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Polaroid’s OneStep+ instant camera makes remote selfies possible
Following the launch of its OneStep 2 instant camera last year, Polaroid Originals is back at it again with another retro shooter -- though this time it's a smart one. Like the OneStep 2, the new One Step+ also uses the company's recently developed i-Type film, but what makes it different is that it can be paired with a smartphone (or tablet) via Bluetooth. That means you can use Polaroid Original's app to take pictures remotely, as well as get access to a set of different modes, including double exposure and a light-painting feature that'll add a bit of color to your prints. There's a manual setting in the app, too, which will let you adjust things such as shutter time, aperture and exposure on the fly.
Polaroid's new $100 camera brings instant film back in style
The Impossible Project has spent the past decade trying to revive Polaroid photography, first by bringing back instant film for vintage cameras and eventually launching a new device, the I-1, last year. This week, the company goes full circle, renaming itself Polaroid Originals and releasing its second instant film camera under the familiar moniker OneStep 2.
An instant camera with a modern take on retro photography
At a time when digital memories are a swipe away, instant film photography can feel tedious. But Impossible Project's I-1 camera makes the old school format feel new again. For its first instant camera, the German company that has been producing instant film for the past eight years repackaged the nostalgia of physical photographs in a contemporary box. The matte black exterior lends modernity to the camera that evokes memories of a Polaroid camera.
Amazon's holiday hits included instant film and turntables
You'd think that an internet retail behemoth like Amazon would primarily sell a lot of cutting-edge tech during the holidays, but nope -- that wasn't the case this year. The company has posted its annual holiday bestsellers, and it turns out that some of the hottest purchases were decidedly retro. The best-selling camera tech this year, for example, was Fujifilm's Instax instant film. A digital camera, the GoPro Hero4, was only a runner-up. Likewise, the top home audio gear was a Jensen turntable, eclipsing a Yamaha receiver and Sonos' Play:1 two-speaker kit.
Fujifilm Instax mini 90 keeps instant film alive with retro look, new photo modes
Fujifilm is the torch bearer for retro camera design, but you wouldn't know it from looking at the boring, blob-like bodies of its recent instant film cameras. The company is aiming for more consistency with its new Instax mini 90: the shooter matches its older photo format with the vintage (and far more stylish) look we've seen in Fujfilm's X-series cameras. Not that the mini 90 is abandoning modern luxuries in the process, mind you. The new Instax more intelligently adjusts to shooting conditions, captures double exposures and brightens backgrounds in a party mode. Fujifilm ships the Instax mini 90 to analog photographers in Japan on September 20th, and should bring the camera to the US sometime next spring.
Impossible Instant Lab mobile photo booth ships August 29th for $299
There's a certain irony to the Impossible Instant Lab taking a long time to develop, but we won't mind (much) now that it has a solid release date. The instant photo kit ships to stores on August 29th, when it will cost the same $299 that The Impossible Project promised during its crowdfunding campaign. Compatibility hasn't changed much since then -- you'll need to use at least an iPhone 4 or fourth-generation iPod touch, and there's no immediate support for devices using Android or other platforms. If that's no barrier, however, you can bring your digital photos to the analog world in a matter of weeks.
Insert Coin: Impossible Instant Lab makes iPhone photos tangible
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. Going back to a physical medium isn't just for vinyl lovers. The Impossible Project (TIP) wants to make our iPhone photos equally concrete through its extra-simple Impossible Instant Lab. Don't worry about setting up AirPrint or otherwise jumping through software hoops: the Lab captures the screen and prints it to Polaroid-compatible instant film as a keepsake. The design is even collapsible and battery-powered in the event you'd like to hand out hard copies on the spot. It's no hobbyist effort, either, with a Leica designer and a former Polaroid factory both involved in making the Lab a reality. TIP is planning to move beyond its initial iPhone 4 and 4S support to include future iPhones and, if all goes well, more commonplace Android hardware. Investing in this Kickstarter project sidesteps novelties like t-shirts in favor of the real product -- and provides a very strong incentive to buy early. Backers quick on the trigger can pay as little as $149 for a Lab with a voucher for free film, or about half the $299 retail price. Pay the full cost and you'll get a special black version with an extra voucher, while $2,000 will provide both a gold edition and a trip to the ex-Polaroid factory in Enschede, The Netherlands. Cameras could be in retro photographers' hands as soon as February, but only if TIP reaches its $250,000 funding goal by October 8th. If your parents would like a little more than a Facebook photo gallery as a souvenir, or Instagram just isn't nostalgic enough, you can hit the source link to show support and make the Instant Lab real.
