The art of the Polaroid

I get two or three emails every week asking my advice about which Polaroid camera to buy and how to use it, so I wanted to get everything I know in one place. It’s ironic, isn’t that, that instant photography is de rigeur these days, despite the fact that the company has stopped production of instant film (the fools!). There are lots of experienced Polaroid snappers out there who are far more knowledgeable than I am, but I‘m happy to share what I know, and what I do to get my shots.

I have six different Polaroid cameras but the two I use most frequently are my SX-70 and 680; both cameras are about 30+ years old and were found on Ebay. When buying any camera from Ebay make sure you read the description carefully – you’re looking for a camera that’s been TESTED with film and works smoothly, preferably with clean rollers and lens/viewfinder.  There will be many cameras offered that were ‘found in my father’s attic’ and sold as seen – avoid those as they probably won’t work. I stalked Ebay for weeks until I found the right cameras to bid for.

The SX-70

Hands down, this is my favourite, and not just because it looks so lovely. Before I understood about these things I thought any old Polaroid would do, but it won’t. The reason? This is an SLR (single lens reflex) camera which means you can manually focus and get lovely shallow depth-of-field effects (when the object in the foreground is in focus and the background is blurred out? That’s a shallow DOF).
The SX-70 was originally designed to take SX-70 (Time Zero) film but as that’s no longer produced we use 600 film instead (this has also been discontinued). In order for the camera to work successfully with the film a few modifications are needed. 600 film is four times more sensitive than SX-70 film, which leaves you with very over exposed photos (pale and washed out). To remedy this you have a few options:

1. Remove the ND (neutral density) filter over the electric eye on the front of the camera
2. Use a 1-stop ND filter over the lens (tutorial for 1 & 2), or
3. Use an ND filter over the film pack
Alternatively you can set the exposure dial all the way to ‘darken’
The modifications sound complicated and put most people off; it did me at first too. I got as far as removing the filter from the electric eye (excellent tutorial in pictures here) and then found I couldn’t replace it with the clear plastic suggested (plastic was just too thick). So I left the filter off and now simply adjust the exposure dial to darken the photo – indoor shots don’t need much but in bright sunlight the dial is turned all the way to darken. I can’t tell you how far you need to turn the exposure dial as it will depend on where you are and how your camera works, so you need to spend some time getting to know your SX-70. Be prepared to ‘waste’ a few packs of film as you experiment. I don’t bother using an ND filter on the film, but you might want to try – just make sure you keep it dust-free otherwise you’ll get marks on your photos.

Getting the 600 film pack inside the camera is another operation, but simplicity itself after you’ve done it once. From the Found Photography tutorial: ‘When you look inside the empty space where the film will go, you will see a piece of square metal sticking up. This spring is what catches on the two center "nubs" of the 600 film cartridge. You can either cut the nubs off, or you can use a card, or old Polaroid picture, to cover the nubs as you slide the film in… [continue reading here and watch a video clip here - she also shows you how to use a ND filter on the film pack]

Polaroid 680

After the hits and misses of using the SX-70 the 680 felt like child’s play. Also an SLR, the camera is designed to take 600 film and has sonar auto-focus, so I found I was literally pointing and shooting. Not only that but the shots were correctly exposed! The downsides? The camera is much heavier than the SX-70. The auto exposure tends to be too dark on certain shots so I still manipulate with the exposure dial (lightening, usually). The auto focus means you lose control, so I often use the manual focus. The biggest downside is that these cameras go for a lot more on Ebay. The SX-70 remains my favourite, but the 680 is great for when i'm not trying to do something, you know… arty.
[Just for fun: 600 Land camera, 250, the Swinger; Barbie-branded 600 camera]

Where to buy film?

Good question! You can still buy actual Polaroid film on Ebay, though prices are starting to get ridiculous. The Impossible Project is selling the last of the Polaroid film stock (and a few cameras) – they launched in 2009 with a sacred mission to ‘re-invent and re-start production of analog integral film for vintage Polaroid cameras’. *UPDATE!* The Impossible Project has made the impossible possible! They are now selling their own brand B&W integral film in their online store, with – fingers crossed – colour integral film to follow later this year. The new film is designed to be used in your vintage Polaroid camera – read more about their mission here. … here… and here.

Films currently available:
PX 100 film is for your SX-70
PX 600 is for your 600 camera

Useful links:
SX-70 on Wikipedia
Polaroid SX-70 Flickr group
Polaroid 680 Flickr group
The Impossible Project
The Impossible Project: Bringing back Polaroid
Polaroid manuals
Original SX-70 info film by Charles & Ray Eames
Polanoid
How Polaroid film works

Polaroids I love:

Cyril Auvity
Jen Gotch’s April in Paris
Revivify
Cori Kindred
Matt Meyer
Lovelifepaper
Jenny Vorwaller
Andrea Jenkins
Jen Altman
Amanda Gilligan
Favorite Things