How Polaroid and Kodak Accidentally Gave Birth to Instax [Instant Breakdown]

Long told is the legendary origin story of Polaroid, but how the heck did Fuji's Instax surge to such incredible popularity, seemingly out of no where? Don't worry, I explain it in the video.
Analog Talk Podcast Link: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Related Video: Instant Review: Fuji Instax 500AF (Coming Soon)
Follow us on Instagram: @the.instantgram
Please sue that subscribe button for more instant goodness!

[@InAnInstant]

Here is the link to the podcast interview! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-an-instant-with-ben-fraternale/id1251546502?i=1000473018238

[@howdier0362]

Such high production value and so dense with well researched information, and funny to boot... this is high quality content

[@InAnInstant]

This is the vibe I’m always aiming for! Appreciate it Howdier!

[@areallyrealisticguyd4333]

Ultimately I don't think Polaroid will catch up to Fuji simply because of the affordability of the brands. Fuji really catered to consumers here and there's no barrier to entry for Fuji cameras/film. On the other hand Polaroid reaches out more to creators since their film is definitely more of a premium with mixed results. Their chemistry is all over the place and needs photographers with more experience to get the best results. Hopefully one day Polaroid can catch up with the market because I'd honestly love to see them release manual cameras one day

[@InAnInstant]

The Impossible I-1 and OneStep+ have great manual options, but I agree, hopefully they release a manual camera that doesn't use bluetooth. As for the target markets of both formats, I think you hit the nail on the head with who each brand is catering to. Luckily I think there is room in the market for two brands right now, who knows how long that will last, but this is a solid pocket industry. I think both will succeed with their customer bases while "analog stuff" is still of interest to our tech-juiced society.

[@mikakramer4749]

And now we have the Polaroid I-2 😂

[@jenos83]

Interrupting my regular podcast schedule for this juicy boy.

[@InAnInstant]

Some nice thicc cut content for your mid-week entertainment needs!

[@TheLeiPol]

Thank's for bringing the Polaroid-Kodak-Fuji story in 5:27 minutes! When I visited the Photokina in 1978 I obtained 1 kodak instant photo at the Kodak booth. Walking further I arrived at the Polaroid booth where you could take a picture yourself with an SX70 Sonar. Shortly after that, in addition to my Polaroid 340 pack film camera, I bought an SX70 Aplha Model II (without Sonar) that's still in working condition but now I use an SLR-680. Looking forward to your review of the Fuji Instax 500AF. After a (very) long search and wait I managed to get one 2 years ago within Europe. From my point of view the best Fuji Instax Wide camera ever made.

[@InAnInstant]

Damn that’s an awesome story! So cool that you still have the Alpha II and it’s in working order. Glad you could get your hands on the 500AF, I adore mine, really the rare cosmic win for Instax that they never replicated, but I’ll get into that in the next review 😳

[@MichaWha]

Very interesting as usual Ben! Looks like the Kodak ads were as cheesy as their cameras' design :P

[@InAnInstant]

The vintage Kodak ads are pure unleaded nightmare fuel and I love them

[@psychoticpercy6479]

Wow i have only found out about this channel for like 2 days and i've watched all of your videos, some twice or more. Quality contenttttttttttttt

[@InAnInstant]

Yassss thank you Baka!! Binge watching In An Instant is good for your health 😉

[@moon-rvr]

This is the greatest explanation you've made to this! Many others are a bit too...complicated. As an Instax 9 owner myself (didn't want it, but since it was a relative's present I decided to just cherish the way it is) it's interesting to see you speak of Fuji. Also, who knows? Maybe one day the impossible might happen-Polaroid and Fujifilm working together again.

[@InAnInstant]

That's always an outside possibility! I think there would be benefits to some kind of brand merger, but I also think Fuji is on such solid footing with their brand that they may not see licensing/merging as worth it. Either way, I hope both companies can continue to co-exist in the market!

[@rudolfsr]

I just imagined sx70 with Fujifilm color chemistry film..

