn’t want yellow or orange hues to my photos). But I did use the blue filter on a cloudy day. It made the sky such a lovely shade of cotton candy blue.
And the red vignette looks pretty cool on color with good light – almost gives the images a vintage look.
How I Plan to Use the Polaroid Now+ Filters Moving Forward
For color film, I’ll probably only ever use the starburst filter on the Polaroid Now+ – the photos are insanely dramatic when shot with light and/or flash.
Don’t expect to get crystal clear images with the starburst filter – but you can definitely expect something fun and bold.
For black and white film, I’ll probably stick with the red vignette. It’s probably the Holga lover in me, but that red vignette on black and white just made my heart pitter patter. The photos feel ethereal – similar to shooting high-contrast black and white film in a Holga.
Overall, the filters add to the fun. The Polaroid Now+ is one of those cameras I enjoy more and more every time I pick it up – adding filters to the lens amplifies that.
The best part? You instantly have a photo to hold after you snap your photo.
Thank you so much, Jen! Jennifer is a regular contributor here at Shoot It With Film, and be sure to check out her other articles, like Polaroid Art Project: Adding Watercolor Paint to Polaroids and Film Comparison: Kodak UltraMax 400 vs Kodak Gold 200 Pushed One Stop.
You can also check out more of Jennifer’s work on her website.
Leave your questions about the Polaroid Now+ and the filters below in the comments, and you can pick one a Polaroid Now+ for yourself on Amazon here.
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