Polaroid SX-70

Start your free trial at squarespace.com... and use code GRAINYDAYS to get 10% off your first purchase.
Jason takes on the ultimate challenge, polaroid.
Prints: graincheck.dar...
Cameras: Polaroid SX-70, Polaroid SX-70 (600 Converted)
Instayams: @50_shades_of_jason
Epidemic Sound, first 30 days free: share.epidemics...
================
Business Inquiries: [e-mail]

[@ravijolly7455]

Two things bring me happiness: 1) getting an alert that my film scans are ready to be downloaded and 2) getting an alert that a new grainydays video has been uploaded. Thank you for making high quality (and hilariously low energy) film photography content.

[@tankerbruja]

i was going to like this but i feel like the amount it has is really nice.

[@butyou_nobody]

It's really unfair. He spits out these hilarious stuff with zero effort while we roll on the floor dying (i.e. the exact opposite of low energy lol)

[@broski499]

His delivery kills me

[@sarova2000]

Ok, since no one is talking about it, i’ll point it out: at 10:20 when Jason stands up, the frame behind him reads “Live, Laugh, Hard Drugs” 😂😂😂

[@taylorharrison2384]

“I have never had a Polaroid come out that good” was so relatable and spoke to my soul

[@jcnopal1740]

Poloroid made me start shooting instax

[@DforDenmark]

I visited my long-distant girlfriend and I only used polaroid to photograph the trip. The pictures of us and the trip. The pictures make me feel so much closer to her when we are apart, and looking at them almost make me tear up every time

[@maxrownes7914]

Just curious, are you two still together after 11 months? Heard and have experienced first hand how difficult long distance relationships can be

[@DforDenmark]

@@maxrownes7914 Yeah we are still together. we are really close to be able to move together at this point. Moving someone into my country is a real pain in the ass but it's going to be well worth it hahaha. thanks for asking haha

[@ThatXpanEnthusiast]

@@DforDenmark alil late to the chat, but i hope alls well for you. I too feel the same way about my significant other and the polaroids we took together

[@jstnhpkns]

The lesson here is, always wear safety glasses. Like all the time.

[@madrandomize5115]

The real lesson is : Live-Love-Hard drugs

[@DodoKing187]

big thing about these color Polas is to definetly, from the first second it comes out, completely protect it from light, and no, putting it in the shirt pocket or upside down on the table is mostly not enough, they need to develop for at least 15min at normal temperature in a completely dark environment, wether that be a film changing bag or something like your desk drawer. Also, NEVER shoot backlit scenes, always shoot with the direction of light. And in very bright situations it helps to use the exposure dial by just one notch towards the darken side to increase contrast and saturation. I constantly get amazing results out of my SX70 and even shoot fashion editorials with it. :)

[@artiemilano378]

You're absolutely right. And even if the sun is behind you to the side by about 30-40 degrees, you are still going to get those rays leaking from the side and therefore messing up the contrast. Like you said, DIRECTLY behind you. What I see is going wrong with the pictures in this video is that when he takes a picture of something that has a small window of light included in it, the light will completely darken out everything around it giving you a black image with a white square

[@DodoKing187]

@@artiemilano378 you can buy a Lens Shade accessoire for the SX70 that mititgates those side light situations a little better ;)

[@frankkernan7019]

The "Loki Visualization Crew" shirt was a hard flex.

[@David_GarciaMontero]

Baxter appearences: - NONE Impostors: - 7:27 - 11:44

[@cooperk.3560]

Name checks out

[@athena9656]

Thank you for your service, your sacrifices wont be forgotten

[@David_GarciaMontero]

@@athena9656 thanks a lot for your kind words

[@basilavenue7719]

his name is mr. bigglesworth, not 'impostors' - please fix

[@David_GarciaMontero]

@@basilavenue7719 sorry, no Baxter

[@myperspectiveisimnotblind]

OMG the dark slides are the best part of this!