[@InAnInstant]

@@rudolfsr man I think about that A LOT. FujiFilm inside an SX-70 would give, without a doubt, the closest results to pre-2009 Polaroid film we've ever seen. Fuji's problem is their hardware, no question about it. If they had an SLR, which they'll never ever release, it would be a tremendous artistic beast.

[@monodistortion]

@@InAnInstant Oh they did make instant SLRs, but for System 800 and InstantACE film. The MX800 and MX900, but I'm sure they were very expensive and any new instant SLR would be extremely expensive too! camera-wiki.org/wiki/Fujifilm_instant_photography

[@hatake1141]

this is so well done!! i cant wait to listen to the podcast :)

[@InAnInstant]

Thanks Sammy!!!

[@conradgilliland]

These videos are top frickin notch!Thanks for the amazing content!

[@InAnInstant]

Cheers Ronnoc! Appreciate the love!

[@haselul2760]

Awesome video, as always. The animation at the beginning of the video is outstanding.

[@InAnInstant]

Thank you Haru!

[@2611gingerninja]

great video as always, looking forward to listening to the podcast while I work (and probs buy more film)!!

[@InAnInstant]

Either way you're doing great! Thanks Pete!

[@ChristopherVisser]

Had no idea of this history. Love how informative but fun your videos are. You're striking the perfect balance. 🙌

[@InAnInstant]

My man!! Thanks Chris!!

[@rudolfsr]

Nice to see 500AF. My favorite wide camera (yes, including RF70). Great video! Amazing production value.

[@InAnInstant]

Thanks dude! I loovvvvveee me some 500AF. Video coming out about it in a couple weeks!

[@theaccentman93]

I just subscribed. This channel is amazing! The quality is absolutely amazing and I know you're going to go and do great things here on KZbin!

[@InAnInstant]

Your name is Jajahoi and I appreciate this comment!!!

[@theouijaperson]

I loved this! Just getting into instant photography and your chabel is great!!!

[@InAnInstant]

Z. Hughson that’s awesome! Welcome to the world of Instant 🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@dudeson53]

I've been watching since the polaroid now came out, I've binged all your videos and shared them with my friends.

[@InAnInstant]

Thank you for your service!!

[@monmioamio]

👌🏻 informative video - as always ✌🏻

[@robertknight4672]

I just got an Instax Mini 11 for free to from a rewards program at my work. Really exciting to see an instant photo developing as quickly as the original Polaroid films did.

[@melargollo]

this is officially the weirdest bussiness competition story i've ever heard of

[@StickPeopleAndPuff]

In an Instant and the "Verb Man" Willam post a polaroid video in the same day? What fucking awesome day.

[@samuelduarte4471]

Hey! I just found you're channel and I'm really enjoying it. Well done! I wonder if you're going to make any video around the Kodak cameras? (I have one exactly like yours EK-4) thank you!

[@InAnInstant]

Thanks Sam!! I’ve sort have been sprinkling Kodak’s history in the Instant film game throughout these videos. I prob wouldn’t do a video specifically about any one Kodak camera, but will continue to discuss how they approached the industry and those conflicts in other breakdowns!

[@UNSCPILOT]

Every time I stumble onto this channel I suddenly need to pull out my Polaroid Impluse AF to mess around with it, or once again consider getting a instax...

[@tomjanowski8584]

Land's Polaroid was all about innovation but Fuji and current Polaroid are really only surviving and coasting. Wouldn't it be nice if Fuji and current Polaroid collaborated to innovate new products and share tech just so instant photography can survive long into the future?

[@najkaxx5362]

Super interesting! Thank you

[@InAnInstant]

Thank YOU!

[@EmilyGallagher]

Fascinating, thank you. I learnt a lot.

[@InAnInstant]

Thanks Em!

[@EmilyGallagher]

@@InAnInstant My pleasure.

