Polaroid Mod is an instant camera for playing with motion, light and split frames

The creative modes – Split Shot, Double Exposure, Motion Freeze and Light Painting – are the standout features of the Polaroid Mod. Double exposure and light painting were previously available through Polaroid’s app, but the Mod provides access directly from the camera’s mode dial, making them easier to use.

“With Mod, we wanted the creative experience to be built into the physical design of the camera,” says Stine Bauer Dahlberg, Chief Product Officer at Polaroid, in the press release. “We wanted the camera itself to encourage you to try something different every time you pick it up.”

Double Exposure allows users to expose the same frame twice, creating overlapping images. Split Shot also involves two photographs in one frame, but it requires an included accessory that blocks half the lens. It allows users to combine two photos without overlap, provided the half-lens cap is rotated appropriately.

Motion Freeze uses a longer exposure with a flash fired at the end (a rear-curtain sync technique) to combine motion blur with a sharp subject. Lastly, Light Painting is simply a long exposure to capture trails of light.

The mode dial also offers an auto mode for more straightforward instant images. Like Polaroid’s other cameras, the camera features a brightness dial to adjust exposure.

In terms of general camera specifics, the Mod shares a lot in common with the Polaroid Now+ Gen 2 camera. It uses a two-lens system with a 94.96mm (roughly 35mm equiv.) close-up lens and a 102.35mm (roughly 40mm) distance lens. The camera automatically switches between the two: the close-up lens focuses from 0.40m to 1.3m (1.3 to 4.3 feet), while the distance lens covers 1.0m to infinity (3.3 feet to infinity).

Polaroid lists six usable apertures ranging from F11 to F64 and a custom shutter driven by a precision step motor, though it has not published the shutter-speed range. It also has a built-in flash powered by a vacuum discharge tube strobe system.

The Mod is compatible with i-Type and 600 film. It uses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery with USB-C charging. The camera measures 161.7 x 110.2 x 98mm (6.37 x 4.34 x 3.86″) and weighs 520g (18.34 oz), making it slightly larger and heavier than the Now+ Gen 2.

The Polaroid Mod is available through the Polaroid website as of September 29 for $170. It will be available through other retailers in the US starting on October 6, with global availability early 2027.