The Best Gift for New Dads Is an Old (But Good As New) Polaroid Camera
Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your account’s‘Saved for Later’section.
Comment
This past holiday season, I wracked my brain overwhat giftto buy for mybrother-in-law, who was then asoon-to-be dad(and just today, in fact, became adad, at 12:32 p.m.).I wanted to get him something that felt appropriate for hisnew life as a patriarch, something that, ideally, he could use with thebabyor with my sister or even alone. It should, I reasoned, be far from the super-practical things he and my sister had filled theirregistrywith but not so impractical or precious that he wouldn’t actually use it. My brother-in-law, like many men, is by no means a fancy guy. But also like many men, he appreciates nice things of good quality that look cool, too.
Taking all this into account, I mentally cycled through some options. A newbackpackfor dad gear seemed useful at first but less exciting the more I imagined him unwrapping it. Then I remembered thata Strategist contributor who is also a dadtold me amulti-toolwould come in handy any number of ways. But that felt a tadtoopractical (and sharp, at least during infancy). Ahandsome journalfor preserving memories that he could display on adeskor shelf when not in use? That, I thought, might be the ticket. Then it hit me: Acameracould preserve those same memories but with the click of a button. And then I realized aninstantcamerawould allow him, my sister, and (eventually) the baby to cherish those memories mere seconds after they were made — and not simply forget them as you do after capturing photos on a phone or adigital camera. The right one could also look just as nice on display itself, I figured.
One glitch with older technology that becomes new again is that smarter and sleeker iterations can lack soul, something I noticed more with each instant camera I considered. It’s not that new models aren’t capable or authentic; it’s just that those not geared towardserious photographersappear to be designed for sale near the checkout at Urban Outfitters, making them seem more like another type of camera: disposable. Ready to go back to square one, I doubled back to Polaroid, where, after scrolling through its newer instant cameras, I found exactly what I was looking for.
New! You can now save this product for later.
The 600, which debuted in 1981, is currently one of two vintage models Polaroid sells after refurbishing them. This camera produces the square images that went on to inspire the square layout of a certain photo-sharing app that (probably) went on to inspire the refurbishing of this line of cameras. Although you canbuy the 600and Polaroid’s other refurbishedmodelindividually, giving my brother-in-law the bundle of a camera and three packs of film meant he could use it right away. And use it he has: The baby may have just been born, but hisnurseryis already full ofDad’sphotosfrom the last trip to Sag Harbor he and my sister took as a twosome this winter, the small baby shower we held for immediate family, and other random snaps he took of Mom and baby as they grew. I’ve seen the camera in action, and it certainly looks and performs as well as a new one. (That Polaroid invented the instant camera and refurbishes these itself helps instill a sense of quality control.) Speaking of looks, it’s also pleasingly old-fashioned: None of those rounded edges or pops of color that seem to be hallmarks of newer instant cameras. Another nice thing, especially for the planet, is that a refurbished camera is by naturemore sustainable. Yes, it comes in a cardboard box, and, yes, the film also leaves behind waste. But it’s a baby step.
New! You can now save this product for later.
New! You can now save this product for later.
New! You can now save this product for later.
The Strategistis designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the bestacne treatments,rolling luggage,pillows for side sleepers,natural anxiety remedies, andbath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