[@alexisaguilar3613]

I just binged all of your videos, how do you not have more subscribers?!? When you become famous and need an editor let me know! 😂

[@InAnInstant]

Hopefully we keep building on those subs! Channel is only a couple months old, I'll lyk 😂

[@JACK-ej9hh]

would love more vids on instxl and specifically the SQ6 are they gonna realise a new analog square camera anytime soon? Also the vids are soooo short I barely got hold of my tea and had my first biscuit before it was over!! it feels like a tease 😅

[@InAnInstant]

Haha noted about the length of the vids! Since I'm doing it weekly, it's a bit of a balance between putting out high quality, dense videos and providing longer stories. Working on this!

[@bluespinewood6304]

Hey hey if i didn't saw the the post on the r/polaroid i would totaly missed the video Anyway nice video

[@ryanou.s.a9383]

i love watching these videos

[@heisandres]

Hey good video

[@bentbilliard]

Oh wow, I haven't thought of boots with the fur for ages... Now I want some.

[@romerpedronphotography7612]

I am in love with the Fuji Film Color. Just got the Square and it's amazing!

[@InAnInstant]

Those colors POP POP

[@MelassaBellaBulla]

I think that I have a crush for you Ben. Thanks to make this super interesting videos!

[@InAnInstant]

This will be a great test to see if my girlfriend reads the comments. Stay tuned!

[@MelassaBellaBulla]

@@InAnInstant test her! Let we know! Ahah

[@JamieMPhoto]

I just want them to make a vaguely affordable and decent Wide camera ... Also, thank you for all the information I wanted but kept not being able to really find. Great episode!

[@InAnInstant]

Thanks Jamie! I hear you big time, the lack of an updated 500AF is insane and makes me fairly concerned in general about the fate of the Instax Wide format. I guess we'll see in the coming year if the needle moves in either direction on that.

[@JamieMPhoto]

@@InAnInstant Agreed! Fuji seems pretty uninterested and unsentimental toward analog photography beyond any immediate profit ... and I guess I can't blame them and realize they are a much larger entity ... But ... all profit matters? haha.

[@InAnInstant]

@@JamieMPhoto Totally, it's just a tiny piece of a tremendously large company, and generally speaking they seem to give no mind to establishing any "culture" around their products. Meanwhile, that's one of Polaroid's top marketing priorities and I really respect them for that.

[@KristiChan1]

I actually found a Mio for $5 a few years ago and it still had Polaroid film in it. Unfortunately the film had been exposed at some point but it was interesting to see their logo instead of Fujifilm's. I actually like taking photos with it; they come out a little lighter and are softer which gives a nice vintage/dreamy look.

[@ajorsomething4935]

Thing about Kodak vs Polaroid, is that Kodak produced packfilm for Polaroid, and I think polaroid cut them out with integral film. Personally I think competition in the marketplace was good to have and it's rather annoying that something can be so thoroughly patented that a legal monopoly can be held over a market. Kodak went out of their way to avoid as many of polaroid's patents as they could but still was infringing. Meanwhile, the product was better. Kodak film exposed from the back, and displayed an image on the front, instead of displaying and exposing on the same side. This allowed them to do away with the mirror between the lens and film required to flip the image in polaroids, and made for smaller cameras. They were also able to use a matte surface for the side of the photo you view, reducing glare. Finally you could pull the chemistry layer and the layer with the photo apart, making them fit in photo albums better. Besides these objective advantages, some former users claim the film resulted in better photos.

[@brineb58]

I love Instax!!! The only thing I dislike about Fuji cameras is that they have yet to put out a camera with full control!!!

[@InAnInstant]

Truly, they have failed on the hardware front but there's merit in the film itself!

[@madgav935]

He needs more subs

[@15minoflame]

I love Fuji I love them so much 🥰

[@brook2659]

you gotta make a vid reviewing all the Kodak instant doinkers bro

[@InAnInstant]

Coming soon bruddah!!

[@josephschwartz1883]

Instantly awesome!

[@InAnInstant]

Daddio!!!

