Polaroid Says Goodbye to Instant Photo Technology

Polaroid, the company famous for their instant cameras and photos, has decided to shut down factories within the United States and abroad as they abandon the technology that made instant photos possible. Polaroid will cease all production of its film by next year.

It seems that the instantly gratifying Polaroid images have finally been done in by digital cameras and the endless Flickr pages full of digital images.

Polaroid's instant camera was first introduced in 1948. When it was first unveiled, it was large and bulky with a stainless steel body and black bellows, and the film came on a roll.

The next incarnation of the Polaroid instant camera came in 1963, when they introduced cartridge film with their 100-series camera. It became an instant hit with pro photographers, who would use the Polaroid to take test photos, and instantly use it to check lighting and composition.

The Polaroid instant camera really took off in the 1970's, with the introduction of the SX-70. The company's employment peaked in 1978, and the Polaroid became a must-have.

Fast-forward a few decades to now. The Polaroid, which still enjoyed some success in the 1990's, has died a slow death, and will soon be little more than a memory or a picture in a history book. If you've got a Polaroid instant camera you're still holding on to, now's the time to start stocking up on film.