Polaroid makes full-blown return
The Polaroid PIC-100 – easy to handle?
Legendary instant camera maker Polaroid is set for a dramatic return to the shelves with an all-new variation on its traditional shoot-and-print concept encased in a retro-modern body having popped up at CES in Las Vegas this week.
The PIC-1000 is classed as a film camera, as it is set to work with Polaroid’s re-engineered Polaroid 1000 instant film, which is being revived for the 21st century by a former designer single-handedly trying to turn Polaroid’s fortunes around in a venture called The Impossible Project.
And true to form, the PIC-1000 looks every bit like a design classic given a fresh new look, encased in metallic plastic and wood-effect, complete with newly rounded lines to compete against its chiselled metallic photo-snapping counterparts.
According to Polaroid, it will shoot as close to 0.6m, and will come packing a self-timer, flash and red-eye reduction. But otherwise it keeps faith with the traditional Polaroid look and feel – a more faithful interpretation of the concept than the recent Polaroid Two, an instant cam produced under licence by third party Summit Global.
For now – sadly – the PIC-1000 is still being worked on, but its very existence is a remarkable turnaround for a brand that just months ago was on the brink of taking its last snap.
User comments (3)
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andrew williams08 January 2010
Polaroid instant prints is a good idea as such but as always been over priced. People use Digital Cameras and Mobile Phones with Digital Cameras built in now and go to the high street camera shops and get them printed out for around 40p for a 6"x4" print Polaroid Film cannot offer this unless they charge less for the films. Also the cameras have become more basic overtime (best ever in my opinion was the X70. check the link out below. http://thecatsass.blogspot.com/2009/12/polaroid-x-70-promotional.html
Report as inappropriateIgor02 December 2010
It's true that Polaroid instant film is, now as always, relatively expensive and that price-wise, it can't compete with digital (neither can ordinary 35mm roll film, for that matter), but AFAIK, it's not being positioned as a direct replacement for digital. It's a different technology with its own unique applications; it fills a niche. Instant cameras are simple, self-contained, and, well, _instant_ -- there's no need to take your film or files to a lab for printing, to buy a seperate printer, or to mess around with a computer. Digital isn't instant, unless you're content to only view your photos on a monitor. Since it's difficult to forge or "photoshop" Polaroids, they're useful for legal situations in which the authenticity of a photo might be put in question. There are also some interesting things that can be done with Polaroids in fine arts applications that can't be done with other formats; one that I've read about involves removing the top layer and pressing the emulsion underneath down on a piece of paper. It seems to me Polaroid's real competition isn't digital, but rather, Fujifilm's line of instant films and cameras.
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