[@josephschwartz1883]

In An Instant #Huge #Inspiring #JustWhatTheDoctorOrdered #IWantALomo

[@InAnInstant]

#PolaroidPapa

[@alexysese1437]

Strange how nowadays, it’s super hard to find square instax film and when you do find some, there’s not a lot in stock

[@TheCoomer]

This got me thinking, how has fujifilm kept with the same film processing time. Where Polaroid take such a long time to process. Wouldn't Polaroid still have the patients to the film technology

[@teleaddict23]

There was a rumour that Polaroid were looking into a lawsuit again when Fuji brought out the Instax ‘Polaroid looking’ Square.

[@InAnInstant]

Indeed! Both companies made huge, public threats against each other and then, strangely, literally no word has come out about that since. I am thinking there was either a cease fire or it's tied up in a legal coma.

[@Jamie-ux2lw]

I can't find the podcast ._. But at least I learnt something new today "The Weird Instant Film Wars"

[@InAnInstant]

Hey Jamie! You can find the podcast here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-an-instant-with-ben-fraternale/id1251546502?i=1000473018238

[@Jamie-ux2lw]

​@@InAnInstant Thanks Ben. and ummm i know this is a bit strange but I was thinking about last time we talked on about the SLR 680 And I realised I don't know if I should get it from eBay and likely get a broken version or either Get it new and refurbished from the Polaroid shop but due to this situation the world is in it's not going to be up for a while ._. Also I'm listening to the podcast and the quality is pretty nice

[@InAnInstant]

@@Jamie-ux2lw Thanks mate! I personally purchased mine on ebay and have really not had problems in general with buying cameras on there. The key, above all else, is to only buy one that is very clearly marked as "tested and working." If the seller says that in the auction, you can more or less bet you won't be receiving a busted camera. No matter what, for peace of mind, it's always going to be more of a guarantee buying through Polaroid, Brooklyn Film Camera, Mint, or Retrospekt, but eBay is a good option if you're careful about it.

[@Jamie-ux2lw]

​@@InAnInstant Thank you Ben For the help you given me :-D **Also I hope I'm not annoying you with these questions** By somebody living on a small island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea

[@InAnInstant]

@@Jamie-ux2lw Not annoying at all mate, this is what I'm here for!

[@anthony_arcade6269]

I would love to see this story done in a Netflix show. Just one season though.. staring Leo DiCaprio. Just cus.

[@InAnInstant]

Leo playing a young Edwin Land: "The smallest seed of an idea can grow. It can grow to define or destroy you. It's called Inception. Now, before you bother telling me it's impossible..." Enter Tom Hardy as Kodak CEO Walter Fallon, "No, it's perfectly possible. It's just bloody difficult." BURRRRRRR

[@anthony_arcade6269]

In An Instant haha niiice👏🤝🤙

[@shinto29]

I'm surprised you didn't call the Instax 100 a chonky boy. Very chonky.

[@peytonwilliams7445]

You forgot to mention that instax film can be used in old kodaks

[@InAnInstant]

Not natively, it’s a huge pain in the ass and I do not recommend it 😂

[@georgevoaides701]

Where are the other 9 Ben's in the pack!?

[@InAnInstant]

Scattered across multiple universes, creating weekly KZbin content across the board

[@georgevoaides701]

@@InAnInstant i really got the awnser I was expecting 😮

[@AimShootDevelop]

The production value on this is higher than a giraffe 🦒

[@InAnInstant]

Omg I love giraffes (insane animal) thank you!

[@jeffmassey4860]

American bureaucracy is the only universal constant...

[@InAnInstant]

This is our truth!

[@elvisfan961]

Wait - so are Instax literally identical to Kodak’s instant photos of the ‘80s? Or are they different?

[@InAnInstant]

Good question! Instax came out years after Fuji's original line of instant film, which was much closer to Kodak's in terms of the film unit construction. The underlying rear exposure technology of Kodak and Fuji remains the same today, but the film sheets are much thinner now.

[@elvisfan961]

In An Instant Are the colors/contrast and look of the actual exposure itself the same though?

[@InAnInstant]

@@elvisfan961 Certainly at first, but Instax is an evolution that put them on another level.

