Are you looking to buy a film for your polaroid camera?
Then you should read my article!
Here, I will review the 10 best polaroid camera films you can buy. See what kinds of films you can find on the market and learn their differences so you can choose the right one for your camera.
Things To Know When Buying Polaroid Camera Films
What Are Polaroid Camera Films?
Polaroid or instant cameras were first introduced in the 20th century and they used self-developing film to develop images instantly. Although there are new technologies for printing photos, polaroid cameras still use this method.
How Self-Developing Film Works?
Self-developing films consist of several layers with necessary chemicals for the development process. The chemical reaction happens when a camera exposes the film to the light after which a photo comes out.
They Are Made With A Better Formula
Modern-age films are made with a better formula. They ensure true to life colors and contrasts. They also have a better quality layer against water and smudges. Also, most of the films don’t require batteries anymore so they are easier to carry and install.
Types Of Polaroid Camera Films
You can find black & white or color instant camera films. You can also find films with classic white frames or colorful and sticker frames. If you want to preserve your photos there are specially designed photo albums available.
Where To Buy A Polaroid Camera Film?
If you want to see and compare different films in one place, you can search them on websites like Amazon. You can simply order them, and if you’re lucky, you can even find them on discounts.
Best 10 Instant Polaroid Camera Films
Best Cheap Instant Camera Film
Fujifilm Instax Mini Film
Sizes Of The Film
This polaroid mini film is designed for use with Instax Mini line cameras. The photos are credit card sized. This film is easy to carry in your wallet, pocket, or purse. Hi-speed ISO 800 enables fast image development.
Different Frames You Can Choose
This cheap polaroid film has a classic white border you can use to write dates and fun captions. But you can find this film with colorful frames. It’s available in color or monochrome that gives the old school feels to the photos.
Images Quality
Under both daylight and electronic flash conditions, this film gives admirable results. It produces vivid and sharp images with fine grain quality. It also ensures natural skin tones perfect for portraits.
Available Film Packs
You can find for a purchase Polaroid film Instax Mini Twin Packs with altogether 20 sheets, value film pack for 60 images, and a 120 film pack. It’s a good idea to order more value polaroid mini film packs so you don’t have to worry about running out of them.
- credit card sizes
- vivid and sharp images
- natural skin tones
Best Vintage Instant Film Camera
Polaroid Originals film 600
Iconic Square Polaroid Film Format
This Polaroid Originals film is made for 600 cameras and i-Type cameras. It has iconic Polaroid square format and classic white border you can write captions on but you can also find themed colorful frames. Black & white films develop in 5-10 minutes and color films develop in 10-15 minutes.
Shoot In Light Or With Flash
600 films have a built-in battery that allows them to power vintage Polaroid 600 cameras. They are sensitive to the temperature so they are supposed to be stored in chilled places. But when you shoot in light or with a flash, the image will turn out better.
Create Unique Photos
Each photo you create is unique and rich textured. You can also choose between black & white and color films. The original Polaroid camera film packages contain shooting tips inside so you can learn how to use them properly. Every single pack includes 8 photos.
Tips For Best Photo Results
Since these films are sensitive to the light, it’s suggested to place them away from direct light after they come out of the camera for the best result. Also, when you shoot you should hold your camera still since polaroid cameras can be sensitive to shakes and shudders.
- square format
- white border
- built-in battery
Best Square Instant Camera Film
Fujifilm Instax Square film
Sizes Of Instax Square Film
This square polaroid film type has a 2.44″:2.44″ square format and is used by instant cameras such as Instax Square SQ6, SQ10, SQ20, and Instax Share SP-3. This film produces magnificent instant pictures that you can fit into a wallet, purse, or photo frame. Every single pack comes with 10 sheets.
Choose Between Different Frames
Instax Square film ensures clear reproduction and true to life colors. Each photo developed has a frame. You can find films with white, black, white marble, and star illumination frames.
Make Use Of Effective Ratio
The square format is considered to be an effective ratio for creating artistic photos. You can capture a scene no matter whether the subject is landscape, people, or something else.
Different Composition Tips
To make interesting photos you can make centered composition and put your subject in the middle, line layout if you find natural lines in your surroundings, you can make grid layout, layout with depth, use negative space, make symmetric composition, or fill the frame with your subject.
- 2.44″:2.44″ square format
- built-in frame
Best Classic Instant Camera Film
polaroid originals i-type film
Made With Polaroid’s Latest Chemistry
This classic film is manufactured to support i-Type film cameras. It’s made with a new formula with Polaroid’s latest chemistry to provide richer colors, contrasts, and tones. With this film, every photo you create is unique and special.
