from Amateur Photographer:
http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/news/Polaroid_mulls_bridgestyle_d...tal_cam
Polaroid ponders 'bridge' camera with built-in printer
Wednesday 13th February 2008
Chris Cheesman
Polaroid ZINC
Polaroid may launch a 'bridge' camera with a built-in printer
following the launch of its first digital compact camera to use such
technology later this year.
The news comes just days after the firm announced plans to axe instant
film production.
Until now Polaroid had been only planning to launch a lower-end
compact camera with built-in printer - expected out later this year
with a seven-million-pixel imaging sensor.
'If the prosumer users say we want something which is closer to a
bridge [camera] with a very high zoom and different features, we are
ready to do that,' revealed Philippe Kalmbach, senior vice president
and general manager of Polaroid Europe.
In an exclusive interview with Amateur Photographer Kalmbach said that
Polaroid is likely to launch such a product if the demand warrants it
and is monitoring the market closely.
The first camera in the range will accept 2x3in paper, fed into the
camera via a paper tray. The paper will come in packs of five or ten
sheets.
It uses Zero Ink (ZINK) technology, which Polaroid hails as the
digital equivalent of instant film.
Similar to dye-sublimation printing, ZINK uses heat to produce an
image on special paper.
'ZINK Paper is an advanced composite material with embedded yellow,
magenta and cyan dye crystals, activated with 200 million heat pulses,
in 30 seconds, in a single pass,' states the techology's marketing
material. 'With 100 billion crystals in a 2x3in print, the paper is
100% inkless.'
The first product to use the system will be a printer (pictured),
scheduled for UK launch in June priced £79-99.
Initially, ZINK Paper will come in three sizes: 2x3in, 6x4in and
10x8in.
A launch date for the first of the ZINK-enabled cameras is yet to be
finalised, as has the specification. It is expected to cost between
£149-199, according to Kalmbach.
Kalmbach said that future cameras may accept larger paper sizes but,
this year at least, paper for its first generation cameras will not
exceed 6x4in.
'ZINK technology has almost no limitation in size, as the technology
lies in the paper itself and is being produced on very large sheets,'
Kalmbach told us.
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