SX 70 The Original Instant

I had bought the Polaroid Supercolor 670AF primarily to explore the realms of instant photography after reading about the Impossible Projects ambitions to restart the production of the film for these camera types since Polaroid had ceased production some time ago.

After buying the 670AF and then seeing how Lo Fi these units were, the search for something more substantial started. During the trawls of eBay I had noticed the SX 70 in various shapes and forms. There were the plastic ‘80’s versions that used the SX 70 film but I was after the more aesthetically pleasing folding SX 70 versions of the ‘70’s.

The earlier SX 70 models employed a 4-element 116mm f/8 glass lens, with focusing via geared wheel at top of lens/shutter housing. An electronic shutter with programmed automatic exposure with shutter speeds ranging from >10 sec to 1/175 with an aperture range of f/8- f/22. These sounded slightly more adventurous than the plastic bodied 670AF that I had got. So, the eBay hunting started….

After watching a few Sonar auto focus models, and watching the prices range considerably I spotted a “Buy It Now” listed Polaroid SX 70 Land Camera Alpha 1 Model 2. It was sold as seen with the seller noting “it has an old film inside” and that it was in half decent condition; I watched the item for a number of days. After further sales of SX 70 models it became apparent that most were in the same condition or had small faults. At that point I took the plunge and pushed the buy it now button…

The camera arrived, and as promised it did have the old film inside, it had been stuck in upside down by the way it looked, so it was prised out with some difficulty. 

Shot on a Polaroid SX 70 Land Camera Alpha 1 with the new First Flush PX100 Instant Film. 

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A return to Analogue- PX600

After the breakthrough by the Impossible Project to enable instant analogue photography once again through the development of a new film type, releasing both Monochrome versions of the classic 600 film [PX600 Silver Shade] and then releasing the colour equivalent, has allowed the Supercolour to start making images once again.

I did manage to buy some of the last stocks of the 600 Polaroid film, from the Impossible Project online and whilst I was over in Berlin last year. As this was really the last stock of the 600 made by Polaroid: - and at the time the new IP films hadn’t yet been released, I used the film I had cautiously…. Then….

The new monochrome version of the 600 films was released, under the new name of PX600 Silver Shade, I got hold of some: This was the first flush edition. It was touted as an “Experimental” film as certain aspects of the emulsion were sensitive to light post exposure and also temperature, both could affect the performance of the film [The IP did point this out quite clearly]

Loading it into the Supercolour the darkslide was quickly ejected, that was an encouraging sign; I set off out and about to try out the new instant film. 

Shot on a Polaroid Supercolour 670 AF with the new First Flush PX600 Instant Film. 

Tenement flats around Glasgow can be found in all states of repair, these images represent the final stages before demolition. These are to be demolished to make way for the Commonwealth Games Athletes village which are to be held in Glasgow in 2014.

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Analogue Returns....

I never really gave much though to instant photography, I remember using a Polaroid of some description in the eighties as a child, other than that I hadn't had any real interest. (Now I know it was a Polaroid 1000, that used SX 70 film)

Then suddenly after browsing the internet - again looking for other avenues of photography to discover, came across the Impossible Project.

For me the awareness that the instant film made by Polaroid had ceased production was not something that I had been aware of, at this point the value of what this team of individuals was in the process of trying to do caught my attention. 

But you still had Fuji, making the FP series of instant film and the slightly lomoesque Instax series of films. 

But Polaroid? The inventors of the instant film? No longer manufacturing instant film? Edwin H. Land would not be impressed. 

http://www.the-impossible-project.com/

Shot on a Polaroid Supercolour 670 AF with the last of the original Polaroid 600 Instant Film. Part of the Impossible Projects final stocks of the film issued as the Paul Giambarba Edition. 

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