Which polaroid camera to go with?

<p>Looking to get into this polaroid thing. The only things I'm looking for in a camera is something that produces a decent size print (which leaves out some of those mini models) and something I can get film for relatively cheap (which sadly rules out anything that would take impossible film). I also don't mind spending more up front on a camera if I save money on film in the long run.</p>

<p>Any help is appreciated, as I don't have a ton of time to research this on my own. Thanks =)</p>

<p>You're severely restricted by the films currently offered for Polaroid cameras.</p>

<p>The Impossible Project has details on their products (films and cameras) <a href="https://www.the-impossible-project.com/">https://www.the-impossible-project.com/</a><br>

B&H and others have some other films listed if you Google for "Polaroid film".</p>

<p>The SX-70 is one of the top-of-the-line Polaroids.</p>

<p>BTW - "save money on film"? These words are incompatible with the word "Polaroid"</p>

<p>I don't know, but Fuji may still make instant film, but forget about "cheap" on any of these.</p>

<p>If it's just instant photography you want, not specifically Polaroid, you could take a look at the Fuji Instax line. There are two film sizes, the mini and the wide. The wide film is expensive and harder to get, as is the camera, so if you don't mind the smaller images of the mini film size, there is the gorgeous new Instax Mini 90 which appears to have the lighten/darken control sadly missing from my Mini 8. I have the Wide 210 and I love it to bits and I love the images it makes. <br>

I have shot the Impossible color film for the 600 Polaroids and I did not like it at all - perhaps if you like that sort of look then it might be an option but it's also fiendishly expensive, whereas the Instax Wide is just diabolically expensive. I would recommend looking at Flickr in the various groups for the Impossible film and the Instax films respectively and seeing which look you prefer. I found the impossible films very orange, contrasty and full of defects, plus my shots are slow degrading, whereas my Instax shots are much more like regular photos, just a bit contrasty. When they are good they are awesome....</p>

<p>I was using polaroid generally to refer to any kind of instance film system, sorry for the confusion. And yeah, I would love to play around with impossible film, but its just too much money.</p>

<p>Chris, thanks. I used a friends Fuji instax 210 and liked it. That was near the top of my list.<br>

2 more questions: I found the fuji fp 100c film. What kind of cameras take this? I just saw you can get a polaroid back for a holga and this film works...I might be sold on this!<br>

Also, anyone have experience with the polaroid digital/instant system? <a href="http://www.amazon.com/FUJIFILM-FP-100C-Inches-Professional-Instant/dp/B0000ALLYO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1387098704&sr=8-3&keywords=fuji+instant">http://www.amazon.com/FUJIFILM-FP-100C-Inches-Professional-Instant/dp/B0000ALLYO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1387098704&sr=8-3&keywords=fuji+instant</a><br>

I just wonder if the prints will have that same look/feel to them...</p>

Rob, I use FP100C in my medium format Polaroid back, it fits Polaroid pack film cameras plus it fits the Holga Polaroid

back but I have no experience with those cameras. I would imagine the Holga will be low-fi if that is what you are looking

for.

 

Just be aware that the FP100 is peel apart film which is messy compared to the integral films like Instax. On the other

hand the image quality is amazing, a lot better than the Instax. I can't get it in my country without paying an arm and a leg

or I would shoot more of it

Instax is the only option that meets your criteria. As a rough approximation, more or less, rounded off... you pay about the same price for a

pack of 20 Instax Wide pictures as you do for a pack of 8 Impossible Project ones. Instax film is a reliable, stable product like Polaroid film

was, while Impossible Project film is still more of an experimental, unpredictable kind of thing.

 

Unlike the IP films, you don't have to worry at all about protecting Instax film from light as it comes out of the camera. You have to shield IP

black and white film immediately as it is ejected and continue to do so for some time thereafter. The newer "Color Protection" films are

much better in that regard, but still require careful handling. With Instax, you just take the picture, as you would have with genuine Polaroid

brand film.

 

Once an Instax picture has fully developed, it pretty much stays the way it is indefinitely, while an Impossible Project picture continues to

mature over time. You had better scan it after a few days of maturation if you expect to keep a record of what it looked like.

 

That having been said, I love what the Impossible Project is doing. I would use their film a lot more if I didn't have to eat periodically. A pack

of 20 Instax, on the other hand, doesn't cost that much more than the cost of a roll of conventional film plus having it processed and

scanned.

<p>I think the Fuji instant film will fit a back that could be used on a Crown Graphic or similar camera. While the backs were expensive new, I think they can be had inexpensively now.</p>

<p>I may second the Polaroid back thing. My "new" Bronica came with one, so I ordered a couple packs of FP100, and plan on shooting it tomorrow. I figure it'd end up being cheaper and easier to test the camera that way than going through the rollfilm process.</p>

 

<p>Buy a polaroid pack film camera<br>

100 101 102 103<br>

200 201 202 250<br>

300....<br>

You can use fuji fp100 or fp3000 b&w film and get brilliant prints at the full design size<br>

and its also a cool camera to use</p>

<p>The polaroid pack cameras go very cheap on eBay or goodwill auction sites. Just be sure not to get one that uses only the square pack film that polaroid made, but Fuji doesn't.</p>

<p>So what did you end up doing Rob?</p>