People who shoot Polaroid, especially SX-70, what are some tips? I’m finding that Polaroid 600 film (I converted mine to use it) seems quite hard to work with, at least compared to Instax.
I’ve got splotchy film, film that has half an exposure (left and right side seem to be darker / brighter), and I don’t really love.. the colors so far. Any videos or advice you can recommend?
I’m still on my first roll but likely user error!
@skinnylatte I find the dev time for instax to be just short enough you can correct as you go. For Polaroid it’s less practical.
@Billthoo @skinnylatte Every SX-70 I have performs different (regardless of SLA or modification); not all film packs will perform the same either (though IMHO the 600 is generally more stable performer then SX-70 film). General rule of thumb: spare light not in your scene that hits the camera/ELS will mess with your exposure.
The rough exposure guide from http://www.sx2pc.com/sxfaq.html#link06 is a good start point, but testing is key (example: my own is here with an f/8 mod https://justinribeiro.com/chronicle/2021/12/16/applying-the-f/8-flash-modification-to-a-polaroid-sx-70-and-building-a-flash-table-for-the-godox-tt600/)
@skinnylatte @Billthoo the other things I sorta live by is check the rollers regularly (goo build will lead to uneven outcomes and sometimes jams) and keep an empty pack to run the camera if it's been sitting a long time before loading with new film (less required with a good CLA). But importantly don't let the initial inconsistentancy get you down; the SX-70 (and film) can be finicky, but once you find your groove, soo hard to give up.
I haven't shot on this since I was a kid, but I would get splotches and uneven colors when the rollers weren't totally clean because the chemicals wouldn't spread evenly inside the film. I had an incident where one photo leaked on the rollers and that camera was never right again.
@skinnylatte@hachyderm.io
@skinnylatte I’ve found instax to be super consistent pack to pack and sheet to sheet. Polaroid is a lucky dip. Although it’s also part of the charm.
@Billthoo @skinnylatte Polaroid is not the original Polaroid, its the impossible project, that bought the old European Polaroid factory and made new films, based on their own emulsions. Initially it was fun and experimental, like expired films, but in the meantime its just a inferior product, that tries to piggyback on a glorious name.
@skinnylatte Polaroid film can be all over the place - depending on where you buy it from and how it's been stored and in transit as well but the newest films are really good. I like to expire film and shoot it for various effects but temperature I've noticed can change things quite a bit like if you keep it on your body in a pocket when it's cold outside to develop vs storing it in something cooler while it develops can def impact the tone of it. The differences in the three areas can be variances in the three pods as they get spread over the surface area and if it's consistently bad it might be a roller issue too affecting the spread so keep the rollers clean too. I know others will have way more great info on #Polaroid film though as I kinda like it's quirks vs Instax always being perfect pretty much
@skinnylatte The dynamic range of Polaroid integral film is limited. You’ll want to generally avoid contrasty scenes, or to take advantage of them to abstract from what you actually see. Resolution is also limited; it works best with bold subjects, broad lines. Once you understand the limitations and take advantage of them, it can be magic. Looking at the colors of the shots you posted, those are not typical. I've only seen blue casts like that in expired film.
@thereisnocat yeah i'm wondering if i got expired film
@skinnylatte @thereisnocat That’s what I was going to suggest is likely. There is a certain random quality to the Polaroid film, and it gets weirder with age and temperature changes in storage. I used to enjoy that, but it got too expensive for me to gamble on.
@skinnylatte I think it's pretty likely. If you still have the box, it should have the manufacturing date on it. Integral film from today's Polaroid is generally solid for a year after that. This looks maybe three or four years old; old enough for the colors to go off. It would also explain the unevenness of some of your shots; if the developer starts to dry, you'll see that. Yours is pretty subtle, but present on some shots. It's not old enough to get the divots you get on older film.
@thereisnocat i just looked at the pack. 9/24. i'm wondering now if i received a poorly refurbished sx70. i'm going to contact retrospekt. i've had a number of issues with it
@skinnylatte Wow, that's odd. That film should not exhibit those flaws. Polaroid sells a film that deliberately has that blue cast (Reclaimed Blue), but if this isn't that, this is just weird.
@skinnylatte I've shot polaroid regularly for about 20 years now, and it's just inconsistent by nature. I haven't loved any of the film since after the company collapsed, the color is washed out and casts blue no matter what lighting you have. Impossible film is even worse, fwiw.
@krusynth ugh, thanks
@skinnylatte fwiw: I’ve only used Polaroid in the “Lab” converter to get digital images enlarged on Polaroids for emulsion lifting and even then (ie when the Polaroid device and app controls all parameters) it’s been pretty hit & miss depending on the batch of film. Especially the splotchy/unevenness you mention happens a lot.
@gedankenstuecke what a pity. They are so expensive too
@skinnylatte yeah, I feel for the emulsion lifting it’s okay given that the whole point is creating something extra-analog, but for keeping them as instant images I feel Instax does a lot better job at having at least semi-predictable outcomes.
@skinnylatte I’m using 600 in a ’80s/’90s Impulse and it always goes purplish blue with really no range in the shadows (which I’ve come to figure out how to work with and really love); even in the Lab, it goes blue where the Now goes red.
I feel like it also really works with the automatic flash on the Impulse, with all the light that the SX-70 needs that film might behave differently.
A couple years of experiments at https://pixelfed.social/brammeehanphoto, camera type’s in the hashtags.