Viva the Old-School Instant Camera Revolution

The best part of instant cameras is what they lack — filters, tags, sharing, likes, and infinite duplication. They produce a single snapshot — actual, intimate, and real.

A picture used to be worth a thousand words. Then smartphones and social media arrived, burying us in selfies, usies, and artfully filtered images of Sunday’s eggs benedict. Luckily, people are once again realizing there’s something pure in snapping a photo, an actual photo, that can be pinned to a board or passed around at a party. Instant cameras, models that spit out shots that develop before your eyes are back. With one in hand, you’ll be free from concern about thumbs-ups and comments and more likely to snap moments you actually want to remember. Here are five pieces of instant camera gear for modern shooters.