I remember just how cool Polaroid instant cameras were when I was a kid. For those of you who don't know, the Polaroid instant camera was the end all and be all of film before high tech digital cameras came around. A Polaroid film camera was basically an entirely analog way to get instant pictures. They were so cool. You can still see them some places. Basically, with Polaroid instant cameras, you snap a picture and the film comes out. You then shake it, wait 30 seconds, and you have a fully developed picture.
It was really neat to see the film developed from the instant Polaroid cameras. What it first came out of the camera, it was nothing but a glossy, white, blank piece of film. Slowly, however, the Polaroid instant camera image would form. The first thing you would see was the shadowy outline of everything in the picture. Then, slowly, the details would emerge. Polaroid instant cameras do not have the best quality pictures, but they were so high tech and amazing that it did not matter. They were almost indispensable for any place where you needed to have your picture ready as soon as you took it.
The only drawback with Polaroid instant cameras was that the film was so expensive. I don't remember exactly how much it was, but it was on the order of close to a dollar a shot, I believe. No one really wanted to pay this much money for their pictures. Anyway, you can get better pictures from a normal film camera. Nevertheless, when I was a kid, we always wanted my dad to use the Polaroid instant cameras. It was a special treat for us. It almost looked like magic the way that the image would form before our eyes.
I have heard that they make Polaroid digital cameras nowadays, but I can't think of the purpose. After all, with a digital camera you can get an immediate, high-quality image. It is much cheaper, and it looks a lot better. I suppose that the only time that you would need a Polaroid instant camera would be if you could not carry a printer around with you, and needed a permanent copy of your image immediately. For most of us, however, Polaroid instant cameras have outlived their usefulness. Although I don't usually miss Polaroid instant cameras that much, every once in awhile I do. After all, they were pretty cool.
