Polaroid

Regina Phalange · 24-07-2010 11:23am #1

Hi peeps!

I'm looking to buy a polaroid camera but not really sure what to look for.

Should I go for the 600 or a newer style?
A friend has the 600 and I love the pictures from it but am aware they have discontinued the film.

Should I just buy the 600 or are the newer ones just as nice?

Anyone buy any from ebay? I'll probably buy from there unless otherwise advised.

Cheers!

Effects · 24-07-2010 12:23pm

I have a friend that has a good few of them, brand new and unused. They are one600. I'll see how much he wants for one if you're interested.

DaireQuinlan · 24-07-2010 12:42pm

Don't bother with a 600 or spectra. The film has been discontinued, and expired film will set you back 40 euros or more for a pack of 10 on ebay. There is a company, the aptly named impossible project that set out to recreate the film, but their efforts so far have been a miserable failure.
If you're dead set on instant look into fuji Instax instead.

Steve Reddin · 24-07-2010 12:57pm

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

Don't bother with a 600 or spectra. The film has been discontinued, and expired film will set you back 40 euros or more for a pack of 10 on ebay. There is a company, the aptly named impossible project that set out to recreate the film, but their efforts so far have been a miserable failure.
If you're dead set on instant look into fuji Instax instead.

I have to agree, it's one of the issues with Polaroid's older cameras, as they are mainly a consumer targeted company they pull the production of film that's not selling in droves. I'd love to get a Polaroid back for my Bronica but they stopped producing the film for this as well. The last thing you want to do is get a camera you can't use.

On a side note, has anyone used the Polaroid Pogo? It looks like a fun thing to have and is fairly cheap too.

Steve

DaireQuinlan · 24-07-2010 3:33pm

Steve Reddin wrote: »

I have to agree, it's one of the issues with Polaroid's older cameras, as they are mainly a consumer targeted company they pull the production of film that's not selling in droves. I'd love to get a Polaroid back for my Bronica but they stopped producing the film for this as well. The last thing you want to do is get a camera you can't use.

Actually any pola back that I'm aware of for the bronica (mine included) takes type 100. Any of the fuji peel apart films are compatible. I'm just finishing up a pack of fuji 3000b in my back ATM. There might be a type 80 back for the bronica which would be icompatible with the fuji type 100 films but if there is I've never heard of it.
The real drawback of course is that you still only use a fraction of the film depending on which bronnie you hve. IE I'm shooting with an sq so I get 6x6 cm.

DaireQuinlan · 24-07-2010 5:01pm

Here's the most recent I've shot on the 3000b. This is the 6x6 crop from the full frame.

Here's an example of what the full frame looks like (this is fuji 100c)

Steve Reddin · 24-07-2010 5:11pm

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

Actually any pola back that I'm aware of for the bronica (mine included) takes type 100. Any of the fuji peel apart films are compatible. I'm just finishing up a pack of fuji 3000b in my back ATM. There might be a type 80 back for the bronica which would be icompatible with the fuji type 100 films but if there is I've never heard of it.
The real drawback of course is that you still only use a fraction of the film depending on which bronnie you hve. IE I'm shooting with an sq so I get 6x6 cm.

I must look into that, I didn't realise there was compatible film, tbh I never looked in great detail after Polaroid stopped making it.

I'd not be fussed on the amount of film used, I'd only want it to see the image before I use my film up.

Effects · 24-07-2010 8:14pm

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

Don't bother with a 600 or spectra. The film has been discontinued, and expired film will set you back 40 euros or more for a pack of 10 on ebay. There is a company, the aptly named impossible project that set out to recreate the film, but their efforts so far have been a miserable failure.
If you're dead set on instant look into fuji Instax instead.

That's pretty pricey for the film. The one he gave me has a full pack in it but I don't think the battery has enough power in it to take a shot. He managed to get the cameras and about 100 packs of film for free where he worked. He's down to just two packs of film left.

Regina Phalange · 25-07-2010 3:49pm

Cheers folks, so its not really recommended so?

I might have a look into the Fuji Instax.

sineadw · 27-07-2010 8:16am

I have two 600s that I haven't taken a shot with in years. Go with the Fuji..

