Today we are going to be going over our ultimate Polaroid IF045 review as we keep seeing a steady number of people reaching out about this camera. Although the IF045 is actually a discontinued model now, there are still plenty of them available due to the camera being made in such large quantities but never really taking off in popularity.
Although the IF045 is actually designed to be an entry level, budget friendly camera where you would expect to give concessions for performance, build quality, and functionality, it really has struggled to compete with the rival point and shoot cameras from competing brands such as the Gongpon 360 (Click here to check for product prices and availability) that is the same price but beats the Polaroid IF045 in every way. In all honesty, though, we would highly recommend that you check out the Campark X20 (Click here to check for product prices and availability) over either of those point and shoot cameras as it comes in at a very similar price point in the market but its modern technology pushes it way ahead.
That said, due to Polaroid being such a massive brand the IF045 did end up carving out a small number of core customers who have chosen to post their own independent reviews of the camera online (click here to read some of them) that you can read for a third party insight into its performance. Additionally, if you are willing to pick up a used or refurbished version (Click here to check for product prices and availability) of the Polaroid IF045 you can often save a fair amount on list price making it a more attractive option over the competition as it comes in much cheaper.
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Table of Contents
User Interface And Control System
As the Polaroid IF045 is a fully waterproof camera its control system also has to be fully sealed and waterproof. This has proven a problem for many brands who produce an entry level underwater camera as the control buttons can be unresponsive at times due to the waterproof sealing.
The IF045 is no different from its competition in this regard and although the control buttons get the job done, they can be a little difficult to press and be a little unresponsive at times. A little tip if you find yourself having this problem is to try and press either side of the button rather than the center as it seems to get the camera to register the button press almost every time without issue.
Being a dual screen point & shoot camera, the IF045 has been designed to be as small as possible while being able to house two separate LCD screens with one on the front and one on the rear of the camera body. The LCD screen on the front of the camera is essentially only for selfie style photographs but the screen on the rear will display the navigations menu and settings when required.
Thankfully, the navigation menu on the IF045 is very easy to use even with minimal practice and we feel that the vast majority of our readers will be able to pick the camera up and get it working without issue. The majority of commonly tweaked settings are all easy to locate allowing you to quickly tweak something without having to waste time.
Performance And Functionality
As we mentioned earlier in the article, the dual screen system on the IF045 allows you to easily see exactly what you are about to capture if you are using the camera for selfies ensuing you get exactly what you need in your photograph. Although the rear screen is 2.7 inches and easy to see, the front-facing LCD screen is only 1.8 inches and can be a pain to see properly, especially in bright lighting.
Although the camera is fully waterproof down to a depth of around ten feet, the picture quality does definitely take a hit when being used underwater. From what we can tell, this is actually due to the poor lighting conditions under the water causing the camera to have a bit of a nightmare trying to auto focus in on the subject as shown in the image below.
All in all, Polaroid have left a few things out that are pretty much considered standard these days. We know that the Polaroid IF045 is an old camera now but something more modern like the Campark X20 (Click here to check for product prices and availability) will be a much better choice for any type of underwater photography
Click Here To Read Independent Third Party Reviews Of This Product!
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Build Quality
For a budget friendly point & shoot camera, the build quality of the IF045 is actually pretty solid in all fairness to it. It is able to take a fair amount of punishment without taking any long term damage and this is pretty rare when it comes to dual screen cameras as the logic of double the screens double the risk usually applies.
The water sealing on the camera is also very good ensuring that it can perform well underwater without sustaining damage while providing you with a decent image quality provided that you turn the autofocus setting off. Although this may sound a little daunting if you are new to digital cameras, it is actually very easy to do via the navigation menu with autofocus being one of the first options on the list.
In our opinion, the build quality of the IF045 is without a doubt the best thing that the camera has going for it and we just wish that Polaroid would have increased its performance to a similar level. That said though, concessions have to be made for the camera to allow them to keep the price tag as low as possible.
Our Verdict
That brings us to the end of our Polaroid IF045 review and as you can see, it is a pretty flawed camera in our opinion and a more modern camera like the Campark X20 (Click here to check for product prices and availability) would make a much better choice.
Click Here To Read Independent Third Party Reviews Of This Product!
Click Here To Check For Prices On This Product!
The video below offers an additional third-party, independent review for the Polaroid IF045 to offer our readers an independent opinion of the product.
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