Polaroid brand history. Polaroids - what are these glasses and what do they eat them with

The Polaroid brand stories are entertaining but not overly funny business stories from those who have experienced both ups and downs in their business. To date, this topic is no longer being discussed as actively as it was done before, but still the brand and products of this type have not lost their popularity.

Story

Now everyone knows that Polaroid is an American company engaged in the production of photographic equipment, sunglasses, as well as consumer electronics. But not everyone knows the history of this brand, although for product lovers this information is important.

The founder of the company was an American named Edwin Land, who was born in 1909 in the city of Bridgeport. His parents originally lived in the Russian Empire (on the territory of modern Ukraine), but due to unknown circumstances, they were forced to emigrate to America.

Edwin Land did not know what poverty was, since his parents always had enough money to support a child and have a decent education. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that a boy who is fond of optics had his first thoughts about creating things that would surprise the whole world as early as childhood.

At the age of 17, the young man came up with the idea of ​​​​creating new polarizing lenses designed for car headlights. In his opinion, this could improve road illumination at night without blinding oncoming cars at the same time. Dropping out of university and moving to New York State, Land devoted himself entirely to creating

Edwin Land is the first person in the world to use the principles of polarization, which are now actively used in the creation of table lamps, 3D reality glasses and so on.

Startup

It was not until 1937 that Edwin's work found commercial application. It was this year that was created by everyone well-known firm"Polaroid". This production at the first time of its existence was not engaged in the creation and release of cameras, and the very first products were sunglasses, as well as polarizing glasses, which have various purposes for military equipment and other devices.

The creator did not think about how much Polaroid costs as a brand, since he had more important tasks. The site of the production says that this company was directly related to the release of a lot of x-ray film and so on. It is not at all difficult to believe in this statement, because in his entire life Land managed to patent a considerable number of inventions (more than 500). Modern historians argue that more innovations were created only by Thomas Edison.

Scientific achievements and an iron business acumen contributed to the incredible success. Edwin ran the company for 43 years.

Photo per minute

According to legend, the creation is the idea of ​​the daughter of the founder of the company, which pushed him to such an accomplishment, being practically in infancy. The little girl just asked her father a question about why people cannot receive ready-made photographs immediately after taking the picture. At the same moment, Land seriously thought about this issue, and then his employees had to think too.

In 1948, the industry introduced the first camera that takes snapshots. Each photo cost $1, which at that time was quite a large amount, because the Polaroid cartridges were made using a more complex technology, significantly different from today.

Even despite the high cost, the products of this brand were in great demand. Already in 1963, Land was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Rise of an empire

In 1972, a new model of the Polaroid camera appeared. The camera was the first fully "motorized" model that took color photographs and absolutely did not require precise aiming.

Since that time, there have been more and more models, and their cost has become less and less. Already closer to the 80s, Polaroid cameras (the old version and new modifications) became folk remedy to take photos. This production, even to this day, is remembered with nostalgia not only by all of America, but also by most of other countries.

Towards the end of the 70s, clouds began to gather, as the production of Kodak was able to surpass the Polaroid (camera). New firm announced its camera, also designed for snapshots. But Land was not stupid, so he managed to file a copyright infringement lawsuit in time. The lawsuit lasted for about ten years, and as a result, Kodak was obliged to pay the victim more than $ 600 million.

Soon the Kodak production itself fell, and the glory returned to the Polaroid company. The snapshot was once again popular, but this time it failed to make a huge leap.

Decline of an empire

As you know, even great people can make mistakes, and in this case, Edwin Land was no exception. His main mistake was that in the 80s he already had prototypes of digital cameras in his production, but he decided that the company would not deal with electronics.

Already in 1996, the company released its first digital camera but it was already too late. Young firms from different countries managed to seize the initiative much earlier and outstripped American production.

At the beginning of the 21st century, Polaroid could not adequately compete with other manufacturers of photographic equipment, so in 2001 a period of bankruptcy began.

How much does a Polaroid cost today

To date, the price of modern snapshot cameras reaches 3000-5000 rubles. Cartridges for Polaroid, although they are created using a simpler technology, still have a considerable cost - 1000-2000 rubles.

Anyone can buy a camera, as many online stores have this product.

Modern Polaroid Snap

The most popular model today is the Polaroid Snap, which costs up to $100. It is a 10-megapixel camera with a built-in popular Zink printer, which issues a photo card with dimensions of 7.6 x 5 centimeters immediately after the picture is taken. In addition to the fact that the device gives out the finished photo, it also saves the image in electronic form.

Construction and design

The camera itself is enclosed in a rectangular plastic case. The device measures 122 x 76 x 28 and weighs 400 grams. The camera is quite comfortable to hold even in a small hand when shooting. But still, to prevent the device from falling, it is best to use a special strap that comes with the kit.

Initially, the camera was created taking into account all the convenience and maximum ease of use, so there are quite a few controls in it.

On the left side there is a slot for a memory card, as well as a port for the charger. It is worth noting that the built-in memory is only enough to shoot and print one image, so you still need to purchase an additional memory card.

On the back is a tray that holds 10 sheets of photo paper. Prints come out on their own from a slot specially designed for this, located on the right side of the camera. And above the door itself there are three indicator lights showing the status of the battery, memory card and paper. Thanks to these qualities, modern users can have no doubts about the quality and convenience of the camera.

On June 17, 1970, Edwin Land patented his landmark camera, the first fully automated Polaroid SX-70. We will tell you the most Interesting Facts about Polaroid cameras and their inventor Edwin Land.

Edwin Land's parents lived in Russia before emigrating to the United States

Edwin Land, the founder of Polaroid, was born in 1909 in the town of Bridgeport (Connecticut, USA) to an Odessa family who emigrated to America at the end of the 19th century, a turbulent time for Jews living in Russia. Edwin's grandfather, Abraham Solomonovich, started in America own business for the purchase and processing of scrap metal and succeeded in this. Later this business was continued by Edwin's father.

Edwin Land, founder of Polaroid and famous American inventor:

Edwin was fond of technology from his youth. Especially optics

Edwin was a very curious child from childhood. History keeps information that one day his father whipped him when he saw that the boy had taken apart his phonograph. Edwin was especially fond of optics. In 1926 he became a student at Harvard University, but soon dropped out. Land was eager to invent, and his studies prevented him from doing so. All forces were thrown at inventions, and soon it justified itself. Edwin first invented polarizing lenses for car headlights that illuminated the road without dazzling oncoming cars. Later, he created the world's first polarized sunglasses.

Contemporaries of the inventor say that he always showed creativity when promoting their inventions. For example, when he wanted to sell his polarizing filters for use in sunglasses to top managers from the American Optical Company, he rented a hotel for a meeting, put a goldfish aquarium on the windowsill, and when the guests arrived, he handed each a polarizing plate. The trick was that on a sunny day, due to the glare gold fish inside the aquarium was not visible, and with the help of a polarizing plate, top managers could immediately see it.

