Instant Film Makes A Comeback

Mobile phone apps like Instagram have made it possible to make our digital images look “vintage” using filters and effects, but they can’t quite capture the particular nostalgic quality of actual film. Photography lovers have mourned the loss of Polaroid instant film since it was discontinued in 2008. Several former employees teamed up to experiment with a new kind of instant film with the Impossible Project in 2010, allowing many owners of vintage cameras to keep taking pictures. The film is available at select camera stores around the world, but might be more for those who appreciate the art of film rather than speed: color pictures take up to a half-hour to develop.

Next month, the Impossible Project will take digital old-school when it introduces the Instant Lab, an app and tool that will allow you to print analog instant photos right from your iPhone. The device will be exhibited at Photoville, a pop-up photography “destination” in Brooklyn September 19 to 29, and available for purchase soon. The Instant Lab could be perfect for travelers who want to travel light with a camera phone but keep their trip photos from collecting dust on a hard drive.

Bringing Polaroid back from the dead

February 18th 2008 was a sad day for photography fans all around the world.

It is the day the Polaroid corporation announced the closure of their three instant film production lines. By December, all production came to a halt, and 450 people were without a job.

Polaroid produced just enough instant film cartridges to supply fans with their favorite product until Q1 of 2009 and some fanatics stocked up on as many packs as they could.

Initiatives started all around the world to help keep the product alive, and one group of people in The Netherlands has actually managed to purchase all the manufacturing equipment that made up the Dutch Polaroid plant. The group has even signed a 10 year lease for the original buildings.

Their plan is to use the production line to develop new integral film for the Polaroid camera lineup, and once again allow photographers all around the world to get instant photos from their camera with that familiar clickbzzzztclick noise.

(Via: Engadget.com)