Prototypes – Model 420/490; Type 108 film

The film box, right, and the folding camera model box, below, that was the high end of the product price line. The sleeve held both camera and flash attachment. In my opinion, these cameras – all clones of the original Model 100 – took the very best Polaroid instant color photos.

This is the book, below, that I did using only an off-the-shelf Polaroid camera, so to speak. The cover photo is of my son, who was five years old at the time the photo was taken. Peter Wensberg had said one day at lunch that he would spend a million dollars to get customers to take the camera off the shelf in their hall closets and shoot a couple of rolls of film. Remembering those wonderful books in the Kodak libraries available at most camera stores, I proposed doing a similar program for Polaroid. The concept was that they be sold as products, similar to what Eastman Kodak did, and the cost be self-liquidated, if I can remember the buzz word. Wensberg was elated at the results when I brought in the photos, dummy and script. Calderwood was equally enthusiastic.

Sounds good, but the euphoria didn't last. Wensberg's assistant, Ted Voss, insisted that the customers would be best served if the book was given away as a premium. I argued against that concept but to no avail. At that point, Stan Calderwood had already decided to leave Polaroid, Wensberg was busy preparing to take over Stan's job, and the entire book project just died on the vine. More's the pity because I sold a trade book edition to Doubleday anticipating some promotional effort by Polaroid which never materialized.

Comments

[Karl]

Thank you for contributing to make this world a better place through what you did for polaroid.

[giam]

The first thing I would do is ask about Polaroid 108 film at your local camera store. Surely they would order it for you if they don't have it. Or, you could google Polaroid film and check out all the links that come up.

[fraihala]

we found an Automatic 100 land Camera in my mothers belongings, It appears to be in working order. Is there a way to get film that would work. It appears it took 108 film

thanks