Polaroid returns to instant photography with the 300, thinks you'll pay a premium for it
By Tim Stevens 
posted April 29th 2010 8:09AM
posted April 29th 2010 8:09AM
Update: As Peacock has pointed out in comments, this isn't even an original product. It's a rebranded Fujifilm Instax Mini 7 -- which costs a slightly less egregious $67 at various online retailers.
Welcome to the Polaroid Movement: Instant Photography is Back
The future of this iconic brand is brighter than ever
NEW YORK, April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Fans of the Polaroid brand worldwide were devastated about the death of instant film. Now those fans can rejoice again: Polaroid instant photography is back. A worldwide group of creative voices has joined together because of their love of instant film photography and sharing. The "Polaroid Movement" unites creative minds, leading instant and digital imaging technologies and iconic photographers. For those who love the Polaroid brand and the sheer thrill of instant photography, the future is bright.
Today we announce the launch of the Polaroid 300 camera to mark the return of instant film photography. It is the first of many new products that help fans create, capture, print, store, share and enjoy images. Featuring classic Polaroid instant film, automatic flash and four scene settings, the new Polaroid 300 Instant Camera delivers a new twist on the classic instant photo. The camera is available with a suggested retail price of $89.99. Ten-packs of Polaroid 300 instant film retail for $9.99. The Polaroid 300 is a tribute to the iconic Polaroid brand.
"We are thrilled that today marks the return of instant. It's bigger – and better – than ever. The Polaroid Movement is one that we heartfully embrace and intend to build upon by reaching the creative community and global Polaroid fans alike," said Giovanni Tomaselli, Managing Director of the Summit Global Group, the exclusive worldwide licensee for Polaroid branded imaging products.
Lady Gaga's recent appointment as the Creative Director for the Polaroid brand is one step in developing new and exciting Polaroid branded products. Lady Gaga recently presided over a series of product design and development sessions in Tokyo for co-branded Polaroid products. At these sessions, Lady Gaga unveiled her creative vision, style and passion for Polaroid products.
In addition, the Polaroid brand has partnered with global leaders in imaging technologies to reach and support its fans, both new and old. Summit Global Group announces a strategic partnership with Fujifilm on new technologies, products and distribution. This partnership brings together the heritage of the Polaroid brand with the world class capabilities of Fujifilm.
Summit Global Group has also partnered with ZINK Imaging with regards to its exciting ZINK® Zero Ink® Printing Technology, and with plans to market a full range of instant digital products utilizing ZINK technology. The launch of the Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Mobile Printer and Instant Digital Camera both use this groundbreaking ink-free printing technology to print photos instantly and without ink. New ZINK-enabled products will be unveiled in late 2010. These products will showcase the fun of instant and the power of digital that personifies what the Polaroid brand is all about.
In continued support of the photography industry, Summit Global Group has partnered with Aperture Foundation: a non-profit arts institution, publisher and overall leader in the photography field. The partnership includes the launch of a supplement to Aperture's summer issue, comprised of the work of Chuck Close, Mary Ellen Mark and Joel Meyerowitz, as well as from instant photographer Maurizio Galimberti. The insert will be available exclusively at the Tribeca Film Festival (of which Polaroid is a proud sponsor) and to Aperture subscribers. The Polaroid brand is proud to support Aperture's young patrons' group SNAP!, which supports their Emerging Artists' Fund and the Aperture Portfolio Prize in embracing new trends in contemporary photography.
"Apart from its approachable nature to amateur photographers, the Polaroid brand is a central part of many renowned artists' work, including Ansel Adams, Andy Warhol and Maurizio Galimberti," said Juan Garcia de Oteyza, Executive Director of Aperture Foundation. "Aperture is thrilled to see Polaroid bring back its signature instant photography and we look forward to seeing what a new generation will create with Polaroid products."
"My enthusiasm for the return of instant is beyond description. Polaroid photography has been a significant factor in my career – and I am thrilled that it will continue in my future," said photographer and Polaroid fan Joel Meyerowitz.
"Reconnecting consumers to the soul of the Polaroid brand through instant photography will stimulate growth opportunities and satisfy our global fans." stated Scott W. Hardy, President of PLR IP Holdings, LLC.