[@Benjaminjohansson93]

You throwing the darkslide into your eye was that unexpected extra laugh that i really needed tonight. Thank you 😂

[@thatmiatadude3997]

I got an older OneStep about a year ago and it’s just been an obsession since. I now also have a Sun 600 I bought off a coworker, a folding SX-70 that I gambled and bought untested off eBay (it works perfectly, I’m so happy, I got it for so cheap.), an Automatic 100 (still haven’t tested.), and my newest one, a OneStep+. The full manual control with the app for the OneStep+ is a complete game changer.

[@ra3319]

You could really use a frog tongue. It keeps the color from getting washed out when shooting outdoors / strong light.

[@joepgottemaker1890]

EXACTLY THIS.

[@9uuuu]

10:20 the fact that you really spent time adding that little ~Hard Drugs~ into the background, matching the font, masking your body and everything, just for one tiny joke most people probably didn't even notice

[@yoepvh9250]

I thought it was actually printed on there. Boy do I feel stupid

[@JessHobbs]

Great video, I love seeing other photographers using instant film! I love shooting Polaroids, but I use a back that attaches to my Mamiya RB67 instead. While my brown leather SX-70 land camera is fun and quirky, I like having more exposure control, and the Mamiya glass is so pleasantly sharp that it's a perfect combo with the SX-70 film. Definitely try out the b&w version, it is a game-changer!

[@chaaander]

I reaaaaallllly want to do this, but I only have the pack film back for mine, and I refuse to pay $120 for 8 frames. Which back do you use with yours?

[@JessHobbs]

@@chaaander yeah, pack film is ridiculously overpriced now. I picked up two versions of a conversion kit for my RB, one from Rezivot in Hong Kong, and one from Analogue Studio in Washington, DC. Both of them require taking apart an Impossible Instant Lab (not the newer Polaroid versions) and putting it together with the kit pieces that then attach to the RB. I absolutely love shooting Polaroids that way, I still get the dreamy qualities that I love in the film combined with the sharpness of the Mamiya glass. If you're interested in seeing my kit, I just put out a video for Polaroid Week on my own channel (under my name). Sorry for the self-promotion, but I genuinely enjoy sharing my gear with people!

[@chaaander]

@@JessHobbs I realized immediately after commenting that I'd seen your other video on it! Rezivot told me a while back that they're working on another conversion kit, but that it was still being prototyped.

[@JessHobbs]

@@chaaander Haha, awesome! Rezivot just announced on their IG page that they are releasing more backs soon! I hope you can get your hands on one!

[@joshuajernigan6612]

1. Polaroid for the nostalgia 2. Fuji instax wide for the results

[@abearham]

9:30 polaroid sells frog tongues for folding cameras, they're on the accessories page. maybe it's just me but they did jam the camera twice

[@bentuinstra4441]

"Anyway, after a requested cavity search, we were through security" had me rolling 😂

[@richperspective2999]

Great video as always. I have lots of inconsistencies with the colour film, but the B&W is beautiful. I guess one of the main things I've learned about my SX-70 is that it takes a lot of wasted shots to get used to its meter. Even though it was a restored one from Impossible Project several years ago, I still find the exposure adjustment is a bit of a dark art.

[@MrChrodo]

It is so weird, after having it restored, the outcome still varies a lot in quality. My SX-70 lets me down, when i use it in the cold, during winter. Most of the time, i leave the compensation dial in the middle. Two weeks ago in Brussels, during the evening, i took a picture of a bus station and it turned out overexposed and shaky, and that was despite all of my attempts to "darken" it. Even better, pretty much every picture on my black and white cartridge was overexposed, even when shot in a dark region. The same settings, but with color film, worked perfectly, even better. Closeups of people/friends/family is where the SX-70 really shines and in that regard, SX-70 looks imho better than 600. Pretty much always, 600 film is much more saturated than SX-70. For me, SX-70 film has a "Portra"-touch. And whoever shoots a gas station with Portra 160 should be ashamed. However, once i have arrived in UK and took a few pictures, pretty much all of them turned out fine, and i have similar high standards. Maybe i am just lucky with my second SX-70, which always worked fine. Maybe it is because the film doesn't have a long way from the Netherlands to Germany, unlike all the way to the US and degrading over there in the shelfs, instead of being fresh. I've had multiple Polaroid cameras, by far the best were the Spectras (RIP) and second, Polaroid One, were the best. The one exposes well, has a great flash (unlike the "Now") and is sleak as a Spectra, albeit not as advanced inside. The SX-70, outside during the daytime, is unbeaten, at least for me.

