Instant print cameras

[AFC-911]

As a semi-pro dSLR user, I'm quite intrigued at the option of being able to print instant pictures. (I'll fess up and say I never used one as a kid)

Anyone have any experience with these?

[tevake]

If you are thinking of the old Polaroid cameras, they were pretty neat.
We had one with us aboard Tevake for S Pacific cruising ł
The experence of seeing pics slide out of it and watching them develope was mind blowing for the remote islanders.
Plus we were able to leave pics with the friends we made along the way.

Eventually we ran out of film and no more was to be found. They seem like a relic of a bygone era now.

Is there a modern version?

Cheers Richard

[AFC-911]

They do have newer versions! I think the prints are smaller than the old Polaroids, though.

The Best Instant Camera | The Wirecutter

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/point-shoot-cameras/instant-print-cameras/pcmcat748300678080.c?id=pcmcat748300678080

But even armed with GoPros and numerous pro cameras, I like the novelty of it. It seems fun.

FWIW, I've never used a film camera and I think watching the film develop might seem like magic! Hahaha.

[oldE]

" I think watching the film develop might seem like magic!"


It was to me.

The film you could not see, as it was sealed in a light proof container for the developing, fixing and rinses. Then you could look at the negatives and judge whether you got anything worth while.
The prints were fun. Working in a room with a dim red light, using the enlarger to frame and crop your image then a multi second illumination of a piece of photo sensitive paper. Nothing happens until you put it into the developer tray and the image starts to appear before your eyes. Too cool. Then into the fixer to stop the developing process and a rinse or two and put the prints through the dryer (if you were lucky) or hang to dry.

You could do some amazing stuff with Tri-X ASA 400 B&W film. For blow ups , you would want Panatomic. ASA 25, IIRC.

That has been some years ago.

To me digital photography is equally amazing. I love being able to check out the results of the shot right away. The capability available is mind boggling to an old guy who used to spend hours in the dark room.

Best
Les

[reachme]

Those Polaroid cameras were awesome. They allowed me and my roommate to make fake ID's in 10 minutes. A blue blanket over the dorm room door for background, cut the pic with an exacto knife, a desktop computer with a pen plotter and a laminator and we could make a very close drivers license at a time when most people had no idea that was within reach of two nerds in a dorm room.
The camera made it all possible.

[Willem Fick]

I had a look at the Fuji Instax. The photos are instant but very small and the media pricey. My option was ultimately a Canon Selphy printer with a battery pack. Allows you to print photos from your camera on the fly, though it is by far not as compact as a Polaroid...

[GH85Carrera]

You can still find a used working Polaroid SX-70 camera and the film is available.

https://us.impossible-project.com/collections/film-for-polaroid-sx-70-cameras

Expensive but available. A lot of artists love it as a medium.

You can even buy a new SX-70.

http://www.polaroid.com/products/instant-color-sx70-film

[LWJ]

Wife has the Instax. She really wanted it a couple years ago. She has used it maybe twice? Of course, both times were pretty cool. Bottom line? Niche product.

[Steve Carlton]

Originally Posted by Willem Fick

I had a look at the Fuji Instax. The photos are instant but very small and the media pricey. My option was ultimately a Canon Selphy printer with a battery pack. Allows you to print photos from your camera on the fly, though it is by far not as compact as a Polaroid...

Some of the Fuji Instax cameras (the 210 and 300, for example) shoot on 3.4" x 4.25" film, which is about the same size as the traditional Polaroids. They can be a lot of fun.