Hands-on with Polaroid iM1836 Interchangeable Lens Android Camera

On first impressions, the 18-megapixel Polaroid iM1836 bears much resemblance to the Nikon 1 J1/J2 cameras. Its sleek aluminium body makes for compact and casual shooting but we were hoping to see a small grip somewhere.

As expected of rumors in December, Polaroid shows off its first Android-based interchangeable lens camera. Now, Android-based cameras aren't new - Samsung has its relatively new Android 4.1 Samsung GALAXY Camera, Nikon has the Android Coolpix S800C and so on. The difference with these cameras and Polaroid's iM1836 is that those are primarily high-end to low-end compacts whereas the iM1836 is essentially a mirrorless camera (think DSLR-like picture quality on a compact's body) with a proprietary sensor size that's "smaller than the Micro Four Thirds", according to a Polaroid spokesperson at CES.

This isn't an unusual move - Nikon and Canon's mirrorless cameras have sensor sizes that are different from the standard MFT's. What's unusual however is Polaroid's decision to keep the sensors in the lens unit instead, ala what Ricoh did for its GXR camera. While we question the decision to do that, thankfully Polaroid has mentioned that the camera will be made compatible with any MFT lens provided you have the optional adapter.