Polaroid unveils a new look for the new decade

With smartphone cameras dominating the market in the social media era, instant photography brand Polaroid stays committed to reviving the physical form of the photographic art.

The latest effort of the brand's revitalization campaign involves returning to its original name "Polaroid" from "Polaroid Originals".

To celebrate the brand unification, Polaroid launched a new autofocus instant analog camera line, Polaroid Now, on Thursday.

Designed as a point and shoot camera easy to use for everyone, Polaroid Now features a newly-developed autofocus lens system, longer lasting battery, accurate flash and a more functional camera.

The brand new Now series will release five limited editions in Polaroid's iconic rainbow colors - red, orange, yellow, green and blue – as well as the classic black and white colorways.

"In the 1970's, Polaroid changed the rules of branding with the introduction of bold, full panel rainbow spectrums across our product lines, inspiring a host of legendary brands to this day," Oskar Smolokowski, CEO of Polaroid, said of the redesign.

"As this new decade marks a new chapter in the Polaroid story, it's a moment for us to celebrate that heritage, while keeping our sights set on the future. The new identity for 2020 reflects this, boldly reclaiming the color spectrum as uniquely Polaroid."

Smolokowski, an enthusiast of Polaroid cameras himself, said he is confident on the market potential for instant photography in China even in the digital-propelled age of social media.

"Instant photography is one of the only ways to preserve and share instant, physical memories. It's magic to see photos develop in the palm of your hand, and then be able to hand the photo over to the person next to you," said Smolokowski.

The launch of the new camera is expected to trigger another wave of excitement among China's diehard instant photography fans, such as Zhang Huanghuang, owner of LoOne Commune, a Polaroid workshop in Beijing downtown.

Having collected over 2,000 cameras and shot tons of films, Zhang said the unique nature of instant photography remains fascinating to him.

"Photography is about self-expression and realization of imagination, especially when it comes to shooting with a Polaroid camera. To present emotions at the very moment when the shot is taken on a fully processed physical image is so fascinating," he said.

Polaroid Now allows consumers to focus on the moment at hand. The new instant camera features a lens that automatically switches between distance and portrait formats - for a more precise shot each time.

Another standout feature for the camera is its accurate flash, which takes the lighting conditions into consideration, allowing for great results in lower lighting situations. Polaroid Now also boasts a long lasting battery life - with the power to shoot 15 packs of film - making it the perfect accessory for any adventure.