Inventor Edwin Land and future president of Polaroid, 1958:

Impressing his guests in this way, Land immediately declared that from now on, sunglasses should be made from polarized glass, and they almost immediately agreed to invest in this idea. Surprisingly, in 1929, Land, at the age of 20, returned to Harvard to continue his studies. And the head of the Harvard Physics Laboratory, Theodore Lyman, goes forward and puts the laboratory at his disposal. So impressed was the professor with the achievements of the 20-year-old half-educated student.

Polaroid is a word Land didn't like at all at first.

Already in 1937 successful entrepreneur Edwin Land founded Polaroid, a company specializing in optical engineering. The term polaroid was first used by Professor Clarence Kennedy in 1934 when he talked about Land's work in the search for a material that polarizes light. Land didn't like the word at first. He himself wanted to call the material he invented epibollipol (from the Greek words "flat" and "polarizer"). But Land's colleagues convinced him that Kennedy's easy-to-pronounce word suited his invention better.

During World War II, Polaroid became major supplier optics for the military - binoculars, night vision devices, periscopes and many other devices were supplied to the troops. Land also participated in the development of complex military equipment. So, during the war, his company received a contract from the US government for $ 7 million to develop an infrared guidance system for homing projectiles. By the way, the American military command appreciated Land's developments. So, in 1944, all American pilots had Polaroid glasses, similar to a snorkeling mask, which provided excellent visibility.

Land's famous camera was inspired by a question from his daughter

After the end of the war, Land was finally able to do what he had long wanted to do - the development of a camera that would combine the processes of photography and image processing. Edwin was inspired by this invention by his three-year-old daughter while on vacation in Santa Fe in 1943. Land took a picture of her, and the girl was upset to learn that her father could not show her the resulting photograph right now. Why? Instead of explaining to his daughter why this was impossible, Land asked himself the same question and very soon realized that his daughter's claim was absolutely correct. It is possible to create a camera that takes instant pictures.

The development of such a camera took at least three years - at first there were many military orders, and the work itself to find new photographic material, which made it possible to take a photograph in a few tens of seconds, progressed slowly. That work was somewhat reminiscent of Edison's search for a suitable material for a lamp filament. Remember famous quote Edison about it: “I did not suffer defeats. I just found 10,000 ways that don't work." Land later also recalled that period of searching: “Inventing something, it is important not to be afraid to fail. Scientists make great discoveries only because they put forward hypotheses and conduct experiments. Failure follows failure, but they don't give up until they get the results they want."

By the way, among inventors in terms of the number of registered patents, only Thomas Edison is ahead of Edwin Land - Edwin had about 600 of them.

Edwin did it all. He ensured that the photosensitive surface in his camera simultaneously acted as a film and as a photograph. Land demonstrated his "instant" camera for the first time in February 1947 at a meeting of the American Optical Society. Those present were delighted. And on November 26, 1948, Land's revolutionary cameras went on sale under the name Polaroid Land Camera Model 95 and cost $90. It was a lot of money for that time, but the first batch was sold out on the same day.

Here it is, the first Polaroid - Land Camera Model 95:

Land made Americans fall in love with the art of photography

The first photographs taken by Land's camera were inferior in quality to those taken in the traditional way. And the cost of making a picture was higher, but this did not stop the Americans. Already in 1950, the millionth roll of film was sold. At the same time, Land continuously improved his cameras and films. They say that he was especially concerned about ease of use, and he brought all the new experimental models home and watched how convenient it was for his wife and children to take photos with them, load the film, get finished photo.

Land's contribution to the popularization of photography cannot be overstated. Today, thanks to the popular Instagram app, millions of people around the world have become addicted to mobile photography, and then Polaroid cameras were such a catalyst. Many of those who discovered the world of photography with the help of Polaroid later switched to professional cameras, became professional photographers. Almost every party and wedding in those days in the United States was accompanied by photography, and photographs were given to departing guests as a keepsake. For those who were born in the USSR, it is not difficult to imagine. We had the same boom in instant photography, only much later. In the USSR, official sales of Polaroid cameras began in 1989.

In the 1960s, Polaroid was taught to take color photos and the price of the camera was reduced to $20.

In fact, work on color images began immediately after the start of sales of the very first camera models. But the period of trial and error took almost 15 years.

Another breakthrough product of that time was the Polaroid Swinger camera - it cost only $ 20, thanks to which, apparently, it became the most commercially available camera. successful product companies. By the mid-1960s, about half of American households owned a Polaroid camera.

Polaroid Swinger:

The landmark, fully automatic, Polaroid SX-70 went on sale in 1972.

The real breakthrough came in 1972, when the Polaroid SX-70 camera was introduced to the world, the same camera for which Land received a patent in the summer of 1970. This was the first fully automated pocket camera. The photographer had only to load the cassette, point the lens and press the button. A minute later, the photo was ready. If we compare, we can say that it was the iPhone of its time - the most convenient camera.

Polaroid SX-70:

In previous Polaroid models, the photographer had to remove the negative layer from the photo himself. Now the whole process of obtaining an image proceeded automatically: after pressing the shutter button, the photograph left the camera and fully developed within a few minutes. It was these automatic models that became widespread in the USSR in the late 1980s and 1990s.

Land himself commented on that model: "My main task was to create a camera that would become a part of you, which would always be with you." The model has become epochal. Excellent sales, another boom in photography in the US, a rapid increase in the value of the company's shares. In the 1970s, Polaroid was one of the most successful companies in the world, and Edwin Land and his camera even appeared on the cover of Time magazine.

Polaroid becomes an "aesthetic" event in the 1970s

Land tried to promote his products not only to the masses, but also among artists. He said: "... The invention of instant photography is also an aesthetic event: it allowed people who see artistic value in the everyday world around them to get a new environment for self-expression." Appreciate how strongly this resonates with the philosophy of photographic social network Instagram! In those years, exhibitions of polaroid photographs taken by celebrities are organized. Polaroid shoot Andy Warhol, Helmut Newton ...

Edwin Land was the idol of Steve Jobs

This seems unsurprising. After all, Land has always sought to create the most convenient products for users, and periodically created completely new products. Jobs adhered to the same philosophy. It is known that technical innovators knew each other and communicated. Steve Jobs especially remembered the phrase of his idol, said by Land at a meeting with him: “The world is like fertile soil that is waiting to be cultivated. It is necessary to plant seeds and harvest, which is what I do.”

In 1982, Edwin Land was forced to resign from his own company.

Top managers and shareholders of Polaroid were not happy with the way their boss does business, they complained that he uses totalitarian methods, he makes all key decisions himself. According to other Polaroid executives, Land held back the development of the company: he refused to merge with other companies, always had a negative attitude towards raising credit funds, did not put a penny on marketing research and had little faith in marketing and advertising. As a result, under pressure from shareholders in 1975, Land was removed from the post of president of the company, then deprived of the post of chairman of the board of directors, and in 1982, 73-year-old Land was forced to resign.

