Polaroid at Photokina 1998
Polaroid opened its Photokina’98 exhibition in Cologne, Germany, highlighting new products for amateur photographers and new cyber-ready imaging techniques for professional photographers and business communicators. Polaroid’s "Live For The Moment" exhibition at Photokina ‘98 runs through September 21.
For the consumer, Polaroid is extending its "Live For The Moment" lifestyle message with the introduction of new and enhanced products for amateur photographers and special niche markets.
New Cameras
At Photokina 1998, Polaroid is introducing the world’s first single-use, totally recyclable instant camera that comes complete with ten ready-to-go instant pictures, measuring 4-3/8 x 2-1/2-inches (11.2 x 6.4cm).
The same film format in an economical reloadable camera with its own unique contemporary styling also makes its first European appearance at the Cologne photographic show. Launched earlier this year in Japan, the new Polaroid JoyCam "Hippaley" (Japanese for "pull out") compact camera, like Single-Use Instant , features manual film ejection and a go-anywhere configuration. The new JoyCam has rapidly become the camera of choice in its premiere market among trend-setting teens and young adults, along with the new Polaroid Xiao (from the Chinese for "small" and "smile"), the world’s smallest Polaroid camera. Also a major hit from Nippon Polaroid K.K., the Xiao camera produces mini Polaroid instant pictures measuring 1.4 x 1-inch (36 x 24mm) and has proven to be the ideal portrait camera with photos being taken, traded, worn on clothing and attached to notebooks and schoolbags. The Xiao camera accepts new 12-exposure Polaroid "Pocket Film." The new, very fun camera and film are scheduled for global introduction in 1999.
New Polaroid ColorShot: World’s Fastest Digital Photo Printer
Following its introduction in its advanced USB (Universal Serial Bus) version in Hanover, Germany, earlier this year, Polaroid’s new ColorShot digital color printer premieres at Photokina ‘98 in a parallel-port version designed for "legacy" computers.
Polaroid ColorShot is the world’s fastest (as quick as 25 seconds) digital color printer providing photo-quality instant color pictures on the desktop using new self-developing Polaroid ColorShot film or Polaroid Image film. The new ColorShot printer provides a true digital "darkroom" for rapid hard-copies of photos captured on the Internet, from e-mail, from a digital camera and from scanned images.
Accompanying the ColorShot debut is the premiere of Polaroid’s new "Connectibles" series of "DirectConnect" cables with integral control unit allowing transfer of digital images to the ColorShot digital printer without the intervention of a computer.
Polaroid is demonstrating its new software called DirectPhoto that permits inclusion of photos in e-mail without the recipient requiring special photo-receipt software and for incorporating photos in desktop publications.
Extreme Films
Also on view at Photokina were Polaroid’s "Extreme" films: a sharper, brighter, bolder, faster-appearing film for Polaroid 600-series cameras and larger-format Image cameras (known as Spectra cameras in the United States) called Extreme Gloss; a matte-surfaced film called Extreme Matte for Polaroid 600 instant photography permits after-exposure creative enhancement with pen, pencils and markers; and black-and-white Extreme Monochrome film for Polaroid 600-series cameras. In the United States and other select world markets, Polaroid’s new Extreme film generation is known as Platinum (Extreme Gloss), AlterImage (Extreme Matte) and Black-and-White (Extreme Monochrome) film.
Newly Styled Cameras for New Customers, New Markets
Complementing Polaroid’s new Extreme film line is the new Polaroid 600 Extreme instant camera, sporting the recently Euro-restyled architecture of the newest Polaroid 600 camera line.
Also on display is the Polaroid SpiceCam -- the European hit in instant photography over the past year and the first Polaroid camera to be named after a rock group -- the Spice Girls.
