Vintage digi instant print cameras

[Dave A]

A minor hobby here. Forgotten digi instant print cameras. I will pass on the mini cams available and stick to larger format print cams like dads old Polaroid. To be exact, both have a 3.5" x 4.25" format. An aging (2011) Polaroid Zink Z340 and a newer Kodak Smile Camera Classic. They are both digi cameras in the flattened Polaroid Spectra form. The Polaroid is aging but is versitale. The Kodak is much simpler and recent. They both use the Zink (Zero Ink) format paper. Paper only for the Polaroid and paper/sticky for the Kodak. The Polaroid has many options for shooting/printing including movie. Printing is a command. The Kodak is point/shoot/print. Both have memory chips available. The Polaroid shoots 16x9 but the print is square center cut. The Kodak is square only.

They are not chemical print pod efforts. They rely on variations of the Zink papers. Zink is a thermal color, glossy print paper which is apparent as your camera warms up to print after the shutter. The Polaroid is 14meg. The Kodak is 16meg image. Both are vanishing from our favorite places. The Polaroid camera and paper is all but gone. The Kodak camera is not far behind with some paper to be found.

I take them to antique car shows and shoot kids behind the wheel of my 1960 Cadillac and give it to the kid. They (and parents) are amazed.

[old_tv_nut]

Too bad about the paper going out of production. Reminds me of how I felt about the Polaroid "Swinger."