Polaroid vs Instax: Which Instant Film is Better?

[@HelloMammaMya]

Great breakdown! I completely agree that Polaroid and Instax photos offer very different experiences. Polaroid definitely has that authentic vintage vibe, but it can be a bit tricky for beginners to work with. When I’m feeling creative, I reach for Polaroid. But when I just want to shoot for fun without worrying about factors like heat, lighting, or sun, Instax is my go-to. One major downside of Polaroid today is that the formula isn’t the same as it used to be-many of the original chemicals are no longer available, so the modern film can be quite inconsistent, just like you mentioned. Plus, Polaroid film doesn’t handle heat well; you need to store it in a dark, cool spot to avoid poor color quality. I bought my first Polaroid over 40 years ago, and back then, the photos were much more vibrant and reliable.

[@erinolearyphoto]

So true! I’m the same when it comes to using Polaroid or Instax. Am I feeling artsy and creative? Or do I just want to shoot without all the environmental factors? 😉 and yes, the quality is not nearly as good. It’s amazing how crisp and contrasty some of those old Polaroids are. What a shame… 😕

[@jm13409]

Love how you go into different aspects of the companies - such an insightful overview

[@erinolearyphoto]

Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🤗

[@MistyCullen]

Such a good breakdown. The dissecting portion was a really interesting watch

[@erinolearyphoto]

Thank you so much and I’m glad you liked it! I think it’s helpful, especially if you are interested in any kind of experimental photography!

[@knoptop]

Great comparison!

[@erinolearyphoto]

Thank you!! 🙏🏻😊

[@Andrew12759]

Since acquiring my NONS 660 camera, I have jumped on the Instax bandwagon. That being said, I recently sent my 3 SX-70s in for complete refurbishment, so I haven't abandoned Polaroid just yet. But both formats are essentially used indoors under controlled lighting conditions, and with people as the subjects.

[@erinolearyphoto]

As much as I love Instax, I also like to shoot with my SX-70 as well! I’m just using them in very different ways… any new type of thing I want to try out I’m mostly shooting instax, but from time to time I like to shoot a few Polaroids. I hope they serve you well after the refurbishment! Do they all take sx-70 film or did you modify them to take 600?

[@GonzoTheRosarian]

I have used both. Until I got a MiNT SX-70 refurbished camera I was shooting more with Instax but frustrated with the camera quality that Instax offers. I have manual control of the MiNT SX-70 and love the shots I get with it, I can shoot 600 and 160 film. The new 600 B&W film from Polaroid is fantastic. The Instax film is more “clinical” while the Polaroid film is more artsy. There is a place for each, but I have fallen in love with Polaroid again.

[@erinolearyphoto]

Oooh! that's a nice camera! I agree... I'm still working to find that "perfect" camera. I want all manual controls with creative features, and ideally a camera that can take a few different instant film formats. Maybe some day... ;)

[@BashBizznet]

I live in Ottawa and it's pretty tough to find any polaroid film in stores. Instax is much easier to find, especially the mini double packs.

[@erinolearyphoto]

Yes, when it comes to Polaroid film, I usually have to order it off the internet because it's only available in photography stores, whereas Instax I can pick up in most electronic stores and pharmacies, such as Rossmann. I still find ordering film in both formats to be a bit cheaper though since you can buy them in bulk when you order from the internet.

[@spadelump]

Mint make great pro instax cameras too. With manual control 😊. I love my Polaroid cameras but they degrade so much quicker and where I live has humidity so I get brown marks on my Polaroid pics even when stored well 😢, and film is v expensive. So instax wide for more frequent shots and Polaroid when I wanna do emulsion lifts etc

[@erinolearyphoto]

Im right there with you! I do love emulsion lifts, but shooting Polaroid on a daily is a bit more than I can afford.

[@pancakerizer]

Cool video! I think to elevate this video even more, a great addition would have been to shoot the same subject with both films and compare.

[@erinolearyphoto]

Thanks for the tip! Perhaps I will do another video like this. I shared some comparison photos with similar subjects, and actually, a side by side shoot & comparison was in my original plans, but I often underestimate how long it takes to shoot and edit a video. 🙈

[@erikvalkman9640]

There is such a comparison here on KZbin by Sweet Lou Photography, from three years ago. Quite extensive and absolutely worthwhile.

