Impossible Film, PX680 color

Hello! If you read our last post, you’ll know that we talked about the fairly new Impossible Film. Now, Polaroid was a vintage camera loved by many back in it’s prime. When Polaroid decided to discontinue the film for it, many cameras were left sitting neglected in the dust. When I heard that Impossible Film was a remake of the old Polaroid kind, I immediately wanted to try it out. Who doesn’t love that crappy instant film feel? The resolution was never great, it was always about having your photo developed within the moment of taking it.

We wanted some instant photos, so we tried out the Impossible Film. First we went to Tech Lab to buy it. The price tag was pretty hefty, $22 for EIGHT exposures. To put that in perspective, the roll of Kodak Portra film that I have used to almost all of the film photos I have posted thus far is $7 for 36 EXPOSURES. You pay for convenience right? Not quite.

What we used, Polaroid Sun600

The people at Impossible are the ONLY PEOPLE IN THE WORLD right now that have even close to what the formula is to make the original Polaroid instant photo. So, having that advantage definitely gives them the upper hand when choosing to rob us in exchange for some low quality, instant film. We tried to keep our high-horses in the stables and pay the price anyways.

Second, we had to have a camera to be compatible. Good news! Impossible offers film for almost ALL Polaroid models. We decided to go with the Polaroid Sun600, an old pop-up model from the 90’s. We found this one in Andrew’s parent’s house. Chances are your parents have one lying around somewhere. Want one? Scour flea markets and yard sales. The battery is IN THE FILM CARTRIDGE, so chances are the camera will still probably work.

Now we load. Which brings us to the next question, HOW DO WE LOAD IT? Polaroids are unlike any other film camera. Not only is the battery in the film, the film isn’t on a spool or inside a roll. It’s located inside of a square cartridge that you pop into the front of the camera. Here’s how:

We loaded, we photographed and we ended up with the most hipster-tastic, indie album cover worthy photos ever.

4/8 Polaroids from the pack of PX600 we tested out.

Now, these are by NO MEANS top quality. Looks like we had a little light leak on the side of the camera by the sights of that bright streak down the side. When the photos come out, you have to immediately shield them from light and leave them face-down for FORTY MINUTES. No shaking it like a Polaroid picture here. The top right photo was an “oops” that happened because the black cardboard piece covering the film (also the thing that is giving instructions) seen on the loading photograph, would not allow the photos to eject. I had to go into the dark bathroom, remove the cardboard piece, and then re-insert the cartridge. After doing this, the camera ejected TWO photos at once that had been partially exposed.  I doubt I was met to do this since the instructions said nothing about removing it. I researched the issue and sometimes you will get stuck with an “extra sticky film cartridge” Go figure.

Bottom line: Cool, neat instant photos but not worth the $22 price tag. Original Polaroid film was much better quality and can still be purchased on sites like Amazon.com for ridiculous prices from people who had the foresight to keep the cartridges in great condition. If you feel like dropping the cash, go for it. I will admit it was still fun to see how the photos would develop.