When Polaroid launched the "OneStep" camera in 1977, the company described it as "the simplest camera in the world". Install a fixed focus lens and it takes a few minutes to develop. It is equipped with the automatic delivery function to discharge the developed film.
OneStep is really simple. It is also cheap compared with Polaroid's SX-70, a foldable real-time camera launched by OneStep five years ago, which costs $180 (more than $1000 at current prices).
The OneStep, which sells for $40, is Polaroid's first gadget with autofocus that can be operated with a button even if you hate a machine. The camera was developed as a durable, cheap, mass-produced product, making it one of the company's best-selling cameras.
Polaroid withdrew from the real-time camera business in 2007, ending production of the OneStep and successor models, but a product symbolizing Polaroid still exists. "its design is absolutely legendary," said Oscar Smolokowski, former CEO of Impossible Project.
Impossible Project is reproducing Polaroid instant film and designing the real-time camera "Imuri 1". Smolokowski, who has become the new brand CEO of Polaroid Original, recently released OneStep2, a new product with OneStep plus the latest technology.
The OneStep2 was Polaroid Original's first camera. It is reported that the company will focus on catering to the classic cameras of this digital age under the leadership of a new brand named Polaroid.
OneStep2 is similar to the first generation in many ways. Compact, plastic molding. The body color is prepared in white and graphite. The viewfinder is located at the left end (directly above the exposure adjustment button) and the red shutter button is located on the right. While paying tribute to the original stripe sticker at that time, the newly designed iridescent logo is extending toward the bottom of the camera.
There is also a big difference. The new OneStep has an automatic flash built in to make it easier to take pictures at night. There are also 10-second selfies and 60-day USB rechargeable batteries. There is a LED display at the top of the camera to tell you how many of the eight sheets of film are left. The film uses Impossible Project, and it takes 2 minutes to develop the first one. It takes 15 minutes to develop the color clearly.
The most important change, however, is the installation of the Selfie lens. Aspheric polycarbonate is made, and sharp photos with a maximum of about 60 cm can be taken. The original product needs at least a distance of about 120 centimeters.
Modern as it is, OneStep2 is obviously simulated compared to Impossible Project's Imuri 1. Imai 1, reinvented with the goal of "instant photos of the iPhone era", has manual focus and uses applications that can apply filters like Instagram.
But for users who want to facilitate instant photos, manual settings and apps to connect to smartphones are too complex. "Impossible Project was the experiment," Smolokowski recalls. "although the function is cool, it's hard to understand whether the gadget can produce the expected photos right away."