It is curious that in 1985, Steve Jobs during one of his speeches said: “Dr. Edwin Land was a real rebel. He was kicked out of Harvard and founded Polaroid. Not only was he one of the greatest inventors of his time. More importantly, he was able to see the intersection of art and science with business and created an organization in which this philosophy was embodied. Polaroid succeeded for several years, but subsequently Dr. Land, one of the brilliant rebels, was forced to leave his own company. And that's one of the biggest stupid things I've ever heard in my life." In that 1985, Jobs himself was asked to leave the company he created.

In 1985, Polaroid received a then-record payoff from Kodak.

Litigation between the two giants of the photography industry began after Eastman Kodak began developing its instant photography system in 1975. Then Polaroid's lawyers filed a claim for infringement of the patent owner's rights. The lawsuit lasted for about a decade, but in the end, Kodak's behavior was called wrongful by the Supreme Court of Appeal. The company had to wind down all its developments in the field of instant photography and, in addition, pay Polaroid $ 925 million. In modern times, something similar has happened between Apple and Samsung, bringing Land and Jobs closer again. Although by the time the lawsuit concluded, Land had long since ceased working for Polaroid.

The solemn celebration of the 50th anniversary of Polaroid took place in 1987 without the founder of the company, E. Land

Land never returned to Polaroid. At that time, Dr. Land continued to work as a researcher at the institute, and on March 1, 1991, at the age of 81, he passed away.

Polaroid itself outlived its founder by only a decade. The new management did not invest in the emerging digital photography. Soon, many people preferred digital cameras to Polaroid instant cameras. Express printing labs, which were gaining popularity, also played their part. People preferred to save money: it was cheaper to print photos in the laboratory, the pictures were better and more durable, and the loss in time was no longer so significant. Having taken on too many loans, Polaroid filed for bankruptcy in October 2001.

Despite the bankruptcy, the famous brand continued to exist.

That company ceased to exist, but the brand did not die. In early 2009, a new Polaroid company introduced a digital camera equipped with a built-in color printer, the Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera. And in 2012, the company returned to Russian market— with digital instant cameras and a pocket printer. Let's hope that the famous brand, which in the middle of the last century made the world fall in love with the art of photography, is waiting for a successful revival.

Controlling light to reduce glare is a longtime dream of Dr. Edwin Land.
It came to fruition in 1929, when the founder of the Polaroid Corporation was the first in the world to invent polarizing lenses for sunglasses.

Over 90% of glasses sold on the market today do not have polarizing filters.

The ones that do don't always have the same effect as Polaroid lenses. Working on the principle of a polarizing sheet, special vertical Polaroid sun lenses completely eliminate glare. Polarizing filters consist of long parallel fibers that block light traveling in a plane perpendicular to these fibers (i.e. horizontal "dazzle waves"), only useful vertical light waves pass through. Polarizing sun lenses selectively absorb light waves traveling in all directions except for vertical ones.

The complex 7-layer construction of Polaroid lenses is built around one central element: a polarizing light filter. Constructed from quality molded bityrate, the lens material is laminated to optical standards for uniform thickness, clarity and impact resistance. This S13 polarizing material is made up of 7 functional elements carefully put together. Both sides of the filter are laminated with ultraviolet light absorbers that cut off harmful ultraviolet rays down to 400 nanometers. Buffer elements are laminated to both sides of the UV absorbers, making the lens material lightweight and flexible - and at the same time remarkably strong.

A hard coating is attached to both sides of the surface of the S13 material. It gives the material ten times the strength of many conventional plastics.

Pictures showing the benefits of polarized glasses:
it is without glasses on a rainy day.
And this is with glasses.
without glasses on a bright sunny day.
wearing polarized glasses.

About blinding headlights from oncoming cars :

Driver's 24/7 glasses are glasses with light brown, orange or yellow lenses, only they can be used both day and night. Polarized dark brown and green lenses are only suitable for daytime driving.
Non-polarized glasses with dark brown or black lenses are also not suitable for daytime driving and can even be dangerous for the driver.

Glass or plastic?

Firstly,
glass glasses are quite expensive - more than 30 dollars.
Secondly,
dropping them on a stone, you lose them. :((

Image quality through high-quality plastic and glass is almost the same. Glass is also heavier. Plastic has one significant drawback - the glasses are very scratched, so you need to wear them only in a special soft case, otherwise it will become impossible to catch them in a season.

Points are:

• from unknown plastic;
• made of plastic that some well-known company (for example, Polaroid) has tested and which meets the ANSI Z.87.1 standard for "optical clarity" ;
• from ordinary polycarbonate, which is superior to just plastic in terms of impact-break strength, polarization efficiency, scratch resistance, optical distortion;
• from glass, which surpasses all plastics and polycarbonates in all respects, except for resistance to impact, drop and weight;
• CR-39 special optically correct material (inferior to glass in scratch resistance and the same in impact strength);
• from various materials (not glass) patented by well-known optical (not design) companies, such as SR-91 Kaenon, XVZ, etc.

How to check the polarization of glasses?

Option one:

Take two intended polarized glasses and align them lens to lens. Then turn some glasses 90 degrees relative to others and look at the light (the axis of rotation passes through the centers of the lenses). If the glasses are polarized, then the clearance in the lenses will become dark, if simple glasses, then nothing will change.

Option two:

Take one prospective polarized glasses, look at any LCD monitor (you can use the display cell phone or the monitor of any payment terminal) and rotate the glasses 90 degrees relative to the monitor (display) ((the axis of rotation passes through the center of the glasses and the center of the LCD monitor)). If the glasses are truly polarized, the image will darken or become completely dark (depending on the degree of polarization). If the glasses are simple, then nothing will change.

Source - Internet.

Edwin Herbert Land (1930s).

