It looks like the sky really as fallen: Polaroid are getting out of the film business.
This article on Boston.com says:
The Norwood and Waltham plants make large-format films used by professional photographers and artists. Polaroid also makes professional-grade films in Mexico, and its consumer film packs come from a factory in the Netherlands. All these plants are slated for closure this year. Polaroid chief operating officer Tom Beaudoin said the company is interested in licensing its technology to an outside firm that could manufacture film for faithful Polaroid customers. If that doesn’t happen, Polaroid users would have to find an alternative photo technology, as the company plans to make only enough film to last into next year.
Fuji makes nice pack/peel-apart films (that I actually like better than Polaroid’s). But where does that leave us for Spectra and 600? Fucked!
Oh, did I mention? FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!
I think that Polaroid still makes 600 in Europe. Are they shutting that factory down too?
I can’t even tell you how much this makes me want to cry. Although maybe the unsaleable folks will step up … they’re already selling the SX-70 blend, so maybe they can do something.
The whole thing just really, really sucks.
Yeah…bummer, huh??
Let’s keep our fingers crossed that someone else will pick up the ball on this.
AFAIK SX-70 Blend is just Polaroid-made 600 that Unsaleable puts an ND filter on.
The magnitude of just how much this sucks still hasn’t sunk in yet. Polaroids are pretty much all I like to shoot these days.
Help us, Fuji-wan Kenobi… you’re my only hope.
Time to buy a Fuji Instax?
As a long time user of Polaroid film, both snapshot and medium format I’m gutted by this news. I’ve tried shifting over to Fuji but it’s just to… well, perfect – it behaves impecably, like a well-behaved but stuffy houseguest unlike its woozy hedonistic cousin who turns up late and drinks all the beer. RIP polaroid.
That sucks. Makes me sad.
Any news on where and how much to pay for SX-70 film? Ebay, of course, but anywhere else????
Hi, I really like your site and am just backtracking on your Polaroid posts. I’m a bit unsure about Polaroid film and cameras and which ones link up and so forth. How do I know if my camera takes pack/peel-apart film (I have an old EE88)? Which cameras take this film and the Fuji instant film? Thank you for any help you can give. I’m deeply saddened by the death of Polaroid as I’ve only recently (in the last 2 years) been able to get my hands on Polaroid cameras. I’ve always loved them; I just could never afford them a few years ago when in High School.