On the Passing of Polaroid Film

I suppose it is more profitable to sell out to a mall developer than it is to run a factory. They would rather concentrate on selling crappy consumer electronics than the products that made the Polaroid name what it is today. Sure, they say they want to license the manufacture so their "loyal customers" will still be able to get film. I'm sure some companies will try and take them up on that, but how easy are they willing to make it? Will the costs be prohibitive? They're coming to market with a printer that uses "zero- ink" to print a small photo. Wouldn't it be cool to combine that in a camera with the style of an SX-70?

Is it that we are losing another means of creative expression? I love my digital and messing around with Photoshop and all that, but there's something about clicking the shutter and waiting to peel back the print. Or even watching through the mylar "window" as the image develops right before your eyes.

When I look at the situation, it really isn't all that bad. So I've missed out on my chance to use Type 55, but I still have a couple of packs of the smaller format 665 that I shot with yesterday. I know there are many other people who do creative stuff even with the cheap, crappy One Step cameras (I've got a couple of those myself!) And it's going to be tougher to find film. By the end of this year, it will all be gone. Sure Fuji makes great color and B&W packfilm. But is the local camera store going to carry it? And eventually, we'll either have to give up using these great cameras (mine are older than I am) or get into a bidding war for the last box on ebay. I'm not sure I'm ready for either eventuality, but I know the day is coming.