Nostalgia: Polaroid Instant FUNtography
One of the easiest ways to start shooting film in the 2020’s is also a classic nearly everybody knows about. Polaroid revolutionized photography in 1948 when Edwin Land introduced the Model 95. It was a type of instant film that still needed a little bit of knowledge for timing and when to peel apart the film once it was outside the camera. These were and still are beautiful cameras. They use 40-series film, which was unfortunately discontinued in 1992. Over the following years there were many different models introduced and then subsequentially discontinued by Polaroid. The brand name became synonymous with instant photography to the point of the only real competitor, Kodak, was forced out of business altogether after their claim was taken to the Supreme Court. I have never used a Kodak instant camera so I can’t tell you whether they were good or not, but I have used numerous Polaroid’s over the years.
I am only experienced with the standard style of Polaroid film. I’ve used them on and off since the early 1980’s. I remember my parents and grandparents being very protective of taking pictures because it was expensive, but being able to see my pictures right away was just too much of a draw for a pre-teen to care about the consequences of making them mad. I don’t remember any of my pictures being good, and I’m sure they were terrible. I do remember running around the front yard shaking the slightly warm square of white plastic while the picture slowly came to life though. Of note, I have learned shaking the photo is not necessary and could in fact slow down or ruin it altogether.
Choosing and using a Polaroid can be slightly confusing, so here is how it breaks down.
1. Vintage:
a. SX70 film
i. Folding camera
ii. Box type camera
b. 600 film
i. Folding camera
ii. Box type camera
2. Modern:
a. I-Type film
i. Box camera
If you have a family camera from the 90’s or earlier, it is one of 2 types: it uses either SX70 or 600 film. SX70 is roughly equal to ISO 160 film, which means it needs lots of light. It makes for nice, rich colors, or deep contrasty Black and White. 600 film is equivalent to iso 640 film and can be used in lower light, or will use faster shutter speeds making it less prone to making a blurry image. 600 makes the nostalgic vintage pastel look people like about these cameras.
Most people are familiar with the boxy style that has a fold down top to cover the lens when not in use. It’s plasticky build is very sturdy and of the dozens I’ve used and held, all of them work just fine. Sometimes the rollers will need to be cleaned a little because it causes spots to form on the picture, but all it takes is a little isopropyl alcohol and a cotton swab to clean it up like new. These can be found in both types of film, and the way to tell them apart is there is typically a sticker on the inside of the flap where the film is inserted. If that’s not the case with the one you have, a rule of thumb is the model number will either say “Land Camera” (sx70) or have some version of 6xx (600). All of these boxy style cameras can be had incredibly inexpensively, $20 and under is what I usually see, and have sold a handful for the same price with accessories like flash bars. If I were to choose one of these as my only instant camera, the Sun 660 seems to be the best as it has a built-in flash and autofocus. It also looks super cool with red lettering and a bright gold screen covering the autofocus module.
Both styles can also be had in a more aesthetically pleasing folding style. They use the same film and have a much higher tendency to break, but the leather skin and flat folding bodies can almost fit in a large pocket. The downside to these is they do run quite a bit more expensive in the hundreds of dollars depending on model. This may be due to the Single Lens Reflex (SLR) features they have rather than the folding features, but I’m not sure how helpful it is. The box style is basically a point and shoot, whereas the folders give a fair bit of control over focus and shutter speeds. There are also companies that will convert an SX70 to shooting 600 film. I have a converted version and it takes very nice photos. After the conversion it came back to me as basically a brand-new camera despite being 50 years old. Both SX70 and 600 film will fit in either camera, but when put in the wrong camera, will not expose properly. There are some companies that make a filter to put on 600 film for use in SX70 cameras if you are feeling crafty and want one camera to shoot both types of film.
Polaroid was purchased by a group of photographers within the last few years to rejuvenate the brand. They started by reverse engineering the film process for vintage cameras, but then redesigned the cameras themselves to be more usable in the 21st century. Now they have introduced I-Type film for the new cameras. The only real difference is vintage film has a battery installed in every pack, I-Type film is battery free and the camera has the battery instead. It makes for a more environmentally friendly setup, and I-Type can be had in cool limited-edition styles like gold frames instead of the standard white frames. All three styles of film are readily available at retail stores like Target, Amazon or direct from Polaroid’s website. I-Type cameras can use 600 film with no modification, but the reverse is not true.
To wrap it up, the main downside of shooting with any version of Polaroid is it’s pretty expensive. A single pack of 8 photos runs about $20, or $85 for 5 packs of 8. It also expires fast in comparison to standard roll film. Fujifilm has been making their Instax line of cameras and film and runs at a little bit more affordable priceline depending on the camera and film size you choose. I recently picked one of these up and shot just a pair of photos before it was commandeered by my youngest. Once I get it back, expect a full review as I compare it to the Polaroid industry standard.