BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Instant Integral Film

Polaroid manufactures two types of films; the first is the peel-apart kind that is generally for professional use; the second is the instant integral, which is for both general and professional use. An integral film is one that contains a negative, a positive and a reagent (or developer) in a single unit and is meant to stay together as a single unit. By containing everything for its development, integral films eliminate the need for darkrooms and cumbersome equipment necessary for photographic printing.

The last two surviving instant integral films were 600 and Spectra, which managed to last over 20 years. As of now, their future is uncertain as Polaroid has announced that they are phasing all of their films out by 2009, but that they are looking to partner with another company to continue the films' productions.

Polaroid currently manufactures 4 films for the 600 series cameras and 4 for the Spectra series; 8 integral films all together. The films are identical in regards to their chemical compositions and color balances; their differences lie in their format and packaging. These films are high definition, medium contrast and balanced for both daylight and electronic flash.

For 600 cameras, the film choices are: 600, 600 Write-on, 600 Notepad and 779. 600 is the most readily available of all the films whereas 600 Write-on and Notepad are not commonly found in stores and generally have to be ordered through internet retailers or mail-order catalogues. 600 Write-on is the same as 600 except the transparency has a matte finish making it a great choice for images you want to scan, draw or paint on. 600 Notepad is the same as 600 except it has two pre-printed lines on the bottom of the film for notes. 779 film is 600 film marketed for professional use.

Spectra films are equally simple. There are: Spectra Image, Grid, 1200 and 990. Spectra Image is the most readily available of all the films. Grid film is Spectra Image film with a grid of letters across the top and numbers down the left-hand side over the image area. 1200 is Spectra Image film packaged with 12 exposures in a single cartridge instead of 10 made for use with 1200 series cameras. 990 is Spectra Image film --marketed for professional use.

600 and Spectra films were reformulated in the mid 1990's and the word Platinum was added to the product's names but Polaroid has since dropped Platinum. Polaroid has combined the European and American names for Spectra camera film and it is now known as Spectra Image film worldwide. The films with the word Platinum are still available with some retailers, but the film itself is no different, other than its expiration date.

Contents © 2008 J. Norris unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.