Is a Polaroid One Step Camera Considered a Toy Camera Like a Holga

[Matthewt]

Just curious if you would consider a polaroid one step instant a toy camera like a holga because they both have plastic lenses. I'm talking about the polaroid instant cameras that you can buy in walmart for 30 bucks that take 600 instant film. All comments appreciated. Holgaphiles--please do not get upset. I am not comparing the polaroid camera to the holga in any way.

 

[DBP]

Well, it doesn't have light leaks, and the mediocre lenses are fairly uniform in their results - so maybe not. Don't really understand the whole Diana/Holga thing myself, I sort of like predictability and for crappy lenses I can use a Brownie or cheap old folder.

 

[Donald Qualls]

IMO, the plastic double meniscus and triplet lenses in most plastic-lensed Polaroids are well out of the "toy camera" lens -- they were, in fact, the lenses that convinced the world (back in the 1970s) that "optical resin" was neither a joke nor an oxymoron. Even in the 1960s, the plastic-lens pack-film cameras were capable of quite decent snapshots, at least on what amounted to 3x4 contact prints.

There have been, however, a goodly number of plastic cameras down through the years that took excellent images, and some have been labeled as "toy" cameras after the fact -- so if you want to call a One Step a "toy" camera, be my guest...