Quite a while ago, some fans of the then-deceased Polaroid instant films announced that thy were going to re-develop and re-introduce these films for all those out there who weren’t quite ready to give up their beloved instant cameras yet. In the meantime, the IMPOSSIBLE project has been made possible, and a number of new instant film emulations have been marketed — black-and-white as well as color — that can be fed to various of the no longer made Polaroid instant cameras.
In their latest press release, the IMPOSSIBLE project announces the next logical step to reviving Polaroid instant photography. After introducing newly developed instant films, the project has now succeeded to build a new film processing unit — the very component that sits at the heart of every instant camera. This new FPU was built from scratch, as “classic Polaroid cameras were not much help when facing the challenge of developing a new instant camera concept,” Prof. Achim Heine, designer of the new FPU, explains.
According to the press release, all the components of the new FPU have been newly developed. And unlike the old Polaroid models, the new FPU comes with a modern and ecologically-conscious rechargeable battery. The first item to feature the new IMPOSSIBLE FPU is the IMPOSSIBLE INSTANT LAB — a Kickstarter campaign that promises to create instant prints from your digital iPhone pictures. Sounds awesome? Visit the campaign’s Kickstarter page to learn more (and to help fund it.)
It’s unclear yet when we will actually see new IMPOSSIBLE branded instant cameras featuring the new FPU. However, first concept studies will be presented at this year’s photokina in Cologne, Germany. While being there, we will try to get a look at them and maybe get the one or other question answered.