About Polaroid
Across several generations, people regard Polaroid as one of the most trusted, well-respected and recognizable brands when it comes to instant photography. The Polaroid story began more than seventy years ago with polarized sunglasses, evolved into instant film, cameras, and camera accessories, as well as other consumer electronics categories. People can expect to see new Polaroid branded products that will deliver the fun, instant gratification and value for which the brand has long stood. Polaroid and Polaroid Pogo are trademarks of PLR IP Holdings, LLC. For more information, visit www.polaroid.com.
About the Polaroid 300 Instant Camera
Featuring classic Polaroid instant film, automatic flash and four scene settings, the new Polaroid 300 Instant Camera delivers a new twist on the classic instant photo. The camera is available beginning April 2010 at Bloomingdales, J&R and Polaroid.com with a suggested retail price of $89.99. Ten-packs of Polaroid 300 instant film retail for $9.99 at Bloomingdales, J&R and Polaroid.com.
About the Summit Global Group
The Summit Global Group is a worldwide consortium of leading design, development, and distribution firms for imaging products. Headquartered in Salt Lake City and with offices in New Jersey, Boston, United Kingdom, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, Summit Global manages the production- and distribution needs of a worldwide clientele (www.thesummitglobalgroup.com). Summit Global Japan KK is based in Tokyo Japan with a mandate to deliver best-in-class service to the Japanese marketplace (www.thesummitglobalgroup.jp).
About Aperture Foundation
Aperture - located in New York's Chelsea art district - is a world-renowned non-profit publisher and exhibition space dedicated to promoting photography in all its forms. Aperture was founded in 1952 by photographers Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, Barbara Morgan, and Minor White; historian Beaumont Newhall; and writer/curator Nancy Newhall, among others. These visionaries created a new quarterly periodical, Aperture magazine, to foster both the development and the appreciation of the photographic medium and its practitioners. In the 1960s, Aperture expanded to include the publication of books (over five hundred to date) that comprise one of the most comprehensive and innovative libraries in the history of photography and art. Aperture's programs now include artist lectures and panel discussions, limited-edition photographs, and traveling exhibitions that show at major museums and arts institutions in the U.S. and internationally.
The future of this iconic brand is brighter than ever
NEW YORK, April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Fans of the Polaroid brand worldwide were devastated about the death of instant film. Now those fans can rejoice again: Polaroid instant photography is back. A worldwide group of creative voices has joined together because of their love of instant film photography and sharing. The "Polaroid Movement" unites creative minds, leading instant and digital imaging technologies and iconic photographers. For those who love the Polaroid brand and the sheer thrill of instant photography, the future is bright.
Today we announce the launch of the Polaroid 300 camera to mark the return of instant film photography. It is the first of many new products that help fans create, capture, print, store, share and enjoy images. Featuring classic Polaroid instant film, automatic flash and four scene settings, the new Polaroid 300 Instant Camera delivers a new twist on the classic instant photo. The camera is available with a suggested retail price of $89.99. Ten-packs of Polaroid 300 instant film retail for $9.99. The Polaroid 300 is a tribute to the iconic Polaroid brand.
"We are thrilled that today marks the return of instant. It's bigger – and better – than ever. The Polaroid Movement is one that we heartfully embrace and intend to build upon by reaching the creative community and global Polaroid fans alike," said Giovanni Tomaselli, Managing Director of the Summit Global Group, the exclusive worldwide licensee for Polaroid branded imaging products.
Lady Gaga's recent appointment as the Creative Director for the Polaroid brand is one step in developing new and exciting Polaroid branded products. Lady Gaga recently presided over a series of product design and development sessions in Tokyo for co-branded Polaroid products. At these sessions, Lady Gaga unveiled her creative vision, style and passion for Polaroid products.
In addition, the Polaroid brand has partnered with global leaders in imaging technologies to reach and support its fans, both new and old. Summit Global Group announces a strategic partnership with Fujifilm on new technologies, products and distribution. This partnership brings together the heritage of the Polaroid brand with the world class capabilities of Fujifilm.