In 1883, after the accession to the throne of Alexander III, the persecution of Jews began in Russia. It was then that the whole Land family: grandfather Abraham Solomonovich, grandmother Ella, uncles Sam and Louis and his father Harry - emigrated from Odessa to America. An enterprising grandfather started his own business of buying and processing scrap metal. On May 7, 1909, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Harry Land and his wife Matha Goldfagen had a son, the future world-famous inventor, who was named Edwin. In the family, the boy was called Din (Din), because the younger sister Helen could not pronounce the full name of Edwin. This short nickname remained with Land for the rest of his life - both friends and business partners called him that. From a young age, Edwin experimented a lot with light, kaleidoscopes and stereoscopes, and often ran to the local library to gawk at the telescope installed there. And once, in a fit of curiosity, he disassembled his father's phonograph into parts, for which he was flogged by a strict parent. At the age of thirteen, his parents sent Edwin to a summer camp near Norwich, Connecticut. There he saw an experiment demonstrating the decomposition of a light beam into a spectral beam using a glass pyramid made of Icelandic spar. This event greatly influenced and determined Land's further sphere of interests. At this age, Edwin first read a textbook on optical physics by the famous scientist Robert Williams Wood, and this book replaced the Bible for him for many years. At school, Edwin gave special preference to the natural sciences. After graduation, the boy's parents paid for tuition at Harvard University. However, a few months later, Land unexpectedly dropped out of the university. It seemed to him that studying at Harvard only fettered his scientific initiative; Land felt that he was ready to make discoveries - and he knew exactly in what area. The direction of research was suggested by life itself. One night, when Edwin was thirteen, he was awakened by a terrible noise. It was a collision between a car and a farm van. As an adult, Land thought a lot about this case: how to make headlights powerful, but at the same time their light does not blind drivers of oncoming cars? The decision was made: to make polarizing filters with which it would be possible to "dim" the bright light. The problem was in the material. After a series of experiments, Land settled on plastic, which, as a result of appropriate processing, acquired the necessary properties. So Edwin Land invented polarizing lenses for car headlights that illuminated the road without blinding oncoming cars. In 1929, having perfected the invention and received his first patent, Edwin Land triumphantly returned to Harvard University. The results of his work so impressed Theodore Lyman, head of the Department of Physics, that he gave the promising student a separate laboratory for research. And in 1932, Land himself led seminars on the polarization of light - an unprecedented honor for a man who had not yet received a diploma. However, despite the persuasion of his colleagues, Land did not aim for a scientific degree, but tried to realize his second talent as an entrepreneur. Working with physics professor George Wheelwright, he founded the Land-Wheelwright Company. Her task was to commercialize the invention, which by that time had become interested in the research laboratories of such giants as General Motors, General Electric and Eastman Kodak. As for academic degrees, in 1957 Harvard did make Land an honorary doctorate. In the 1930s, Edwin Land began to collaborate with lawyer Donald Brown, which lasted more than 40 years. Patent law was considered Brown's strong point, thanks to which all Land's ideas were surrounded by an indestructible wall of patents, which excluded the possibility of any copying of inventions. In 1934, Kodak became the first customer of the new company to decide to use Land's polarizers as filters for cameras. The following year, American Optical Company bought a license from Land-Wheelwright to manufacture sunglasses. Edwin Land has always been creative in promoting his inventions. A fan of personal presentations, to sell his polarizing filters, Land rented a hotel to meet with top executives from the American Optical Company, placed an aquarium with a goldfish on the windowsill, and when the guests arrived, handed each a polarizing plate. The trick was that on a sunny day, due to the glare, the goldfish inside the aquarium was not visible, but with the help of a polarizing plate, top managers could immediately see it. Impressed guests immediately agreed to invest in this idea. Already in the late 1930s, the first pair of glasses was sold. In 1937, with the proceeds, Land was able to transform his company into the Polaroid Corporation. The term polaroid was first used by Professor Clarence Kennedy in 1934 when he talked about Land's work to find a material that polarizes light. Land didn't like the word at first. He himself wanted to call the material he invented epibollipol (epibollipol, from the Greek words for “flat” and “polarizer”). But Land's colleagues convinced him that the easy-to-pronounce word polaroid was a better fit for his invention. Initially, Polaroid did not deal with cameras, releasing sunglasses, polarizing glasses for various purposes for civilian devices and military equipment. Demand grew, and soon Polaroid products crossed the borders of Europe and Asia. 1939 marked a new stage in the development of the young company. Polaroid received $7 million from the US government to develop homing projectiles. Defense work continued during the Second World War. Polaroid launched the production of night vision devices, periscopes, binoculars, aerial reconnaissance devices and other similar equipment. In 1944, all military pilots received new Polaroid glasses. The lenses of these goggles, similar to a large windshield, were made of unbreakable plastic. They provided excellent visibility and protected the pilots' eyes from hypothermia and flashes of fire. In 1944, Land took a vacation with his three-year-old daughter Jennifer in Santa Fe, where they took a lot of pictures on walks. And once the girl asked her father why she could not immediately look at the finished photograph. Within an hour, Edwin Land had outlined the concept of instant photography.

It took about three years to bring the idea to life. The search for a new photographic material, which made it possible to obtain a photograph in a few tens of seconds, progressed slowly and was somewhat reminiscent of the search for a suitable material for an incandescent lamp filament by Edison. Edison himself put it this way: "I didn't fail. I just found 10,000 ways that don't work." Land later also recalled that period of research: “When inventing something, it is important not to be afraid to fail. Scientists make great discoveries only because they put forward hypotheses and conduct experiments. Failure follows failure, but they do not stop until they achieve the results they achieve. they need." He achieved that the photosensitive surface acted both as a film and as a photograph. In February 1947, Land demonstrated a prototype of the new camera at a meeting of the American Optical Society. The essence of the invention was as follows: after exposure, the film was rolled between special rollers, with the help of which reagents were applied to it for developing and fixing the image. It was removed from the camera ready for printing. The inventor always paid special attention to the convenience of using the device he invented. They say that before launching the next camera model into production, he brought it home and showed it to his wife and children - in order to make sure that even housewives could load a film or cassette on their own and take a normal picture. In 1948, the production of Polaroid Land 95 cameras was launched, which immediately after shooting produced a finished picture. In addition, the company also released special cassettes for them. The cassette contained photographic material or a combination of photographic materials and reagents resulting in a paper-based positive image. A picture taken by the first Polaroid cameras cost a lot - $ 1. At that time, this was very decent money, for example, a classic hamburger cost several times cheaper. And although the time for cheap shots has not yet come, the realization of the idea of ​​​​instant photography brought huge popularity to the company, which has since been called the "factory of inventions". The Land 95 first went on sale on November 26, 1948 at the Jordan March department store in Boston. It cost $89.75. Land deliberately did not exceed the threshold of $100. Land considered the main consumer group to be the middle class, which, after the war, willingly spent money on entertainment and goods of this kind.

The calculation turned out to be correct: the cameras were a huge success in the market. The very next year, Polaroids were sold for more than $9 million, and in 1950 the millionth roll of film was bought. It was easy to buy a Polaroid, it was sold almost "at every corner". The invention of Edwin Land changed the style of parties, weddings and other celebrations in America in many ways. Now each guest could take away his own set of pictures from the festival - instead of waiting weeks or even months for the hosts to send him a photo.

In 1958, Polaroid opened its first foreign offices in Canada and West Germany, then the company's branches appeared in the UK, France, Italy, Japan, and in 1989 even in the USSR, isolated by the Iron Curtain. In 1963, the company released the first camera, which makes it possible to receive color images immediately. Research into a color photo printing system began at the same time as the very first cameras that produced instant black-and-white shots began to be sold, and it wasn't until almost 15 years later that Polaroid employees were able to achieve success. Released in 1965, the Polaroid Swinger camera marked the next round in the popularity of instant photography. Since the Polaroid Swinger only cost $20, it quickly became the company's most commercially successful product. By the mid-1960s, about half of American households were using Polaroid cameras.

