Polaroid or Fuji?

Arthurwg

Subscriber
Joined
Dec 16, 2005
Messages
2,601
Location
Taos NM
Format
Medium Format
I'm looking for an instant camera to shoot square images in color and perhaps B&W, but the choices are daunting. I need a camera that renders sharp pictures, but many that I see are blurry, fuzzy or funky. Polaroid or Fuji? A refurbished SX-70? Mint? I need help.
 

BrianShaw

Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2005
Messages
16,478
Location
La-la-land
Format
Multi Format
In my humble opinion, you are headed down the path of disappointment. The only sharp pictures rendered by Polaroid were in medium and large format materials, which are long gone. If you choose to embrace the blurry, fuzzy or funky images... Polaroid SX-70, and call the images "art".
 

Alan9940

Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2006
Messages
2,408
Location
Arizona
Format
Multi Format
I agree with the above. And, just this morning I had the chemical pod burst on the first sheet of 600 film spewing blue goo all over the camera internals and my hands. That was a $20 pack of film wasted! Honestly, after owning two SX-70's and an SLR680 for many years I'm about ready to give up on Polaroid! YMMV, of course.
 

grain elevator

Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2020
Messages
1,279
Location
Germany
Format
Multi Format
I don't know the whole market but Instax is cheaper than Polaroid and the best IQ from affordable Instax cameras is to be had from lomography. The thing that sets them apart from Fuji is a scale focusing lens. Build quality is so-so. I'm not sure they make a square one, I have the wide model.
 
OP
OP

Arthurwg

Subscriber
Joined
Dec 16, 2005
Messages
2,601
Location
Taos NM
Format
Medium Format
I guess when I say "sharp" I mean reasonably sharp. I don't expect Hasselblad-Zeiss levels of performance. But I'm also looking for reliability and ease of use. I did love the old LF Polaroid stuff back in the day. But that was then and this is now.
 

koraks

Moderator
Moderator
Joined
Nov 29, 2018
Messages
21,943
Location
Europe
Format
Multi Format
Arthurwg said:
I'm looking for an instant camera to shoot square images in color and perhaps B&W, but the choices are daunting.
Click to expand...

Look at the available media first; then see which cameras remain. The choices aren't as daunting as you may believe they are. In fact, I'm afraid they're quite limited.
 

BrianShaw

Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2005
Messages
16,478
Location
La-la-land
Format
Multi Format
It might be worth considering a non-analogue solution to meet your requirements...
 

xya

Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2010
Messages
1,031
Location
Calais, Köln
Format
Multi Format
Fuji film is sharp, the colours are fine and it's much cheaper. But their square film is quite small. Recent Polaroid 600 film is sharp as well, it has improved a lot during the last year. But it's expensive.

If you look at scans, please take the size of the original photo scanned into account. An 8x8cm Polaroid looks blurry on a full size screen. I have tested quite some cameras here https://www.instantphoto.eu/
 

rcphoto

Subscriber
Joined
Nov 20, 2022
Messages
321
Location
Kentucky
Format
Medium Format
I’ve had a lot of fun with Fuji Instax cameras. I think the image quality is quite good as far as analog instant photography goes.

I wish they’d bring back the pull apart options, I felt they were a bit sharper even in cheap cameras.
 

blee1996

Subscriber
Joined
Jul 25, 2008
Messages
1,166
Location
SF Bay Area, California
Format
Multi Format
In terms of film quality, Instax Wide are slightly sharper than Polaroid SX-70 film.

But in terms of camera, SX-70 is the golden standard for me. Excellent lens, accurate focus, compact, stylish, and plain fun to use. I can tolerate the much higher price and slightly lower quality of SX-70 film.

For Instax Wide, I use some custom built cameras to have better lens and manual control.

If you still can find FP-100C or FP-3000B pack film and can afford them, do try them in a proper camera (e.g. Polaroid 600SE, or Polaroid back for medium/large format cameras). You will appreciate what could be achieved by an instant film, but no longer available.

Polaroids

Polaroid SX-70, a new toy with unpredictable fun
flickr.com
 

geirtbr

Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2015
Messages
53
Format
35mm
If you are not bound to polaroid or instax, you may want to check out Huge Instant Photo (Kwai Bun) on instagram for inspiration.
 

mshchem

Subscriber
Joined
Nov 26, 2007
Messages
14,468
Location
Iowa City, Iowa USA
Format
Medium Format
Get a Instax printer for your mobile phone. Modern Polaroid film is terrible. I MHOFWIW, nothing like the good old days.
 

Chuck1

Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2022
Messages
620
Location
Arlington ma
Format
Multi Format
What is a currently made instant film that would work in a 4x5 back,
Which film?
Which back?
 

ic-racer

Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2007
Messages
16,517
Location
USA
Format
Multi Format
One can make some very nice images on Fuji Instax film if it is in a proper camera.
 

Kodachromeguy

Subscriber
Joined
Nov 3, 2016
Messages
2,040
Location
Olympia, Washington
Format
Multi Format
Once upon a time, you could buy the beautiful Polaroid Type 54 black and white instant print material in 4×5 inch size. But that was another time, another world. What a loss that the Polaroid bankruptcy company destroyed most of the unique film machines in the Massachusetts factory.


 
Last edited:

Chuck1

Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2022
Messages
620
Location
Arlington ma
Format
Multi Format
Type 55 was great. But the negs were a little fragile, but you could clear them in sprite...
 

guangong

Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2009
Messages
3,589
Format
Medium Format
If looked at from the aspect of who were the heavy users of Polaroid film and what they use now, real estate salesmen converted to digital. I enjoyed using P/N Polaroid with my Hassy and still have a Polaroid back somewhere (fantasy!). Nowadays, if I wanted instant, I would go digital.
 
OP
OP

Arthurwg

Subscriber
Joined
Dec 16, 2005
Messages
2,601
Location
Taos NM
Format
Medium Format

I did use those back in the day. Wonderful. Very sad they are o longer available. As the song says, "You don't know what you've got till it's gone."
 

Donald Qualls

Subscriber
Joined
Jan 19, 2005
Messages
12,248
Location
North Carolina
Format
Multi Format
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn more…