當然有點可惜, 不過這年頭誰還有需要快顯的相片呢? 至於拍立得 ( Polaroid: 這個本意是偏光板的英文字) 台灣的中文翻譯的真是棒. 實驗室以前拍東西最棒了, 可以馬上得到結果, 不過當然是不敵了CCD. 至於拍立得的數位相機, 大概也沒有甚麼特別讓人驚豔的了. ( 這品牌早已經被賣掉了)

好像底片業者也是一樣. 很難玩的下去. 看來每一個時代更有引領風騷的產品.

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Cameras that use film have been a dying breed for about a decade, but that hardly makes it easy to accept that the end of the Polaroid in­stant picture is here.

The film and camera never produced great photos, of course, but they were immedi­ate. Long before digital photog­raphy made picture-taking an immediate gratification thing, Polaroid cameras reduced the time between pushing the but­ton and seeing the photo to a matter of 60 seconds.

People born before about 1980, and plenty born since, have albums at home or at their parents' homes filled with Polar­oid shots.

Polaroid introduced its in­stant film and cameras in the late 1940s. They were, more or less, affordable and very popu­lar.

The company eventually in­troduced many models, but the process was almost always the same.

Load a pack of film, point and click to take a picture. The cam­era would whine and buzz for a few seconds, and out would come a piece of film. You let it sit for about a minute, and then peeled off a cover.

Sometimes it was damp, and the Polaroid shake -- used to quickly dry the photos -- be­came forever associated with the camera and the film.

The company, of course, changed with the times. It man­ufactures its own digital camer­as and related items, so the end of the film products doesn't mean the end of Polaroid.

Still, the product that made the company a household name is headed to the history books.

Those thinking of stocking up -- if they can find the film on store shelves -- probably aren't going to do themselves much good.

Like all film, the Polaroid had an expiration date. Polar­oid's expiration period is much shorter, however.

Most variations of the film will reach that expiration date by the middle of 2009. A few vari­eties will be good into the fall, but beyond that it will be very much hit-or-miss for the quality of the film.

Polaroid explained its deci­sion on its Web page.

"Due to marketplace condi­tions, Polaroid has discontinued almost all of its instant analog hardware products," the compa­ny said in a statement. "Polar­oid has also made the difficult decision to cease manufacturing of instant film products in 2008."

The company also addressed its future, to a limited extent.

"We hope that you will con­tinue to choose Polaroid prod­ucts, as we take instant imaging into the digital platform with ex­citing new products being launched this year," Polaroid said.

"We appreciate your com­mitment to Polaroid products and apologize for any inconven­ience that the discontinuation of certain Polaroid products may cause."

To be sure, the inconven­ience will be limited. Not many people depend on Polaroid, or any film camera, for at-home pictures.

It isn't the loss of the product that makes this change worth noting. It is the loss of the cul­tural icon that stretched across about 60 years.