Using Polaroid 600 is so much fun. You can take pictures and immediately have a printed copy of it.
Of course, the use of Polaroid 600 is limited to how many films you have.
Thus, you need to have a constant supply of film to ensure that you get the most out of your Polaroid 600.
There are different places where you can buy Polaroid 600 film. You may find it in retail stores, shopping malls and online.
1. Polaroid 600 Film Single Pack
This film is the film that comes from Polaroid itself. So you may think of it as the official film for your Polaroid 600.
It is important to note though that the Polaroid company has already stopped to produce Polaroid 600 films. Thus, there is a high probability that you get an expired film.
- 10 Exposures
- Develops the image within 3 minutes
- Accommodates electronic flash and daylight exposure
- Film speed of ISO 640/DIN 29
Pros
- Vintage look – the film adds a vintage effect on the image. Personally, I love this effect and the way the film does it since that’s really the point of a Polaroid camera.
- Fast develop of the image – under normal circumstances or better yet, “room temperature”, the film will develop the image as fast as 3 minutes. That’s a decent time for someone to wait for an image.
Cons
- Expired films – you might already knew it but Polaroid has really stopped producing this film in 2012. So don’t expect that you get fresh films. I received an expired film with an expiration date of May 2009. Not all Polaroid users are unhappy about this though. Some Polaroid 600 owners actually love the fact that it’s expired. The unpredictable color and image quality of the end product may add to the fun of using the expired Polaroid film. As for me, it’s kind of a risky thing especially I’m not too sure what an expired film can do to my camera.
- Price – since the Polaroid 600 film is starting to decrease in supply, the demand will increase. Increased demand means higher prices. So the Polaroid 600 film gets more expensive by the year. I said that it’s expensive as you try to compare it with other instant camera films that only cost you around $10-15.
2. Impossible PRD2959 Color Film
Since Polaroid has stopped creating films for the Polaroid 600 camera, Impossible made a leasing contract for Polaroid to let them use their machines and facilities for them to be able to create again the film. This is good news for Polaroid 600 users who hate the over-priced and expired films they get from other stores.
- 8 exposures per pack
- Estimated film development speed of 30 minutes
- Glossy finish
Pros
- Clear and vivid image – when I tried this film, I was pleasantly surprised to see how good the quality of the image is. I believe it’s even clearer than the photos I used to have when I first used my Polaroid 600. I would say it’s the best color and image quality yet.
- Cost-effective – of course, I’m not saying that it’s really that cheap. Nevertheless, it is WAY cheaper than other Polaroid 600 films which are sometimes expired.
Con
- Length of development – the film will take around 30-40 minutes to develop the image. This is really a big downside for me as it’s really inconvenient to wait for the picture to develop. However, since there are no other choices (beside the expired films), I guess, you and I have just to live with it as of now.
3. Impossible PRD2785 Color Film
This is almost the same as the PRD2959. I tried to figure out the difference between the two, but just couldn’t identify it.
- Glossy finish
- Image area of 3.1 x 3.1 inches
- 30 minutes of development time
- 8 exposures per pack
Pro
- Color protection – the color protection is an innovative technology that I read about this film. It means that you don’t have to worry about the film while it’s developing. Of course, I still protect it just in case. Due to the color protection, the image comes out with a great color saturation, sharpness, detail and overall quality.
Con
- Price – I tried to do the math and came up with $3 per shot. For this reason, you really need to be careful or be sure with what you are shooting at. Impossible enjoys the privilege that they don’t have any competitor so they monopolize the market of Polaroid 600 film. However, I heard that Impossible is highly dedicated in improving their product. So given with just a few months or a year, hopefully, they’ll come up with a better and more cost-effective film.
Conclusion
It has been a few years before I get to use my Polaroid 600 again. Of course, there is always the choice of buying its default film. But the price and the risk is sometimes too much for me. Fortunately, Impossible made it to the market and give my Polaroid 600 hope again. There’s no doubt that there is a huge improvement for impossible, not just about their products, but also with the price. So if you are looking for Polaroid 600 films, these are the choices you will most likely have.