Digital Cameras Lead To Demise Of Polaroid
I suppose that it may depend upon your age, but I am old enough to recall just how thrilling it was to huddle around a Polaroid snapshot whilst it was developing. You were never really sure just how it would turn out until the image had solidified - right there in front of your very eyes. When the process was complete, you were left with a picture, often with slightly varied colours, which had no negative, and was, let’s face it, a bit on the pricey side.
Today, thanks to the rise of digital cameras, Polaroid is no longer instant enough. The cameras ceased production some time ago and the last films rolled out in January of 2009. It’s easy to see why if you consider the following statistics?
2000 Sales
Polaroid cameras 4.2 million
Digital cameras 4.5 million
2007 Sales
Polaroid cameras 240 thousand
Digital cameras 28.2 million
With sales figures like that it’s no wonder the Polaroid camera is being withdrawn.
However, the Polaroid had achieved an iconic status over the years, so it’s no surprise to learn that groups of enthusiasts have set up campaigns to “save Polaroid”. There are hopes that some “white knight” will take over the production of the film and manufacture this under licence. In the meantime, and with a certain amount of irony, both films and cameras are for sale on EBay at hugely inflated prices. It’s not out of the question that, if Polaroid themselves had been able to command these types of prices levels then they wouldn’t have needed to file for Chapter 11 just a few short years ago.
Looking forward, Polaroid have entered the digital age by producing a combined digital camera and printer which uses a heat activated dye to produce a printed image in around about a minute.
The camera, called the PoGo, has a 3 inch LCD display for checking your photos before you print them out. Bearing in mind that the special printer paper will cost around $13 for enough to produce 30 photos you may want to be certain that you’ve got a “keeper” before you press the print button.Polaroid believe that it will appeal to law enforcement officers and customs staff who may require an immediate hard copy of identity photographs. Time will tell.
Tags: digital cameras, digital photography, photography, polaroid