Things have been pretty bleak for Polaroid fans ever since the company filed for
Chapter 11. Once the producer of an iconic American gadget, the company has been reduced to a corporate shell, its good name taunting us from the face plates of a myriad of consumer electronics -- including
instant digital cameras that are not nearly as cool as their forebears. That's why it does our heart good to hear about the crazy,
Fitzcarraldo-esque plans of an outfit called IMPOSSIBLE. The company has already purchased all the essential gear and signed a lease on one of the buildings at the old Polaroid plant in the Netherlands, where they'll be hard at work developing new versions of the venerable Instant Integral film that can be produced using modern manufacturing methods. The company hopes to be in the swing of things by sometime in 2010. Best of luck, kids!
[Thanks, Sebastiaan ter Burg]
posted Jan 19th 2009 1:51PM
im sure im the only one who thinks this, so i apologize to those who disagree with me, but i really wanna see this kinds stuff just die already. i realize that it was once an iconic american invention and in a way defined where the nation was at that time, but i feel like its...holding us back. i feel like we need to just move forward into the digital age and this is the last thing we need right now. just my two cents. sorry.
I don't see how it's holding us back at all. Do you think there are people who aren't getting digital cameras because they're happy with their polaroids? If there are, those couple people aren't enough to hold back the rest of the world.
It might not be holding the world back, but good luck finding a market in 2010 for bulky, non-professional quality instant film.
Yea, like when photography totally killed painting....
Speaking of going into the digital age, how old is the technology driving that ship in your avatar?
Great Scott! this is the best news I've ever heard on Engadget. Don't get me wrong, I love the FUJI instant film, but nothing compares to 667/9.
if IMPOSSIBLE can bring Polaroid film back, they might be the only ones who can bring back Firefly! ...one can always hope... the Browncoats will rise again! i hope
its IMPOSSIBLE!
Nice panorama! I've seen such artistic compositions long ago...
About reviving the Polaroid film... If they find a significant fan base (like Lomo did), then it might work for a while... but only after economy is up again. IMHO.
(If this post is duplicate, please disregard. Engadget still needs to fix their comments system)
engadgets comment system is fine
I see what you did there!
@Oli D
No. it's not. If somebody else posts at the same time as you do, your comment sometimes does not go through and no error message comes up.
Also, sometimes your post appears after a while, no matter how hard you do a browser refresh.
It happened with my post here, so I had to post it again.
What I really miss is the old rankings system. Now you almost never see Highest or Lowest any more. :-(
@Oli
Then why do I need to log in for _every_ post, even though I click Remember Me?
Why??? Aren't there those dinky zinc-based printers out there and a zinc printer/camera combo already??
you feel too much and think too little, buddy.
I know some people who still buy Polariod
Shake it,
Shake it, shake, shake it,
Shake it, shake, shake it,
Shake it,
Shake it, shake, shake it,
Shake it like a Polaroid picture
But...........why?
Why not? It has a cult status...there many "obsolete" items to be found in "it stores" everywhere...This was bound to happen...
Besides, vinyl never died, did it?
lol, i bet that the same thing will happen as when video game publishers try to revive dead franchises
This really has nothing to do with the average consumer. This is really about pro photographers, they're the ones who will be happy to have it back. And yes, most everyone is digital but there are still some unique applications for polaroid film. And if the company can simplify the process for making it, there by reducing the costs some on the retail end, they'll do just fine. One of the things I love about reading comments here are the people who get worked up over something that will have absolutely no effect on them, as if this company is pulling money out of their pocket for this.
Many artists use Polaroid for various projects.
@ E - Well said.
@Big - Like me.
I raise money for horse rescue work using Polaroid films. I have one of the tallest horses in the world and what child at a county fair can resist the opportunity to have their picture taken next to the giant horse. For this I use a Polaroid camera and watch the smiling children wander off waving their picture hoping to make it appear faster.
Switching to a Digital Printing system would take the fun out of it all.
No to mention the shadier side. Law enforcement will use it appropriately when they need an on the spot pic of a perp; I got a polaroid of me when I stole food from 7-11 when I was younger.
