[caption id="attachment_1236" align="alignright" width="180" caption="Gone Forever"]
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It was about a year ago when I first started working here at Unique Photo. My first "blog post" never made it online and I was a little disappointed. The first post that did make it online was about the Fuji Instax 210 camera and wide format film. I wasn't sure if this was something I would be doing just once or if Unique would want me to keep writing for the website/blog. Well 2010 flew by even faster than 2009, and I'm still here which is good news. The bad news is that we have now officially run out of the discontinued, but still highly popular Polaroid 600 Instant Film. This truly marks the end of an era for many photographers, dentists, artists, and of course for us here at Unique Photo. Keep reading (click the more button bellow) for my take on this legendary film and what's next for the instant film market.
*As it stands now, we still have some Polaroid films left in stock such as Spectra. While we don't have any Fuji equivalents for 600 film, the Instax wide format system is a nice replacement for most people. Right now you can get an Instax camera and multiple packs of film for the same price that one pack of 600 film cost.*
[caption id="attachment_1237" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Jonathan (L) and Matthew (R) Sweetwood, the men behind the "U" here at Unique Photo proudly showing off the last ever shipment of Polaroid 600 film."]
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A Little bit of History
When I first started at Unique, a single pack of 10 exposures was about $30 or $40, which already seemed high to me, but this was a discontinued product. I was repeatedly told by co-workers and superiors alike that "we got the last shipment ever of Polaroid 600 film last March." So I guess I understood why many people happily pulled out two crisp $20 bills or their credit card to get some of the last of this magical film that has recorded memories for years. After a while, the casual users stopped showing up for the film and only the most hardcore instant film enthusiasts were willing to shell out $50, $60, etc... for 10 Polaroid exposures. Again I really couldn't blame them. I know artists who have relied on 600 film for years and each sheet of film was worth more to them than you could possibly put a price tag on. Well I guess that's a bit of a stretch, but they were willing to pay out for it and use it judiciously as they made their art work. So when we were running very low and prices increased, eventually to $99.95 per pack, who was still buying it? Well I suppose there are some enthusiasts that bought a last pack or two, but dentists have been the biggest buyer of 600 film as it continued to dwindle in supply and increase in price. For some reason a lot of dentists love photography and Leicas, but when it comes to Polaroid 600 film, they actually used the film for their dentistry. Many dentists use (or now used) machines that cost $500,000 or more, so even $100 was a good price for them. It was still more efficient for them to buy the expensive and vanishing 600 film instead of investing in a new machine that would cost them potentially millions of dollars. So once again, after having this explained to me earlier this year, I understand. I actually feel bad for those people who are going to have spend hundreds of thousands to replace expensive machinery that used Polaroid 600 film.
So what's next? The Fuji Instax 210 [caption id="attachment_1239" align="alignright" width="210" caption="The New 600 replacement?"]
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For guys and gals like myself, the Fuji Instax system is a no-brainer. The Instax 210 camera is easy and fun to use. The film is cheap, only $99.95 for 20 exposures. No I'm only kidding, it's about $15 for 20 exposures, which as I mentioned before is a great bargain compared to 600 film which has increased in price faster than gold! Here is a link to our store landing page which has videos on how to use the different Instax cameras. The pictures are actually sharper than 600 film and have better color accuracy and saturation. I'm not trying to bad mouth 600 film here, some people really loved the fuzzy ambiance of 600 film. It certainly did have its own special look and sadly we'll never see the exact same product again. The good news is, for those of us who are just looking to capture fun pictures on a night out with our friends, the Instax 210 delivers big time. I already have hundreds of Instax photos floating around my car and various camera bags/backpacks. There really is still something special about taking a picture and having an instant print. I already shoot enough professionally with my big DSLRs and have to go through the extraneous labor of editing my files and organizing them. I don't know about you other photographers out there, but I'm not about to go through the same process when I'm just trying to take some pictures for fun. For me the Instax system solves the problem of managing your vacation, family, and casual photographs. You don't need to find them on your computer, because they're actual physical prints! Imagine that, actual prints! If you want another copy, I guess you could scan them in and print another out, but it wouldn't have the same special impact.
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Mission Impossible
Some people may be asking, "What about the Impossible Project? I heard they were going to recreate Polaroid 600 film!"
Well to be honest I thought they were going to be making some Polaroid 600 film too! It seems like every time I check the website for the impossible project they are "out of stock" of Polaroid 600 color film. All you can get is monochrome black and white film that works in Polaroid cameras that use 600 film. You have to be careful when ordering from them as well. Not that they are trying to scam anyone, in fact they do go out of their way to explain the defects in each film. Many of their products will be "edge cut" or have random undeveloped spots or streaks in the photos. Again with all this being said, some of those imperfections may compliment the grungy look certain artists are looking for. However to me this speaks volumes about how hard it has been for film engineers to reproduce 600 film. From what I understand, it is very hard to get the "right" colors that 600 film had. Who knows maybe one day the guys over at the Impossible Project will get 600 film right and be able to provide a reasonable replacement for it. We may even carry it at Unique Photo one day, but that day isn't anywhere close and for now we will have to learn to love Instax. I know many of my artist/photographer friends have said "But it's just not the same" I understand those sentiments. My favorite darkroom printing paper was Agfa MCC 110, and I still look for it on eBay from time to time even though it's getting to the point where even the last batches of MCC 110 would probably show some fogging now unless kept in a fridge. Another German company named Adox bought the exact same coating machines that Agfa used before stopping production of MCC 110 and going out of business. I tried a sample pack from Adox and I have to say it just isn't the same. I happily print in the darkroom on Ilford printing papers, but Agfa just had that special look. Part of being an analog photographer is learning to appreciate what we still have left and realize that some of our favorite materials may be gone in the blink of an eye.
-MZ