The Camera Bag: Polaroid’s New Z2300 Instant Digital Camera Takes a Design Page from Instagram

Polaroid's a name that still comes up now and then in our gear coverage but if the stylish new Z2300 instant digital camera catches on, we might be hearing more from this venerable brand in "instant" photography.

Available in black or white with a rainbow sash across the front that a few blogs have likened to the Instagram logo (which several IR readers have correctly noted was originally borrowed from Polaroid), the Z2300 camera uses a 10-megapixel sensor to capture images that can be printed out instantly via its built-in Zink printer. The printer uses 2x3-inch Zink paper, which has dye crystals embedded in the paper that turn into color prints when heated internally.

Though they emerge from Z2300 in less than a minute just like traditional Polaroid photos, the 2x3-inch Zink prints are less expensive than instant film and smudge-proof, water and tear-resistant and don't require drying time.

The Polaroid Z2300 camera also gives you a couple of custom print options, such as the, ahem, instantly recognizable Polaroid Classic white border or a full bleed. The 2x3-inch photos are available with a sticky back for posting in the "real" world rather than the virtual online world.

And yes, for those more used to posting images online rather than on your refrigerator, the Z2300 gives you tools to help upload your digital shots to most social media sites. (Though the camera does not have, as we understand it, built-in WiFi.) This new Polaroid camera also has a 3-inch LCD display on back.

The Polaroid Z2300, will go on sale in July for $159.99, but is available now for pre-order at www.polaroid.com. You can also pre-order 50-sheet packs of 2x3-inch Zink paper there for $24.99 and 30-sheet packs for $14.99.