Impossible Project's color Polaroid film finally going on sale, shipping August 2nd
Remember back in March when the Impossible Project rolled out its Sepia Polaroid PX100 film for the SX-70 and PX-600 cameras? Well, we heard then that color film was in the pipeline and that it would hit this summer. Well, here we are, and you can definitely order the film as of quite recently, and it looks like its got a ship date of August 2nd. Now, you probably won't be surprised to hear that the film isn't cheap -- $44 for a Starter Pack of 3 packs of 8 shots each -- but if you're into the instant photo game, you'll want to scoop it up, because we have a feeling the film might be a hot item in the coming days.
Impossible Project's Polaroid film goes on sale this week
The famed Polaroid name many now be in the hands of various licensees and, er, Lady Gaga, but the folks at the Impossible Project are at least keeping the Polaroid dream alive, and they've now announced that their new Polaroid film will go on sale in the UK this week. Only black-and-white film will be available initially, including the PX100 film for the SX-70 camera, and PX600 for the One series of instant cameras (including Polaroid's own new OneStep camera), both of which will run £16 (or $24) for an eight-pack -- yeah, the impossible doesn't come cheap. Look for color film to be available sometime this summer.
Polaroid announces new OneStep film and instant digital cameras, some branded LCD TVs
Knowing the drive and tenacity of Lady Gaga, we expect that any day now we'll she'll be the president of PLR IP Holdings within the week. Until that fateful day when Polaroid becomes the Haus of Gaga, it looks like the company will be keeping busy by continuing to slap its name on consumer electronics. Probably the coolest of the lot is the PIC 1000, the future-retro Polaroid OneStep film camera developed in part at the urging of The Impossible Project. Just like its namesake, this guy uses Polaroid Color 600 Instant Film. This bad boy will be available at national retailers in 2010. If digital instant shooters are more your speed, The company's newest Zink-enabled camera, the obviously named Instant Digital Camera, boasts 12 megapixels and 3 x 4-inch prints. And rounding things out, the company has a slapped its name to a handful of LCD TVs from 42 to 65 inches in size. You're psyched, right? Hit the PR after the break for all the shocking details.
Polaroid's One Step film camera relaunching in 2010, nostalgists unite to celebrate
Call us crazy, but we never had much faith in the power of The Impossible Project to bring back the legendary Polaroid instant-print film camera. Despite our doubts (and those of the world), that very group has evidently caused quite a stir in the offices of Summit Global, which has today announced that the film-based One Step Camera is on track for a mid-2010 release. The Impossible Project will be in charge of producing a limited number of Polaroid-branded color and B&W Instant Films along the way, and just in case film isn't really your bag, Summit is planning to issue a Polaroid TWO -- described as the "digital version of the traditional camera that produces instant digital photos" -- sometime next year. It's all about bringing sexy back, y'all.Read - Summit Global's releaseRead - The Impossible Project's release
Last Polaroid cameras and film to be sold at Urban Outfitters tomorrow
We've had a hole in our hearts ever since the original Polaroid company stopped manufacturing instant film, filed for Chapter 11, and sold off its brand name, but it looks like those crazy kids at The Impossible Project are making some small moves to turn things around after picking up the pieces last year: they'll be selling the remaining stock of cameras and film at Urban Outfitters starting tomorrow. Sadly, that's not much, as there are only 700 hand-numbered kits containing a deadstock Polaroid ONE600 Classic camera and a pack of Type 779 film available, but at least there's more film to go around if you already have a camera -- additional 779 packs will also be on sale until stock runs out. We're not sure if this plan will raise enough cash to start the factory up again -- or if anyone else even cares about Polaroid anymore -- but you know where we'll be standing in line tomorrow morning. [Via OhGizmo!]
