Polaroid Unveils Dozens of New Imaging Inventions And Innovations at Photokina

Dozens of new inventions and innovations to digital, instant and conventional imaging make their world premieres at the Polaroid Corporation (NYSE: PRD) exhibition opening today at Photokina 2000.

With its exhibition theme, "Creativity ... @Home, @ Work, @Play," reflecting the global role of Polaroid imaging and its status as a universal medium of creativity in social interaction, documentation, art, business, science and technology, Polaroid is:

• debuting extensions to its popular range of instant cameras and film (including a new design for its best-selling Polaroid I-Zone Instant Pocket Camera)
• introducing a portable photo imaging device to digitize I-Zone mini pictures
• revealing an innovative combined instant film and digital camera
• launching new 35mm and APS cameras
• unveiling a new, portable digital photo-printer
• launching an international line of digital cameras
• demonstrating a digital camera with on-board instant photo printer
• releasing new equipment for document portraits
• presenting the latest in professional-level scanners, computer color image recorders and computer presentation/video projectors.

At Photokina 2000, Polaroid is also premiering a newly designed 50 x 60cm (20 x 24 inch) instant camera, as well as a range of new equipment for professional and scientific/technical imaging.

From The I-Zone Into Cyberspace
In addition to presenting and demonstrating the latest in new color additions to its famed Polaroid I-Zone Instant Pocket Camera line, with its stamp-sized photos available in both stick-it-anywhere and non-sticker versions, Polaroid is revealing a radical new "convertible" design for its legendary I-Zone Instant Pocket Camera. The new convertible design features a sleeker profile with a wide range of removable faceplates and other accents to aid in ultimate personalization.

Extending the phenomenon of the Polaroid I-Zone Pocket Camera and Polaroid I-Zone Instant Pocket Film into cyberspace is the new Polaroid "Webster" -- a handheld, portable, computer-mouse-sized, mini photographic "scanner" that digitizes I-Zone photos and other small objects for easier cyber-sharing of images.

Coincident with Photokina 2000, Polaroid is launching its new www.i-zone.com Website, offering picture-sharing facilities for a global community of I-Zone aficionados, and a new Polaroid I-Zone Zine -- a publication with creative ideas for Polaroid I-Zone mini (36 x 24mm) instant photographs. A range of I-Zone accessories is also planned for display at Photokina 2000 along with Polaroid I-Zone Instant Pocket Cameras featuring famous cartoon characters and other youth-oriented icons.

It's An I-Zone Camera, It's A Digital Camera
At Photokina 2000, Polaroid is presenting its first-ever combination of an instant camera with a built-in digital camera -- providing "Web-able" I-Zone digital images and I-Zone instant pictures from a single camera. With the new Polaroid I-Zone Digital & Instant "Combo" Camera, photographers can elect to shoot an I-Zone instant photo or take a 640 x 480 VGA resolution digital photo, ready for download, manipulation, e-mailing and sharing.

Polaroid 600-Series Cameras, JoyCam Restyled for Photokina
Polaroid has also readied new, more contemporary colors for its 600-series cameras: the prestige-silvered international "P" camera has been redesigned in a more subdued, more 21st Century matte silver. The popular Polaroid 600FF and 600AF instant cameras are restyled in new hues of matte blue and silver/gray. Polaroid's popular JoyCam instant camera (recognized throughout Europe by a travelling JoyCam hot-air balloon) is unveiled in its new silver Millennium Edition, in a new sophisticated blue tone.

Polaroid is also demonstrating its new 1200-series of instant cameras accepting new 12-exposure Polaroid 1200 film, the latest iteration of Polaroid Image and Spectra film, and is releasing its Year 2001 models of 35mm and APS cameras featuring striking contemporary styling and colors.

Innovative Digital Camera with Built-In Printer, New Mobile Printer, New Digital Cameras
Polaroid is presenting an innovative digital camera with a built-in photo printer that provides on-the-spot prints using Polaroid 500 film. Developed in conjunction with Olympus Optical Co., the new C-211 ZOOM camera debuted in a Webcast on July 25 and makes its first "live" international appearance at Photokina 2000 along with the new Polaroid P-500, a portable digital printer that provides 500 film instant prints from digital camera memory cards.

Within the Polaroid digital demo-center are international versions of consumer-oriented digital cameras that, under the PhotoMax and PDC (Polaroid Digital Camera) names in the United States, have made Polaroid the leading digital camera brand at American mass merchandising retail outlets. At Photokina 2000, Polaroid is introducing a new digital camera incorporating an MP3 player to play music downloaded from the Internet. The new Polaroid digital cameras range from economical models through a sophisticated 2.3 megapixel model with zoom lens.

For Document Photos
Continuing the Polaroid mandate of providing the latest in equipment and service for its Studio Polaroid clientele, Polaroid is updating its popular Studio Polaroid 350 as the new Studio Polaroid SPd360 digital document portrait station with a new digital camera, new software and film improvements. The latest Studio Polaroid multi-lens document portrait cameras are also demonstrated at the Studio Polaroid photo-retailing center.

Scheduled to appear at the Studio Polaroid demonstration station at Photokina 2000 is Alistair Morrison, UK photographer who, with a Studio Polaroid 350 system, has photographed the world's leading celebrities in a global fund-raising campaign for UNICEF.

Scanners, Projectors, Film Recorders
For years, Polaroid's scanners, projectors and film recorders have set the standard in advanced, professional computer imaging. At Photokina 2000, Polaroid premieres its new SprintScan 45 Ultra scanner (for 35mm through 4 x 5 inch film), SprintScan 4000 for high-speed scanning of a variety of films and strips, and is previewing the new Polaroid SprintScan 120, designed for medium format films and 35mm film.

Polaroid is also debuting its new, multi-featured computer color image recorders -- the ProPalette 8045 and ProPalette 8067, as well as its latest computer presentation/video projector configuration, the new Polaroid Beama-Lite XGA.

Pro Photo
Highlighting Polaroid's professional photography demonstration are scheduled ongoing presentations of the unique Polaroid 50 x 60cm (20 x 24 inch) instant camera -- of five in the world, only one is in Europe. For the first time in the 25-year history of the ultra-large format Polaroid instant camera, a newly designed camera model is to be unveiled. Slated as "special guest photographer" with the famed Polaroid 50 x 60 camera is rock star/ photographer Bryan Adams, currently on a pan-European tour. Adams recently published two books of his photographs to aid breast cancer research in Canada (his home country) and the United Kingdom.

New professional photographic equipment from Polaroid and its original equipment manufacturers includes a new fully manual NPC camera that accepts all Polaroid peel-apart "pack" films and new printers from Daylab that allow the transfer of slides to a variety of Polaroid instant films, as well as varied new camera backs and other specialized systems.

An exhibition of works by the winners of Polaroid's "First International Photography Awards" submitted by professional, commercial and artistic photographers using the extensive range of Polaroid films is on view within the Polaroid professional photo center.

Polaroid's Photokina 2000 exhibition is located in Stand/Hall 7, at the crossroads of the Cologne Fairgrounds. Photokina 2000 is the 25th "World's Fair for Imaging." Photokina is the world's largest international imaging fair and is held biennially in Cologne.

Polaroid Corporation, headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., with annual sales of approximately $2 billion, is the worldwide leader in instant imaging. Polaroid supplies instant photographic cameras and films; digital imaging hardware, software and media; secure identification systems; and sunglasses to markets worldwide. Polaroid Germany is located in Offenbach.www.polaroid.com

Source: Polaroid