What Was Old Is New Again: Instant Film Camera Rises From Ashes in Crowdfunding Campaign
Digital cameras may have killed the Polaroid, but digital technology is bringing something very similar back. The Lomo’Instant Automat is a Polaroid-type camera that prints out physical photographs – shot on film – in seconds.
It’s the subject of a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter.
For people who are used to taking pictures on their phones, it’s a little different. For one thing, there’s no photo sharing, at least not how we usually think of it these days.
There’s also no deleting photos, at least not until they’re printed out. Still, the photos certainly look like the type of thing you’d see on Instagram.
Beyond shooting on film, the Lomo’Instant Automat has a pretty retro look. But that doesn’t mean it’s not high tech.
The creators say it’s designed to be fully automatic, with built-in sensors that set the aperture, shutter speed and flash output.
The goal, they say, is to let people take photos the way they do with digital cameras – not worrying about how they’ll come out – they claim that the automation is good enough to ensure that every photo will at least be well-lit.
This is the second instant film camera developed by New York-baed Lomography.
In 2014, it successfully raised over $1.1 million to fund development of an earlier version.
The group says the’ve learned from that experience and that they’ve applied those lessons to this camera. A big part of that is the automation.
Lomography has seen quite a bit of success on Kickstarter. In addition to the instant film cameras, it’s also had successful campaigns to develop retro camera lenses and 35mm film scanner.
All of the campaigns have combined retro athletics – and sometimes functionality – with the abilities of modern technology.
With over three weeks left to go, the campaign has raised $615,000, almost six times its goal. It is a pretty strong sign that there’s at least some demand for a bit more retro in the future.
The camera itself starts at $112.
