Functions like new. Packaged like new.
You may have already heard us mention it, but we recently designed brand new packaging for our vintage Polaroid folding cameras. Yes, we've been sending them out for a few months now and we could probably stand to shut up about it, but we can't. And we won't.
Our team put so much time and effort into reviving each and every one of these folding cameras that it never felt right to simply swaddle them in ample bubble wrap and and put them in a plain corrugate box. The cameras we refurbish are meant to work like new, so why shouldn't they be packaged with a similar level of detail and care? Shooting on a folding camera is one of the most refined experiences instant photography has to offer. And for us, it's important to be true to that experience from the moment the box lands in your hands.
Like any good design process, we kicked things off with research. Luckily, years of working with Polaroid cameras has allowed us to amass quite the archive of old Polaroid packaging. Among that pile of dinged corners and decades of branding shifts, what stood out the most were the boxes for the SLR 680. It makes sense, the SLR 680 - and later the 690 - are typically regarded as the height of Polaroid instant photography, and their packaging reflects that status.
The custom molded velvet insert was one of the first details we noticed. It provided the perfect presentation for such an aesthetic camera form. The exterior sleeve had a black base — same as the interior — making for striking contrasts between the labeling and the background.
For our product photography we wanted our cameras to live in the same shadowy world that presents the cameras on the old boxes. Shot in the dark with very sparse and direct lighting, the cameras creep out of the darkness into prominence.
While some of the original packaging could be sparse on details, on the new boxes you'll find a bit more information about what's inside. Along with our own Retrospekt marks, it also features vintage Polaroid logos, denoting our partnership with Polaroid to restore and rerelease these cameras back into the wild as officially licensed products.
The interior box is covered in a soft touch material, with a folding magnetic closure for a pleasant open and close. Inside, the camera fits snuggly in a black velvet, custom-molded insert.
We're super excited to be able to put these cameras back out into the world wrapped in packaging befitting their greatness. These new boxes come with any of our Polaroid folding cameras.
