Polaroid IS048 Waterproof Instant Sharing 16 MP Digital Portable Handheld Action Camera, Teal

So this camera is above all else incredibly lightweight, almost feeling like a toy. It needs two AAA batteries to work and a Micro SD card, neither are included in the kit. Granted, this does have its pros and cons as rechargeable batteries for cameras can be very specific and costly if you want backups, but any AAA batteries will work for this, just make sure you have them on hand. For stuff like this I tend to buy rechargeable batteries so I essentially have exactly what I need just in a different form to keep this powered up. In terms of picture quality, it ranges from low quality, about 2m up to 16m, depending on your preferences and storage space for your device. The interface is fine, you'll get used to it eventually if this is your first time using a Polaroid or digital camera. Not exactly intuitive but, again, it will just take a couple uses to get in the groove of using this quickly. Initial setup was simple enough to figure out in terms of setting up my language and time/date. There's a function to automatically send photos to a social media account of your choice, do I haven't really mess with that too much. I got this as a gift from my mother for upcoming trips and cruises on the horizon. The strap included wraps around tightly and gives a good grip around your wrist in case of sudden drops or going over Bridges and you do not want to risk the camera falling away. The waterproof casing is something I have yet to fully test but it is noticeable mostly around the battery port which is pretty tricky to open, at least with one hand, and has a Tight Seal around to protect the battery and memory card so do use a bit of force when pushing this open. The data cable is fine, pretty standard USB type a cable for transferring photos back and forth between computers and the camera itself. The color is extremely accurate for the product, a very distinctive vibrant blue, and the matching silicone case is the same general color but provides a stronger grip all around the camera to make this easy to use for beginners or Pros alike.

Reviews said the quality was poor. I was willing to give it try as I thought the reviews were maybe a bit harsh considering the price point of this camera. But my 2yr olds vtech toy camera is literally better made. The Pic quality itself does not seem bad for the price point but the buttons are poorly fitted, feel like they will break when you press down on them. Worst of all is the battery compartment Latch. It is a cheap poorly fitted plastic lock Latch. Sliding to unlock position did nothing cause the Latch had shifted. So I had to try push sideways so when I slid it to the unlock/ lock it would either unlock or catch the lock. And on top of all that it felt like the Latch was going to pop out, so while shifting sideways I had to hold it down tight to stop it from just popping out. I was frankly shocked that a $20 toy camera was literally a better and more sturdy build than this Polaroid. Such a disappointment for a brand name camera. Would expect some sort of basic standard quality! I'm guessing it's the luck of the draw if you get one where the Latch is better fitted than others. And I get it's a super low end price point for a brand camera... but it's still over $50 and the point of going for a branded camera is the expectation of decent quality.

I expected more from a 16MP camera. The photos were pretty grainy. Don't count on zooming in for details. So why 3 stars? Well, the protective case for one, that's a plus. using AAA batteries, also a plus. Build quality feels cheap, but it probably can take a beating from a kid, which is the target group for this camera. If you're ok with the picture quality, then it's not a bad kids camera. To be fair, we tested this against a no-brand, made-in-China 48MP camera. The photos from the 48MP were just a tiny bit better. Not what you would expect going from 16MP to 48MP. We did end up returning this camera.

We got this camera for my son to take to sleep away camp, where cameras were encouraged but he couldn't bring "electronics" and wouldn't be able to charge devices. Though I was initially discouraged by the reviews about the poor photo quality, I decided to buy it after reading the headline, "Only slightly better than a disposable camera." Our only other option was a disposable camera and this was a way better option, considering the price, the large number of photos it could hold, and its ability to also take video. It also was the only inexpensive digital camera that used batteries, which was essential in our case.Sure, the picture quality isn't great but it definitely captured very special memories -- even the memory of the camera accidentally falling into the water and being perfectly fine. (He then took a video as he deliberately jumped in the water holding the camera.) When the camera first arrived we took some test pictures indoors with the flash and they really were quite terrible (a grey wall--and everything else-- appeared orange!) but at camp without a flash the colors look perfectly fine. Close-ups aren't always focused on the intended object. Outdoor, daytime, long-view scenic shots turned out best and are quite nice!We were able to upload the pictures to our computers and watch the videos with sound (playback on the camera is visual only). It was well worth the price and a much better deal all around than a disposable camera.

This camera has been so fun on our latest beach trip. Being able to use it in the ocean or by the pool, it allows us to get pictures that we would never be able to capture otherwise. My kids love it, it’s the perfect size for my 7 year olds small hands. Also it’s very simple to use. It's very lightweight and the compact size is great for tossing in my beach bag or pocket even. It has a wrist band so that my daughter can wear it and not misplace it. I like how quickly it charges, you won’t miss out on any photo opportunity due to a dead camera - it has a long lasting battery life. The picture quality is great, clear, crisp and vivid photos. I can’t wait to see what fun memories we capture this summer.