Polaroid 20 (Swinger) (1965)

In 1968, the Japanese company Mikami developed a Speed ​​Magny 100 instant photo back for the first reflex camera Nikon F series. The long optical path "ate" about 5 stops of light, so a shutter speed of 1/250s corresponded to 1/8s. The Speed ​​Magny design completely replaced the standard camera back. The device used the standard Polaroid 8.5 x 10.8 cm format, including 669, 665 P / N and 679. Similar devices have been developed for almost all popular brands such as Hasselblad, Mamiya and others. Speed ​​Magny instant backs were discontinued in the early 80s.

Ten years later, in 1978, Polaroid itself, together with the Japanese Mamiya, launched the Polaroid 600 SE model, developed on the basis of the Mamiya Press model. The 6x9 medium format camera Mamiya Press had a design based on a modular principle: not only the lens was interchangeable, but also the back. One version of the case, equipped with a back for instant photography, was sold on the market under the Polaroid brand.

The invention of instant photography Edwin Land tried to make part of modern art. He urged famous photographers time to use Polaroid cameras. The most famous lover of instant photography was the famous Andy Warhol. True, thanks to Warhol, "Polaroid" pictures became rather scandalous - one of Warhol's hobbies, who was considered a real Polaroid "addict", was to photograph in the "nude" style of guests who came to him. The Museum of Modern Art in New York has begun collecting and exhibiting the famous Polaroid Photography Collection, which currently has about 20,000 works. After instant photography became affordable from a financial point of view, all forces were thrown into automating the process. The real breakthrough came in 1972. The world was introduced to the Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera, the first fully "motorized" model. In previous Polaroid cameras, the photographer had to remove the negative layer from the photo himself. Now the whole process of obtaining an image proceeded automatically: after pressing the shutter button, the photograph left the camera and fully developed within a few minutes. The first presentation of the SX-70 took place on April 25, 1972 at the annual meeting of Polaroid shareholders. Edwin Land took the stage and, lighting his pipe, began his speech by saying: "After today, photography will never be the same again."

In 1972 Land, camera in hand, was featured on the cover of Life magazine, in the issue of which there was an article dedicated to the release of the new Polaroid SX-70 camera. The article was titled: "Instant Karma: Edwin Land and His 'Magic..." which means: "Instant Karma: Edwin Land and His Magic...". In June of the same year, on the cover of another popular magazine - Time. In the issue in the "Marketing" section there was an article "Polaroid's Big Gamble on Small Cameras", which can be translated as "The Big Polaroid Game in the Small Camera Market". The company invited the popular actor Sir Laurence Olivier to advertise the camera. This was his first and last advertising campaign.The model expected a resounding success, to which Wall Street immediately responded: the corporation's shares grew 90 times in a year, which allowed Polaroid to enter the Nifty Fifty - the rating of the 50 most attractive companies for investors.In the 1970s, Polaroid became one of the most successful companies in the world.

Since then, the number of models has become more and more, the price for them and consumables - ever lower. In the 70s - 80s, Polaroid became a truly "folk" camera, which is remembered with nostalgia by all of America and most of the world. The model became a milestone, provoking another boom in photography. Land himself commented on the work on the creation of the Polaroid SX-70: "My main task was to create a camera that would become a part of you, which would always be with you." The most famous model of the SX-70 family, developed in 1977, was the 1000 OneStep camera, which for the first time appeared in the design of the proprietary right button. Built on the technology of the SX-70 and using the same film format, the camera embodied a new cost-cutting strategy. The company's engineers sought to develop mass-produced goods, not a futuristic marvel. The OneStep camera used a fixed focus lens, which forced the photographer to shoot from a distance of four steps. Instead of the previous natural leather casing, plastic with a cheerful rainbow stripe was used. The design of the series became legendary and formed the basis for the presentation of the image of Polaroid. At the origins of formation corporate identity was designer Paul Giambarba, who joined the Polaroid team in 1958 to develop a new visual brand. It was necessary to separate Polaroid products from the crowded trade counters goods from Kodak. One of the conditions put forward by Edwin Land is the presence of a dominant white color. This is how a simple, beautiful and unique visual language was developed.

Supercolor 1000/Polatronic 1 (1977).

In April 1976, Eastman Kodak tried to circumvent patent restrictions and introduced its first Kodak EK4 instant camera. It was an aborted project, driven in part by Kodak's fear. The success of the SX-70 series cameras was so resounding that it really could define the future of photography. Two years later, an automatic version was released - Kodak EK6. Kodak cameras had a vertically oriented body with a complex optical path that used a system of internal mirrors. Then came the Kodak EK 100 version, which had a slightly different body design. The series was also produced under a different name Colorburst. The cameras of the PLEASER and HANDLE series had a simpler design: now the future image was located in the focal plane. The entry of a competitor into the instant photography market, which almost single-handedly created Polaroid, ended the serene relationship between the companies. Kodak was much more than Polaroid. The giant had unlimited resources at its disposal. But Kodak cameras were clunky, unattractive, and heavy. Polaroid cameras weighed almost half as much and had bold design and innovative technical solutions. Land was not shy about admitting that the patent wall that lawyers built around his inventions made Polaroid a monopoly. This right to a monopoly was successfully defended by Polaroid for many years in litigation with various plagiarists. So Edwin Land took up the challenge, and six days after Kodak announced its instant photography camera, filed a patent infringement suit, responding with another aphorism: "The only thing that keeps us alive is our exclusivity. And the only thing that protects our exclusivity, - patents. By then, Kodak had already sued Polaroid for violating antitrust laws. It took five years for Polaroid's lawsuit against Kodak to go to court. Four years later, a verdict was issued that found that Kodak had infringed on seven Polaroid patents. Kodak was forced to stop manufacturing its instant photography cameras. A ban was also imposed on the release of films for already sold Kodak cameras. In July 1991, four months after Land's death, Kodak paid Polaroid $925 million in damages, a record amount for such a claim. Experts estimated the possible amount of compensation from $2 billion to $16 billion.

The course of this patent war was followed with particular interest in the Japanese company FujiFilm, since a lawsuit was also brought against them. The FujiFilm Fotorama camera largely copied the Kodak design, and had the same form factor. The Japanese company understood that Polaroid would not sell a license. As a result, an agreement was reached on the exchange of technologies: Polaroid began to produce VHS cassettes and Floppy discs, using many years of development in the field of magnetic media of the Japanese concern, and FujiFilm got the opportunity to further develop instant photography technology under its own brand. Under the terms of the agreement, FujiFilm products were only available in the Asian market and in selected countries like Canada and Australia, while the largest markets in the US and Europe were closed to them under the terms of the agreement for the duration of the Polaroid patent. In 1998, Polaroid's US patent expired and FujiFilm introduced its new line of Instax instant photography cameras. After the end of the monopoly in the instant photography market, the shares of the American company fell by 44%. Before the bankruptcy of Polaroid remained 3 years.

