Instant photo today or will Polaroid die?
Everyone remembers from childhood wonderful square photos taken on the Polaroid 600. Sometimes the name of this company jumps on the news. Is Polaroid alive? Is there an instant photo today? Welcome under cat.
A bit of history. Inventor Edwin Land made it very important for you and me. In 1929, he developed the first polarized material. But more importantly, he was able to use his discovery in people's daily lives. For example, the screen where you look now is largely due to the polarization effect. This effect has given the world a lot of useful things. Edwin Land himself had 535 patents, which is not much less than Thomas Edison. Finally, you can remember that Edwin was the idol of Steve Jobs.
In 1948, Polaroid introduced the technology of instant photography to the world. Cameras and film improved every year and reached its peak by the nineties. Approximately in these years the “Polaroids” flooded the Soviet Union, even the manufacture of devices under the license of the Americans was organized.
')
I remember these devices and surely every house has at least one square frame with a white paper frame, and even signed in the right place. And the beauty of the Polaroids was that they were easy to use. And frames appeared at once, it was not necessary to go to show a film and order successful frames.
But after the millennium a “beautiful” figure appeared. Digital cameras are getting bigger, better and cheaper. Every house had computers and photographs could no longer be printed, but stored directly on the hard disk. Film photography was dying along with an instant photo, the film maker firms went bankrupt in front of their eyes. And the development of social networks and even more so “killed” paper photos.
So in 2001, the Polaroid company began bankruptcy proceedings and eventually sold out. And then again sold. From this point on, the company made strange, unnecessary products that you don’t even want to recall here.
In the meantime, there have always been professionals who loved to film and, of course, Polaroid. They were joined by lovers of photography and similar hipsters. For such people in 2008, the Impossible Project emerged, immediately after the cessation of the production of instant films by Polaroid. They began to produce those same cartridges for "square" frames, the price, unfortunately, is still high.
At that time I was a second year student and always dreamed of finding an old Polaroid and breathing new life into it. But there was a big “BUT”, the cassettes now cost 1200-1800 rubles for one piece (in which there were only 8 frames, and that is ~ 180 rubles per frame).
For a poor student this was too much. Because dreams remained dreams and I continued to actively play the guitar. But by the 5th year, my desire to photograph had won (and the money had appeared a little) and started shooting on film, a couple of years later and on the figure, and finally a new sip of instant photo appeared in my measured life.
The fact is that the wonderful company Fujifilm already in 1990 began to produce its own cameras of instant photography with new card formats. Namely, the size of a business card, and double the size of a business card. These were cameras called Fujifilm Instax and Wide. I bought the cheapest Fujifilm Instax 7s. I will not make lyrics, although I really want to, but I’ll just say that the minimum price for a camera is 2600 rubles, and you can buy a cassette with 10 frames on well-known Chinese websites for 300-400 rubles (which will be 30-40 rubles for one frame). Of course, many will say that this is too expensive, but for me once a month to spend 300 rubles for 10 instant frames that make me in a mood does not seem to be a waste of money. But the matter did not stop there and the awl in that very place did not stop pushing me further.
One day, while reading the Internet, I came across information that Fujifilm is releasing another cassette for an instant photo, and they are called FP-100c, FP-3000b. It turned out that this is the form factor of the old Polaroid cameras, which were produced in the distant 1970s, and the name of this series is the Polaroid Land Camera. Googling and looking at these cameras, I fell in love. And he certainly wanted to get one of his own, and of course, shoot at her.
And then everything turned out to be simple. Such a camera can be bought on ebay.com, but not the fact that it will work, but there are two good online stores. In the USA and Ireland, in the second, I decided to order a camera. I signed with the seller by e-mail, he answered all the questions and I made an order. At the same time on ebay.com I ordered three cassettes for test shots. And of course, it all came without problems, everything turned out to be working. They helped a couple of videos on youtube.com - how to use these devices correctly and not miscalculate with exposure. If you're interested, I myself can shoot a video or dedicate a new article on Habré with tips, tricks and clear instructions for handling these rare cameras.
I purchased a Polaroid Land Camera 340 model, it has glass lenses (yes, there are plastic ones), a mechanical development timer, a plastic case (there are iron ones, but heavy ones). There are also different focusing systems, for my model it looks exactly the same as on the FED or old watering cans. It cost me pleasure along with delivery ~ 4,000 rubles. It is better to buy cassettes on ebay.com, prices are lower there, I take small bulk of 3-10 packages and one cassette costs 10 frames of 500 rubles. And this is 50 rubles per frame, quite lifting money, because you should not forget that this is not a figure and you will not make hundreds of frames per minute. I have 5 thousand rubles = 100 frames are enough for six months or a year, quite adequate figures, for my taste.
Frames made on this ancient Polaroid, I am pleased to the depths of the soul. They are large and easy to scan. Of course, the quality is comparable to a 5 megapixel camera, but you will never convey that color, those emotions with a number.
Now I am increasingly taking this colossus with me and photographing friends, buildings, the sea. The pleasure of the process and the result is beyond words. Sometimes this unit creates a genuine interest of others.
Answering the question asked in the title of the article, I want to express my vision. Polaroid is awesome. It is a fact. Polaroid is dead; what they are releasing now is shame and sadness. But instant photography will never die. There will always be lovers and enthusiasts who love film photography, medium format and Polaroid. Here you can sing the praises of the Fujifilm Corporation, which has revived the instant photo in the modern world, and continues to support enthusiasts like me, releasing cassettes for vintage devices. I really hope that in my age will be enough and these tapes will not cease to produce, and at least the Impossible Project will exist. Otherwise, a real good “tube” snapshot will die under the onslaught of digital mini-printers with paint.
