Polaroid NOW Gen 3 Pokémon Pokeball Edition

What’s new?

The Polaroid NOW Gen 3 Pokémon Pokeball Edition brings one of the most recognisable designs from Pokémon to Polaroid’s classic analogue instant camera. Its red, white and black body takes inspiration from the iconic Poké Ball, complete with a Poké Ball-shaped shutter button. Underneath the new look is the latest NOW Gen 3, with improved ranging sensors that help its two-lens autofocus system select the appropriate focusing range more accurately for sharper, more consistent photographs.

Polaroid has also moved the light meter beneath the lens, helping the camera produce more accurate exposures across a wider range of lighting conditions. Its new position also allows the meter to account for colour lens filters placed over the lens, adding another option for creating different looks in-camera. With built-in flash, self-timer and double-exposure modes adding further flexibility, the NOW Gen 3 improves how each shot is focused and exposed without complicating the simple, playful experience of capturing a moment and watching it develop in your hands.

Improved two-lens autofocus

An upgraded ranging system helps the NOW Gen 3 produce sharper photographs at different distances. Improved ranging sensors measure how far away your subject is and provide more accurate information to the camera’s two-lens autofocus system, helping it determine which lens to use before the photograph is taken. Both fixed-focus lenses use coated optical-grade polycarbonate and acrylic elements, with a 94.96mm close-up lens covering subjects from 0.40m to 1.3m and a 102.35mm distance lens covering subjects from 1.0m through to infinity. This automatic system keeps operation straightforward, letting you concentrate on framing while the camera handles the rest.

Improved exposure and flash performance

Polaroid has repositioned the light meter on the NOW Gen 3 to help produce more accurate and consistent exposures as lighting conditions change. Moving it from beneath the viewfinder to beneath the lens gives the camera a more accurate reading of the light entering the camera. From bright afternoon light outdoors to softer light indoors, it can use that information, along with six apertures ranging from f11 to f64 and a custom precision step-motor shutter, to determine how each photo is exposed.

As the light falls, the built-in vacuum-discharge tube flash provides extra illumination to keep friends, family and other nearby subjects brighter and more visible. This means you can move from daytime snapshots to photos around the table or an evening with friends without having to work out the exposure yourself. The updated meter, aperture, shutter and flash systems handle those adjustments in-camera, so you can concentrate on framing the moment and seeing how it turns out on film.

Double-exposure and self-timer modes

The NOW Gen 3 includes creative tools for getting more from each pack of instant film. Set the camera on a tripod, switch on the self-timer, and you have time to join friends in the frame or compose a self-portrait without needing someone behind the camera. For something more experimental, double-exposure mode lets you capture one image before reframing for a second, layering both moments onto the same Polaroid photograph. It adds more ways to play with composition and create something different, with the finished result developing in your hands moments later.

Full-sized Polaroid film compatibility

The Polaroid NOW Gen 3 uses Polaroid i-Type and 600 film to produce classic full-sized instant prints. The larger format gives each photograph more presence than the pocket-sized Go format, making finished prints easy to display around your home, pin to a wall, share with friends, or keep as physical mementoes. With the photograph developing in your hands after every press of the shutter, each shot becomes something tangible you can enjoy away from a screen.

For the full Pokémon experience, you can also load up with the new Polaroid i-Type Colour Pokémon Edition film, featuring pastel-coloured frames with different Pokémon appearing along the bottom of each print. Custom Pokémon darkslides protect the film inside each pack and automatically eject when loaded into the camera, giving you another collectable to keep alongside your finished photos. With different Pokémon, frame colours and darkslides to discover, there’s always another one to catch!

Classic Polaroid design

The larger body of the NOW Gen 3 gives you the familiar handling of a classic Polaroid camera, with its full-sized film, autofocus system and built-in flash all contained in a 150.2 x 112.2 x 96mm design weighing 448g. A seven-segment LED display keeps essential camera information easy to check as you shoot, so there’s no need to complicate the experience with additional screens or controls. The outer shell is made of ABS and polycarbonate, with 40% recycled content for a more environmentally conscious take on the classic Polaroid design.

An integrated Lithium-Ion battery keeps the camera ready for up to 15 packs of film per charge, giving you plenty of time to work through a few packs before reaching for a charger. When it needs topping up, USB-C charging lets you connect it to a compatible power source rather than carry replacement batteries. It keeps the practical side of shooting simple, so loading another pack of film is more likely to be your next consideration than managing the camera itself.

What’s in the box?

• 1 x Polaroid NOW Gen 3 Pokémon Pokeball Edition
• 1 x Pokéball Style Strap
• 1 x Quick Start Guide
• 1 x Safety & Compliance Leaflet