# A Polaroid Story



## smithdan (Jan 14, 2017)

This appeared in the local thrift store the other day.  the bag contained the manual and unfortunately  two SX 70 and one 600 Film packs.  Somehow, a darkslide from a Spectra pack was in there.  Bit faint but the tag says $9.00.






...so I took the 600 pack and gave it to this guy,  calls him the "Blue Frog"





Never had a chance to test this one so surprised when he sprang to life.  The coding on the film (as far as I could find out) gave a manufacture date of Oct. '88 so I was surprised that the batteries were still strong enough to fire the flash and run the transport mechanism.  The chemistry had dried out as well as the other usual deterioration.





The whole pack was the same, and frame #10 was so dry that the gel envelope didn't open.





So on the shelf for now until I save up enough to purchase some film packs.  Hope that the Spectra works.  Think that the Captiva will have a long wait.


----------



## limr (Jan 14, 2017)

Those are some funky patterns on that old dried-up film! 

Impossible Project makes film for 600 cameras.

This just reminds me that I haven't shot either the SX-70 or Land Camera lately!


----------



## webestang64 (Jan 14, 2017)

Makes me want to dig out my Pols and shoot.............


----------



## smithdan (Jan 14, 2017)

Wish that I had had the smarts to pick up more Polaroid cameras just to have.  The old ones are scarce now.  Folks are hanging on to their SX 70's.  Would really like to have one of those as when they first came out I thought they were magic.

Remember doing a Santa shoot with buddy Rick about 40 years ago with a 300 series (?) bolted to a honking great Honeywell Strobonar,  took turns shooting and peeling.  Print around here somewhere of my kid.

Found a couple from my ugly non folder cheapie from 74 - 75.  Colour not too bad for over 40 years.  Just scanned on auto, only resized.


----------



## terri (Jan 19, 2017)

Isn't is astonishing how well the color holds up in these prints?!?    Look at those reds, the blue skies....wow.     Nice!!   

I've got a bag of childhood prints that my mom sent me, hanging around here someplace.   I should dig 'em out and examine them.   They've been treated with zero respect, unfortunately.


----------



## smithdan (Oct 19, 2017)

F i n a l l y....  picked up a pack of film for the Spectra.  The Impossible folks have changed their brand name, their packaging and their price is lower but not much.  Store guy claimed that the stuff developed faster.  

I was careful to jump through all the hoops.  Camera worked fine but the colours were a bit disappointing.  Guess that they just haven't got the formula right yet.


Flexible Flyer


 


Truck


 


In My Front Portch


 


Apple Pie


 


Don't think that there are enough of us who want to play with these Polaroid cameras to keep Impossible going.  The novelty of instant photography is somewhat lost in the digital age.  $30 for eight shots of inferior to original product is a hard sell as well.

Continuing to play -  picked up a One Step the other day. 


 
Nicely made little critter designed to eat SX70 packs in a more affordable camera.

 Had those two packs of film from the spectra purchase, both battery packs had deteriorated.  Whittled the plastic thingys off the 600 pack, carefully transferred the SX70 stuff and got the One Step to fire up.  As expected, the chemistry pack had hardened so no development.  At least I found out that the camera works so I'll probably treat it to film in future.

For now, looks good on the Polaroid shelf


----------



## jcdeboever (Oct 19, 2017)

smithdan said:


> F i n a l l y....  picked up a pack of film for the Spectra.  The Impossible folks have changed their brand name, their packaging and their price is lower but not much.  Store guy claimed that the stuff developed faster.
> 
> I was careful to jump through all the hoops.  Camera worked fine but the colours were a bit disappointing.  Guess that they just haven't got the formula right yet.
> 
> ...


Colors look fine to me, better than the impossible stock. To me that color is part of the charm, it has that 70's look in 2017! I'm getting ready to shoot with mine as well. Sx-70, antique store find. May replace the leather. I seen a flash for it in an antique store about a year ago, didn't think much about it at the time, it was new in the box and was like $5. I just thought it was funky, never thinking I would buy an SX70 at the time. I wonder if they still have it? Will find out Friday, as I will be in that area.


----------



## smithdan (Oct 19, 2017)

Still hope to find a SX70.  The Spectra is a nice camera but for me the SX70 along with the new film was special and unaffordable at the time.  Watched some you tube on Spectra.  Seemed that the folks making them didn't bother to read the manual or the directions in the film box.  Think that the colour success was due to watching the temperature, holding the shutter button down to keep the film from ejecting outside in the bright sunlight and keeping it dark for a half hour.  Still kinda brown.


