Polaroid Quits

[Ken Ford]

I *really* hope someone picks up 55PN...

 

[Nokton48]

55PN is the only thing I've used from them in twenty years I'll miss. I have Instant backs for my Hasselblads, Kievs88's, Sinar/Plaubel LF & Makiflexes. Although I love shooting 8x10 Polaroid, that is something special.

Their color film made many a bride look like a Heroin Addict. Fuji-'roid has always been my choice for Instant Photography projects. Looks like the film output.

 

[projectbluebird]

There really isn't anything like a polaroid. Good, Bad or Ugly. I took one of my favorite photos using type 55 in my Land camera. And the empty packs made great picture frames.

I'll be sad when I finish the last pack.

 

[AJShepherd]

A polaroid was the first camera I ever had that was specifically 'My Camera' as opposed to a hand-down.
I suspect that as far as the general public are concerned, if you tell them 'Polaroid are stopping making film' the reaction would be 'Who?" or "I didn't know they were still going".

 

[IGMeanwell]

I love Polaroids ... before I was into photography (whether making money or even as an enthusiast), my college camera was a Polaroid One-Step which I used when I could afford the film during parties, celebrations and it was just a favorite of mine.

Actually Polaroids were the very first camera I ever used growing up

and now I still have that One-Step, though I use it less than I use my Model 250 I rescued off the bay

but I have to admit, I use Fujifilm pack film (see avatar which is Fuji 100c) more than I use the Polaroid 667, its cheaper and doesn't curl as bad as the polaroids.

It still saddens me to see the plants close, I feel I would use my Polaroid One-Step more if it weren't the equivalent of a dollar a shot.

 

[sepiareverb]

Well I'm happy to see that nobody has come out and attacked us for feeling 'sad' about the demise of a product. I was expecting this to turn into a tiresome discussion about how sad it is to be sad about a company not making something anymore.

 

[aad]

I think the popularity of prints is returning, as the novelty of viewing on phones and cameras wears off.

 

[JoeV]

Zink - Based Instant Printing

Zink - Based Instant Printing

While I lament the demise of Polaroid film - I have a mint SX-70 kit, including brown leather carry case and accessories - the new Zink-based thermal color printing technology that Polaroid is adapting promises to be a 'disruptive technology' for the digital printing crowd.

Thus far Polaroid's product is limited to a small, handheld device that provides prints from digital cameras, but the technology is scalable is size, and I can also imagine the multi-layer amorphochromic crystal emulsion could be adapted to an advanced monochrome print technology with a tonal range equal to or exceeding silver gelatin for the B/W fine art crowd.

~Joe

 

[andreas]

feeling sad

feeling sad

 

[mjflory]

Andreas, that is a beautiful image. I will miss the P/N film. I seem to have a talent for discovering media just as they are about to vanish. Years ago I discovered Type 665, but it is gone. Just a week ago I at last tried Type 55 and was very happy with it. On the left below is a slightly cropped, slightly dusty image, from a 2400DPI scan of my first Type 55 negative. To the right is a small portion of it at 100%, which on my monitor shows how it would look if it were a little over two meters square. Bear in mind that my focus was not perfect, as I was just trying to see if I could manage the process. Clearly it's quite a film.

 

[andreas]

Dear mjflory,

thank you very much! Quite a film it is!

I too seem to have that talent you mentioned:
Shortly after i bought the polaroid auto-processor for their 35mm films, they discontinued it. A few years ago, i invested in a new NPC195 camera for type 665 P/N packfilm (along with various ancient folders). What a great rangefinder camera, but now a somewhat pricey way to shoot only Fuji positive films.
Come to think about it, my whole apprenticeship as a professional darkroom worker won`t be much in demand in the years to come (except for my own needs, of course).
As there are only 10 packs of slightly outdated 665 left in my fridge, i desperately hope some other company will pick up this unique technology soon.
Oh well.

 

[shadowfox]

I disagree. The problem as I see is that before Jobs returned, they were trying to market uninteresting products. Apple turned around when a visionary took it over and made a string of great products, rather than the same boring overpriced MACs.

The iMac and the iPod are what turned Apple around. Now the new marketing does help, but one needs a decent product to market first.

You can bet that had the iMac been a flop, Apple would be history today, just like Commodore, Atari and many others.

Al, with respect, I don't quite get what you're disagreeing with me about.

You agreed that Steve Jobs brought Apple back to life. That's the key!
And why do iMac and iPod (and iPhone, I might add) succeed? because it's marketed shrewdly, consistently, and fanatically. Basically Apple shifted the market to their side.

Anyways, we are not talking about Apple here, it's just an example, of how Polaroid could have brought back a product that has so much enthusiastic user-base and unique qualities, if only they are willing to *create* a market for themselves, rather than become yet another "me too" obscured among the crowded competition (read: digital).

 

[Al Kaplan]

You need to know your target audience! My VW bus had curtains over the windows, a remnant of inexpensive shag carpeting covering the floor, a platform with a single bed matress in back, and the outside was painted with flowers. The girls loved it and I'll take fast women over fast cars any day.

 

[robert blu]

Beside film polaroid had a very interesting magazine "P" for people interested in creative photography. In Italy they stop to print it a couple of years ago, I guess due to cost reasons. This was a sign of marketing for their artistic target, but they did not push sales to the non artistic photographers. A few years ago (6-8 ?) they put on the market a camera making istant small pictures, like a stamp, which could have been a good idea directed to the teens. But they did not make any advertising for it and for this reason sales it has been a flop .
rob

 

[shadowfox]

Beside film polaroid had a very interesting magazine "P" for people interested in creative photography. In Italy they stop to print it a couple of years ago, I guess due to cost reasons. This was a sign of marketing for their artistic target, but they did not push sales to the non artistic photographers. A few years ago (6-8 ?) they put on the market a camera making istant small pictures, like a stamp, which could have been a good idea directed to the teens. But they did not make any advertising for it and for this reason sales it has been a flop .
rob

That's it Robert, that proved the point that I am trying to make. So many lost opportunities.
Oh well, I guess Polaroid is not the first company who succumbed to short-sightedness of its leaders.

 

[planetjoe]

Just wanted to add my voice to this thread.

As a strictly hobby-based (read: personal enjoyment) photographer, I recently started to really "get into" Polaroid work, and had even planned a yearlong project using Polaroids. Somehow, I thought, it figures that this would happen at this point, right?

I fell in love with the "artifactual" nature of the Polaroid print, its singular representation of the photographic moment. As such, I believe that a Polaroid isn't simply an image of a moment in time; rather, it is part of the moment itself, tangible and tactile.

But on a less personal note, this is disappointing not in the least because this unique photographic technology has fitted itself into so many photographers' lives, but that it seemed that the price points (for used equipment, natch) were just about right. And I really, really love my "new" SX-70.

Interestingly enough, some of the discussions over at Flickr are quite animated about how, in some folks' opinions, digital technology - the "culture of motion", as some have suggested - was actually helping Polaroid users share their work. Ironic, but inevitable; after all, how the $#@! else are others going to see what you shot? Just browse the Polaroid groups over there to see some incredible work, by the way. Quite amazing what a good eye can produce with 600 film.

I'm too tired of seeing this kind of thing happen to great products to blame anyone just now, I guess. Oh, well.


Cheers,
--joe.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Sad news indeed...

Just bought a Polariod 545 back and I've placed a bid on a Polaroid 405 back a few days ago 🙁

Looks like Fuji film will now be the way to go...or just use sheetfilm