Is it still worth it to buy and shoot original (pre-2009) Polaroid 600 film in 2023?

Is it still worth it to buy and shoot original (pre-2009) Polaroid 600 film in 2023? I have been debating buying and shooting some, though am not sure if it is all dried up by now.

Old Polaroid film, for me, isn’t worth the risk. But if you have spare money and an open mind for experimentation and alternative results it might be fun.

I recently found an unopened box of three packs dated 12/2003 at a thrift store.
Of the five shots taken, all are very pale shades of yellow. Very disappointing result but I'm only out a couple bucks.

A few months ago I was leafing through a sample kit produced last year that contained prints produced within the past two years in various ways of the same scene. Some of those were in fact (genuine/original) Polaroids. They evidently still worked, technically; I think the material was cold stored by the photographer in question. But they looked very, very badly faded.

It's a gamble. Unless it's very cheap or you have some good guarantee of it working, I would pass on it. Expired instant film is fickle, if the developer is dead or dry, you won't get anything out of it.

choiliefan said:

I recently found an unopened box of three packs dated 12/2003 at a thrift store.
Of the five shots taken, all are very pale shades of yellow. Very disappointing result but I'm only out a couple bucks.

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Did they develop or were they all dried up? How was the spread?

koraks said:

A few months ago I was leafing through a sample kit produced last year that contained prints produced within the past two years in various ways of the same scene. Some of those were in fact (genuine/original) Polaroids. They evidently still worked, technically; I think the material was cold stored by the photographer in question. But they looked very, very badly faded.

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This is interesting; do you have links to these photos?

The trouble with buying old Polaröid film is that it might be stored the wrong way.
Sometimes it is stored right up on its longest small side causing the development gel to slowly flowing sidewards resulting in an uneven development.
And some people think doing good by storing it in the fridge, even freezing, which causes the gel to become too cold and crystallising.

The development gel isn't that stable over long periods too.

The actual problem with Polaroid 600 film is the box is not properly sealed. It is cardboard with a foil seal that looks like it's airtight but it isn't. Almost all of those packs, that have not been in ideal storage, have the chemical pouches dried out.

An unopened pack of Polaroid 600 is worth a gamble of possibly $1.

nascarfann said:

Did they develop or were they all dried up? How was the spread?

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I have full coverage of the frames so not dried out.
I'm at work, otherwise I'd post one here. Maybe this weekend.

I bought a bunch of Fuji pack film before they discontinued it in 2016. Unfortunately the last two packs which I used a couple years ago had already gone bad.

nascarfann said:

This is interesting; do you have links to these photos?

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No, it's a physical sample pack that was sold to museums etc. for reference. I don't think the contents were photographed in a way that's useful for your purpose.

I bought some stock of 600 film exp. date of 2009 in 2007 and stocked it in the fridge. 2 years ago film and batteries still worked, but results were disappointing, all yellow and no way to get rid of it via heavy filtering. Chemicals still spread evenly. There are 2 packs left which will be used this winter. So no, it isn't worth buying, but try to use it if it's for free or next to nothing.

BTW: 2015/17 Fuji peel-apart is still working well, if stored correctly. I just sold all of my stock to an artist photographer friend so that he can finish his project.

I have shot and continue to shoot a lot of old Polaroid. To the question of whether it's worth it to buy and shoot pre-2009 Polaroid 600 film, I'd respond with a firm "no".

The different Polaroid film types have different keeping properties. With 600 film, the very best you can hope for in 2023 would be a faded yellow-ish image with full chemical spread. The pack providing this result would (a) have a 2009 expiry date - older stuff is almost certainly toast (b) have been stored in a fridge its entire life and (c) be a magic lucky pack. I've had a couple of magic lucky packs. The results are attractive in their own way, and it's always fun to watch how real Polaroid develops, but it's not something I'd want to shoot a lot of even if I could get an endless supply. And I can't get an endless supply because these are magic lucky packs. Most of the 2009 expired stuff you'll get are dry bricks.

Pack film and 4x5 sheet film is a different story. Depending upon the film type and storage, packs as old as the late 1990's may provide attractive results. Or not. It's hit or miss, but hits aren't that unusual.

In my experience the Fuji pack film keeps well, especially FP-100c (color). Even 20 year old packs usually work, especially if they were fridge-stored.

With regards to freezing, according to the internet and text on the box, old Polaroid should never be frozen. Fuji pack film, on the other hand, has no such text. I've frozen it for years and then used it without issue.

Beyond that, it's also possible the battery in the film pack may be weak, fourteen years beyond expiration (sixteen from manufacture, if not a little longer since the batteries were made separately before being assembled into the film pack shells). I wouldn't trust name-brand Duracells or Energizers that old...

Donald Qualls said:

Beyond that, it's also possible the battery in the film pack may be weak, fourteen years beyond expiration (sixteen from manufacture, if not a little longer since the batteries were made separately before being assembled into the film pack shells). I wouldn't trust name-brand Duracells or Energizers that old...

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Surprisingly the batteries often do work. I use the old packs to run my trusty Polaroid-branded radio. I haven't had to buy radio batteries in many years

Yes, obviously the old Polaroid batteries were superb. It's the 600 series cameras that drain the batteries quickly, they charge their powerful flashes every time you open the camera and there is often no power saving mode...

BTW: I consider the Duracells still as the best choice.

xya said:

BTW: I consider the Duracells still as the best choice.

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I'm falling away (but where to??) because I've had Duracells leak in devices two or three times in the past few years -- even well before the "best by" date on the packaging.

I've had very good luck with the "Horror Fright" Thunderbold Edge batteries.
When on sale they're even better.

Donald Qualls said:

I'm falling away (but where to??) because I've had Duracells leak in devices two or three times in the past few years -- even well before the "best by" date on the packaging.

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Oh, that's really bad. I had this multiple times with Aerocells. That's why I don't buy them anymore. For me it's Varta now as I'm living in Germany. Anyway: I try to take out the batteries of all my cameras before putting them away...

Donald Qualls said:

I've had Duracells leak in devices two or three times in the past few years -- even well before the "best by" date on the packaging.

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There have been many reports of that sort of thing - it seems that there are a number of counterfeit Duracells being sold online and in retail stores (and have been for a number of years).

Don_ih said:

it seems that there are a number of counterfeit Duracells being sold online and in retail stores (and have been for a number of years).

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Terrific...