Many of us were wishing for this day with little hope that it would ever come, but the Impossible Project has managed to bring back the original instant film name with its announcement today of Polaroid Originals. This rebranding was made possible through a years-long effort by the leaders of the Impossible Project and represents a major shift in things to come, including the release of a brand new instant film camera bearing the Polaroid name—the OneStep2, a brand new i-Type camera. This long-awaited sequel to the now classic OneStep from 1977 sports retro looks while offering modern-day performance. The Polaroid brand now has what looks to be a bright future and will hopefully return to its former glory.
Able to accept both Impossible i-Type and 600-type film, the OneStep2 holds true to the original design of being incredibly simple and straightforward to use. It features a fixed 106mm lens with a fixed focus from 2’ to infinity and should work straight out of the box. This model features a built-in 1300mAh Li-ion battery that will power the unit for up to 60 days and allow the use of newer i-Type film that forgoes an internal battery. This setup also powers the powerful flash located on the side of the camera right above the large red shutter release button. Additionally, it has a self-timer function that is perfect for selfies and comes in both white and graphite colors.
While the release of the OneStep2 is certainly the most significant announcement of the day, we cannot forget that Impossible also led the charge to breathe new life into existing cameras through a refurbishing program. Today a wide range of classic Polaroid cameras will be made available under the Polaroid Originals brand, including the SX-70, SX-70 Sonar, Image/Spectra One Switch, Image/Spectra Full Switch, Image/Spectra Onyx, Image/Spectra ProCam, Image/Spectra Macro 5, 600 Square, 600 Sun 660 AF, 600 Job Pro, 600 Cool Cam, 600 OneStep Close Up, Sun 600 SE, Sun 640, 600 Red Stripe, 600 Express, SLR 680, 600 Impulse, and 600 Impulse AF. Of course, you are going to want to pick up some packs of instant film while you are at it.
What do you think of Polaroid’s revival? Are you excited to get your hands on the new OneStep2? Let us know in the comments below!
20 Comments
will b&h be selling the new poloroid original i-type film without the battery? i only see the b&w version of that new film on your website. its suppose to be special for the new one step 2.
Hi Roger,
Yes we will! It should be showing up very shortly. In the meantime the existing Impossible-branded i-Type film is the current version of this film.
This is such a tease. When I first saw the brand Polaroid on a new film product my heart literally skipped a beat. What a let down to know it's just the Impossible Project rebranded. I am so incredibly disappointed. The film is awful! 15 minutes for an image that may or may not even develop properly is no improvement to me. My question is, do these new films need to be shielded from light immediately as well?
The film is the real issue! As an old SX70 manipulator, I long for the old Polaroid SX70 "long cure" that allowed artistic manipulation of the emulsion. That combined with the Polaroid color "look" gave us a wonderful combination of art and photography. I keep my faithful SX70 with the hope that maybe someday...
I love the camera but film is the problem. I have lots of Polaroid stuff. An SX-70, a couple of 600 cameras, a 180, a Vivitar instant slide printer, the 35mm instant slide processor, a Polaroid back for my Hasselblad, and the list goes on. I have a supply of Fuji peel apart and Instax instant cameras but nothing good for my SX-70 and 600 cameras.
I've always said Polaroid film was like Coca-Cola, it had its own magical recipe that gave it its colors, texture, and look. Fuji is good but never had the Polaroid magic. I've tried a few packs of Impossible and applaud their efforts but it was a waste of money. If the film cannot be reproduced like the original Polaroid then it should at least be on par with Fuji's instant films. That means a film that can shoot out without being stashed into a dark place until it develops into either a blue or brown tinted unsharp image that looks like something from the infancy of photography. Seriously, Impossible is very expensive for a pack of film of only 8 shots in which the odds of getting one good photo is unlikely.
I wish Impossible well and keep hoping for a miracle that one day a good film will be produced once again. When that happens I will absolutely use it.
