Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I’m a Polaroid photographer and got this for a specific project. It’s fun, but I’m not sure it’s fun enough to keep. Here’s why: 1. Aligning your phone with the “eye” can be annoying - the Lab and your phone will make annoying sounds/lights until they “pair”, which takes surprisingly long and can get “off course” with just an accidental tap. 2. If you’re using the Lab to spit out images back to back, I think it gets too hot and changes the chemistry of the film. I got tons of pink overcast on each image after using it for 20 minutes, on brand-new-direct-from-Polaroid film, in a temperature controlled environment. So the film should not have that issue at all. All I can figure is the internal camera of the Lab is workin hard & heating up, which is Polaroid film’s nemesis (if you ask some), thus changing the outcome. I remade the same images first thing a day later and they looked perfect, no cast at all, furthering my assessment. For $12-20 a box, this isn’t a sustainable way to rely on the Lab to perform if you’re expecting to use it regularly (or in my case, to finish a project). 3. The exposure compensation on the app seems to work okay but I found adjusting it +1/3 actually decreased the image quality. Not sure why that is! 4. Doesn’t seem to like blue. I shoot this film all the time and it does great under the blue sky, but in the Lab something gets weird and distorts the color/tone. 5. The battery charge is baaaad. Like, I’m curious if my is defective bc the battery runs out so fast. On the plus side: 1. It produces absolutely gorgeous black and white photos. Families looking to get photos off their phones would love this for their kids portraits. 2. If you know how to shop Polaroid film from their direct website, you can make these images in an affordable fashion. It helps being very selective about the images you “print” while still getting authentic Polaroids. 3. The app is very easy to use. If you can’t figure it out you’re probably not going to understand how Polaroid film works anyway so just don’t bother altogether. Other notes: 1. YES cracks and scratches will impact your photo quality! 2. YES you *must* take your phone cover off for it to work! 3. Turn off all notifications while using it or expect to be surprised when Jenny texts you about getting dinner right as the Lab is photographing your phone’s screen and you don’t know until your image has this riveting information in Polaroid form. 4. NO it is not a printer. 5. NO it cannot be connected to a digital camera or a computer. 6. NO do not “shake it like a Polaroid picture.”