[@teleaddict23]

The Kodak instant film was actually the best instant film ever produced, way better than Polaroid’s.

[@InAnInstant]

I'd say that's pretty debatable. It was chaos over at Kodak when they first released their instant film - it was so bad that the photos would literally disappear (unintentionally) if exposed to even indoor light for very long. Part of the reason Edwin Land was unconcerned was because of how poor their product was, and Kodak ran into a lot of problems with customers requiring refunds and returns. Obviously Land should have been concerned from a business perspective, but I haven't heard too many people vouch that Kodak's film was far superior.

[@teleaddict23]

In An Instant It may have had teething problems in the beginning, but i’m sure those problems were soon fixed as it lasted 9 years until 1985. I have many Kodak instant photos. They are sharp, colours are rich and vibrant and they have kept their colour after all these years. The film itself was a matte finish and hard plastic all over so feels ever so more durable. Nothing against Polaroid or Fuji tho!

[@InAnInstant]

Yeah I have a few as well! I agree about the “build quality” of the film, it definitely feels nice (a bonus of the thicker current Polaroid film as well). I think it’s telling that Fuji’s solid instant film performance was birthed in the wake of using Kodak’s methodology/science.

[@teleaddict23]

In An Instant Yes it’s like Fuji took over where Kodak left off. And it’s strange that Polaroid, the company that started it all, has had to start from scratch and is miles behind Fuji. I wonder if Fuji would help them out like Polaroid helped them in the 80s. I think not. The problem with Fuji instax is, the film itself is great but the cameras let the film down. They overexpose the film too easily. This wasn’t a problem with Kodak and their instant cameras. Fuji should release a decent and affordable instax wide camera.

[@InAnInstant]

​@@teleaddict23 Totally agreed across the board. The failure by Fuji to make a single camera worth a damn is the biggest atrocity in the industry. I hug my 500AF before I go to bed every night because I know it's an endangered species. And even that camera isn't making the best use of what the Fuji stock has to offer. I do badly want to give the RF70 a shot, but at that price point it continues to elude me. Polaroid is hugely fortunate they had a function-forward period in the 70s because if they hadn't produced the SX-70/SLR 680, they'd basically be in the same predicament as Fuji with a full lineup of plastic-lensed soft boys. Hopefully at some point Mint or Lomography come up with an alternative for the Instax Wide format that is *somewhat* affordable and delivers on the lens front.

[@maxdoes_]

I can't handle this video. Get it??? Handle????

[@InAnInstant]

Kodak's got the instant camera you've been waiting for. Instant color photographs that's what the ****HANDLE'S FOR*****

[@jamie268]

You look like Keith Haring

[@InAnInstant]

😂 yes this has been addressed on the channel before

[@jamie268]

Has it really, how brilliant, meant entirely complimentary of course. Stumbled across you channel, instant sub

[@InAnInstant]

Haha thank you Jamie!! ❤️

[@fatdumper6967]

He looks like the Ebay version of Taron Egerton

[@InAnInstant]

You look like a Facebook Marketplace version of a butt

[@fatdumper6967]

In An Instant I’ll meet you at the purge

[@InAnInstant]

See you then 👺 😂

[@feni_1553]

comes in packs of 10? 😂

[@MarioAtheonio]

Polaroid should sue Fuji over the Square and then settle for getting their chemistry.

[@InAnInstant]

They actually did sue, but that case hasn’t appeared to go anywhere.

[@MarioAtheonio]

@@InAnInstant Well they should strike some sort of deal over the chemistry anyway!

[@InAnInstant]

Would love that! But once you sue those things sort of go out the window lol. The companies will likely never deal with each other again.

[@MarioAtheonio]

@@InAnInstant Not sure about that, I mean companies tend to do what's convenient for them, they're driven by profit, not grudges..

[@InAnInstant]

The thing is, Fuji is a multi-billion dollar company. Polaroid is literally nothing to them, they have no motivation to deal with the Pola folks. Polaroid has everything to gain and Fuji has no reason to do that to a flagship product.