[@WatchMeSayStuff]

I really unironically like the circular polaroid shots.

[@JamieMPhoto]

The SX-70 Sonar is one of my favorite cameras. I've learned to be a little strict about what light I'll shoot without a flash, and only darken the SX-70 by exactly one notch or not at all, but generally prefer the SX-70 colors to the 600. But also, shooting with my great crappy old K-Mart flash is kind of golden.

[@GonzoTheRosarian]

The new B&W 600 film is phenomenal and a game changer. I also have a Mint conversion on my SX-70 and being able to meter a scene properly is amazing. That camera has brought me immense joy but be aware that it will take you 2 to 3 packs of film to really get proficient at it. Once you do that your Polaroids wont suck.

[@DiggingForFacts]

There's two things I use the SX-70 for. 1). Freaking out people with the fact that it's a fold-out mechanical device like we're in some 70's future space-age fantasy. 2). Taking photos of people together to give to them as memories of good times. Anything else I've tried with it has always turned out a bit mediocre.

[@justinkingery2489]

LIVE, LAUGH, HARD DRUGS. I love visiting grandparents.

[@JustinRobles13]

Jason, I'm curious if you're getting your Polaroid film from Polaroid directly. I'm been shooting Polaroid for a while now and I have found that the SX-70 film is really sensitive to poor storage. Amazon packs are terrible in my experience. Those from Polaroid directly are usually far better and look more like what we all hope for when shooting Polaroids.

[@filth315]

I assume so judging by the dark slides

[@LisseWets]

I exclusively shoot black and white Polaroids and it honestly is a different ballgame

[@Francois_L_7933]

What I find with both Polaroids and Instax is that you really have to re-evaluate the exposure meter's decision in many situation. Since highlights will pretty much always be blown out, I tend to accept that fact and overexpose a bit when I want details in the shadows. You don't have to turn the exposure wheel all the way to the max to see an improvement.

[@Goughie]

Agree about how hit and miss they are! But when you get it right, boy do they feel special

[@michaelsherck5099]

My wife brought one of these home from an estate auction, years ago. I promptly flogged it on Ebay. Best decision I ever made.

[@raulgreen338]

We already are grateful for existence

[@da009999]

Not only are you a hard-working KZbinr, but you're also a kind and caring grand-son. 😊😊😊

[@Roma-ii2ix]

Thank you for your content. It inspired me to shoot film and my dad gave me his old nikon f80 for that. It felt like a bounding moment, and he was very interested in shoots that i took. That you for that.

[@dimitrisadamopoulos]

You will love f80. One of my best cameras...and I have many and more expensive ones.. 🍺

[@davepane7306]

Most Polaroid sx70 photos (from the 1970s SPECIFICALLY) fell under one of these 8 examples: 1.) Casual pics of family/friends 2.) Pics of romantic couples 3.) Iconic holiday items like Xmas tree, Thanksgiving table, etc. 4.) Pics during vacations and other outings 5.) Moments related to cherished celebrations 6.) Pics for professional documentation and other purposes 7.) Pics of your favorite car 8.) Pics of something snow covered. The main differences from today is that there were no frivolous or wasteful photos, no pics on the fly (like capturing spontaneous moments), and rarely were Polaroids used for artistic attempts at photography.

[@iViking90]

Your dry humor has the spectrum of unicorn dysentary, which is why I've subbed today!

