scratched film from sx-70

hello, i get images like this from both my sx-70, one with sonar, and the other manual.

those are slr models.

 

i have a feeling, that last images get scratched, while first images in the pack don't usually.

 

so i don't know how to solve this.

i tried cleaning the rollers, but those did not look particularly dirty, and it didn't help.

 

i've got a reply on flickr, that it's a known bug, and i have to contact customer support and return the pack.

Looks more like static electricity to me, in any case

That's not scratching, its a failure of the opaque opacification layer inside the film that blocks the light when the film first exits the camera and is developing. I have noticed this as well on even the most recent generations of the Polaroid Originals SX-70 films. It seems to get worse as the film ages, the longer you have the film in the camera and the brighter conditions you are shooting in the more likely this is to happen. I have great respect for the Polaroid Originals/ Impossible Project for re-manufacturing film for these old cameras however they just don't seem to be there yet, as to be useful for anything other than experimental use.

 

Another problem I have been having is that the batteries in the packs are wearing out prematurely, If I leave a pack in a camera for more than a month it may not have enough energy left to get though all 8 exposures. This is a bit disconcerting considering that the batteries are of a lithium manganese dioxide chemistry, and should theoretically have sufficient energy density and a 10 year shelf life, but I have cross referenced the part numbers in my Polaroid Originals packs and found they use the cheapest Chinese cells possible, so it should come as no surprise. It would be nice if someone could manufacture those Polapulse flat batteries again, then these issues would be less likely and you could actually fit 10 exposures in a pack again.

 

I think that if Polaroid Originals/Impossible would work on actually fixing the opacification and battery issues and create a technologically better product, versus their current model of focusing on tinted emulsions and colored frames, their business would be better in the long run.

I think that if Polaroid Originals/Impossible would work on actually fixing the opacification and battery issues and create a technologically better product, versus their current model of focusing on tinted emulsions and colored frames, their business would be better in the long run.

 

Agreed.

 

I thought long and hard when making the decision to buy Instax Wide or Polaroid/Impossible. In the end, neither was ideal but Instax was the 'less bad choice'.

 

What swung it for me was exactly the points you have listed, primarily the instability of the current Impossible films, having to scan my photos within a day did not appeal to me.

 

Still waiting for someone to produce an instant camera with external flash sync...

Actually, I have found the current generation of Polaroid Originals films to be surprisingly colorfast despite the other issues. I haven't noticed any appreciable shifts or fading in images I took about a year ago. That said, I don't store my Polaroids in a windowsill, so they aren't being exposed to direct sunlight on a daily basis.

Thanks, that's a useful update on the information I had.

 

Still waiting for someone to produce an instant camera with external flash sync...

 

A couple options with external flash sync:

MiNT Camera: InstantKon RF70

Vintage Polaroid Cameras + New Instant Cameras | MiNT Official Site

 

The Mint Flashbar has an external flash sync that can be used with or without the flashbar on.