29-07-2010 5:31pm

are there any alternatives to the fuji instax? I've been looking to buy a poloroid type camera. Im looking for something that will give me a polaroidy look...? Make sense? Ive seen some of the instax pictures but they're a little clean for me.

Is there any other suggestions... something maybe older but with film still available for it... at a reasonable price

elven · 30-07-2010 10:43am

101001 wrote: »

Is there any other suggestions... something maybe older but with film still available for it... at a reasonable price

I can't find that, but here's a holy grail i've got here, that was easy to track down...

If only

The reason people are paying through the nose for expired polaroid film and the new decidedly 'quirky' impossible film is because there's no easy, cheap alternative. I have a polaroid 440 which also takes the new fuji peel apart stuff, but as you said it's still quite 'clean', it's and it's kind of clunky to use, also nearly as expensive as all the other options too.

If you want to get your hands dirty and don't mind a bit of diy though....

http://moominsean.blogspot.com/2009/09/hot-on-heelsthe-banner-instax.html

sineadw · 30-07-2010 7:19pm

Ah god dammit! Now I want one of those..

Silverfish · 30-07-2010 7:26pm

I have a polaroid pogo, and I bought it straight after they came out so I was ROBBED BLIND, I've only really used it to put momento books together, it's poor quality (or maybe that's my photos).

I have the instant back for the Diana F+, that's a really lovely lovely thing

Here's some test photos I took with it.

Slidinginfinity · 31-07-2010 12:04am

Been thinking of getting one of the Pogos, for when traveling and I want to take a picture of a person or a persons shop. So, I can leave them with at least a copy of the photo.
Would love it if you could post a scan of one of the prints.

31-07-2010 9:38am

elven wrote: »

If you want to get your hands dirty and don't mind a bit of diy though....

http://moominsean.blogspot.com/2009/09/hot-on-heelsthe-banner-instax.html

That is just about crazy enough for me to try... Cheers for that very interesting

Silverfish wrote: »

I have a polaroid pogo, and I bought it straight after they came out so I was ROBBED BLIND.

NIce one... what is getting film for it like? I assume you cropped the images that are at that link? Or does it not have one of those tasty white borders?

Silverfish · 31-07-2010 1:19pm

101001 wrote: »

NIce one... what is getting film for it like? I assume you cropped the images that are at that link? Or does it not have one of those tasty white borders?

Film is easy to get, it takes the Fuji instax mini film, which is pricey enough but kinda worth it when you hear the 'Squidge...whirrrrr....' noise and you have your photo there and then. It does have the white border, I think you can see it in some of the shots there if you squint, my crappy scanner doesn't always pick them up.

Slidinginfinity wrote: »

Been thinking of getting one of the Pogos, for when traveling and I want to take a picture of a person or a persons shop. So, I can leave them with at least a copy of the photo.
Would love it if you could post a scan of one of the prints.

I'll get some scans of the Pogo shots and stick them up with the original photo for comparison.

DaireQuinlan · 31-07-2010 1:57pm

Silverfish wrote: »

Film is easy to get, it takes the Fuji instax mini film, which is pricey enough but kinda worth it when you hear the 'Squidge...whirrrrr....' noise and you have your photo there and then.

Unless I'm not following the thread correctly here, the pogo printer doesn't take instax film. It takes some polaroid specific 'pogo' paper. If you want a pogo you can buy them for next to nothing on amazon. I wouldn't say they'll last particularly long product wise though, and once the paper isn't made any more they're useless.

Just to muddy the waters here, there is a new polaroid camera with readily available film, but it's just a rebranded (and inexplicably more expensive) fuji instax mini. The film is compatible as well.

Silverfish · 31-07-2010 2:11pm

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

Unless I'm not following the thread correctly here, the pogo printer doesn't take instax film. It takes some polaroid specific 'pogo' paper. If you want a pogo you can buy them for next to nothing on amazon. I wouldn't say they'll last particularly long product wise though, and once the paper isn't made any more they're useless.

Just to muddy the waters here, there is a new polaroid camera with readily available film, but it's just a rebranded (and inexplicably more expensive) fuji instax mini. The film is compatible as well.

No, I was talking about the Diana F+ with the instant back there.

EDIT: oh sorry yes, I see where the confusion is. The link I posted was to some Diana F+ test shots, not a Pogo.

Polaroid

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