[@mazi2be]

Thank you for releasing this episode on my birthday! What a treat!

[@SlowChemicalReels]

I love that they are 1/1

[@t_h_visuals]

I love SX70. I get great results shooting with my back to the light source. Shooting portraits indoors with my back to the window and the subject facing the light always results in superb exposures.

[@TJ-pc4hn]

Just moved back to Missouri, glad you didn’t drown from the humidity

[@merlindb]

Word to Zane, I am glad that you hit him up man!! His work is awesome, love the cameras he's built for me.

[@nickystewart]

“Live, laugh, hard drugs”

[@Spompanadl]

aaah yes, another grainydays video... gobblegobblegobble

[@aresdiaz5537]

Yes!!! You finally made an SX-70 video

[@jagwire8671]

nothin gets me moister than an oyster like an sx-70 video

[@iainlaurence]

The dude in charge of custom messages on polaroid cartridges must’ve had a laugh with the ones you bought. A nice break from ‘happy birthday Tina’ and ‘BFF’s 5ever OMGGG’ i’m sure

[@DodoKing187]

Where can you buy these? I think you can only get that kinda darkslides if Polaroid loves you very much xD

[@ldbass62]

The photo of you with the Leica M6 is my favorite photo. Great video!

[@maximilianzach9747]

Hey, Jason. First: Thanks to your videos. I have been shooting SX70 quite a bit over the last months, and I have been sometimes happy and sometimes pissed about the outcome. (Also because the best pictures were the ones somebody else took - lol). I experienced the best images, when I shot in broad daylight with the sun in the back. It gives sharp and well colored pictures. As soon as it s a bit too dark or shadowy, it starting to suck. Also shadow light contrasts are not well taken - one always too dark or bright. Maybe this helps. (Shoot like the one at the airport with the sky and clouds) TLDR: Shoot in broad daylight, sun in the back. No strong contrasts.

[@3Gee]

The Marin Headlands are amazing for hiking and photos!

[@zeus4080]

"anyway, after a requested cavity search..." XD these bits crack me up fair play

[@ronniea.4830]

Now if they only bring Time Zero film I will be very happy

[@ziggy149]

Sorry - it's just super interesting to see you tromping around a ton of the same spots I think are cool here; as well as seeing your perspective in some exact spots I've tried capturing as well. Inspiring.

[@clouds-through-a-window8942]

My question is, at 1:41, how is there Carpobrotus glaucescens (Native to Eastern Australia) happily and healthy growing in North America where wild Polaroid wielding Jason’s live…

[@im-very-bad-at-mw7694]

Bro these messages that they leave him in the film packs are so hilarious 😂😂

[@dangerruss5]

One of the most stunning and bizarre camera designs to have ever existed

[@bigbadbyrnes]

Best instant film content creator

[@TheKasperdahl]

Where did you get those dark plates? its funny AF

[@ZachACameraGuy]

Polaroid sponsored this episode I guess

[@openroadtravels181]

I was wondering the same

[@GeoffreyInsch]

He does (or did) visual effects/compositing for a living. So my guess is he did it that way. It looks SUPER seemless... But I couldn't find anything obvious to point to that proves it was done digitally. So either he's super good at it (very likely) or I am wrong (also likely) and they are real, physical dark slides.

[@someonewithsomename]

@@GeoffreyInsch Well... as a compositor, I did not even think of that possibility.

[@jamesm9560]

Dude that camera leather is dope.

[@256k_]

i absolutely love polaroid.

[@soapy83]

We love you Jason

[@areallyrealisticguyd4333]

I'm more of a SX-70 enjoyer than a 600 user. I like the saturation and contrast compared to the latter but I agree it is a little more difficult to learn especially with the comp wheel. The more you shoot Polaroid the easier it gets to find really good compositions

[@JamieKateAdoc]

Love the Polaroid skin upgrade 💛

[@erichung9043]

Cool! Jason was at Marin Headlands!

