Future of Polaroid

[David A. Goldfarb]

I thought the main market for Polaroid was couples who wanted to take pictures of themselves that they wouldn't want to hand over to their neighborhood druggist. Returning to fundamentals, they tried that approach in marketing the JoyCam (never heard of it? well, I guess it wasn't much of a success), but it was no match for cell phone cams.

[Gene McCluney]

The main markets for Polaroid are testing for shooting 4x5 and medium-format transparencies, Passport and ID photography (still thousands of those cameras out there) and fine-art.

[Gene McCluney]

I looked into it, but the blocking problem is that the equipment needed for rolling the emulsion on the paper has been or is being cannibalized.

Asher

Are you sure that all manufacturing facilities are now being cannibalized, or just the one plant that has been sold a couple years ago that did contract coating for Polaroid and has been for sale for a few months now?
I question your statement because the news stories say Polaroid is making (not "has made") enough film stocks to last thru the end of 2008. The have several plants yet to close down, but they will soon.

[Frank Bagbey]

I love proofing large art work with my polaroid 4x5. I can only pray Fuji bails all of us out and discovers there is profit in polaroid products. If their is, Fuji can probably make it work. Polaroid was more than likely fat and bloated.

[D. Bryant]

I hate to be doom and gloom without all the facts.

No Doom and Gloom just Done and Gone! No investor or manufacturer wants to make an old product with a negative growth rate, and dealers don't want to inventory a product that spoils quickly on the shelf. It's pretty simple economics.

I don't know who makes the film component of PN 55 but that seems like a viable niche product to me that could possibly survive on and be easier to manufacture than an instant film pack, especially as a quick load.

Don Bryant

[Ralph Barker]

Several people have posted new threads about the Polaroid news without skimming the existing threads about the topic. The threads have been merged, so some items may seem out of sequence.

[Alex Hawley]

The main markets for Polaroid are testing for shooting 4x5 and medium-format transparencies, Passport and ID photography (still thousands of those cameras out there) and fine-art.

None of which are near the size of the snapshot market which has been taken over by pixel piss.

[Gene McCluney]

I love proofing large art work with my polaroid 4x5. I can only pray Fuji bails all of us out and discovers there is profit in polaroid products. If their is, Fuji can probably make it work. Polaroid was more than likely fat and bloated.

You can use Fuji right now. FP-100c 4x5. This is pack film ISO 100 . very nice color.

[D. Bryant]

You can use Fuji right now. FP-100c 4x5. This is pack film ISO 100 . very nice color.

Get some right here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/20-BOXES-200-PRI...QQcmdZViewItem

Don Bryant

[Gene McCluney]

Or you can purchase it from most mail-order and internet photo supply vendors, and it is in ample supply, unlike the remaining Polaroid materials.