In 1978, Polaroid collaborated with the Japanese company Mamiya to release the Polaroid 600 SE. Such cooperation was beneficial for both parties: the Japanese Mamiya did not claim the instant photography market, and Polaroid marked its presence in the professional photography segment.

SX-70 Time-Zero Model 2 (1978).

Polaroid One Step 600 (1983). Polaroid Spirit 600 (1988).

From 1977 to 1979, Polaroid also produced Polavision Super 8 reversible film, and from 1983 Polachrome 35mm reversible film. In the second half of the 1980s, a new family of single-stage photoprocess cameras, the Polaroid Impulse, came out. The line was represented by three models, differing only in focusing (focusing). The Polaroid Impulse model was equipped with a hard-wired lens focused at a hyperfocal distance of 1.2 meters to infinity. In the Polaroid Impulse Portrait model, it was possible to change the minimum focusing distance from 0.6 to 1.2 m. When the attachment lens was extended, a frame with a visible oval appeared in the viewfinder's field of view. In this oval, when sighting, a person's face was observed. The Portrait inscription was not applied to every body of the camera, but the presence of an extension lens extension key was a distinctive feature. The Polaroid Impulse Autofocus (Polaroid Impulse AF) camera was equipped with autofocus. After preliminary pressing the shutter release button, focusing occurred, which was signaled by light and sound signals, after which, by pressing the button to the end, it was possible to take a sharp photograph. In the USSR, instant photography peaked in the 1980s and 1990s. The production of Polaroid cameras was launched at the Svetozar plant. The Polaroid 635 CL and Polaroid 636 Closeup models were produced with a frame size of 78 x 79 mm. The shutter was of the central type. The uncoated lens (14.6/109) was made of optical plastic. The focus was set to hyperfocal distance. Exposure - automatic. The built-in flash was on a swing arm. The viewfinder is parallax, optical. Case material - shock-resistant plastic. The flash was charged after moving from the transport position to the working one. The light green LED was lit when the camera was ready for use. The shutter would not fire without the flash being fully charged. The automatic frame counter showed the number of shots remaining. For photographs with a wider format of 9.2 x 7.3 cm, there was a rather rare in the USSR, but still quite well-known model - Polaroid Impulse, made not in the form of a familiar "clamshell", but in a single body with a pop-up flash.

Polaroid Impulse Portrait (1988).

In 1983, the Konica Instant Press camera entered the Japanese market, which a year later began to be sold outside of Japan. It was the first successful copy of the Polaroid 195. The Konica Instant Press camera provided a decent professional quality and had good commercial success. The camera was equipped with an instant photo back. The film format used was Polaroid CB103 standard, which produced a 3 ¼ × 4 ¼" image size. The camera was equipped with an excellent Hexanon 110mm f/4.0 lens, the Copal shutter worked from 1 second to 1/500, and T-and-B, setting exposition was carried out only in manual mode. The minimum distance to the subject is 0.6m. This is much closer than the professional Polaroid models (180, 190, 195), which had this figure of 1.3m. Also closer than Fuji FOTORAMA FP-1 - 0.8m. The mid-20th century Konica Instant Press's ergonomic design allows the lens to fold into a rugged housing.

In the late 1970s, Polaroid attempted to make another breakthrough by launching the Polavision system, a device for creating instant films. The Polavision kit included a camera, an instant reel cartridge, and a desktop viewing screen. The result of Polavision's work was two-minute-forty-second silent films. The Polavision system was expected to fail. Just ten years ago it would have been a miracle. But at that time, the technology of video recording on magnetic media turned out to be more promising and interesting for the mass consumer, since it provided the possibility of fixing sound, and the length of the video had no restrictions. Polaroid suffered significant losses and was forced to admit defeat in this market segment. Edwin Land, who turned 68 a couple of weeks after Polavision was unveiled, believed passionately in the new technology and hoped to replicate the success of the SX-70. He took his defeat keenly and did not resist his resignation as president of Polaroid. Land ran the company on his own principles. He did not recognize mergers, which at the end of the 20th century became one of the ways to stay on the market in the conditions of the development of new technologies, believed that only earned money should be invested, not borrowed money, did not put marketing research in a penny, and had little faith in marketing and advertising . The management style was based on the colossal authority of the inventor. After retiring, Land watched his offspring without any emotion. The design of cameras has undergone, as it may seem at first glance, small changes - the inscription "Land camera" has disappeared. It was a sign of great disrespect to the creator of Polaroid, who, disillusioned with the new management of the company, sold all his shares and even refused to attend the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Polaroid in 1987. He never returned to Polaroid. In 1980, he founded The Rowland Institute for Science, a non-profit research institute, where he became a research assistant after his dismissal. On March 1, 1991, at the age of 81, Edwin Herbert Land passed away.

Widely known in the 80s and 90s, Polaroid failed to find its place in the photographic market in the new digital age. The company had its own vision of the future of digital photography. According to the company, the consumer wanted to get a ready-made photo right away, so the developers focused on improving the printing process, and not on developing the digital cameras themselves. This misconception was based on the fact that the company made most of its profits from selling instant film, not cameras. On this basis, by 1989, 42 percent of the research and development budget was for photographic printing technology. True, Polaroid still managed to shoot one more time - in 1999, almost 10 million copies of the I-Zone digital camera were sold. But the following year, sales plummeted, the company ended the year with a loss, and debts piled up. To pay off, the company had to take out a loan after a loan, but it failed to catch up with competitors and take part in the section of the digital photography market.

By 2000, the company could no longer compete with participants in the digital photography market. The new management of Polaroid, following the principle of "we do not do electronics" for many years, refused to invest in the development of digital technologies. The growing popularity of express printing labs also played a role, with their explosion in the photo services market all over the world. The locomotive of the ubiquitous distribution of express printing was the same Kodak - a former partner, and then a sworn enemy. The advantages of instant photography began to gradually fade away. In a photo lab with automatic negative film development and photo printing, an amateur photographer could print his pictures in an hour - the loss in time was no longer so significant. The prints were cheaper, better quality and more durable.

