Polaroid went bust in 2001, and the company formed from its ashes went bust again in 2008. The Polaroid Corporation that formed from that has had a shaky history, releasing digital ‘instant’ cameras and instant photo printers. But on the 80th anniversary of the original company’s founding, Polaroid is back as Polaroid Originals — and it’s making a new instant film camera called the OneStep 2.
Polaroid Originals comes alongside a new instant film called i-Type, and the entire project has come about in a roundabout way. Impossible Project bought Polaroid’s last factory in The Netherlands in a fire sale and saved it from shutdown, and restarted production. Along with acquiring many of Polaroid’s patents, the Impossible Project has rebranded itself as Polaroid Originals — and the OneType 2 is the result.
It’s compatible with the original 600 film type that Polaroids used to use, but also with the new i-Type format. That instant film comes in black and white, colour, and ‘special editions’ yet to be unveiled. It’s a fully analog camera, promising 60 days’ battery life from its internal rechargeable 1100mAh cell (thanks Petapixel). Its fixed lens will capture anything further than two feet away in focus. Priced at around $180 — €119.99, also plus international shipping — the OneStep 2 isn’t cheap, but any kind of retro photography experience — especially if it uses pricy consumable film — isn’t ever, these days.
Polaroid Originals’ OneStep 2 will have strong competition from Fujifilm’s Instax brand, which has been around for nearly 20 years now and makes some of the best instant film cameras you can buy. But we’re nonetheless excited to see Polaroid back with a camera that it can be proud of. [Polaroid Originals]