Saturday, February 13, 2010

For the love of Polaroid.

In February 2008, Polaroid announced that the company has decided to gradually cease production and withdraw from instant film products completely in early 2009.

This shocking piece of news saw many instant film lovers frustrated, despaired and many desperately tried to get hold the very last few pieces of that iconic square format Polaroid films.

A group of Polaroid fanatics even set up a website called SavePolaroid.com in hopes to preserve this particular instant film that made Polaroid a household name.

However, the decisions were already made and eventually it became impossible to find the Polaroid 600 films in our local photo-shops anymore. Prices of these sparse films jacked up to as ridiculous as S$50 per box!



Like many others, I move on to Fujifilm Instax Mini to feed the addiction of Polaroids.





I like to call them mini Polaroids, but then again, these can never replace the good ol' square ones. It's hip to be square!

Some people laughed at me when I start snapping with Instax Mini. They often go, "Wah, now still got people use this kind of camera ah?"

I think the biggest misconception is that digital photography is the replacement for these instant stuff. When I'm using instant cameras, the intention is definitely not to replace the high quality product of digital - and people should never see it as so. It is just something special at times when I want something different.





Anyhoo, just as I indulged in all these Instax Mini madness, Polaroid announced in January that they hired Lady Gaga as creative director for a specialty line of Polaroid Imaging products!



It was then that we all knew something is cooking up in Polaroid!

And what do you know?! Alongside with The Impossible Project, Polaroid has announced it is going back to it’s roots, the instant camera!!!

"Supported by a strategic relationship with Summit Global Group, a longtime Polaroid partner, and The Impossible Project, the manufacturer of classic film for Polaroid film cameras, Polaroid will offer a completely redesigned, modern version of the Polaroid OneStep camera, the PIC 1000. The PIC 1000 will be available in a range of fun colors and use classic Polaroid Color 600 Instant Film to produce the brand’s classic white border instant pictures. The Polaroid Color 600 Instant Film will work with both classic and new Polaroid cameras and will be offered in packs of 10 pictures. The new classic PIC 1000 camera and instant color film will be available at national retailers in 2010. -Polaroid Press Release"

The cameras should go on sale this year. They will have flash, red-eye reduction and even a self timer, and come in wood-effect or blobby silver. Price TBA.

I can't wait to get my hands on it! Better yet if they could release special Lady Gaga edition of PIC1000!

AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!!!

Polaroid news via wired.com