Polaroid Camera History
The Polaroid camera arose from a simple question, then grew from oddity to novelty to innovation. Along the way, it not only popularized recreational photography for everyday consumers, but had an impact on professional photography and the development of different types of cameras. While the Polaroid camera is not nearly as prominent as it once was, it now and forever holds an important place in the history of personal photography.
Edwin Land
Edwin Land was an inventor who specialized in working with polarized light. It was an interest he discovered in 1926, during his freshman year at Harvard. During that year, he temporarily left school to work on creating the Polaroid--a new type of polarizer that involved using crystals inside of a plastic sheet. Eventually, he would open a laboratory and apply his research to light filters, optical devices and motion-picture processes.
Introduction of Instant Photography
The idea of instant photography actually came from Land's daughter, who wondered why developing photos took so long. Land decided to take the entire process of developing a print from a negative and combining it in one sheet. He made both print and negative the same size and included a packet of chemicals that would be activated when the film was advanced. When the film was removed from the camera by hand, the chemicals would spread evenly over the negative to develop the picture.
SX-70
The introduction of instant photography to the public in 1948 not only saved the Polaroid Corporation, but helped spur major growth. Over the next couple of decades, the process went through small modifications until the company debuted the SX-70 in 1972. It was the first fully integrated camera and film system. Unlike previous Polaroid versions, the film developed completely outside of the camera. But despite brisk sales, the company struggled financially due to the high costs of research and development.
Company Reorganization
In the mid-1980s, Polaroid restructured into three separate divisions: consumer photography, industrial photography and magnetic media. The move paid nearly immediate dividends with the development of the Spectra camera in 1986--a camera that produced better picture quality. The introduction of the Hybrid IV a few years later brought near-35mm quality pictures to instant photography. In 1993, the company launched the Captiva--a more compact version of its instant cameras whose design was almost indistinguishable from that of conventional cameras.
Outside Forces
As Polaroid moved into the 1990s, it faced challenges from advancements in conventional photography. With the advent of one-hour photo, consumers could take 35mm pictures and not worry about long lag times in developing. The introduction of digital photography combined the best of high-quality photography and instant development. While Polaroid was by far the leader in instant photography, there is a question as to whether the industry has made the technology obsolete.
Tags: Camera History, Edwin Land, instant photography, instant photography, Polaroid camera, Polaroid Camera
