Instant Photography/Polaroid getting started Guide

Posted by on Mar 28 2009

If you are interested in getting started with instant photography, but are over/underwhelmed by the choices available as of the date of this post, hopefully this post will clarify a few things. This not exhaustive list, but its to point beginners in the right direction.

Integral or Pack Film?

Integral film – this is the kind that develops before your eyes. This is one most people are familar with, similar to kind used in the movie Momento. Click here for an example of its development. This kind that is made famous by the saying ‘Shake it like a Polaroid’ picture. Sadly this type of film is out of production. Currently Fuji Instax is the only integral film that is still manufactured, but this is not compatible with Polaroid cameras. You have to use Fuji-made cameras for Fuji Instax. Though I am not familar with the chemistry, the instax films do not have the batteries inside the films packs like the old polaroids.

In my opinion – the Fuji Instax, although not the same square format of Polaroids, is an able replacement.

There is hope for those with old polaroid cameras that use – the Impossible Project will try to reinvent film for these cameras by 2010.

Pack Film – This is the kind of film you pull out of the camera. After developing for an alloted period of time, usually one minute depending on the temperature, you peel the film apart. As will with integral, Fuji is the only company that makes this film. Good News is that these films will fit in some Polaroid Cameras! However

I’ve used alot of Pack Film from expired Polaroids – and I will miss them when I am gone. These films had their own feel to them. Though Fuji fp-100c is a superb film (really vibrant colour!), there is something about the muted and retro colourof polaroid packfilms that will sorely miss. Also I love the results I have gotten with Polaroid UV-ID.

This is non-definitive list – Please refer to this page for complete list of films available

Maker Integral Example Camera? Available?
Polaroid 600, ISO 640 (consumer) Polaroid One Step Out of Production, Declining Availability
Polaroid 779, ISO 640 (pro) Polaroid One Step Out of Production, Declining Availability
Polaroid Spectra / Image, ISO 640 SX 70 Out of Production, Declining Availability
Fuji Instax Mini Mini 7 Readily Available on Internet
Fuji Instax Wide Instax 200 Readily Available on Internet
Impossible Mission Impossible Film, 600? Polaroid One Step 2010 Availability?
Impossible Mission Impossible Film, Spectra? SX 70 2010 Availability?
Maker Pack Film (peel apart) Example Camera? Available?
Polaroid 669 Color (consumer grade) Land Cameras Out of Production, Declining Availability
Polaroid 690 (pro grade) Land Cameras Out of Production, Declining Availability
Polaroid 667 (black/white) Land Cameras Out of Production, Declining Availability
Polaroid UV-ID Land Cameras Out of Production, Declining Availability
Fuji FP-100C Land Cameras Readily Available on Internet
Fuji FP-3000B (black/white) Land Cameras Readily Available on Internet

Where to buy? Ebay is your best bet for expired integral films. Occasionally you might find some of this film in old camera shops.

What is this Bloggers recommendation?

  • For Integral – get Instax Wide Film. Its readily available and cheaper than a drug habit
  • Get an old Pack Film Camera, and buy Fuji FP-100c for. Scrounge for Polaroid Films
  • If you have a Polaroid Integral Camera (SX-70, 600 types) wait and see if the Impossible Project succeeds!

Kris Kringle out on a limb

Posted by on Mar 28 2009

This is print from my Fuji Instax Mini Camera.  Its a fun alternative to polaroid integral film, and is readily available. Image is of a Christmas ornament I found in Auckland Domain. Click to enlarge