[@depthoffield405]

You can actually buy the Frog tongues and attached them to any polaroid now. I've seen them on analogue resurgence i'm pretty sure in the episode about SX-70s

[@lleiou0723]

polaroid sells the frog tongue (official name: film shield), but the shield cannot by placed fully inside the camera body: it will hang out as a roll when the camera is folded, so basically adding a bump on the flap camera body and the shield itself might get damaged when it is in your bag. so think before you buy this accessory - I bought it but merely use it after I learnt the above lesson the hard way.

[@jozo9990]

Those dark slides had me dying. I love to think of polaroid as this oppressive, all seeing, big brother that perpetually has their hands in our wallets.

[@joepgottemaker1890]

Loved it! You really, really need to use an frog tongue to protect the film from light. The first 5 seconds are super important and letting the film eject straight in the sun is already too much. The only way to make sure all photo’s turn out perfect is to use the frog tongue. And taking 160 ISO photo’s inside is a no no. 600 is possible but it tends to go orange. Polaroid film is daylight balanced

[@lc5580]

Hi Jason, if you don’t succes as a photographer, stand up comedian is an option for sure. Today arrives an SX70 that I bought on eBay, and your video showed up, what a coincidence, or is because are we being surveilled through our devices? Great video, very entertaining.

[@evanspaulding672]

Mint flashbar is a wonderful product

[@kerc]

I'm surprised at how under exposed and messed up they all turned out. I have an Instax Mini Neo 90, and the photos off that thing blow the Polaroid out of the water, even though they're only credit card sized. Maybe try Instax in a future occasion?

[@Bogaloo1232]

The 600 converted photos indoors look quite nice (contrast and tones-wise) but your SX-70/600 outdoors look quite overexposed. Either you're really messing with the exposure compensation dial or you aren't covering the pictures from light when they come out of the camera. Get a frog tongue for your SX-70, it makes all the difference in the world (Polaroid has improved this issue quite a lot in the last few years, though). Try getting the dial a couple notches to the dark side to and see if it gets better. Make a couple of tests in the same scene/light conditions. It may seem like a waste of film but once you get the general corrections for different light situations you can get nice pictures. Once you get to know your camera (emphasis in YOUR, as each camera has its own tendencies of exposure), you can get pretty consistent results. Also, Polaroid film loves light, lots and lots of it. The best results you can get will always be with lots of light. If there's not a lot of light you'll either get muddy photos or long exposure times that result in blurry images. My advice is to always use flash when in dim light, whether the SX-70 flash bars (for a classic look) or an electronic option (not the Mint flash bar, it's too weak unless you're taking portraits 2m away from the camera). I shoot only instant film and I'm used to how my cameras meter scenes in different light conditions, and my results are mostly pretty good/consistent, sometimes Polaroid ad good (I'm a shitty photographer but the colors/contrast look great). If you want some more pointers (and look at some shitty Polaroids), drop me a message on Instagram: @Instant.Coyote P.S. SX-70 stands for "Special Experiment 70", this was the project number given to the efforts that ultimately resulted in the camera and the integral film. It was originally "project Aladdin", but it was baptised SX-70 in the end.

[@robertwroblewski6797]

U need to diy make a lens hood,for bright outdoors. I used a hood from a rollieflex rigged it to thin strap of metal other end bend into the flash port,improves pics.

[@tlm2096]

its cool that you made a video about the polaroid, I'm disappointed we didn't get to see the photo of you crying on the toilet while writing in your journal

[@morpheus6330]

The biggest problem with polaroid is the film price. I usually get good Pictures out of my polaroid cameras but when i get one bad shot i just feel myself die inside. Always buy a frog tongue if you dont have one it helps alot.

