Here’s my problem with the Impossible Project:
Their film is not by any definition of the word “instant”.
Fuji Instax film starts developing within seconds. It develops fast enough to watch it with awe while it does it’s thing; the colors literally pop out in front of your eyes; and the image fades in. It’s recognizable within 30 seconds, and mostly there in two minutes. Yes, it keeps going for a little while, depending on weather, but it really is pretty quick.
Fuji has kept making it all along, and it is better than ever. Too bad it only comes in small sizes.
The Impossible project, on the other hand, has had a long, hard road to hipster success by having exceptionally high prices and an exceptionally mediocre product. It’s no where near instant, it’s not as high quality of the Fuji product, and they have managed to spend years trying to replicate the Polaroid formula though careful experimentation and trial and error. (Instead of, you know, hiring people who worked at the plant who knew what they were doing. Who probably needed jobs, considering that the plant where they worked was shut down.)
It’s a product that celebrates it’s flaws and it’s imperfections; claiming a false authenticity when real authenticity could have been had for cheaper.
Besides, everyone knows that pining over land film is where it’s at these days.