----------



## limr (Oct 19, 2017)

Yeah IP film is still super sensitive to light and has to be covered after exposure. Frog tongue is essential. I usually have to stop all the way down on the SX-70 to avoid overexposure, which makes the image go quite yellow.

Still, I like the colors in your shots above. That front porch shot is killer.

The film was $30? I know they bought the rights to use the Polaroid name, so the film is marketed as Polaroid now (though IP branded film is still out there - not sure if that name is being phased out or if they will co-exist as different products.) But I just bought a pack on Amazon for $19. Granted, still not cheap, but not $30. And once you know which kinds of shots really lend themselves to the qualities of the film, you can get not just 8 shots, but 8 keepers.

Just took this yesterday (cell phone snap of the print):


----------



## smithdan (Oct 19, 2017)

Prices of most things are set relative to the US$.   A few months back when most store stock was purchased, the CAD was worth $0.72 US.  Amazon .ca lists most Impossible Project and Polaroid packs at $29.99.  I paid $27.95 plus 5% tax in a Calgary store.  

..and as you mentioned, try and make every shot count.


----------



## limr (Oct 19, 2017)

smithdan said:


> Prices of most things are set relative to the US$.   A few months back when most store stock was purchased, the CAD was worth $0.72 US.  Amazon .ca lists most Impossible Project and Polaroid packs at $29.99.  I paid $27.95 plus 5% tax in a Calgary store.
> 
> ..and as you mentioned, try and make every shot count.



Ah, yes of course. How did I manage to forget...or not know...that you are in Canada? I think I need more sleep...


----------



## jcdeboever (Oct 20, 2017)

Cleaned up the rollers on my SX70. Popped some film in and it spit out the dark card. Good start. Now let's see what it can do today.


----------



## jcdeboever (Oct 20, 2017)

Well. Film doesn't spit out. Time to get a closer look at the pickup arm.Wasted two frames.


----------



## smithdan (Oct 20, 2017)

Dang!  wish I knew more about these things.  Maybe someone seeing this has an idea.  Did find out that battery voltages less than 4v failed to operate the cameras I have.  Full power I think is 6v.


jcdeboever said:


> Well. Film doesn't spit out. Time to get a closer look at the pickup arm.Wasted two frames.


----------



## jcdeboever (Oct 20, 2017)

smithdan said:


> Dang!  wish I knew more about these things.  Maybe someone seeing this has an idea.  Did find out that battery voltages less than 4v failed to operate the cameras I have.  Full power I think is 6v.
> 
> 
> jcdeboever said:
> ...


I'm not concerned. I read up on it. Should be a simple fix. I guess the pickup arm can flatten out, needs to be bent. I'm pretty good at fixing things.


----------



## vintagesnaps (Oct 20, 2017)

You can put in a used empty film pack to test a camera. Just pop it in there and 'take a picture', it will fire. There won't be a picture pop out obviously but the camera doesn't know it's empty... (The empty pack couldn't be too old probably, the battery still needs to be working.)

These cameras need a good bit of light. If there isn't enough light it will just sit there. The SX-70 gathers light but I find it hard to hand hold it long enough while it pauses, gathers light, then spits out a picture. Which is why there's a place on the bottom to attach it to a tripod. Or, put on a flashbar.

I had a pack of film get jammed but I don't remember what I did...


----------



## vintagesnaps (Oct 20, 2017)

The film now supposedly doesn't need to be kept dark to develop (they had T shirts about keeping it in the dark! lol). But I'm in the habit of that still. I usually flip it face down, stick it under something, in a pocket, etc. I save the dark slides and sometimes use those. It does develop faster than it used to. I started buying it early on and it's improved since then. 

But I think it's going to be a softer look so it takes thinking about what will work with that. The ones like the white rainbow (which I have too) or the basic 600's with plastic lenses get softer images than the SX-70. 

I've used 600 film in an SX-70 _without_ the ND filter in lower light; it seems to work sort of like putting higher speed film in a camera. Of course it's experimental, at least the first shot, if it isn't working then I leave it in the camera for another time.


----------



## smithdan (Oct 21, 2017)

Frame 8 in the Spectra failed to eject, this after spending a lot of time setting up for a portrait type shot.  Guess I'll be bending something as well jc.

Polaroid fun over for now.


----------