BabyCam Kit Polaroid is also launching its first-ever "BabyCam" kit in Europe, which features a Polaroid 600 instant camera, an instant visual diary/album for "your baby’s first moments shared in an instant," and distinctive new packaging. The BabyCam kit is designed and packaged to allow retailers, photographic outlets, specialty baby and maternity shops as well as mass merchandisers to promote via point-of-sale displays the once-in-a-lifetime benefits of taking Polaroid instant photographs of the new baby.
35mm Cameras
Making their world debut at Photokina ‘98 are three ultra-contemporary cameras in Polaroid’s new 900 series. They include the 900 FF (for Focus Free) and 900 AF (for Auto Focus) -- both featuring an extra-large viewfinder for more accurate photo composition. The new Polaroid 900-series of high-fashion, high-style 35mm cameras includes the economically priced new Polaroid 900 Zoom camera with a macro-lens setting for dramatic close-ups and a 2:1 (35mm-70mm) motorized zoom-lens. All three new Polaroid 35mm cameras are fully automatic in operation.
New Polaroid Professional Films
For professional photographers, Polaroid has expanded the formats available in its latest highly acclaimed professional film range to include a new 4 x 5-inch
- (9 x 12cm) instant color sheet film called Polacolor 79 and a new 8 x 10-inch
- (18 x 24cm) instant color film called Polacolor 879. The new films, making their world debut at Photokina ‘98, join with the range of Polaroid professional "peel-apart" instant films launched earlier including 10-exposure 3-1/4 x 4-1/4-inch
- (8.2 x 10.8cm) films for professional photographers and for "Studio Polaroid" franchisees, as well as a convenient 4 x 5-inch (9 x 12 cm) Polacolor pack film.
Products for Retailers and Studio Express Franchisees
Bringing the latest technology to instant document portraiture for retailers and Studio Express franchisees, Polaroid is unveiling its new Studio Polaroid 302 Camera System featuring a handheld video camera with built-in LCD "pose preview" screen for passport and other document portraits; the economical new Studio Polaroid 350 Video Document Picture System for Polaroid instant photographic prints; and the ultimate digital "solution" for portrait documents and other client photo services -- the new, high-tech Studio Polaroid 700 Digital Document Imaging System.
Polaroid DirectPhoto software is also "bundled" in a new Polaroid Digital DirectPhoto kit that includes a Polaroid 600 CloseUp camera and a 20-exposure twin-pack of new Polaroid NotePad film, a dedicated "business edition" film based on Polaroid’s latest instant film chemistry.
Because of the film’s high definition colors and edge sharpness, NotePad film is billed as "great for scanning," affording the rapid cyber-transfer of visual information over e-mail, via the Internet or for computer-transferring both visual and written data (NotePad film features note-book-like lines on the lower white border to facilitate on-location notations or written cutlines) in a single visual/written cyber-document.
Additional Polaroid business edition films designed for both office and home use are Polaroid’s new Write-On film affording the ability to add notes or highlight areas directly on the matte-surface print. Called a "writable & drawable" film, new Write-On film can also be scanned and transmitted via computer using Polaroid’s DirectPhoto software. Completing Polaroid’s new commercial film portfolio is new Copy & Fax film, a black-and-white film that produces already "screened" instant prints ideal for photocopying and faxing. A built-in 85-line screen within the new Copy & Fax 10-exposure film pack provides clear "newspaper-like" photo quality images when received by fax or used to add illustrations to photocopied documents.
Polaroid DirectPhoto Imaging Software, the Digital DirectPhoto kit and new NotePad, Write-On and Copy & Fax film highlight Polaroid’s new Digital Imaging Center designed for retailers eager to service the growing Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) market and for retailers now servicing customers with office supplies. Polaroid’s new compact Digital Imaging Center merchandiser makes its world premiere at Photokina ‘98 as a customizable self-serve merchandiser designed to expand to feature such other Polaroid business imaging products as scanners, printers, projectors and the new multi-format range of Polaroid photo-quality inkjet paper.
Polaroid Corporation
www.polaroid.com
