KODAK Mini Shot 3 Retro 4PASS 2-in-1 Instant Digital Camera and Photo Printer (3x3 inches)

I rarely write reviews, but upon purchasing and using this product and seeing the onslaught of negative reviews, I had to sit down and type one out.First, I do not understand the negative reviews. Maybe some critical thinking skills aren't being applied when others have bought this product. You see lots of "My iPhone/Android camera takes better quality pictures!" in the complaints. Let's dissect this. Most smartphones nowadays retail for nearly $1,000 in total, and a key element in their advertising is not only the quality of the built in cameras but the constant improves from model to model. Of course, a smart phone camera is going to produce better quality pictures. It's one of the reasons we spend our hard earned money on them. If all we needed was a device to call and text, we'd still be using flip phones. Let's put our thinking caps on and remember why the little computers in our pockets can take excellent if not astounding quality pictures - because they're built to!Now, this Kodak camera does state it prints "superior photo" quality, but it does not boast "state of the art" quality or even "smart phone" quality, because it knows its place and that would be a flat out lie. Read the fine print, people! Superior does not automatically equate to breathtaking, especially when you look at the product itself. Once again, this is a basic camera/tool. It is not built to be an equal to a smartphone which is essentially, as I said, a mini-computer; It is not built to be an equal to even the lowest tier of professional photography cameras. It IS however, built to be a simple, basic photo taking device that you can also connect to your phone, iPad or other supported device if you choose to.It does what it says on the box, so I am happy with this purchase. I suspect other customers were expecting something far more complex and souped up, and that is not what this camera is.Now, the only cons I have for it is that printing process is a little slow, but it takes less than a minute. The paper quality is good though, so I'll let this slide. You can't have everything, especially if you're buying something that is quite budget when it comes to bells and whistles. And that's another thing I'd like to mention - this prints on modern day photo paper. Do not expect the thick, flimsy paper that actual polaroid cameras printed on. If that's what you're after, then you'll be better off heading over to eBay or a pawn shop.This is a modern take on an old school favorite. Understand what you're buying, and you will be a satisfied customer.

14-year-old nephew B-Day present. He really likes it. Kind of a cool device. Picture quality is pretty good

Kodak has managed to take all the fun out of the "instant" camera. It's not instant at all. First you have to hold down the on button for a few seconds. Then you take a picture then you select the picture, then you select print to print the picture then it has to warm up. Then the picture goes in and out of the camera 5 times before it's done...slowly. Not instant. Also the quality of the photo is terrible. I would think with all that going in and out and in and out and in and out you would get a decent print but it's not even as good as the original instant cameras which were terrible. Again, Kodak fails.I was walking around a party and wanted to take pictures of guests. "Can I take your pic?""Sure! OMG what is that, is that a giant camera?""Hold on let me turn it on.....it takes a second but it prints right away!"Camera finally comes on.No viewfinder, just a tiny low resolution screen. Hard to see what I'm snapping.So then I take the pic."Is a photo supposed to come out?""Yes it does but I have to go through the menu to find it."Fumble fumble fumble. There it is. Push print."warming up". for like forever. My guest are looking at me expectantly.I set it on the table after it warms up and it sloooowly starts printing... oh wait, it sucks the pic back in again! 5 times! It's agonizing.Cheap plastic. Feels terrible in the hand. Buttons poorly placed right where you want to grip it.I don't see the purpose of this thing...at all.

We’ve had this camera for 11 months. It is a wonderful camera. I removed one star because I’m frustrated by some major issues coming up right at the 1 year mark. I would love for those to be resolved. And if they are, I would be an unreserved fan of this camera.The recent issues:Lately we have been having trouble with it recognizing or being able to function with some of the film cartridges, which is extremely frustrating because we have only used the Kodak brand film, and it isn’t cheap!In the last month, the quality of the photo images has gone down significantly. I’m not sure if this is related to a firmware update that was just installed. A lot of the pictures appear less in focus and more washed out.The great:We bought this camera for my then-eight-year-old before a big vacation last summer. He loved it, and it was a wonderful way for him to record our once-in-a-lifetime vacation with dozens and dozens of pictures.In the many months sense, taking photographs of his favorite people, or special moments has been a great activity.It is easy to use. The way the photos print is very satisfying to watch. The cyan, yellow, magenta process is a great color theory. LessonI love that it can connect my Bluetooth to my phone so that we can print some thing we captured when he didn’t have his camera on hand.The resulting photos are bright and durable. The 3 x 3” square size is fantastic. He has had a lot of fun creating mini photo albums with some 4” x 4” blank sketchbooks from Michael’s and some glue dots.I didn’t see manufacturer contact information in my purchase records. I would love to find out how to have this camera serviced or replaced. My budding photographer is very frustrated to not be able to print his images today. And we hope to continue, nurturing his photographer’s eye for many years to come.