This article is the first for me. I hope to take root in this thinking community. All good.
A bit of history. Inventor Edwin Land made it very important for you and me. In 1929, he developed the first polarized material. But more importantly, he was able to use his discovery in people's daily lives. For example, the screen where you look now is largely due to the polarization effect. This effect has given the world a lot of useful things. Edwin Land himself had 535 patents, which is not much less than Thomas Edison. Finally, you can remember that Edwin was the idol of Steve Jobs.
In 1948, Polaroid introduced the technology of instant photography to the world. Cameras and film improved every year and reached its peak by the nineties. Approximately in these years the “Polaroids” flooded the Soviet Union, even the manufacture of devices under the license of the Americans was organized.
')
I remember these devices and surely every house has at least one square frame with a white paper frame, and even signed in the right place. And the beauty of the Polaroids was that they were easy to use. And frames appeared at once, it was not necessary to go to show a film and order successful frames.
But after the millennium a “beautiful” figure appeared. Digital cameras are getting bigger, better and cheaper. Every house had computers and photographs could no longer be printed, but stored directly on the hard disk. Film photography was dying along with an instant photo, the film maker firms went bankrupt in front of their eyes. And the development of social networks and even more so “killed” paper photos.
So in 2001, the Polaroid company began bankruptcy proceedings and eventually sold out. And then again sold. From this point on, the company made strange, unnecessary products that you don’t even want to recall here.
In the meantime, there have always been professionals who loved to film and, of course, Polaroid. They were joined by lovers of photography and similar hipsters. For such people in 2008, the Impossible Project emerged, immediately after the cessation of the production of instant films by Polaroid. They began to produce those same cartridges for "square" frames, the price, unfortunately, is still high.
At that time I was a second year student and always dreamed of finding an old Polaroid and breathing new life into it. But there was a big “BUT”, the cassettes now cost 1200-1800 rubles for one piece (in which there were only 8 frames, and that is ~ 180 rubles per frame).
For a poor student this was too much. Because dreams remained dreams and I continued to actively play the guitar. But by the 5th year, my desire to photograph had won (and the money had appeared a little) and started shooting on film, a couple of years later and on the figure, and finally a new sip of instant photo appeared in my measured life.
The fact is that the wonderful company Fujifilm already in 1990 began to produce its own cameras of instant photography with new card formats. Namely, the size of a business card, and double the size of a business card. These were cameras called Fujifilm Instax and Wide. I bought the cheapest Fujifilm Instax 7s. I will not make lyrics, although I really want to, but I’ll just say that the minimum price for a camera is 2600 rubles, and you can buy a cassette with 10 frames on well-known Chinese websites for 300-400 rubles (which will be 30-40 rubles for one frame). Of course, many will say that this is too expensive, but for me once a month to spend 300 rubles for 10 instant frames that make me in a mood does not seem to be a waste of money. But the matter did not stop there and the awl in that very place did not stop pushing me further.
One day, while reading the Internet, I came across information that Fujifilm is releasing another cassette for an instant photo, and they are called FP-100c, FP-3000b. It turned out that this is the form factor of the old Polaroid cameras, which were produced in the distant 1970s, and the name of this series is the Polaroid Land Camera. Googling and looking at these cameras, I fell in love. And he certainly wanted to get one of his own, and of course, shoot at her.
And then everything turned out to be simple. Such a camera can be bought on ebay.com, but not the fact that it will work, but there are two good online stores. In the USA and Ireland, in the second, I decided to order a camera. I signed with the seller by e-mail, he answered all the questions and I made an order. At the same time on ebay.com I ordered three cassettes for test shots. And of course, it all came without problems, everything turned out to be working. They helped a couple of videos on youtube.com - how to use these devices correctly and not miscalculate with exposure. If you're interested, I myself can shoot a video or dedicate a new article on Habré with tips, tricks and clear instructions for handling these rare cameras.
I purchased a Polaroid Land Camera 340 model, it has glass lenses (yes, there are plastic ones), a mechanical development timer, a plastic case (there are iron ones, but heavy ones). There are also different focusing systems, for my model it looks exactly the same as on the FED or old watering cans. It cost me pleasure along with delivery ~ 4,000 rubles. It is better to buy cassettes on ebay.com, prices are lower there, I take small bulk of 3-10 packages and one cassette costs 10 frames of 500 rubles. And this is 50 rubles per frame, quite lifting money, because you should not forget that this is not a figure and you will not make hundreds of frames per minute. I have 5 thousand rubles = 100 frames are enough for six months or a year, quite adequate figures, for my taste.
Frames made on this ancient Polaroid, I am pleased to the depths of the soul. They are large and easy to scan. Of course, the quality is comparable to a 5 megapixel camera, but you will never convey that color, those emotions with a number.
Now I am increasingly taking this colossus with me and photographing friends, buildings, the sea. The pleasure of the process and the result is beyond words. Sometimes this unit creates a genuine interest of others.
Answering the question asked in the title of the article, I want to express my vision. Polaroid is awesome. It is a fact. Polaroid is dead; what they are releasing now is shame and sadness. But instant photography will never die. There will always be lovers and enthusiasts who love film photography, medium format and Polaroid. Here you can sing the praises of the Fujifilm Corporation, which has revived the instant photo in the modern world, and continues to support enthusiasts like me, releasing cassettes for vintage devices. I really hope that in my age will be enough and these tapes will not cease to produce, and at least the Impossible Project will exist. Otherwise, a real good “tube” snapshot will die under the onslaught of digital mini-printers with paint.
This article is the first for me. I hope to take root in this thinking community. All good.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/233833/
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