Summit Global Group has also partnered with ZINK Imaging with regards to its exciting ZINK® Zero Ink® Printing Technology, and with plans to market a full range of instant digital products utilizing ZINK technology. The launch of the Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Mobile Printer and Instant Digital Camera both use this groundbreaking ink-free printing technology to print photos instantly and without ink. New ZINK-enabled products will be unveiled in late 2010. These products will showcase the fun of instant and the power of digital that personifies what the Polaroid brand is all about.
In continued support of the photography industry, Summit Global Group has partnered with Aperture Foundation: a non-profit arts institution, publisher and overall leader in the photography field. The partnership includes the launch of a supplement to Aperture's summer issue, comprised of the work of Chuck Close, Mary Ellen Mark and Joel Meyerowitz, as well as from instant photographer Maurizio Galimberti. The insert will be available exclusively at the Tribeca Film Festival (of which Polaroid is a proud sponsor) and to Aperture subscribers. The Polaroid brand is proud to support Aperture's young patrons' group SNAP!, which supports their Emerging Artists' Fund and the Aperture Portfolio Prize in embracing new trends in contemporary photography.
"Apart from its approachable nature to amateur photographers, the Polaroid brand is a central part of many renowned artists' work, including Ansel Adams, Andy Warhol and Maurizio Galimberti," said Juan Garcia de Oteyza, Executive Director of Aperture Foundation. "Aperture is thrilled to see Polaroid bring back its signature instant photography and we look forward to seeing what a new generation will create with Polaroid products."
"My enthusiasm for the return of instant is beyond description. Polaroid photography has been a significant factor in my career – and I am thrilled that it will continue in my future," said photographer and Polaroid fan Joel Meyerowitz.
"Reconnecting consumers to the soul of the Polaroid brand through instant photography will stimulate growth opportunities and satisfy our global fans." stated Scott W. Hardy, President of PLR IP Holdings, LLC.
About Polaroid
Across several generations, people regard Polaroid as one of the most trusted, well-respected and recognizable brands when it comes to instant photography. The Polaroid story began more than seventy years ago with polarized sunglasses, evolved into instant film, cameras, and camera accessories, as well as other consumer electronics categories. People can expect to see new Polaroid branded products that will deliver the fun, instant gratification and value for which the brand has long stood. Polaroid and Polaroid Pogo are trademarks of PLR IP Holdings, LLC. For more information, visit www.polaroid.com.
About the Polaroid 300 Instant Camera
Featuring classic Polaroid instant film, automatic flash and four scene settings, the new Polaroid 300 Instant Camera delivers a new twist on the classic instant photo. The camera is available beginning April 2010 at Bloomingdales, J&R and Polaroid.com with a suggested retail price of $89.99. Ten-packs of Polaroid 300 instant film retail for $9.99 at Bloomingdales, J&R and Polaroid.com.
About the Summit Global Group
The Summit Global Group is a worldwide consortium of leading design, development, and distribution firms for imaging products. Headquartered in Salt Lake City and with offices in New Jersey, Boston, United Kingdom, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, Summit Global manages the production- and distribution needs of a worldwide clientele (www.thesummitglobalgroup.com). Summit Global Japan KK is based in Tokyo Japan with a mandate to deliver best-in-class service to the Japanese marketplace (www.thesummitglobalgroup.jp).
About Aperture Foundation
Aperture - located in New York's Chelsea art district - is a world-renowned non-profit publisher and exhibition space dedicated to promoting photography in all its forms. Aperture was founded in 1952 by photographers Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, Barbara Morgan, and Minor White; historian Beaumont Newhall; and writer/curator Nancy Newhall, among others. These visionaries created a new quarterly periodical, Aperture magazine, to foster both the development and the appreciation of the photographic medium and its practitioners. In the 1960s, Aperture expanded to include the publication of books (over five hundred to date) that comprise one of the most comprehensive and innovative libraries in the history of photography and art. Aperture's programs now include artist lectures and panel discussions, limited-edition photographs, and traveling exhibitions that show at major museums and arts institutions in the U.S. and internationally.
Isn't this one the "Fujifilm Instax mini 7 Instant Camera" ?
@Peacock My thoughts exactly...whats the caper?
@Peacock
Wow...and the Fujitsu is just as overpriced.
@Tes
Sorry, Fujifilm
@Peacock well i have to let you all know, its not like theres a better alternative to this.. i mean where can u get this kind of product for cheaper? does anyone know?
