more of our past becomes real history...

[acroyear]

Polaroid Technology Fades Out - washingtonpost.com:

When Polaroid users pulled a picture out of their cameras, an image would slowly appear before their eyes. Now, like the process in reverse, the image of the Polaroid instant camera -- dimming for years -- has finally gone black.

Polaroid, based in Waltham, Mass., is shutting down factories in the United States and abroad as the company abandons the technology that made the instant photo possible, the Boston Globe reported yesterday. The company will cease production of its film by next year.

The artsy, instantly gratifying Polaroid images, reeking of processing chemicals, have finally been done in by endless Flickr Web pages full of digital images, flawlessly produced by cameras that do not require film, emulsion or anything bigger than a shirt pocket to carry them around.

Granted, I don't think anybody's surprised by this...

Comments

what will Spamalot do

[petricat666.livejournal.com]

At the end of the show they take a Polaroid with the audience member who has been sitting on the Holy Grail.

Re: what will Spamalot do

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

a digital camera, a "please wait 5 minutes", and they stick it in one of those self-contained photo-printers that works straight off the card (I've got one on this desk right here).

Re: what will Spamalot do

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

at least, after they run out - remember they just said that the film won't stop getting made 'til much later in the year: they can just stock up...

[cyberkender.livejournal.com]

That's really too bad. There are some interesting tricks that one can do with Polaroid film, that would be difficult to duplicate with digital.

That kind of bums me out, to be honest ...

[fiona64.livejournal.com]

And not just because I will now have to go out to stock up on the film that works in our Polaroid camera, LOL.

I learned years ago that Polaroid cameras are a great icebreaker at parties. We have had more fun with our Polaroid than the law should allow, taking it to fundraisers and all kinds of stuff (we had a charity fundraiser one year, and one of the things was getting your pic made with Jeff in his Phantom of the Opera costume for $2, with the fee going toward the fundraiser).

Le sigh ...

[voltbang.livejournal.com]

Film is deal. Long live digital.

[thewhitedragon.livejournal.com]

heretic.

[voltbang.livejournal.com]

A little heresy never hurt anyone.

[thewhitedragon.livejournal.com]

I'm still one of those dinosaurs. Shooting on a Pentax K-1000 fully-manual camera with 35mm film. Heh.

[voltbang.livejournal.com]

Come over to the dark side! You will like it. We have cookies and stuff.

My first camera was a canon ft-b, from the same era of history. I still have it, and could probably squeeze pictures out of it. They built them like tanks back in the day.

[thewhitedragon.livejournal.com]

nah. I prefer film for more reason than I care to go into, I take above average photos because I know exactly how my camera works and can take pride in the fact that a decent picture is because of me... and not technology.

http://thewhitedragon.livejournal.com/34570.html

Please note, however, that I don't fault people who go digital but I still prefer the cellulous-based medium of film well over digital.

[cozit.livejournal.com]

Of course, Polaroid itself has jumped onto the digital bandwagon - so they'll be out, but not. Was a bit of a jolt, seeing a digital camera with the brand "Polaroid" on it at Target a few months ago (hey, it was on an endcap display - I normally don't pay attention to the camera displays so it may have been doing that for a long time already)

We'll miss the mini-Polaroids once our supply is run out (it's close now).