Remember those intriguing teasers Polaroid was scrolling through on its main website last week. Well, yesterday night was when that countdown ended, and it ended with a huge announcement that has the photo industry buzzing.
In short: the old Polaroid you knew and loved is back from the dead with a new analog instant camera and a new type of instant film!
Announced on the 80th anniversary of the Polaroid brand, both products are being unveiled as part of a new brand called Polaroid Originals, which merges the Polaroid of old with years worth of work done by Impossible Project to keep that old Polaroid alive. In fact, the Impossible brand is being replaced altogether.
In addition to the new film and camera, you'll now be able to purchase restored vintage Polaroid cameras and traditional Polaroid instant film in a variety of formats straight from the Polaroid Originals website. But first, let's dive into that sweet new camera!
The Polaroid OneStep 2
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The Polaroid OneStep 2 is exactly what it sounds like: the spiritual (and in some ways literal) successor to the famous Polaroid OneStep—you know, the camera Instagram stole its original logo from.
Inspired by the original OneStep, Polaroid says they've updated the OneStep 2 "to create a simple, easy-to-use instant camera that works straight out of the box. " It sports a 'high quality lens' that can focus from 2ft to infinity, a 'powerful' flash, a rechargeable battery that allegedly lasts 60 days on a charge, a self-timer function, and it's compatible with both the new i-Type instant film and the old 600 series film.
The camera is available in white and graphite, and you can already pre-order yours through the Polaroid Originals website for $100.
Polaroid i-Type Instant Film
Speaking of film, Polaroid Originals also debuted a new film format that will look familiar but is actually a bit different. It's called i-Type, and it joins Polaroid's vintage films (SX-70, 600, 8x10, etc. ) as the newest kid on the block.
The "i" stands for "Incredible" . . . which is really irrelevant. The important bits is that this film is optimized for the OneStep 2—and, we hope, future Polaroid Originals cameras—is battery-free, and comes in Black and White and Color varieties for $16 per 8-pack or $45 for two 8-packs of color film and one 8-pack of black and white.
Keep in mind, because this is a battery-free film, it will not work in 600 cameras. That film has its own battery in the film, while the new i-Type OneStep 2 boasts a rechargeable battery of its own.
To learn more about this film or purchase a pack or two of your own, click here.
Vintage Polaroid Cameras and Film
Finally, since the Impossible Project brand is now a thing of the past, the Polaroid Originals website won't just be a place to buy the new OneStep 2 and i-Type film. You'll also be able to pick up all of the restored vintage Polaroid cameras and older film formats that Impossible kept going all of these years.
The old Polaroid 600 cameras start at $120, the famed SX-70 foldable model starts at $380, and Spectra camera models can be had for $120 and up. All of them are available on this product page.
And if you need film for those old cameras, you can pick up SX-70 film, 600 film, Spectra film, and even 8x10 sheet film here.
To say this is an exciting announcement for the analog photography world is to undersell this by far. The merging of Polaroid and Impossible project as Polaroid Originals would be big news itself, but add to that a new analog instant film camera and a new type of instant film and you've got hipsters, instant photography buffs, and nostalgic shutterbugs like tripping over themselves to support this resurrection.
To learn more about Polaroid Originals or any of the products mentioned above, head over to the brand's new website here.
. dpreview.com2017-9-15 17:42