@Peacock Good eye, thanks. I've updated the post.
@TimStevens Thanks, It's too obvious
I prefer a remake Polaroid Joycam, rather than this copy...
@Peacock
Hey Peacock, With Your information that you have posted, I think this camera is "Instantly Dead".
I Don't Approve.
@Peacock I'm curious what the arrival of the Polaroid 300 does to the future availability of the Fujifilm Instax Mini 7 and the Fujifilm instant film for that camera. Could it be possible that there's a legal dispute between Fujifilm and Polaroid with Polaroid winning out?
How is Polaroid still in business? All they do is sell rebranded products, most of which are mediocre to begin with.
talk about going back in time .. what a lame idea. Newsflash polaroid .. we are in the digital age.
@petergraham
Nostalgia is a huge market. We still want to get out the old games consoles and you can still buy a new megadrive (all be it not made by Sega).
@mavoric meh .. its an overpriced piece of "nostalgic" rubbish .. but i get what your saying.
@petergraham Newsflash Peter. There is a market for it. Many artists prefer instant picture cameras over digital cams to test their motif before shooting it with the "real" camera. However. They wont be buying this, they'll just keep using their original polaroids and buy the still expensive but not so overpriced stockpile of good old polaroid casettes.
In short, just because you and me are in the digital age it doesnt mean digital is the be all and end all of photography for everyone.
They could've done something with the design for this price.
If this is what they are going to be offering and if they actually expect peopl to pay this much, then I really don't see a bright future for Polaroid.
Sometimes I just don't get how people making marketing desicions can oversee something as obvoius as that noone is willing to pay that much for a piece of plastic NOR that anyone actually needs it. My phone makes better point and shoot pics for that matter...
Wow. $90 for a piece of cheap chinese plastic.
They should have at least retained either the vintage land camera or bellows design, if they wanted to milk people for nostalgia.
You know, I though that these things were long gone and forgotten. Then, I needed to sell my house. In doing so, my insurance agent needed to come out and take pictures (no clue why). Anyway, he busts out a polaroid instant film camera. Shocked, I asked "WTF?" He said that they love the things because they will take the shots and put them in my file right away. Says that sizing and printing photos on paper is just too much trouble, especially in light of having their computer networks so locked down that getting a proper photo printer is next to impossible.... so, I guess I can now see at least how one person will probably want this.
@Gr8hifi Sounds like they should just buy a printer you can stick memory cards into there pretty common now.
@petebob796
There's also the PoGo products using zink (zero-ink) paper. They only print 2x3inch shots, but it's edge-to-edge, cheap, instant, and you can print right from the camera without moving the files to PC first. I got a decent camera and PoGo printer for my son last Christmas, and it works really well. The paper also has a sticky back, so you can put them anywhere. The picture quality isn't as high as using real instant film of course, but the quality vs. cost (about 30 cents a photo) is good.
Good lord. They can sell a halfway decent digital camera for that much.
@DTJ But you still have to walk to the copy/photo shop to get a decent print. Or you use your cheapass garbage printer and print it. Or you buy an expensive as hell quality printer to print it. Either way, its not necessarily cheaper if you want to hold your pictures in your hands instead of just looking at them on you screen.
but has this thing an LCD as well? For me a WIN can be a digital point&shot with the possibility to print Polaroid paper on the go
Polaroid film/paper has a certain colour/image "quality" on it..something from the past. Trust me, you won't get the same results with any cheap or expensive digital camera. Many people simulate the results on top of raw image files, but this needs further processing...
There is a market for Polaroid cameras at this price. Its a relatively small market of photographers and photography enthusiasts. I would like to shoot photos with a Polaroid camera again but i don't know for how long i will be doing this (probably not for over 50-100 photos). It seems that Polaroid have thought this, so they raised the value for more profit.
That is the most hideous piece of industrial design I have ever seen. Not one bit of it works! And whats worse the viewfinder lens and flash would probably be covered by users fingers when pressing the top button!
Or if it's the front button - more likely the users finger would press the lens when trying to find the button
Looks like a Picasso version of a penguin.
@bstear LMAO, spot on.