The popularity of digital cameras has finally driven Polaroid instant cameras out of the market. Only one name remained from the former company - "Polaroid". During the previous three years The company's shares fell from nearly $50 a share to 28 cents. In October 2001, after taking on too much debt, Polaroid filed for its first bankruptcy. After that, most of Polaroid's business was sold to Bank One's Imaging Corporation. In 2003, the company entered the consumer electronics market and began producing portable DVD players and LCD TVs. In 2004, together with the American company Foveon, originally known as "Foveonics", they announced the release of the digital compact camera x530. The production of new items was located at the plant of the Hong Kong company World Wide Licenses Ltd. (a division of The Character Group PLC). Released under the Polaroid trademark, the camera was equipped with a 4.5 MP Foveon X3 sensor. Before that, Foveon matrices were not found in amateur devices, appearing only in the D-SLR devices Sigma SD9 / SD10 of the Japanese corporation of the same name. By the way, since November 11, 2008, 100% of the shares of Foveon are owned by Sigma Corporation. In April 2005, Polaroid was acquired by Petters Group Worldwide for $426 million from Imaging Corporation. And on December 19, 2008, Polaroid filed for bankruptcy for the second time, resorting to Article 11 of the US law. The company itself argued that the bankruptcy was technical in nature and Polaroid would continue to work, and the 11th article would allow the company to carry out financial restructuring. The FBI was investigating CEO Tom Petters, who was accused of fraud in the amount of $ 2 billion. The investigation had no claims against Polaroid itself. The culprit of Polaroid's problems federal authorities considered not the financial crisis, but its own owner. A jury found former Polaroid CEO Tom Petters guilty of 20 counts of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering. According to the prosecutor, Petters is guilty of organizing fraudulent schemes that allowed him to steal $ 3.5 billion. In early 2008, it was announced that film production for instant photography would be discontinued. A sticker was placed on the packaging of Polaroid cassettes warning consumers that production was now discontinued. The cameras themselves ceased to be produced back in 2007: conveyors were stopped at the company's factories in the USA, Mexico and the Netherlands. In the same year, The Polaroid Book presented the assembled collection of photographs to a wide audience for the first time. In addition, the publication became the only detailed technical reference containing an overview of all Polaroid cameras ever released. The book was sold in the original branded light-protective packaging that Polaroid cassettes were sold in.

Book "The Polaroid Book" (2008). Packaging of the book "The Polaroid Book".

The company ceased to exist, but the brand did not die. The new owner of Polaroid is Patriarch Partners, an indirect investment fund. Despite the problems and setbacks that have accompanied Polaroid for many years, the new owner of the company looks to the future with optimism. The Patriarch Partners Foundation plans to completely revive the brand and continue to release digital novelties. In January 2009, at the Consumer Electronics Show 2009, the company attempted to revive interest in instant photography in the digital age with the introduction of the "Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera". A distinctive feature of this model is its built-in color printer. AT last years global corporations, especially large IT companies, are beginning to live according to the laws of show business. Collaboration with movie stars and popular musical performers allows attracting the attention of an increasing number of the public to their activities. Singer Lady Gaga has become the creative director of a special line of Polaroid cameras. CEO Jamie Salter announced to Polaroid that they have chosen the famous singer because Lady Gaga has a great creative talent with which the star will be able to breathe new passion into the brand of cameras. In 2011, at the same Consumer Electronics Show, singer Lady Gaga, as creative director of Polaroid, introduced three new products at once: sunglasses with a built-in camera and two 1.4-inch OLED displays, a GL10 mobile printer, and an updated Polaroid camera. Gray Label GL30.

Polaroid GL10 (2011).

In 2012, Polaroid launched new instant cameras on the market - Polaroid Z340 and Polaroid PIC300, as well as the Polaroid GL10 pocket printer mentioned above. Having accepted new format, Polaroid has not lost its zest: instant photos have become better, cameras are designed with the latest technical innovations, and the design still distinguishes the company's products from competitors. Now you can pre-edit the photo you like: use a filter, apply a frame, an inscription, etc. New technology Fast ZINK printing allows you to get the finished picture much faster than traditional Polaroid photography. In the same 2012, the Polaroid SC1630 Android HD Smart Camera was introduced - a camera on Android. The device is equipped with a 16-megapixel sensor and a triple optical zoom. Shutter speed - 1/1400, maximum ISO - 3200. There is support for geotagging, image stabilization system and the ability to record video in 720p format.

The popularity of instant photography is still great, despite the rapid development of digital technology. There are many attempts to revive instant photography. In 2000, the American instant photography back manufacturer NPC released the NPC 195, which was a copy of the Polaroid 195. The camera was equipped with the same lens - Tominon 114mm f / 4.5 and a Copal 0 shutter operating in the range from 1/500 to 1 second . In Japan, the camera was sold under the Polaroid brand. The company's main product is the NPC Proback back covers, which used a fiber optic plate to transfer the image from a 35mm camera to Polaroid instant film (two shots could be placed on one film). NPC Proback covers were made in all known formats to fit cameras of most manufacturers.

In 2009, one of the closed factories, located in the Netherlands in the city of Enschede, where cassettes were produced, was bought out by a group of former enthusiastic employees who single-handedly decided to continue this business. They founded their own company called The Impossible Project and a few months later the production of instant photo cassettes was resumed, but using a new proprietary technology. The cassettes were made to be fully compatible with old-style cameras. So that all Polaroid fans can capture moments like never before. Enthusiasts, together with engineers who lost their jobs at that time, repeatedly tried to restore the production of consumables, but constantly faced with the lack of certain chemical substances. A new variety of consumables will still be able to provide a retro quality, similar in effect to what pre-war photographers managed to achieve with silver chloride.

Impossible Project Black & White Film. Impossible Project Instant Film. FUJI FP-1 Professional (1995).

In 2013, Polaroid introduced the new Polamatic app. The new app allows you to edit and share your photos. If you wish, you can stylize photos as pictures from the famous Polaroid - the application also includes the famous branded "white frame". Polamatic also allows you to send photos by email, share them on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Flickr. In 2014, a prototype was developed, called the Instagram Socialmatic Camera. The concept camera has two lenses, one for general shooting and the other for 3D filters. In addition, the camera has an application with which it can become a webcam, and an application for capturing and recognizing QR codes. Socialmatic will run on the Android operating system. The photo you just took can be processed on your Instagram Socialmatic Camera in the same way as with Instagram on mobile phone. After processing, you can immediately post the result on Facebook. The difference is that Instagram Socialmatic Camera is equipped with better optics than mobile phone optics.

Pillow "Polaroid camera".

The legendary design - a cheerful rainbow stripe on a white background - formed the basis for the image of the Polaroid company, which is still associated with something unusual, fashionable and creative.

Components trademark. Polaroid Electronic Imaging logo. New Gray Label "G Pixel" logo.

It is said that during the 50 years of Polaroid's existence, about five billion snapshots were taken with these cameras. Each of them displays small stories from the life of ordinary people from different parts of the world. Including - from Russia. The Polaroid, which appeared in our country in the late 80s and early 90s, seemed like a real miracle of engineering. How did this unusual device work? Why are Polaroids so popular? About this and many other things from the history of the famous camera - in the material "RG".

The miracle of American technology

The first thing that undoubtedly attracted me to the camera was the design. First-class specialists were involved in its development. At that time, such an appearance was perceived as something from a science fiction book, something akin to the technology of the future. And although Polaroid looks bulky and clumsy compared to modern devices, retro lovers still have warm feelings for it.

Ease of use is the main advantage of Polaroid. At the bottom of the camera body was a hinged cover for loading a cassette. After the lid was closed, the electric drive was automatically turned on, and the cassette protection against illumination was removed through a slot in the lid. The algorithm is as follows: you take the cassette, open the protective cover of the device (it is also called the "muzzle"), insert the cassette with the protective cardboard up, snap the lid on, press the button and that's it - the camera is ready to go. No fuss with film loading. In addition, you do not need to adjust and select parameters for illumination.