pola_13197_12376968833_x-2980801

9 Steps to taking better Polaroids – Practical Polaroid Tips

Posted by on Mar 22 2009

Since diving into Polaroid photography last September, I searched the internets for sound advice looking for how to shoot polaroid film. I found very little helpful hints except for ‘Keep shooting them, and you’ll eventually get better’. While thats true, given the price of the film, some practical help would be more than welcome.
This blog entry is aimed for beginners such as myself. Though I am used to shooting digital SLR, I found that I still had to learn quite a bit about photography.
This is specifically for integral film (the kind that develops before your eyes) – such as the one picture below:
polaroid_600_film-9610709
1. Shoot the bloody film! The film is only going to get older and the battery inside the film may go flat. A shitty Polaroid taken is better than Polaroid not taken at all 😉
2. Keep the film refridgerated but not frozen. This helps preserve the batteries. If my camera still has film in it, I wrap my Camera in an airtight bag and put it in the cooler. Note, Fuji Instax film doesn’t require this as it doesn’t have battery within the film. Keep it away from the Pork though, unless you like the smell of leftovers on your camera…
3. Don’t leave the camera open If its a one step camera you will see a green light on if its open. This will drain the film batteries. When the batteries are flat, I am not sure of any easy to resuciate the film and you will not be able to use the camera.
4. Shoot in sunlight. Despite Polaroid is fast film (ISO 640), shooting in full often yields best results. But don’t expect super sharpness from this film – having such a high ISO rating often means that results are grainy. Here are some blunders that resulted from low light situations:
Shooting at early morning may lead to blurry results like below; some sort of stabalisation is recommended:
earlymorning-1709670
Shooting in Evening/Night may result in shots like below. It was actually twilight, but the picture made it look darker than it was. Stabalisation would have been helpful :
nightshots-2272308
5. Use your flash with caution: This sequence of shots show to show you how flash can affect your shoots:
Shot 1 – No flash. The Camera was on ‘darkest’ setting which was my mistake. It was slightly overcast day but it made it look more like night.
no-or-weak-flash-9051299
Shot 2 – With flash. I adjusted the camera brightness settings back to normal and took a shot. As you can see a bit too strong. I could have positioned myself further away, but i wouldn’t have been able to frame the shot the way I wanted:
toomuchflash-6361118
Shot 3. Partially Covered Flash. Too weaken the flash, I held my left index finger over 2/3s of the flash. This was just the right amount of flash to light the foreground without bleaching it out.
icusortofcopy-6362559
6. Polarising filters are helpful – this may add even more contrast (Polaroids have strong constrast) but will make the colours stand out. 90%+ of my shots use a granny-rigged polaroid filter in front of the lens. Below is an example of punch in colours a polarising filter can give to a polaroid:
polarisingfilter-1926703
7. Your rangefinder lies on close ups. Ok it does to all range finders. But given the price of polaroid films – be very mindful of this. This shot was supposed to be a light bulb in front of the rising sun… I was too close to the bulb and misjudged the object through the range finder:
tooclose-5529800
8. Post Processing in Photoshop – Even more so than with digital, levels on Polaroid can do wonders. Scans often have poor contrast, and below Is an example of what Photoshop Autolevels can do to Polaroid image (original scann on left, autoleveled image on right):
levels-5173895
9. Be prepared for unexpected results! The worst part of Polaroid integral film is inconsistency; however this is the best part of the film too. Just embrace that your shots, for better or worse, will always be a surprise! The below shot was taken of a four leaf clover… and it had an unexpected gold aura around it.
happyaccidents-5722911
If you are looking for samples polaroidic inspiration I recommend visiting Polanoid. Also, If you have any thing you want to add, by all means please comment below.

Tough Day with the Polaroid 104: Wasted Polaroids

Posted by on Mar 21 2009

I had bought some 669 film expired from 2004. I had previously used expired film (in fact I think all my pack film I’ve used has been expired – even the Fujifilm) .

Below is the result of woes of getting a bad pack film. The pitch black parts is the negative part, but the pinkish to dark greys are the positive images. So I wound 10 crap images, the entire pack was munted. It was part of 20 pack of 669 I bought from ebay for about 35 NZD.  Unfortunately the prior pack also was defective. However, I was happier with the results from 779 integral film i took earlier.
Yep – Polaroids are an expensive hobby. But its better than cigarettes, drugs or alcohol (and cheaper, for now). All you need is one great shot and all the shite that you snapped before becomes a distant memory. For all my years of digital photography, I find shooting polaroid much more satisfying.
toughdaywithpolaroids-4888383
By the way, if you are in NZ, I find that Trademe suppliers (and Ebay AU) overcharge for their polaroids – its best to find bargains on Ebay and do the maths with the exchange rate and shipping costs you’ll get much better deals.
Beware, you could get results like the above, but just take it in stride and keep a back up camera with you 😉