So what is going to happen with all of the efforts that meant camera has been putting into with their new camera? The SLR 670/S. I''m really hoping that the value for the camera goes down as these new originals debut. I'm dying for a new aged Polaroid camera. Gimme that best!!
Mint***
I had forgotten that I have a Poloroid back for a 4x5 Graphic, I need to go dig it up and take it to a show & tell with the kids. This is bound to be fun
What I'd like to know is whether Impossible (which is now Polaroid Originals) has gained access to the original Polaroid chemistry formulas for instant film. I've used Impossible film in my SX-70 and wasn't very impressed by its development speed, tendency to change after a few days, and the poor opacifier that requires shielding the film while it develops.
Several of the articles that came out yesterday say that Impossible acquired the "intellectual property" of Polaroid when it became Polaroid Originals. If that includes the chemistry, hopefully, they can ditch their own reverse-engineered formulas and start producing a genuine Polaroid film.
That would be worth a lot to me. I still remember TimeZero film in my original 1979 OneStep with great fondness.
Hi Don,
Impossible, now Polaroid Originals, owns as much of the Polaroid instant film manufacturing setup as possible. However, there are chemicals that they used to use that are no longer available or are not allowed to be used in commercial applications anymore. So, while it is unfortunate that it isn't the same as the original Polaroid films they are working on it and have had made many improvements over the years.
What next, automobiles with carburators? Nostalgia aside, this make no sense to me and I was a major Polaroid dealer for over twenty years.
There clearly is a lot of pent-up desire for instant film. Fuji has done remarkably well with Instax over the past few years. The fact they they introduced a square format earlier this year says a lot for the market they believe exists.
And when Lomography launched their Kickstarter for a traditional camera to use Fuji's new square format, they achieved 5X their goal in about two weeks. That too says there's a lot of hunger for instant film.
I think we're seeing a reaction against our "digital everything" lifestyle. People are getting tired of living on a screen. They want the tactility and low-tech of retro technologies for the fun side of their lives. I call it "screen aversion." We spend all day at work with screens, so when we come home, we want something different. Instant film can't compete with digital technologies for quality, but perhaps that's the reason for the appeal. It moves away from the rather monotonous homogeneity of our digital lifestyle and gives us a chance to go back to a more hands-on physical reality. It's a lot farther away from "perfect," but it's certainly not monotonous.
There's been a real return to traditional arts and crafts in the past few years. I think this is another manifestation of it.
The film is slow and $3 a shot?? If it was faster to process (like Mel said) - and cheaper - I'd be in.
I can't make them cheaper unfortunately, but I can tell you that the latest batches will fully develop in only 15 minutes.
Actually, with yesterday's announcement, the cost is closer to $2/picture now. I agree, that's still a lot, but it's cheaper than a few weeks ago when you had to buy the film under the Impossible name. Given that Fuji can offer Instax at around $0.50-$0.75/picture, there's hope that Polaroid Originals will be able to get closer to that price if there's enough interest.
The best case scenario is to use the new camera with the i-Type film as that doesn't have a battery pack it is slightly cheaper at $2 a shot exactly.
I was excited to finally buy film for my Poloroid camera but after seeing it takes 30-40 minutes to process one picture, I'll pass. Why do they call it instant film. The old Poloroid film out of my SX 70 was ready in 60 seconds, not 60 minutes. Make the original film and I'll buy it now.
Hi Mel,
Actually, the latest batch of film which will be classified under Polaroid Originals and can be found here (links are being adjusted as well) will only take about 15 minutes. This includes the entire development time, so you will be able to see an image start appearing very shortly after an image is taken.
Shawn, I see 8 x 10 on your link, is or will 4 x 5 be available???
Jeff
Hi Jeff,
I have no clue as to whether or not 4x5 is incoming, but I would guess that since they are starting to sell 8x10 then it is probably a consideration for Impossible/Polaroid Originals to release 4x5 at some point in the future. I wouldn't expect it to come soon since this was just announced.