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Posts Tagged ‘polaroid’

Polaroid is fun, but most Polaroid camera only produces 4R size photo. Since every photo is unique (no negative), it cannot be processed to bigger prints. Is there a way to get poster size Polaroid photo?

Indeed there is such Polaroid camera, still alive and kicking. The camera is a large format view camera and since the film is based on the same principle of Polaroid instant film, this means the camera is of mammoth size, taller than average human height, to fit the 20×24 inches film. The effort of preserving this unique piece of photography equipment is headed by John Reuter, a long time passionate in 20×24 Polaroid. He and his partners founded 20×24 Holdings LLC (20×24 Studio) and Polaroid Corporation have agreed to transfer the studio and production assets for Polaroid 20×24 film to 20×24 Holdings LLC before Polaroid Corporation went bankrupt. The transfer not only includes the camera, but also the technology, machines and materials needed to produce 20×24 film. This means the studio will be able to continue to offer access to the incredible analog technology of large format instant film by way of camera and studio rental as well as film sales to independent owners of 20×24 cameras.

John Reuter points out “many artists recognize that the tonal nuances produced by Polaroid 20×24 analog technology film are impossible to capture by digital means. Every exposure is unique, since there is no re-usable negative.  It is also ideal for portraits as no other process can equal the life like dimensionality that ultra large format instant imaging can provide.  This is the last chapter of a great historical process” Reuter concluded.

If you are interested to experience this unique form of photography please visit 20×24 Studio, located at 75 Murray Street, Tribec, New York City. The studio location is too a unique historical building known as the Bogardus Mansion. What better place to house this camera than a historical building? One last note, each exposure (20×24 instant film) cost USD200.

Press Release

20×24: The Story Continues

New York, NY– August 10,   2009 – The last great photographic process of the twentieth century,  the original Large Format Polaroid process is alive and well in New York City!

The legendary large format instant photographic process pioneered by Edwin Land and the company he founded has been rescued by a group of the film process’s aficionados.  A new studio utilizing the Polaroid 20”x24” large format instant film cameras favored by leading professional photographers and artists from around the world has opened in Manhattan.
 
20 x 24 Holdings Executive Director John Reuter: “When we learned that Polaroid decided to cease production of this one-of-a-kind film, we bought the remaining raw materials as well as the film production equipment that the Polaroid Corporation was intending to scrap.  We even secured the last run of the film production. There is enough material to last many years.”
 
The 20 x 24 Studio has one of the original Polaroid Land view cameras, of which there where are only six in existence.   This legendary Polaroid camera is located in a new studio in the Tribeca section of NYC, run by long time Polaroid master Jennifer Trausch, who is the Director of Photography at the 20 x 24 Studio.
 
“We have been planning this rescue effort for more than three years, when Polaroid first made it clear that it would be exiting the instant photography business” said Reuter.   “The courts approved our final agreement on Edwin Land’s 100th birthday, a fitting conclusion. We are incredibly pleased to keep Dr. Land’s legacy alive”.
 
John Reuter has been involved with Polaroid 20×24 instant imaging for nearly thirty years, and it has never lost its allure and excitement. “While digital technology has made great strides in the past few years, there is still no medium that can compete with Polaroid large format instant film, this is the purest form of photography, You're taking a photograph and making a print at the same moment.   Only the Polaroid process can guarantee that the picture you see is identical to the subject that stood before the camera.   The 20×24, a lovely, archaic piece of technology, preserves the one form of photography you can trust.” said Reuter.
 
His view is echoed by some of the legendary artists who have used this process, Ansel Adams, Andy Warhol, Annie Liebowitz, and William Wegman, among others. The amazing people that have been photographed with this legendary process range from Michael Jackson to Martha Stewart and everybody in-between.   That is just to name a few…
Reuter points out “many artists recognize that the tonal nuances produced by Polaroid 20×24 analog technology film are impossible to capture by digital means. Every exposure is unique, since there is no re-usable negative.  It is also ideal for portraits as no other process can equal the life like dimensionality that ultra large format instant imaging can provide.  This is the last chapter of a great historical process” Reuter concluded.

Next month, when the last Polaroid cartridges pass their use-by date, London’s Atlas Gallery will mark the instant format’s passing with an exhibition of work by some of the finest photographers who used the film. [READ MORE...]

In less than 10 years photography has been totally reshaped by digital cameras. We saw many big names fall due to their slow response to the digital market. Even the famous Polaroid filed bankruptcy end of 2008. Although the name will live on, buy up by investor and reshape the business module, like Agfa and Ilford, but it will never be the same Polaroid again.

If you are a Polaroid fan, don't worry. Polaroid might be dead, but instant camera lives on. This you have to thank the Japanese once again, for preserving the tradition. Nevertheless a product can only survive if there's a demand in the market, that is in Japan local market. And the company who does it, is no other than Fujifilm again. Remember they still produce the sacred 120 film and limited edition retro film cameras?

Perhaps not as well-known as Polaroid, Fujifilm has been making the instant camera and film for decades, and as for 2009 the only company in the world still making instant film camera. Unfortunately if you happen to own a Polaroid camera, this is no good news since Fujifilm instant film only fits their own camera.

Comes with 3 models, Instax mini 55i, Instax mini 7 and Instax 210. The later will be using a larger film size compare to the first two cameras. Instax mini will produce a credit card size photo (54 x 86mm), while Instax will give you a 4R picture (108 x 86mm). These are not digital prints, truly chemical method, the old fashion way. Few big camera shops in Kuala Lumpur is selling them. Look for the Fujifilm signboard.

If you are the person who can only read 1 and 0, fear not, there's a digital Polaroid camera in the market. Not those edited by software, but one that truly gives you photo on the spots. You guess it, it actually has a printer build in to the camera. 

This camera nickname xiao. In Chinese xiao means smile or small, in Hokkien xiao means crazy. It comes from Japan, and since I am not Japanese literate I am not sure if it carries any meaning in Japanese. Interestingly this camera is not make by any camera manufacturer but by Japanese famous toy maker, TOMY. It cost ~USD320 (RM1100) in Japan. 20 3R sheets printing paper will cost you USD8 (RM28), roughly RM1.40 per prints. I haven't seen one in Malaysia. If you have friends travel to Japan, ask them to bring back one if you are interested.

Specifications

Resolution: 5.0 megapixels, 4x digital zoom

LCD: 2.48"

Memory: 16MB internal, supports SD/SDHC cards

Dimensions: 149.5 x 74.5 x 25mm

Weight: 294g (with battery)

Printer: ZINK™ Zero Ink™ Printing Technology from ZINK Imaging

Prints: 2"x3" (5×7,6 cm) borderless, sticky-back ZINK prints