20 most worthless pieces of junk: #18 -- Polaroid cameras
Filed under: Extracurriculars, Shopping
As worthless pieces of junk go, Polaroid cameras are on the pleasant end of the spectrum. Digital cameras have become so ubiquitous that toddlers frequently ask to see the image of themselves on the back of my (film) camera. When I tell them they'll have to wait a few weeks, they look at me confused, and run off for some other instant gratification. What they don't realize is that my generation, too, had its instant gratification, albeit the need to wait a minute or two for the image to appear. Polaroid cameras were digital cameras, before their time.Sadly, like any technology ahead of its time, Polaroid cameras had a few major flaws. The first was the need for complex, proprietary film that could only be produced by (and purchased from) Polaroid itself. This can be great as a business strategy -- the inkjet printer and razor industries have made enormous profits by selling the "hardware" (printers, razors, cameras) cheap and making the "software" (ink, blades, film) costly. Unfortunately, in the film camera market, it was relatively unpopular; consumers were used to being able to interchange their camera and film brands. But the second was much more bedeviling, and ultimately was the fatal blow: cost.Polaroid film was expensive, and not just to purchase, but also to produce. When another technology came along giving consumers the same (or better) instantaneous image without the accompanying high price -- with digital cameras, one could now see the photo the moment the shutter clicked, and an incremental cost of zero -- eventually, consumers lost interest. Polaroid went bankrupt in 2001; its successor company stopped producing the film in early 2008, rendering the cameras dinosaurs fit mostly for their prescient design.
Artists, however, are the sort who love useless pieces of junk. And here we get the "pleasant" part of the story. Thanks to thousands of Polaroid fans who buy old Polaroid film off eBay and post their work to Polanoid.net or weekly flickr groups, demand hasn't gone away. So a group of entrepreneurs and ex-Polaroid technicians has leased an old Polaroid film factory and partnered with film company Ilford to develop a new instant film compatible with old Polaroid cameras. Polaroid is saved? Well, not quite; instant gratification is saved, and maybe Polaroid cameras aren't so useless after all.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-09-2009 @ 8:31AM
cliff corson said...
it takes weeks for you to get the film in your camera developed? where do you send this film to or do you only take a picture a day on the roll?
Polaroid cameras have been around for decades and while the time for them may be coming to an end it isn't because they are so expensive to use, but due to their bulky nature.
a couple of companies are producing the film which was the largest expense for the cameras. perhaps if polaroid had thought of that in the late 90's of allowing other companies to produce film then there would be a higher demand for them
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9-04-2009 @ 2:56PM
jerry said...
Polaroid lost money on every camera they sold, their income was mainly from the sale of the film so the chance they would allow anyone else to manufacture it was about zero. They even sued Kodak (and won) for making an "instant" print camera because it impinged on their patents.
www.boskolives.wordpress.com
7-09-2009 @ 10:38AM
richard nixon said...
jeezez, lighten up. it was a fun stupid camera you could bring to a party and take silly pictures that were printed instantly. sure, you can see the photos right away on your digital camera, but without a printer, nobody gets to take a shot home. really, you people take things so seriously and practically. not everything is an ansel adams moment.
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7-09-2009 @ 10:56AM
Glenn said...
Back in the day when I had a color darkroom, Polariod was great for printing slides. I take an empty Polaroid back with white paper as an easel for enlarging and positionng my slide. Then I switched to a fresh Polaroid pack, project the enlarged image on it and put the pack in the camera to develop the film. Worked like a charm once you got your time and color correction right.
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7-09-2009 @ 11:39AM
leanne said...
Polaroid cameras have been around since the 1960's..if not earlier. They were groun d breaking back then...all we had for instant cameras
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7-09-2009 @ 11:59AM
Charlie R said...
In its day what a great camera idea. It was used in insurance, crimes and just great promos as well as just a fun all around camera.
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7-09-2009 @ 1:10PM
Claudia said...
When this camera was introduced, there was a market for it. Remember it came out before 1 day or 1hr photos were delivered. Now, yes it it useless.
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7-09-2009 @ 1:49PM
lita said...
