With a public announcement on September 12th, The IMꟼOSSIBLE Project wraps up and Polaroid Originals is announced, along with a new Polaroid camera, the OneStep2. Back in May, the CEO of IMꟼOSSIBLE, Oskar Smolokowski, arranged for the purchase of the remaining parts of the Polaroid business by TIP. Once merged, all of the TIP film and camera business will continue under the Polaroid Originals brand name. A quick perusal of your favourite online photo store will now turn up Polaroid Originals instant film.
The familiar films from IMꟼOSSIBLE, the new i-Type, SX-70, 600 Type, Spectra and 8x10 instant films will all be available under the new name. Also introduced is the new OneStep2 camera, based on the original OneStep camera of 1977 with a few improvements, such as an aspherical lens. The new camera takes either i-Type or 600 Type film, has an internal rechargeable battery (unlike the Kickstarter Lomo'Instant Square Disclaimer: your editor is backing this Kickstarter), and maintains the ease of use of the original camera all for the low price of $99. Really, instant film is this easy to get into. It is always a conversation starter and people love to pass around the photos, as your editor can attest. Polaroid Originals film is available readily online already, and for the retail slowpokes, the remaining Impossible film can still be used.
The launch of the Polaroid Originals brand comes with a new generation of colour film, sharper and brighter than the Impossible film that came before it. And with development time down to 10-15 minutes, it’s a big step forward for their instant colour chemistry. That is still not all that is new....
They have also unveiled a new magazine, Polaroid Originals Magazine, that covers instant film photographers and photography. Check it out!
Note that while the re-branding is going on, customer details, such as past purchases, new purchases from Polaroid Originals, email notifications and social media contacts are being merged, so that past customers of TIP should have a seamless transition to the new name.
This announcement is fantastic to hear given that this is the 80th anniversary of Edwin Land's Polaroid dream - to give a child a photo she can share in minutes. The choices today in instant film are greater than ever before. Good luck, to the new Polaroid!
