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.
Polaroid or Fuji?
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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".
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.
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.
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.
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.
It might be worth considering a non-analogue solution to meet your requirements...
+1 digital plus an small printer
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/
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/
I think at one time Canon made a small digital point and shoot that incorporated a printer.
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.
I wish they’d bring back the pull apart options, I felt they were a bit sharper even in cheap cameras.
Perhaps a hybrid system, camera or smartphone and printer install square link.
Carlos
Carlos
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.
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.
Get a Instax printer for your mobile phone. Modern Polaroid film is terrible. I MHOFWIW, nothing like the good old days.
SX-70 SLR cameras are incredible. I have a couple, one is 50 years old and still works
What is a currently made instant film that would work in a 4x5 back,
Which film?
Which back?
Which film?
Which back?
Lomo graflock is the only option for 4x5?
Are they reliable?
Are they reliable?
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.
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Type 55 was great. But the negs were a little fragile, but you could clear them in sprite...
Yes, as far as I know that's the only option. And yes, at least mine is.
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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.
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."
"Mama don't take my Kodachrome away!"
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