Polaroid film in final weeks of manufacturing

All good things must come to an end, and next to go is Polaroid. Earlier this year, the company announced it would begin winding down production of its iconic instant camera film. Now those days are upon us as Polaroid enters its final days on the assembly line.

While Polaroid will cease production of the film before the end of the year, fans aren't giving up the ship. The resale market for unexposed film is exceptionally hot. As CNN notes, 40 prints worth of film sell for about $64 on eBay. That's typical of the current market, with exposures running $1 to $2 a piece.

CNN is honoring the iconic technology with numerous tales of art projects and personal memories driven by Polaroid and its film. Most fans are willing to overlook the generally poor print quality and the lengthy waits (by today's standard) for film to develop. It's more visceral than that. Says one fan: "For me, watching a Polaroid picture develop is like watching a memory form right before your eyes."

You're also encouraged to check out the Save Polaroid website, a spin-off of a Flickr group founded by Sean Tubridy and which now claims 4,000 members. The site is filled with testimonials and eulogies for the format, while offering the dedicated copious information on obtaining what remaining Polaroid film and camera stocks are still out there... but soon to be shrinking every day.