Polaroid produced the first instant camera.
It is hard to believe that cameras were once considered a luxury item. You can now purchase a digital camera for less than $100, most mobile phones come standard with built-in camera and you can even buy a disposable camera to throw away later. Like most technology, cameras have evolved at a rapid pace, but many people remain nostalgic for the original instant camera --- the Polaroid.
History
In 1937, Harvard dropout Edwin H. Land formed the Polaroid Corporation. He had spent years trying to figure out synthetically filter light and, after finding success, he eventually began developing and selling polarizers. In its first years, Polaroid's products were largely designed for the military and included spectacles and goggles. A little more than 10 years after the launch of Polaroid, the company introduced its first camera with one-step processing. In 1948, the Land Model 95 was demonstrated at a department store in Boston. It flew off the shelves as customers witnessed finished photos being taken and printed in just a minute.
Instant Cameras
According to Boston University's Photographic Resource Center, the original Polaroid camera was inspired by a family vacation in 1944, but it would take Land a few years to create the Model 95. The camera worked by pulling a strip of paper through rollers that would spread developing fluid. The user would snap the photo, take out the paper, and then wait one minute before pulling the paper apart, revealing the photo. It could take several minutes for the photo to fully come to life.
The instant camera remained a fairly stable technology until Polaroid introduced color film in 1963, as well as a new automatic pack film camera. A fixed focus instant camera then made its debut in 1977. The instant camera continued to undergo updates as Polaroid created faster film, and smaller and more professional models.
Digital Cameras
Polaroid was also one of the first companies to jump into digital cameras. In 1998, Polaroid began selling digital cameras and became quite successful. In 2009, the company introduced an instant digital camera that combined a digital camera with a built-in printer.
History Repeats
In 2008, Polaroid announced that it would stop selling film for its instant cameras. The company had already ceased production of the instant cameras a year earlier. Then in 2010, Polaroid shifted gears and re-introduced its iconic instant camera with a few twists: the camera would now include updated features like auto focus, red-eye reduction and different light settings. The new, classic camera would also work with instant film.
Tags: instant camera, camera with, digital camera, camera would, company introduced