[@areallyrealisticguyd4333]

I wish all their film was priced exactly like I type is but instead they raise their film prices 🤣

[@nishantpatil1247]

This channel is a hidden gem man ✨

[@kevinkevinski8410]

sx70 black and white film is so good. Ive just shot a pack and when underexposed by a stop the pictures look so damn nice. Also the bw pics seem a lot sharper

[@JacobPrater]

The GRAIN IS BACK!

[@joseoregel2859]

This is why I use Inatax film. Never disappoints.

[@angeltellez5963]

I've been waiting this video so much (:

[@brineb58]

Definitely go B&W, it's where they got it right!!!

[@gabequezada2066]

woo hoo... Happy Birthday to Grandpa!!!

[@rodrigopfs]

Really liked the intro. I'd be into a whole video like that. Keep experimenting!

[@NPJensen]

Having shot more Polaroid film, than I care to admit, the one thing, I always do these days is making sure the sun is behind me. If I can't get the shot, I want because of the position of the sun, I don't even try, but return later in the day or the next day, but earlier in the day depending on what it will take to be able to shoot with the sun behind me. I never shoot indoors unless I'm using a tripod and studio lights or one of the flash options for Polaroid cameras like the SX-70. I also clean my rollers religiously before putting in a new pack of film, but that's another matter entirely.

[@waynetech924]

Thanks jason

[@joeyballi]

I have had some horrible experiences with color instant film, then I tried black and white and I have loved a lot more of the images I have gotten with instant film.

[@elleoat]

This is one of your best videos. I'm biased as a Polaroid fan, but the jokes in this video very much hit.

[@yourfamilydocter]

B&W is where it’s at. The film is just better and it’s so fun to shoot on Polaroid

[@SweetLouPhotography]

Good Polaroid advice here, dream abandonment is always a good call tbh

[@genquiptyler7128]

yey i was waiting for you to make sx 70 content

[@mehransafaei1637]

Just ordered sx70

[@RYANPARKPHOTOGRAPHY]

Thanks but how come you have all Jason edition films 😂. I do love sx70 but recently I bought slr 680 to use 600 films! (waiting for delivery).

[@JoshuaDavidCurtis]

6:57 - I am dying laughing. Stop making videos...I'm addicted! Just kidding, keep it up.

[@dividedjoy8257]

You could pull the back of viewfinder all the way up to unfold the camera, that's fine. No need to push the front part ;D it's on the user manual

[@aribetterlari]

Daddy Jason is back

[@ThePhotoDept]

100% the black and white 600 film is amazing. please see the text i just sent you for examples.

[@57Stratmann]

I love Polaroid shots, more good than bad obviously. And somehow I get lucky with my images, but took a long time and lots of cake unfortunately to get to where I’m at. But once you get it, you get it wrong all over again, and that’s kinda the fun of it. Kinda…. Great video, thanks !!!!!

[@theundefinedphotographer]

I have the sonar and the regular SX-70, but I think the rollers in both cameras need cleaning since I always get white streaks on my polaroids. When I first got into film photography and was at the peak with my GAS, I thought these cameras were really cool, but after the novelty wore off, I also find the experience with the SX-70 frustrating. But, I still finding myself picking up the camera from time to time because opening it up (as scary as it feels) feels fun.

[@Libhfdvnjgcb]

Can't wait until I have adult money to do adult stuff like reskinning my Polaroid SX-70

[@jungletrooper9252]

7:26 best part of the video

[@Grimmsworth]

Hey Jason, I absolutely love this video and have been viewing your videos for a long time. I have always wondered how you afford to travel so much, it seems as though you've never had a checked bag and only mooch off of your friends while traveling and making these videos. Anyway, last time you were in New York I saw you stealing a bunch of photo equipment from one of my local haunts. I tried to say hello but you were obviously in a rush. Nevertheless, I hope Baxter is doing okay.

[@aribetterlari]

11:36 - kitty cat

[@dorothykey6741]

ok... so are we just going to ignore 0:48 and 2:08? I looked through the comments foreeeveer looking for some explanation. IT IS BOGGLING MY MIND HOW DID JASON DO THAT