Polaroid is back with an instant film camera almost 40 years after it launched the original OneStep. Polaroid’s latest instant camera, the OneStep 2, retains the basic design, such as the big red shutter button, cream-colored casing and so on.
Impossible Project comes full circle
Polaroid was once at the helm of instant photography. However, over the years, the company could not keep up with the fast-changing digital era. After it stopped production in 2008, a group of instant photo fans dubbed Impossible Project came together to lease company’s factory and equipment. Earlier this year, the Impossible Project acquired the Polaroid brand and its intellectual property, and this week, it will be branding itself as the Polaroid Originals.
Impossible Project launched its own I-1 instant camera last year, igniting a lot of interest among fans. The I-1 was a blend of analog and digital, but it could not take off for its expensive price tag of $300 and complicated operation, notes Mashable.
A big task for the Project Impossible team was to make the OneStep 2 as simple to use as the OneStep was. In August, Oskar Smolokowski, the company’s CEO, told Mashable that the idea was to create a camera that’s compact and easy to use, and with the OneStep 2, they achieved both. It took the company more than a year to develop the camera.
The simple point-and-shoot OneStep 2 comes with a feature to increase and decrease the exposure. There is also a self-timer feature, shutter release and power switch. The instant camera has a fixed focus 106 mm lens made from optical grade polycarbonate and acrylic with a range of 60cm (about 2 feet) to infinity.
“Every time you press the shutter thousands of chemical reactions ignite to create one real, unpolished, completely unique image,” the company says.
How the Polaroid OneStep 2 is different from others
The Polaroid OneStep 2 is distinct from other instant cameras such as the Fujifilm Instax Sq10 or Polaroid Snap because it does not have anything digital in it. There is just a Micro USB port on the camera for charging and nothing else. The user gets an instant print for every photo shot, and the camera will be compatible with old Polaroid film packs and with black-and-white I-type and 600-type film. Thus, the prints will be larger than those taken by Fujifilm’s Instax Mini and SQ10 cameras, notes CNET.
Smolokowski told Mashable that the camera is designed to last quite long time, even if it is being used daily. The OneStep 2 will last through 20-25 packs of films for extensive use and almost 10 packs on and off during a 60-day period. The Polaroid Originals also developed a special film for the OneStep 2 called i-Type.
“Every instant camera needs a film to go with it, and our i-Type cameras have their own special i-Type film,” the company says. “It’s optimized for the OneStep 2, battery-free (which makes it easier on your wallet) and ready to roll.
The Polaroid OneStep 2 will be available starting October 16 with a price tag of $100. Those interested can now pre-order the camera on the Polaroid Originals’ website.