[@erinolearyphoto]

@@erikvalkman9640 good to know! Thank you! I’ll have to take a look :)

[@TheFarCentre]

I’ve tried Polaroid Go and iType as well as Instax Mini and Square. Instax Square is by far the best. It develops much faster and colours looks true to life with good skin tones and contrast. Polaroid colours look terrible (greenish colour cast, a little blurred, and dull blacks) and I had trouble with fractal snowflake defects appearing in the corner of the images. Mine didn’t look retro they just looked bad. I think Polaroid should just scrap their current chemistry and start from scratch. The fact that it takes 15 mins or so to develop and needs to be kept in the dark at a precise temperature means it can’t really be called instant film. Instax just works quickly without any babysitting and looks great.

[@erinolearyphoto]

I completely agree with you there! It's such a shame they can't seem to get their act together and create something consistent. Maybe it's time for them to reinvent themselves, but at the same time, I highly doubt they will. I love shooting Instax Square as well! What camera did you use for it? I have the SQ6 and the Square printer, but I do find that the printer handles the colors a bit better than the camera, though the printer is also much newer than the camera.

[@TheFarCentre]

@@erinolearyphoto I’ve got a SQ6 and it’s strangely better specked than their new cameras, I really like it so far. To be fair to Polaroid I’ve heard good things about their new formula black and white film so I will try that before I give up on them. I do like the larger size prints. I also think my issues with colour might be made worse by the UK’s cold weather.

[@erinolearyphoto]

@@TheFarCentre im right there with you on the larger size of Polaroid! The b&w film is pretty good, but sometimes it comes out a bit contrasty. It’s also interesting when I use it for emulsion lifts bc it stretches a lot more than the color film.

[@TheFarCentre]

@@erinolearyphoto I’ve not heard of emulsion lifts before. I’ll look into that, thanks.

[@MrLennart1976]

Being a great polaroid lover and collector, i'm sad to say that the current polaroid is crap compared to pre 2008 polaroid film. I like unpredictability too but i expect that from cheap, heavily expired film, not from expensive fresh film. Currently, instax film in a proper non fujifilm camera with filters is the best option. It lets ME decide what artistic expressions i want.

[@erinolearyphoto]

I couldn’t agree more! Looking to build a pinhole for my instax film so I can have the best of both worlds, something a little artistic and experimental with some reliable film 😉 it’s such a shame what happened to Polaroid…. When I see old shots I’m shocked at the difference really.

[@MrLennart1976]

@@erinolearyphoto That sounds interesting, i've never seen it used in pinhole. if you have access to 3d printing i can recommend the cartidges that lets you use instax wide in packfilm cameras. More work than a straight up camera conversion, you have to load them in a darkroom/darkbag but also much cheaper. Amazing that even very cheap low end vintage cameras like colorpack 80 loaded with instax will outperform some of the new polaroid ones. Using cameras like 600SE, Land 350, or 110a with a warmup filter really makes instax film shine.

[@erinolearyphoto]

@@MrLennart1976 yes! I actually built a camera over the summer and used a dark bag to load it, but I could only load one image at a time. Since then, I picked up a jolly look so I can repurpose the manual film development crank into my own pinhole camera. I love the concept, but it’s indeed quite a bit of work. I’m hoping a 3D printer might help so I can also experiment with other formats like instax square or wide, but let’s see. Gotta take it one step at a time. 😉 I like the ideas about the Polaroid pack film! I’ll have to look into it a bit more. Really interesting!

[@rdmckeever7645]

Good review. Which brand? Buy both and go shoot...

[@erinolearyphoto]

For sure! You’ll never know ‘til ya try and everyone likes something different! Thank you!

[@GregoryFoster-fb5qj]

Is it Budapest in these photos? I thought I recognized a couple of spots.

[@erinolearyphoto]

Budapest is an awesome city! However most of the pictures were taken in Berlin and I snuck in a few from Barcelona as well. I haven’t been to Budapest since I started shooting instant film, but might have to make another trip there bc I love the city! So much character and interesting people 😊

[@WhoIsSerafin]

My wife clearly likes the look of instax wide better. Doesn’t even want to hear opinions. For me it’s all about the mood of the day for me.

[@erinolearyphoto]

Same here! I really like the Instax Wide as well and recently bought the printer to use it for a few creative projects. But yeah, I tend to follow my mood when it comes to choosing what to shoot. :)

[@erikvalkman9640]

The advantage of Polaroid: the name. The advantage of Instax: the rest. 😉

[@erinolearyphoto]

Love it! 😍

[@GregoryFoster-fb5qj]

Unfortunately, Fuji apparently have no interest in anything but the most basic cameras for Square or Wide format. To really compare to Polaroid, it would take a Wide camera with full manual controls. I hope they make one, but I’m not holding my breath.

[@spadelump]

​Other companies do, nonsl660 and Mint make manual instax pro caneras​@@GregoryFoster-fb5qj