Polaroid has a single-stage photography system using the diffuse transfer principle to directly reproduce the image recorded on the camera lens on the photosensitive surface. In other words, the photosensitive surface simultaneously acts as both a film and a photograph.

The cassette is designed to receive 8-10 color photographs with a frame size of 78 by 79 millimeters. Pictures do not need laboratory processing: development began immediately after exposure in the camera and ended in the light, a few minutes after the picture was taken out of the camera. A Polaroid photo looked like a color positive image between thin, flexible plastic sheets and framed with thin cardboard.

The founder of Polaroid and the inventor of the miracle of instant photography, Dr. Edwin Land of Connecticut originally equipped his device with black and white film. AT next years he worked on improving the camera, and in 1963 color film appeared.

It was these cameras that were common in the USSR. Exactly color photo Against the backdrop of the dominance of black-and-white photographs and the notorious sepia from photo salons, Polaroid helped to gain popularity among Soviet and Russian citizens.

How Edwin Land Invented the Polaroid

Polaroid Corporation was born in the pre-war 1937. Edwin Land's team developed military optics: night vision devices, periscopes, binoculars. In addition, Land received a multi-million dollar government order to develop a control system for infrared homing projectiles.

According to legend, Edwin Land was forced to develop a unique camera by chance and ... his own daughter. One day, the inventor, while on vacation, took a picture of his daughter, after which he was subjected to "interrogation with predilection": the girl asked why she could not immediately get a picture. All attempts by the father-inventor to explain the complexity of the process of obtaining a photo, the child rejected as unconvincing. The idea fell on fertile ground, and Land thought about how to make the child's dream come true. It took the scientist no more than an hour to develop the concept of instant printing, and three years to create the actual camera.

Initially, 60 cameras were produced. They hit the shelves of a Boston supermarket before Christmas 1949. Polaroid marketers expected that cameras and film could be stale in warehouses: the product was new to buyers, it was difficult to analyze how high the demand for it would be. However, already on the first day of sales, both cameras and all film were swept off the shelves. Land sold $9 million worth of Polaroids in 1949.

Cartridge is a delicate matter

Photo material for "Polaroid" consists of several layers: a protective layer, a sensitive layer, a developer layer - more than ten in all. When the photographer presses the shutter button, the card is exposed, pulled through a roller mechanism, where an alkaline solution enters it, which starts the development process. The development ends already in the light. The whole process takes no more than one and a half minutes.

The inventor came to this decision by trial and error and wrote in his memoirs: “When inventing something, it is important not to be afraid to fail. Scientists make great discoveries only because they put forward hypotheses and conduct experiments. Failure follows failure, but they do not retreat until they get the results they want."

Fans of retro technology need to remember that a Polaroid photo is unique and cannot be remade. There are a few features that come with the cassette technology itself that need to be considered.

If the photo turned out yellow, this means that the frame was overexposed, and there are several possible causes. The picture was not removed in the dark: it is important not to forget that photographs are very sensitive to light when they first come out of the camera. You need to immediately put them in the dark for 2-3 minutes (at least in your pocket or bag). Before the final state, the photo can be additionally developed for about a day. Yellowness can appear if you shoot in very bright light: a blinding sun on snow, for example.

If the photo came out dark, then there is not enough natural light to get a bright picture. Since the first Polaroids were not equipped with a flash, there was only one way out: to shoot in a well-lit room. In this case, you should not come close to the subject, as the frame may turn out blurry.

A very common mistake is the blur effect on part of the picture, similar to smudges. Retro-shooters say that the problem of "leaky" film is more common with modern cassettes. "There can be from 2 to 5 blurry frames in a cassette. Or maybe all of them. This is normal. That's the whole point of Polaroid. Blurs can be both above and below. Try to place faces, objects that you want to photograph closer to the center frame," amateur photographers advise.

By the way, when a picture comes out of the camera, you should not touch it until it appears completely: otherwise, you can affect the distribution of the emulsion and increase the blur effect.

It happens that stripes appear on the photo. As a rule, they partially or even completely disappear in a day, after the film is fully developed.

A couple more tips for those who dare to get their Polaroid from the mezzanine to make fantastic instant photos in retro style. Experts strongly recommend cleaning the rollers through which the frame passes after each cassette. Cartridges are advised to store in the refrigerator, and in no case be exposed to direct sunlight.

Popularity and decline

Amateur photographers in the Soviet Union have always been a special caste. To comprehend the tricky science of photography, it was first necessary to get scarce materials - the apparatus itself, film, developer and fixer. The complexity of the technique was such that a random person could not engage in photography - they studied it, certain conditions were required to obtain high-quality images, the ability to handle capricious film, the ability to cut photographic paper, choose the right proportions and dilute chemicals. A whole mystery! If an amateur photographer lived in the yard, happy children, and even adults, acquired a couple of pictures, which were then stored in family archives for years. Photo studios also worked in the cities, where smart families came to capture their faces for posterity. Even this was not the case in the outback... And now, against the background of the elitism of photography, Polaroid appeared, affordable for many (partly because it was produced at local factories under the license of an American company) and did not require special handling skills. Click the shutter - and the picture is ready! It seemed like a miracle.

Unfortunately, at a very democratic price of the camera itself, the price of cassettes was biting. Two dozen of them were comparable to the cost of the Polaroid itself. The cassettes were disposable. The quality of the pictures left much to be desired. With the seeming advantage - the ability to instantly get a ready-made photograph - the size of the image negated the chances of taking, say, a group picture in which one could see faces without a magnifying glass. The snapshot could not be corrected, re-shot or edited, which not everyone liked either.

The dimensions of the device itself were rather big, which created additional convenience for users. While other brands went down the path of reducing technology, the Polaroid remained a bulky box due to the fact that it contained a cassette immediately with a developer.

Another shortcoming of Polaroid cards came to light over time: it turned out that the pictures were short-lived and after a few years they began to become cloudy and fade in the sun.

Lady Gaga to help you

However, Polaroid does not give up. Despite the declared bankruptcy, the company has seriously taken up the work of reviving interest in instant photography. In 2010, the company took the unexpected step of hiring controversial singer Lady Gaga as creative director. In January 2011, the first brainchild of this strange union was presented to the public - a new the lineup polaroid.

This so-called hello from the past looks almost like a classic Polaroid, except that the body has become significantly more compact, in fact New Product over its own network - a digital camera with a built-in printer. "Under the Polaroid brand, in addition to the Z340E camera, the Polaroid GL10 mobile printer is currently being produced, which connects to any smartphone, camera or computer via USB or Bluetooth. And two more cameras: a small compact Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Digital Camera (the same shape as like ordinary digital soap dishes) and Polaroid 300 Classic Instant Camera (the most inexpensive of this line, in a plastic color case),” Zoom.cnews reports.