KODAK Smile Instant Print Digital Camera – Slide-Open 10MP

It’s a hit or miss sometimes depending on the lighting but def fun and cute. The film isn’t as pricey as others so I don’t mind going crazy taking pics and making memories. Some prints come a little blotchy at times but sometimes it adds a cool little vintage style to it.

Es un producto increíble, la calidad de la foto es buena pero nada de otro mundo, es muy divertida y es excelente para niños, la recomiendo usar en eventos familiares o amistosos donde queremos guardar un bonito recuerdo de ese día, el papel también es fácil de conseguir.

After doing a lot of research (but apparently not enough) for a simple, economical, quality instant camera for my employer (after the polaroid film for our old ID camera stopped being made and our supply ran out), I settled on KODAK Smile Instant Print Digital Camera. We do not wish to spend thousands or even hundreds on a new ID system, and this seemed ideal as the size of the prints, ability to take two in photo booth mode, and the ability to delete or select what to print seemed perfect. What didn’t click was the fact the Zink paper is heat set and our plastic laminating machine would destroy the prints. We considered the type that use the ribbon cartridge prints, but those seem to jam and break per reading reviews. The current Polaroid style are too thick (our old system had the prints that you peeled away the outside, not the thick prints with chemical pod borders that are not easily trimmable. As much as I would love this camera for personal use, I decided I’d rather get a Zinc printer and use my cell phone with it, so I opted not to buy it off my employer but to return it as it failed to serve the purpose for which it was bought. The claims that the prints are heat resistant are not valid with a thermal laminator. We ended up buying a traditional style Fugi Poloroid type camera which the prints are hard to cut unless you delaminate or peel the clear plastic from the top and black plastic from the bottom (prints will then curl but not a problem once laminated in the plastic ID badge). This is not recommended by some due to the risk of coming in contact with caustic chemicals. The Kodak smile takes clearer pictures than the Fugi, It has a controllable or automatic flash, focus and exposure, many features that I liked. I highly recommend it to people looking for a fun instant camera that do not need the prints to withstand heat.

All of the zink cameras made at this point are toys. This one is built very sturdy and I like the fact that when you close it both the lens and the controls are protected. It’s a brilliant design. It also has a flash and some of these zink cameras do not. So it is more capable of working in indoor situations.

On the negative side of things you can see where they cut corners to save a pitiful amount of money. It’s 2021, even a child’s camera has a 12 MP sensor. They do some optical interpolation hocus pocus and claim that this is 10MP equivalent. The sensor is actually 5 MP, not 10. I understand that it prints to a 2×3 but the digitals should be respectable should you decide to print larger at a shop. What did this save? 10 bucks?

The internal memory holds maybe 5 pictures. Again. This is a pitiful amount of money to save at a significant cost to the consumer. To embed 32G of memory (as a manufacturer) costs very little. For the consumer to buy a 32G card is maybe $12. For heavens sake, put it in there. What did you save? 2 bucks? Why?

Overall it’s nice for what it is. The prints cost the same as if you went to a photo lab. Take a few pictures, peel the backs off and stick them to the inside of greeting cards.
Next time you take the family to the zoo grab a map and stick some photos of the fam on it. Instant souvenir. For this type of thing it’s a no brainer.

Item as described, great quality and delivered quickly!