Polaroid JoyCam 500 Instant Camera, Blue
Normal Price:$29.99
Our Price:$16.95
Availability:Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Manufacturer: Polaroid
Binding: Electronics
Publisher: Polaroid
Label: Polaroid
Features for Polaroid JoyCam 500 Instant Camera, Blue:
- Easy-to-use instant camera
- Lightweight, small, and portable
- Sleek silver design
- Uses budget-friendly Polaroid 500 instant film
- Lets you share pocket-sized instant photos with friends
Small Picture
Medium Picture
Editorial Review
The Polaroid JoyCam is an instant camera designed in the spirit of the saying, "Everything old is new again." Polaroid has taken their signature product, the instant camera, and repackaged it in a slim silver body. In an age when camera makers are overloading their new products with automatic bells and whistles, Polaroid has instead made the JoyCam design simple and manual.
This camera is so easy to operate that anyone can load and use it. It works with Polaroid 500 (formerly known as Captiva) film and produces wallet-size pictures. To advance your film, you simply pull a plastic ring on the side of the camera. The JoyCam also features a manually selected built-in flash.
What we found most pleasing about the updated design is that it is noticeably less cumbersome than traditional instant cameras. While still much larger than a 35mm point-and-shoot, the JoyCam is small enough to throw into a backpack and bring along. Also, because the film ejection mechanism is manual in this updated design, Polaroid no longer has to build a battery cell into each film cartridge--so film costs less.
In redesigning the body of the JoyCam, however, Polaroid has done little to improve the actual picture-taking mechanism or picture quality. In our tests, this camera was incapable of taking a decent indoor picture without using the flash. When we did use the flash, it distorted colors and produced washed-out images of the subjects in our photos. However, if picture quality and stunning portraits are what you are after, you'd be silly to buy an instant camera of any sort, much less a Polaroid JoyCam. The Polaroid JoyCam is designed for impulsiveness and fun, and it serves those purposes well.
Pros:
- Light and portable body
- Simple operation
- More economical film
Cons:
- Flash causes color distortion
- Grainy picture quality
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Customer Reviews
Sleek and easy 
2000-11-29
The JoyCam is a nifty little camera, the picture size is just about right for instant photos. The handle to pull out your pictures does feel a bit flimsy, but it seems to serve it's purpose well. The photo quality is good but not great, although I took some indoor pictures, which usually turn out really dark, and the photos turned out really well. As long as you are not looking to be the next Mapplethorpe, the JoyCam is an ideal way to go. Not too spendy, either, which in my opinion is the best part of it!
Loved it! 
2000-10-16
I got the JoyCam and had a ball with it. My Nephew and I took pictures with the 'big silver camera' and he made a scrap book. The only caution I would issue is that the shutter button is not well protected. So it is not hard to take pictures of the inside of your bag. Beware. Those are some expensive all black shots.
Not bad at all! 2000-07-05
I had always been told that Polaroid cameras gave lousy picture quality. Of course this advice came from my dad who had a Polaroid long before I was born. What a difference about 20 years makes! While this is a camera you might not want to use under rugged conditions, it makes a great first camera for the beginning photographer in your house.
I am usually not a fan of products that take styling cues from the iMac & the VW New Beetle, but the design is perfect for the market in which it is being targeted at (teenage market).
All in all, not a bad camera. Polaroid did a good with this one.
joycam fun for the moment 
2000-06-06
I bought this camera for a way to catch the moment and share the fun. The camera itself isn't too bad but the film is too expensive for only 10 pictures. I figure you can't expect too great a quality out of a cheap instant camera.
... 
2000-05-21
I bought this camera a few months ago expecting it to have thesame average quality as other instant cameras.When I brought it homeand started to take pictures, I realized that I had been ripped off. I never bothered to buy extra film for the camera because the pictures were so blurry and distorted. The camera just sits in a drawer never to be used again.
Junk! 2007-05-11
This was bought as a second camera to do Polaroids for charity events. Don't waste your money on this. Go with a nice Polaroid or a digital with printer. This went in the trash!
better than before but still needs improvement 
2003-01-11
My friend and I just went to Italy and took this camera along with my 35 mm camera. We took the JoyCam for "just for fun" type pictures but it became a hassle. Because of the sleek design it was hard to hold on to. The strap is attached to the part of the camera used to pull the film out so you can't use the strap as a handle. And we kept accidentally hitting the button to take pictures because there is no safeguard against it. It is smaller than other polaroid cameras but still a bit bulky. I didn't find it very good for travel.
This is the perfect party camera 2001-10-02
I own two Joycams, and I love them!! I'm 25 years old, and this camera is perfect for parties and for taking out to clubs. The strap is long enough to sling over your shoulder, and the funky design of the camera makes for a great conversation starter. The best thing about it is you get your picture right there and then. It adds so much to a night out with friends.
Sleek, Fun, & Practical--All Loaded Into One 2000-12-14
Instant gratification is the name of Polaroid's unique silver cased JoyCam's snap-snap-get-that-shot game. No, they are not full sized pics, or of the highest quality. But, you do get an inexpensive, sleek looking, fun shooter and an opportunity to catch those out of the blue, "oh I wish I had my camera" views.
A bit bigger and lighter than a cell phone, this zapper fits into small purses, teen boys' cargo pockets, and safely in an auto's glove box. I like to keep it handy while driving about town. You just never know what you might see. I have spied an alligator slithering down a neighborhood sewer drain, a famous QB at practice, not on the grid-iron, but at a golf driving range, and unfortunately, needed insurance pix of a fender bender, mine. (That alone did pay for the camera and loads more film)
Also, having a 35-mm SLR and dabbling in photography as a hobby--this high-tech instant camera is useful for taking what my husband calls remembrance shots; places we want to shoot again. We just pull the 'lil cord, note on the back where we took the subject & file them on index cards with any additional notes and keep them in an old recipe box. And if we never pass that way again--at least we have some fond memory.
Hey, it's a fun camera, at a good price, which has practical uses and is sleek enough for first time users to the pickiest gadget-guru.
Fun but not for V.I.P. (very important photos) 2000-11-29
The concept is cool, and the camera is fun for kids/teens or parties. It is particularly suited to close-ups for the best picture quality.
However, I want to warn people that (unless they have changed the chemical makeup of the film over the years) the polaroid pictures do NOT age well. We have some pictures taken when we were kids 20 years ago with polaroid film. The pictures are ruined b/c the "paste" or whatever the picture is composed of turns brittle, and if you bend the picture even slightly, the image cracks all throughout the surface like a mini jigsaw puzzle. It's heartbreaking to lose irreplacable photos like these because the integrity of the film deteriorates over the years. Whether or not the film Polaroid uses today will do the same two decades from now, I guess remains to be seen. But **JUST IN CASE** I would NOT recommend using a Polaroid camera for photos that will be precious to you in the future!
In summary, if you want quick photo enjoyment, this will do fine but be sure to bring a "regular" 35 mm camera to that wedding, birthday, or family reunion in addition to this!!