There are practical uses for these things other than the basic picture taking.
And lets not forget the cult followings and how it's "in" with some crowds. I'm 21 and used to be in the indie scene. People would jump all over polaroids when they were nearby.
I can't believe that I missed the fact that polaroid filed for chapter 11! I love my polaroid and can still find film at a few places. Whenever I see it I stock up on it. Polaroids will always be more fun than digital.
God bless you IMPOSSIBLE!
OMFG!!! twas only this morning i was wandering if they still made and where i could buy a polaroid cam and paper
its like an omen
I'm glad someone is finally getting around to doing this. When Polaroid closed their film plants, they said they would make the process and information available to anyone who wanted to manufacture it in their stead, which I appreciated as a gesture. Instant film may be mostly a hobby or a niche product, but that doesn't mean there isn't a demand. As far as holding advances back it's obviously not true (although my state was the last to switch over to digitally printed drivers licenses, and they only did so because Polaroid stopped making the film).
it is sad how people still love polariods
Some of us have had nostalgically good times with Polaroids.
this is sad
One could say the same of you, trying to take the fun out of people's lives.
Nice move, impossible :)
If they can make polaroid instant film that doesn't cost $1+ per shot, I'd be interested for a quirky family member who loves polaroids...
Ummm, you might want to get your camera history correct. "Instamatic" was a Kodak name, not Polaroid.
can't wait for this. i'm a huge fan of the original cams and would love to see the nextgen version of that.
I actually had an idea of how to make Polaroid worth it.
See, some people are going about this all the wrong way. They're making cameras that have printers attached. Photo printers with photo paper are well and good, but the quality is not even close to actual photo. Also, they take a long time to print unless you have a really fancy printer. Most people who do print photos just use an inkjet and normal paper. Blech.
What you could do is make a Polaroid printer. You send it a digital photo, and it spits out a Polaroid photograph of that image. The quality would be really high, it would be really fast. The price just has to be cheap in order to make it work. Also, it would be nice if they could take the base polaroid technology, but increase the physical size and quality of the prints. The option to print out stickers is good too. Japan will love it.
The appeal of polaroid and lomo is that the quality ISN'T high.
http://flickr.com/groups/lo-fi/
The problem with digital is that it's sometimes too perfect.
I am 19 and have a Canon DSLR, I listen to vinyl records and I'd take polaroid photography if I found a place to buy the film.. It's not sad, its retro now and I think those of you who think it is sad would be surprised how many people would still buy polaroid for the fun of it.
well aren't you special
you little scene thing you
I do believe that Polaroid cutting losses has to do with the man who bought the company a while back. Tom Petters was arrested in Minneapolis for running one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in American History for billions of dollars. Might have something to do with that. Maybe.
For Polaroid enthusiasts out there, important to note they will NOT be making the pack film, pull-apart cool kind of Polaroid. They WILL be making the shake it like a Polaroid picture film.
And yes I know you really shouldn't shake it.
This is GREAT news! I can reopen my aura picture booth at the farmer's market and get $50 a pop from the medicated-mini-van moms. I snap their pic, and talk sweet BS to them while secretly massaging the Polaroid as it develops. Voilà! instant "aura" around their dopey faces -- LOL.
Are they just making film for instant cameras? Are they going to continue to make 4x5 instant film? Either way, do want both.
Polaroid remains a cool niche product. Like Lens Baby or Diana cameras, some applications are not about image "quality" or convenience. What if you want to be sure you have the one and only image, NOT and image that that can be easily duplicated and circulated? Polaroid does that. Just one example.
Inconceivable!
Next up for IMPOSSIBLE.... remarket and mass produce working replicas of the original NES consoles. Now includes dust and poor contacts so one is not to miss out on the timeless act of blowing the cartridges.
It's really hard to stay in business selling a product nobody but a *very* small group of enthusiasts cares about. Unless they have only a single employee working another job I see cash flow being a deal breaker. Or maybe move onto VHS or 8-track resurrection as well, maybe horse-drawn buggy?
Look at all the neutral feedback!