instant camera

A camera that takes and prints the photograph in one self-contained unit. For many decades, instant camera was synonymous with the Polaroid brand. For a while, Kodak offered an instant camera but was forced to stop production after Polaroid filed a patent infringement lawsuit. In the early 1980s, Fujifilm entered the instant camera market and has continued to offer products ever since.

How It Works
When a picture is taken, cyan, magenta and yellow color layers in the film are exposed to light. When it is pulled out of the camera, rollers squeeze a chemical strip at the edge of the film over the surface, which reacts with chemicals in the film to cause it to develop.

The First Polaroid

Invented in 1947 by Edwin Land, the Land Camera made its debut in 1948. (Image courtesy of PLR Ecommerce, LLC, www.polaroid.com)

Polaroid ZINK Camera

Starting in 2008, Polaroid cameras switched to the ZINK film technology. This camera prints 2x3" photos. See ZINK. (Image courtesy of PLR Ecommerce, LLC, www.polaroid.com)

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References in periodicals archive

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FACT The first Polaroid Instant Camera was released in 1948 and cost $89.95--equivalent to about $876 in 2015 dollars.

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However, when Polaroid introduced its first instant camera in 1948, it offered something existing Kodak cameras did not; by eliminating the need for an external darkroom and shortening the time between taking and using a picture, Polaroid's instant camera technology changed the possibilities of amateur and professional photography.

Searching for winks and nods: the complications of analyzing corporate intent in historic branding campaigns

This top-end model is Moog controlled for closed-looped process monitoring and fitted with an instant camera system to detect proper parts ejection, protecting the tool from possible damage.

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Polaroid 300 Instant Camera www.polaroid.com pounds 79.99 ***

Gadgets & Stuff

As Sylvia Wolf cogently states in the exhibit's accompanying catalog essay, "With the instant camera and film, Mapplethorpe defined his sexual identity and artistic persona, developed the basic style and subject matter of his work, and established the personal relationships that would become the foundation of his artistic success.

Art and instant gratification

Polaroid started making polarised sunglasses in the 1930s and introduced the first instant camera in 1948.

Shutters down for Polaroid

Imperfections can be fixed, special effects added and the days when an instant camera was considered hi-tech are long gone.

Photographic fusion; The traditional family portrait has undergone a transformation as Stephen Milton discovers