Quite fancy a Polaroid camera, but which?

DigitalRelish

DigitalRelish

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I've got a Polaroid back for my Bronica, but it would be nice to be able to utilise the full Polaroid 600 size print. So, I'm looking for recommendations for a reasonably cheap Polaroid camera which uses readily available print packs.

I don't really know what's available. Any suggestions, please?
 
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The most readily available film is the Fuji instant, which will work with anything that accepts 100-series film. The Land List is the best resource for identifying Polaroid camera variations and the type of film they accept.

For 600-series film you're looking at Impossible Project, and that's not cheap..
 
You can go for the peel apart pack film or the Impossible Project integral stuff which is what most people think of as a Polaroid. You didn't specify which you are using and Polaroid used to make 600 series pack and integral films so i can't exactly deduce what it is from your post.
 
If referring to the film that Bronica instant backs take, then I think that is type 100 film.
 
Sorry, I'm not too clued up on the different film types. Maybe I mean 100...
 
The 100 type film is the stuff made by Fuji. You can use the FP3000B and 100B B+W film and the FP100C film which is colour.

Both give superb results. I've had a few 'pack' cameras (a 104, 250, 450 and now a 195)

I highly recommend the metal bodied versions; they are beautiful and nicely made. They don't cost much more than the plastic ones either.

The only differences to really worry about are the flash and the timer.

The flash for the 450 required 'Hi-Power' flashcubes which aren't so easy to come by. Having said that, with the 3000 speed film you won't use it often. I found a huge case of cubes on eBay and really enjoyed the flash.

The other cameras use M3 flashbulb jobs that look great, produce a lovely 'Hollywood' style light and are easy to find bulbs for.

The timer is the other concern. On the back of the body there's sometimes, depending on the model, a digital timer or a clockwork one or none at all. You don't need a timer; the Fuji stuff develops in 30 seconds and stops, so you can peel them apart a while after you take the shot. The digital timer requires batteries to operate and it makes the back of the camera a bit fatter leaving less room for the fuji film packs, which for some reason are slightly thicker than the original Polaroid ones.

Because of this, I recommend the 250 as the best 'consumer' model - it's metal, has no timer and has a nice Zeiss finder (RF and framelines in one window). Make sure yours comes with the #268 flash.

The 'best' models are arguably the 'pro' versions, the 180, 185, 190 and 195. These had really nice lenses (f3.8 on the 195 I have, equivalent of f1.4 on 35mm), and they are fully manual and therefore batteryless. It may not be quite as convenient as the automatic exposure on something like the 250 in every situation, however, but the lens is just beautiful.

Hope that ramble helps - I say get a good 250 and some FP300B film and go for it.

I'll be selling some accessories soon (close up kit, portrait kit, UV and cloud filters) as the 195 has different threads etc so look out of them!

Cheers
ped
 
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Thanks to all for your help, but special thanks to ped for that fantastic little write up! :thumbs: I might well keep an eye out for a 250. Seems they're only available from overseas via eBay.
 
DigitalRelish said:
Thanks to all for your help, but special thanks to ped for that fantastic little write up! :thumbs: I might well keep an eye out for a 250. Seems they're only available from overseas via eBay.
Click to expand...

You won't go wrong with a 250, here's mine..



The battery mod is quite straightforward if you find an unmodified one. It needs a steady hand with the soldering iron, but is otherwise quite simple.

I'm not sure the value of the flash, the flash bulbs seem quite pricey/rare and I haven't yet figured out how to trip a more modern flash with the camera.
 
Definitely cool cameras, these!! I take mine everywhere with my R-D1, they make a great pair. The Polaroid always gets lots of comments. People are fascinated with it and their faces when you peel the picture away is priceless. The quality of the images is outstanding.

here's a quick iPhone pic of my 195

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And here's my album of Polaroid shots (450, 250, 195, SX70)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chiscocks/sets/72157626094134127/

Cheers
ped

P.s one thing I forgot to mention that the metal bodied models have over the plastic ones (though I'm not sure if it's all of them) - they have a tripod socket.
 
I have a Polaroid 355 myself,

Polaroid 355 by Morinaka., on Flickr

Metal bodies, glass lens, same as the 250 but lacks the Zeiss finder but does have a mechanical timer though that's useless with self terminating Fuji films. It does take 3V batteries so i can just use normal 3V lithium CR123 battery to power it, no real modding needed.

As for the 268 flash, yeah it's pretty useless but nearly all the pack film models have PC sync sockets so you can use any modern flash with a hotshoe to pc sync adapter if you attach a flash bracket to the tripod socket to put the flash on. Some people have used the 268 as a basis for making an accessory shoe so they can put the adapter on that.
 
I just pulled the trigger on a refurbed 250 that takes 3xAAA batteries and comes with a modern hot shoe flash :)

I think I've still a pack of FP3000 lying around somewhere. For colour, can I just confirm that this is what I would need?

Is FP3000B the only alternative film available from Fuji?
 
Nice one! Yes, that's right. I prefer the 'silk' finish to the gloss, though. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-BOXES-F...01?pt=UK_Photography_Film&hash=item4aba28b979

You can use any type 100 film. The Impossible Project sold re-packaged correctly stored Polaroid stuff in Sepia, Chocolate and Blue. I have a box of each and I'm looking forward to trying it.

I've also used a box of expired 669 which worked OK but stick to the Fuji if you want clear sharp results.

Cheers
 
There's only Fuji FP-100B (gloss/silk) and FP-3000B available now, and the black and white is getting harder to find (and very expensive in the UK compared to buying from overseas Ebay sellers). You should be able to get it below £10/pack for FP-100B if you buy in bulk.

7DS used to stock it quite reasonably but I think they got caught out as they had a huge sale of short-dated a while ago and haven't stocked any since. It's also worth keeping an eye on Amazon, there have been some good deals pop up from time to time.

The best deal I've seen on FP-3000B for a while is this one.
 
Thanks, Alastair. I've order some FP-100C for now and will start my remaining FP-3000B before ordering any more. I know it all probably works out cheaper than digital, but it still seems expensive to pay £1 per print!
 
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