Polaroid discontinues instant film, hell freezes over

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Sad but true. I still used there 4x5 Polaroid instant film up until about two months ago. It's the price of innovation of digital, why pay for something that is easier and cheaper in the long run.

Sad day for Polaroid users.

~Crawn

I'm gutted about this as well.

My only hope is that someone might buy up the factory and start remaking it, much like the whole Lomography thing.

Oh no. Yeah, this completely sucks and I only hope someone takes over the reigns. Polaroid already discontinued a lot of their film, but to completely end the instant film line would be devastating.

Guess you'll have to get a real camera now.












(I'm kidding of course)

WTF!

Hopefully a specialist company will step in and continue production like someone did with Ilford.

sad. just sad.

What a shame. I'm just getting into Polaroid photography and got a one- step flash at the thrift store recently.

BTW, really nice pictures, seenew.

I thought the instant technology was huge in law enforcement. Can't easily be tampered with, or so I hear.

I heard about this on the radio. Apparently there are many people upset with the change. I personally have not used this film, but from what I heard, it is the only film that certain techniques can be used with.

This is almost as bad as when they discontinued Kodachrome 25. Then it was (supposedly) Fuji's Velvia as the reason for the demise. I hated Velvia then and I hate it today.

Bad news, but it was to be expected.

If you want to replicate the look of Polaroid in digital, then you should check out Alien Skin Software's Exposure2 Photoshop plugin. It does, among other things, a pretty good job of imitating various Polaroid films.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I am supprised that they have stopped making it, as this type of film was the only film that could be accepted for photographic evidence.

Digital and 35mm film could be tampered with so easily but not so with Polaroid film.

Police use registered photographers I believe to get around this issue.

If you all liked it so much, you should have bought some and supported the company. They obviously didn't get enough people to spend money on their film to continue on.

As a "younger person", I say "Lets move on."

FrankieTDouglas said:

Oh no. Yeah, this completely sucks and I only hope someone takes over the reigns. Polaroid already discontinued a lot of their film, but to completely end the instant film line would be devastating.

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Yes, a very sad day for Polaroid hand models indeed.

Has Fuji said anything about their Polaroid-type/instant films? The last batch of pack film I bought was Fuji, same style as the Polaroid, fits the same back for the camera, etc...

Polaroid failed to embrace the digital technology that has transformed photography, instead sticking to its belief that many photographers who didn't want to wait to get pictures developed would hold onto their old Polaroid cameras.

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Or bought a digital camera and a printer? And the emperors clothes had a transparency layer after all.

yeroen said:

If you want to replicate the look of Polaroid in digital, then you should check out Alien Skin Software's Exposure2 Photoshop plugin. It does, among other things, a pretty good job of imitating various Polaroid films.

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It's not just the look, but the physical presentation of it that is important. I reshoot polaroids, on location, right after I take the polaroid.

Abstract said:

If you all liked it so much, you should have bought some and supported the company. They obviously didn't get enough people to spend money on their film to continue on.

As a "younger person", I say "Lets move on."

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If Apple couldn't reach 10% marketshare and had to stop production, would you feel the same way as you do about Polaroid? Both companies obviously have a market, and people who are continuously supporting them. So as a self-described "younger person," I'd say your opinion doesn't matter.

FrankieTDouglas said:

If Apple couldn't reach 10% marketshare and had to stop production, would you feel the same way as you do about Polaroid?

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10% of the computer industry is bigger than 10% of the camera market, so let me just say that if Apple stopped making products that people thought were relevant, and did not sell products that people wanted to buy, then OK, close down shop. Chances are, I'd care about Apple's demise due to nostalgia, but since I, and many other people, probably would have moved on from Macs anyway and began using something that fit me better, I wouldn't care as much as you think.


I'd feel the same if Kodak closed down. I also wouldn't be surprised. They may still have some supporters, but if they're going to stop selling a product, they obviously do not have enough supporters to survive.

Abstract said:

10% of the computer industry is bigger than 10% of the camera market...

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You're saying more people own computers than cameras?

Abstract said:

10% of the computer industry is bigger than 10% of the camera market, so let me just say that if Apple stopped making products that people thought were relevant, and did not sell products that people wanted to buy, then OK, close down shop. Chances are, I'd care about Apple's demise due to nostalgia, but since I, and many other people, probably would have moved on from Macs anyway and began using something that fit me better, I wouldn't care as much as you think.


I'd feel the same if Kodak closed down. I also wouldn't be surprised. They may still have some supporters, but if they're going to stop selling a product, they obviously do not have enough supporters to survive.

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Only nostalgia? Do you even know anything about Polaroid film?

-Andy

In the past, I've used it casually and had a camera, yes.

And yes, nostalgia. If Apple went down because they couldn't keep up with products that people wanted, and their fans moved on to the better alternatives, I'd remember Apple fondly.

MrSmith said:

You're saying more people own computers than cameras?

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No, I'm talking in monetary terms.

Abstract said:

In the past, I've used it casually and had a camera, yes.

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Oh, ok. I'm sorry, for a moment there I just thought you had actually created legit work with Polaroid film. I didn't know you were basically someone sitting on the sidelines, observing others doing it.

FrankieTDouglas said:

Oh, ok. I'm sorry, for a moment there I just thought you had actually created legit work with Polaroid film. I didn't know you were basically someone sitting on the sidelines, observing others doing it.

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I was going to make a comment about you being a jerk but I looked at your website first and I'm really impressed. Comment withdrawn. Excellent photos

taylorwilsdon said:

I was going to make a comment about you being a jerk but I looked at your website first and I'm really impressed. Comment withdrawn. Excellent photos

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Thanks. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but it's just really annoying to receive news like this and then have some random kid who doesn't even use the product come in and tell us "we should have bought more."

I've made the "digital polaroid" photos internationally, and have shown them in galleries all around the Southern region of the US. Regardless of using 600 or Spectra film, I had the comfort in knowing that if I ran out, I could easily purchase more in mainstream stores. I have never officially stopped that series, but it sucks to know that I may eventually have to due to the film simply no longer existing.

Polaroid had already began discontinuing certain types of film. Their 665 line, which produced a positive and a negative, is no longer being made so what's left is typically hoarded. My professor took a few photos of me with his Polaroid CU-5 Land Camera, and it was known that with each shot, the overall number of available photos with that film absolutely decreased with each click. Makes picture-making a completely different experience.


photo by Frank Hamrick (http://frankhamrick.com)