Instax Mini Film fits 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 Film Holders!

[ic-racer]

Yes, good observation; you can put the pod end in to the 6x9 holder first and then the flap will close without modification. The image will be a off center, but no modification of the film holder is needed. Then one could decide if it is worthwhile to cut the flap and load them the other way to center the image.

 

[choiliefan]

I've ordered a 20 pack of Instax film and am looking forward to trying this out in my Century Graphic with an assortment of lenses.

Question: Lacking an Instax or old Polaroid camera as a processor, do you feel it's possible to lay the exposed sheet of Instax on a counter top and using an artists roller (or small rolling pin) to break the capsule and spread the developer?

 

[ic-racer]

I think the rollers have to press together pretty tight to spread the chemicals. Maybe look for a surplus conventional Polaroid back to get the roller assembly. You can tape the instax to some paper and pull it through.

 

[peter k.]

lay the exposed sheet of Instax on a counter top and using an artists roller (or small rolling pin) to break the capsule and spread the developer?

Yes ic-racer is correct.
Tried it, does not give an even development..Investigating on the internet, could find no one who had success trying it several different ways.
Was hoping it would work, so we could get some Instax wide, which is much wider, at the end with the chemicals, than Polaroid 600 film. But it would work with the Instax mini film.

 

[mattfilm]

I ordered a 2x3 holder a few weeks ago for my RB67 because I love the idea of using instant film with it and cant afford pack film. I just got around to making some not so great scans for anyone that wants to see some results. Haven't quite figured out the best way to scan instant film but this is one of my better photos so far.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I finally found a use for my tiny film holders. The Instax Mini film fits well enough to make exceptional images (not blurry , light struck junk).

Caveats:
1) The Fidelity Deluxe 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 film holders need to have the flap at the bottom trimmed. Needs to be trimmed just enough to clear the processing bubble, yet still allow the dark slide to engage and hold the flap closed. The scrap of the first one I cut (by eye) measured 8.5mm when I checked. When cutting the flap on the other side I left even more of the flap so it would engage better, and that scrap measured 7.6mm.

2) It is a little challenging getting the exposed film back in the Instax cassette. My trick is to push out an un-exposed film just a few millimeters, to open the trap. Once the trap is open, slide the exposed filim OVER the unexposed one and push them both back in. The issue is the flap, as it closes, catches the junction of the image area and paper on the viewing side of the film as you try to push it back in the cassette. Maybe the safety flap can just be removed from the cassette.

Otherwise it works perfect! So well, that my 'Instax Graflok Back' conversion is on hold.

Nice. I am glad that you found something for your format of choice.

 

[ic-racer]

Nice. I am glad that you found something for your format of choice.

I see Hasselblad under your avatar. I don't know if the Instax films will fit in the Hasselblad sheet film holder. Looks like the instructions for the Hasselblad film holder ask one to cut the 2x3 sheet film prior to inserting it in to the film holder. I don't know if Instax film can be cut prior to processing (without making a mess).

 

[hsandler]

There's a video here showing how to put Instax wide film in 4x5 holders. Note an error in the video: the film needs to be put in the film holder so the back side faces the lens. I'm planning to try this as soon as an Instax wide camera that I can use for processing comes up cheap in my town.

 

[ic-racer]

Yes, if you try that let us know how it works. I went with the little Instax films because I wanted to try some hand-held stuff and don't have a 4x5" rangefinder camera.
I did do an 8x10 on the little Instax films.

 

[fdonadio]

There's a video here showing how to put Instax wide film in 4x5 holders.

That looks like a LOT of work. Someone needs to come up with a proper back. Incredibly, some of the Kickstarter/IndieGoGo projects in this direction didn’t meet funding goals...

 

[maximumPhoto]

That looks like a LOT of work. Someone needs to come up with a proper back. Incredibly, some of the Kickstarter/IndieGoGo projects in this direction didn’t meet funding goals...

I look at the Rezivot and wonder what could have been if they had included a simple box/shell to turn it into a pinhole camera whenever you are not using it as a camera back. Their goal was very high though, nearly triple that of the Reflex, and the Lomography cameras, while having a smaller target audience. Making it a complete camera/back hybrid could've helped.

 

[ic-racer]

It should not take too long to make a plastic adapter like the one shown. Even two sided tape could work. A sheet film ground-glass back is pretty much the 'proper back' for a view camera. You may not have seen it in the video by processing can be done in the daylight using an Instax camera. I can process 10 sheets of the Instax in the time it takes me just to load a Jobo 3010 sheet-film tank.