We were sorry to see this go away. Digital camera? Sure, we have one. But there were times when we would be out and about and might see a young couple. Or a couple with their baby. Or someone with their child or grandchild and ask to take their picture with the Polaroid and hand them the photograph. (I think this stems from their being no pictures of my husband and his father from his childhood, which no one realized until his father passed away. He always wants to capture a moment for people on film without intruding too much--no awkward exchange of an email address with a stranger--necessary to forward a digital image.) Polaroid provided some nice moments which, to me, still makes them invaluable....
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7-09-2009 @ 11:18PM
JohnH said...
For a kid growing up in the 60s, Polaroid cameras were an example of the cool inventions we could look forward to in the future.
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7-12-2009 @ 12:53PM
çiçekçi said...
çiçekçi
For sharing thank you very much good very beautiful work
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7-13-2009 @ 9:28AM
Rei said...
Ever heard of Polaroid Manipulation art? If you had, you wouldn't think they're worthless. In the right hands, they can produce amazing pieces of art.
http://www.alternativephotography.com/process_peel_apart_manipulation.html
http://www.instantdreams.net/main
http://www.pola-art.de/
Thank you, Ilford, for rescuing an American icon.
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7-13-2009 @ 11:38AM
joel said...
digital or computer , so far nothing has repaced the polaroid it was a very versatile product with it's own niche .
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7-13-2009 @ 10:28AM
Ara Hourdajian said...
Yes, obsolescence is the price we pay for technology. Polaroid was a technology giant in its day. The Microsoft of the 1960s. I worked for Polaroid for a number of years before going to Ilford. So I have seen the analog to digital transition but I still miss the peel apart B&W and color photos and later SX-70 magical photo appear.
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7-15-2009 @ 12:20PM
Dotty said...
With the polaroid, you could print out a picture to give to someone and not wait to have your film developed. However, you did not have one for yourself. I have 2 polaroids as well as a Kodak. Not sure what I will do with them.
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7-22-2009 @ 12:15PM
Louie said...
I have a friend who brings one around and takes a few pictures.
It really IS nice to have a picture in hand, and there is a vast
portion of the population who don't have it together, financially or otherwise to go through the steps a digital camera requires to get a hard copy.
There was also a risque Adult side of the Polaroid -not sure of the details-you fill them in.
Edwin Land, prolific inventor, what a life !
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7-22-2009 @ 12:54PM
Rick said...
The sx70 film: the layers that make the picture crumble wit ime. I have a picture taken 35 yrs ago that looks like a mosaic waiting to come off the wall. Sure not the longevity of a regular black and white, say from the civil war!
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7-22-2009 @ 2:15PM
siretha said...
The camera is only a worthless pieces of Junk, after we can't get flim/or repairs; or, When no one is left to remember why we have the camera & pictures(or what the Camera is; No one uses the contraption MR BRADY used does that make his history making photos,& camera, worthless pieces of junk; too? ) , movies like " SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS parts 1 & 2", could this be the reason Hollywood attempts to capture that Instant "POLAROID" moment, (not that this is a bad thing) If the movie had been titled "SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING CAMERA" or the books that the net grosses would have been as high? I guess my point is that, that camera was the one you took to your --slumber; pool; prom parties, Because you could write the names of the attendees at the function rather then try to remember the name, date, time,or place. labeling is a pain.
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7-22-2009 @ 3:29PM
Tony said...
The old cameras really filled a niche at a time in history when we really needed them: Vietnam war going on, protests, Watergate, racial unrest; and for the first time the general public had a device which could instantly capture and record THESE GRIM EVENTS (especially the "FACES OF DESPAIR" that this troubled age of POLITICAL UPHEAVAL brought to the AMERICAN PSYCHE!!). Nothing else said, we can reflect upon this tumultuous era, get out those old Polaroid snaphots of yesteryear, and thank the old camera for revealing the ACCURATE and DISTURBING IMAGES of an ERA our society should always remember and NEVER REPEAT!! THANK YOU FOR THE MEMORIES, DEPENDABLE POLAROID!!
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8-02-2009 @ 11:17PM
Carlo Oompah said...
I still have an old Polaroid 80A camera. If I could still get the film for it, it wouldn't be just sitting in it's original box on a closet shelf in the hallway next to the "Wink light" attachment, ( anyone remember that) also still stored in it's box. Camera was a little quirky, but fun to use.
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