W

ith the surge of both point-and-shoot digital cameras and smartphones that allow people to view on-screen digital results immediately after taking a snapshot, it would seem old time film-based cameras, like Polaroid, are fading remnants of a dying era.

But they aren’t. The “vintage” camera, which now appears to be a rare item, has attracted young people in big cities like Jakarta.

Karlina Elvira, a Polaroid enthusiast who owns a Polaroid camera shop with her business partner, said that youngsters were becoming more curious about the cameras, and are starting to buy them.

“Our shop can sell 10 cameras per month,” Karlina told The Jakarta Post, adding that the price ranged from between Rp 700,000 (US$77.7) and Rp 3.5 million

The sales numbers had increased since the shop opened in early 2009, she said. Karlina said that her customers included teenagers, young adults and older people.

“But the youngsters have shown the biggest interest in the cameras,” Karlina said.

One reason they were attracted to the Polaroid was because it is unique. “With digital cameras people have to transfer the digital photos to computers before printing them. Polaroid gives instant results,” she said.

Unlike regular cameras that use rolled film that photographers need to develop it with liquid chemicals to see the results, Polaroid is able to develop the photographs inside its body using squared film sheets.

Besides instant results, Karlina said that Polaroid had special features, such as square film sheets.

“Polaroid also has a distinctive result that evokes the classic, or vintage side of photography. It is a bit brownish and not as sharp as those of modern cameras,” she said.

Another Polaroid fan, visual merchandiser Debby Fauzia Moeins, 22, said she loved to see photographic results from the camera.

“It is classic and vintage because the color of the photographs is brownish,” she said, adding she only used her Polaroid to capture special moments.

Debby admitted that with the film sheet price ranging from Rp 300,000 to Rp 450,000 for 10 pieces, she was forced to use it sparingly.

Jessica Ariessa, 22, a graphic designer who is a big fan of Polaroid, said that she also used the camera only once in a while due to the high price of the film sheets. “Other than that, I love the camera because I like to collect something that is a rarity,” she said.

Like Debby, Jessica said that Polaroid was special because the results were unpredictable. “Sometimes, the photographs are blurred, which makes them look vintage,” she said.

Polaroid has two types of film sheets; sepia, which gives a brownish tint to the photographs; and color, which provides a variety of results, such as greenish or bluish, depending on the light.

The Polaroid camera was first marketed in 1948 in the United States by inventor Edwin Land through his Polaroid Corporation. Following its introduction, Polaroid won the hearts of photography enthusiasts long before the boom of analog camera with roll film in 1970s and 1980s, and the invention of modern digital SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras in the 1990s.

Karlina said that it was hard to find suppliers for Polaroid cameras, forcing her to import them from the US or the UK.

“Polaroid cameras are now presented with a variety of colors and distinctive ‘branding’ that collectors will want to buy,” she said. Karlina added that her customers were attracted to unique Polaroid designs illustrating famous brands, such as Mother Cookies, McDonalds, Barbie and Mary Kay.

“Those are limited editions and are hard to find now, but it seems that Indonesians are more curious when something is harder too find,” she said. (map)