 

[hsandler]

There's a video here showing how to put Instax wide film in 4x5 holders. Note an error in the video: the film needs to be put in the film holder so the back side faces the lens. I'm planning to try this as soon as an Instax wide camera that I can use for processing comes up cheap in my town.

It works!

Orchid on Instax by Howard Sandler, on Flickr

 

[choiliefan]

That came out great!

 

[ic-racer]

It works!

That looks great. Can you share more details. That is, did you buy an Instax camera to use for processing, or did you already have one? Which camera did you get? Any other details to share?

I just did a brief portraiture project and did the some 'proofs' using the little Instax in the 6x9 holder. I used a dark-tent with the Instax camera in the tent to process the films while the subject waited. A little more cumbersome than the old peel-apart packs, but still not unreasonable.

 

[ic-racer]

I'm 100% B&W so I have no stuido lighting appropriate for the Instax color films, so my indoor-non-flash images are yellow, as expected. I see you have color corrected lighting. What kind of lighting did you use (or is this daylight?).

 

[hsandler]

That looks great. Can you share more details. That is, did you buy an Instax camera to use for processing, or did you already have one? Which camera did you get? Any other details to share?

I just did a brief portraiture project and did the some 'proofs' using the little Instax in the 6x9 holder. I used a dark-tent with the Instax camera in the tent to process the films while the subject waited. A little more cumbersome than the old peel-apart packs, but still not unreasonable.

I bought a used Instax 300 for "developing". I actually shot most of a pack with it, and it's more ergonomic than I thought, though still basically a crummy toy camera. If you tape some tissue paper over the flash you can do decent close up exposures. Its shutter and fixed aperture don't allow proper exposure in full sunlight, but auto with flash is good for indoors at 2m distance, which is probably the main use of that camera. The orchid photo was lit with a daylight-balanced fluorescent softbox I have and I did not correct colour, specifically because this was a test run. I only adjusted white and black points globally, not per colour. From the very slight blue-green tint remaining of the paper, I would prefer to balance the highlights a little warmer after scanning. A straight linear reflective scan looks to my eye very much like the print. Overall, the orchid shot is probably 2/3 stop underexposed. This was very close up for the 90mm lens on my Graphic and I was just guessing the bellows extension factor.

 

[Dacs]

Hello, I recently got a hold of an Ek4 but the problem is that it doesn't have a film holder. Any ideas where I can get one? or one that works on it? I'm a rookie on this.
Thanks in advance

 

[ic-racer]

You are trying to do this: https://petapixel.com/2016/10/18/use-new-fuji-instax-film-old-kodak-instant-cameras/

In which case you need an empty film cartridge. Check e-bay for one with expired film in it.

 

[Dacs]

Yes, I wanted to give that a go and see if I could get this working.
Do I need the pr10 (pr144) film cartridge specificaly or are there other empty film cartridges working on the Kodak ek4? Because I'm having a hard time finding pr10, and the ones I find are about 30$-40$.

 

[Cholentpot]

Can OP post a photo of the mods done to the film holder? I have a few Fidelity Delux and non Delux holders and would like to see what modifications are needed.

 

[ic-racer]

Can OP post a photo of the mods done to the film holder? I have a few Fidelity Delux and non Delux holders and would like to see what modifications are needed.

I don't have any pictures, but what I found is there was a little ridge on the flap that would press down on the pod. I used a hobby knife to remove the ridge so the flap can close without touching the pod. Not all holders may have this issue. Does your flap close without touching the pod?

 

[Cholentpot]

I don't have any pictures, but what I found is there was a little ridge on the flap that would press down on the pod. I used a hobby knife to remove the ridge so the flap can close without touching the pod. Not all holders may have this issue. Does your flap close without touching the pod?

Don't have any pods yet, I'll let you know when I get some Instax that fits the holder.

 

[Cholentpot]

I don't have any pictures, but what I found is there was a little ridge on the flap that would press down on the pod. I used a hobby knife to remove the ridge so the flap can close without touching the pod. Not all holders may have this issue. Does your flap close without touching the pod?

So I got some Instax Mini and tried to load them into my Fidelity.

Can't get it to close no matter which way the film is loaded. Still unsure what to do to modify the holders.

 

[ic-racer]

On my film holders there was a small ridge under the flap in the area of the dotted line. I shaved that off so the flap closes without touching the development pod.