Polaroid this isn't hard, Make a hybrid camera, not one that prints, one that actually exposes film like this one, but also has a second lens that records a digital copy, that way you can take real polaroids and hand them out if you wanted to while retaining a copy of the picture. And what happened to the Polaroid Pic 1000? http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/01/polaroid-resurrects-instant-film-cameras/
Personally, I see value in this ugly thing. There are times I wish had something very quick and dirty. I don’t see 90-bucks as a bank-breaker either.
We still use them at the gas station I work at. We have a car wash and will use it to take pictures of damage if someone says the wash broke something on their car. I've also used them before when someone got hurt and took picture of and around were they got hurt. The do still have a use, but nothing a digital camera couldn't be used for either. Figure you get digital camera's for as cheap as this new Polaroid, so unless you already have a working Polaroid, may as well just get a digital, at least for the reasons I mentioned.
Fauxhemians everywhere, rejoice.
I'd rather have a floppy disk camera.
@Failbait Yeh Sony Mavica FTW.
i have a fujifilm instax max s7 and it's exactly the same and you can get it for £50
Good grief the world just got better. Now Polaroid just has to re-launch the SquareShooter 2 from 1973(my first camera), and I will be happy. Take picture, pull white tab, pull yellow tab, hold film pack for one minute, use 'cold clip' if air temp is under 12C, peel apart.
Also note that Impossible Project film has nothing to do with this camera: it's designed to replace the 600 type Polaroid film for use in older 680 and other model Polaroid cameras that are no longer in production. The camera featured here is a Fuji Instax (re-branded as a Polaroid camera) and uses film made by Fuji. That film has its own merits, but has almost nothing in common with "nostalgic" Polaroid film. Instax prints look like this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thirtyoneteeth/3580403486/in/set-72157619023601982/
See what happens when you let hipsters run amok...
They think I'll pay a premium for it, eh? Perhaps they should think again.
I heard that Japanese strip clubs were the single biggest users of Polaroid film for years. This news will come as a great relief . . .
They're definitely riding the Lomograph wave. Still, even hipsters will weirdly saturate a photo in Photoshop and digitally print it for this kind of dough.
If anyone is curious to see how it works, we have a hands-on review here: http://www.techlicious.com/review/polaroid-brand-instant-film-cameras-are-back/
Keep in mind: Polaroid as a technology company no longer exists. Rather, Polaroid is a brand that is licensed out by the company that bought the name when the Polaroid technology company went out of business. Unfortunately, apart from notalgia, the name means nothing anymore, and has been licensed out for a variety of third-party products, some of them of the "blah" nature.
What cost $20 a few decades ago would cost $51.40 in today's money. Still almost half the price of the Polaroid, but not too far off from the Fujifilm version :)
This should be categorized as a product of KIRF!
That is one ugly camera.
It's a Fuji Instax because Polaroid is licensing the name for them to put on it because people know Polaroid and instant film like they know kleenex and tissues, people will pay for it. It costs more because Polaroid has to make their licensing fees off the product. They are not setup in any way to make anything themselves, film or otherwise.
As for people who compare this to anything digital or wonder how or why anyone would shoot instant film...well for reasons mentioned, it's convenient for certain professions, it's also a great evidentiary tool since you can't photoshop it. As for artists and photographers...plenty of us still shoot film. Shocking as that may be to some of you, we rather take pictures that come out looking a certain way rather than take bland pictures and spend ours on a computer to make them look that way. We also aren't all old fogies or hipsters. I shoot only film because it gives me the results I want and how I want. As for the 'overpricing' of say Impossible's film or Fuji's....perhaps you're not aware, the reasons Polaroid went bankrupt in 2001 was because they were unwilling (not unable) to change their practices to the changing markets. By that I mean they kept producing large amounts of film, even though they couldn't sell it all, they perhaps thought that if they kept the film cheap, it would find buyers.
Clearly they were wrong, but instead of producing less film at a higher per-capita cost and raising prices, they simply folded. It's apparent now that there is a market there with people willing to pay higher prices to keep the product around. It's simple economics that if you produce less of something, it costs more per unit, and you have to sell it for more. Operations like Fuji can charge less than Impossible because they can make the film a loss-leader having other products be more marked up while at present Impossible only has the film as their revenue stream.