Bring back the Polaroid camera and film!!

[Gadget Guy]

I dont know about you guys, but I really miss having a Polaroid camera. Sure we live in a modern world where film is out and digital items run our world but there isn't anything out there like the old Polaroid. Snap! and you have a picture in your hand in five seconds.    They were great for travel and always great for parties and getting together with family. Sure the quality wasn't that great, but we have digital cameras for that now.    I say bring back the Polaroid camera and film but I know it will never happen.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polaroid_Corporation

[Gadget Guy]

For the younger members who have no idea what I'm talking about!   

[MultiMat]

I remember seeing a Polaroid camera at Primary school & thought they were AMASSING but that was 30 years ago 




I bet John has a Sony Walkman     

[Grant Lamontagne]

I have a Polaroid.... and none of my Walkmans ever lasted any length of time.

Polaroid is a HUGE success story.  They applied for a 50 year patent, roughly 52 years before digital photography became prevalent.  They pretty well had the market sewn up on instant pictures right up until it didn't matter anymore.  It was almost as if they could see the future!

In the intervening years between the expiry of Polaroid's patent and digital photography taking over, there were hundreds of instant cameras flooding the market as every manufacturer jumped on the 50 year old technology they could finally use without sending large amounts of money to Polaroid, then realized all their developments (no pun intended) were a waste since digital photography was here.

Oops...

Def

[thebullfrog]

Actually I've read on some photography site that Polaroid may indeed start making instant cameras again, as there's getting to be a pretty big demand for them.

There's also a small private company that's been making their own Polaroid film to fill in that niche, but it's somewhat pricey. So if you really wanna take some Polaroids you still can.

[Neil]

As a kid my grandaparent's had one but it was huge, expensive to run and awful quality.

They were still about as I grew up but seemingly had become the tool of the art students who didn't know how to use a real camera.  I came to associate polaroids with pretension, roughly at about the same time I came to associate white rum with chucking up

[WilkBury]

I still have Polaroid like this one:

It is in excellent shape and has external flash. 

[ryan1835]

my brother had a polaroid like this


he used it for the photos for his food coursework at gcse level a few years ago when film was disappearing and digital was still new/too expensive for us

[Chako]

My father owned one back in the 80s. I have it here somewhere.

Most people cared less about Polaroid cameras, however the large format folks cried at the death of their Polaroid backs and film.

[Turnstone]

I just saw a digital camera with an integrated printer in a catalogue a few weeks ago. Not sure if it was a polaroid, but the concept is the same 

[straya]

There is one in  a cupboard at my new workplace. I'm going to have to see if there is any film as well and then possibly propose an office cleanup 

edit. A quick ebay search seems to suggest there is plenty of film out there too.

[Grant Lamontagne]

This is the one I have:



Polaroid Joycam

Def

[Benner]

I have one that plays a recorded message when you take a picture.  Still have it here somewhere.

[Gadget Guy]

Actually I've read on some photography site that Polaroid may indeed start making instant cameras again, as there's getting to be a pretty big demand for them.

There's also a small private company that's been making their own Polaroid film to fill in that niche, but it's somewhat pricey. So if you really wanna take some Polaroids you still can.

That is great news, do you have a link by any chance?

[Neil]

That'll be ... http://www.the-impossible-project.com/

Even if you're not into Polaroids this site is worth a click. I found the tale behind these guys and them getting everything working again fascinating.

[MultiMat]

Polaroid photos , they do not age very well 
We have were given a couple that over the years have faded & the colors have changed 

 

[Neil]

That happens with other photographic papers as well.  Luckily quite often if you scan them the colour correction is very simple.

[Gadget Guy]

Polaroid photos , they do not age very well 
We have were given a couple that over the years have faded & the colors have changed 

 

I agree... they were great for short term pictures but if I had something important I would scan it and not trust that film. I may just have to buy one for old time sake. I could probably get a top of the line model for 5 quid!   

[Chako]

My father's Polaroid 660 from 1981. I had to dig it out after reading this thread.



Lots of great memories.

[Gadget Guy]

My father's Polaroid 660 from 1981. I had to dig it out after reading this thread.

(Image removed from quote.)

Lots of great memories.

Awesome picture, thanks for sharing.   

[thebullfrog]

That's not the link I read it in, but those are indeed the guys. Honestly I don't remotely remember where I read it, it was some random thread on a random photography forum I was data mining trying to look something up.

[Gadget Guy]

Japan - Gentlemen Take Polaroids（孤独な影）

[Gadget Guy]

WooHoo!!   

http://www.photoradar.com/news/story/polaroid-hints-at-new-instant-camera-release