Choose Between Color And Black & White
The I-Type film is available in color and black & white. The color film develops in 10-15 minutes and black & white film in 5-10 minutes. You can also find this film with colorful frames like summer blue or limited Stranger Things edition.
Film Sizes And Pack Content
The format of this film is 4.2″ x 3.5″ with images area 3.1″ x 3.1″. Every single pack comes with 8 photos. These film packs don’t contain batteries, unlike old school film packs, which is why they are easier to carry in your wallet, pocket, or purse.
Tips For Better Results
Since the temperature can affect the film, it’s best to store it in chilled places like in a refrigerator. For better results, be sure to clean your camera film rollers periodically. When it comes to shooting, it’s suggested to shoot in bright light or with a flash to get even better results.
- battery-free
- 4.2″ x 3.5″ photo size
- 3.1″ x 3.1″ image size
Best Wide Instant Camera Film
Fujifilm Instax Wide Film
Film Sizes And Quality
This wide-format film is made for use in all Instax wide cameras. The photo sizes are 4.2″ x 3.3″. Instax wide film ensures glossy reproduction with natural colors and develops quickly. A single pack comes with 10 exposures.
Choose Between Color And Monochrome
This polaroid wide film is available in color but you can also buy it in monochrome for artistic shots. Each sheet comes with a classic white frame you can write dates and captions on. But there are sticker frames for purchase if you want to decorate them.
Easy-To-Load Cartridge
This wide film is made with a new emulsion that is highly stable and performs at low and high temperatures. It has an easy-to-load cartridge. Every cartridge is filled with 10 prints each and it’s designed and labeled for easy loading.
Capture Group Photos or Amazing Landscapes
The Wide format allows you to fit more into a frame. Amazing small images have a huge point of view. You can capture group photos, close-up shots, or amazing landscapes and preserve them on this high-quality film.
- white frame
- easy-to-load cartridge
Best New Instant Camera Film
polaroid pif300 instant film
Speed And Colors Quality
This instant film is designed for use with Fujifilm Instax and PIC 300 cameras. It has a Hi-Speed ISO 800 quality and long-lasting performance. It ensures vibrant colors and natural tones with incredible grain quality.
Sizes Of Photos
PIF300 film creates credit card sized photos that can fit in your wallet. It features classic white borders you can write notes on. This film comes in a single cartridge that is easy to load. It’s filled with film for 20 prints.
Natural Skin Tones For Portraits
Depending on your camera’s possibilities, you can choose a mode you desire like color, black & white, or sepia and instantly develop photos with Polaroid PIF300. Natural skin tones allow you to take perfect portraits.
Perfect For Parties And Weddings
Small sizes of this film make it perfect if you’re planning to take your camera at a gathering, birthday parties, or weddings. You can give photos to guests and they can easily fit them in a wallet or purse. You can also put your photos into mini photo albums or scrapbooks.
- Hi-Speed ISO 800
- credit card sizes
- white border
- easy-to-load cartridge
Best Professional Color Instant Camera Film
Fujifilm fp-100c professional color film
Peel-Apart-Type Film
This professional instant color film works with any instant film camera that accepts film with an image size of 4″ x 5″. It has a glossy and silk photo surface finish. This is a peel-apart-type film with an ISO speed rating of 100.
Ideal For Commerical Use
It’s fine grain quality and rich tones make this film ideal for a wide range of commercial uses including product photography, identification, portrait photography, etc. It works well under low-temperatures when it comes to photoshopping during the winter and outdoors.
Quality Of Performance
This daylight film performs incredibly well under different lighting conditions. It features a minimized decrease in sensitivity, color balance variations, and reduced gradation imbalance when it’s used in low lightning or long exposure situations.
New Image Stability Technology
A clear protective layer has been newly introduced to cut ultraviolet light. A new color dye stabilizer enhances color dye durability. This results in a decrease in the color fading and allows long-term storage under direct sunlight.
- peel-apart-type film
- extended low-temperature end
- improved light-fading characteristics
Best Professional Black & White Instant Camera Film
Fujifilm fp-3000b professional black & white film
Black & White Panchromatic Film
This instant film is used with cameras that support film sizes of 3.34″ x 4.25″. A single pack contains 10 prints. The black & white photos develop in only 15 seconds. This film is panchromatic which means it’s sensitive to all wavelengths of visible light which results in realistic reproduction.
Peel-Apart Film Type
This film is a peel-apart. To get the photo you will have to pull out the black tab through the film exit. After the development time has passed, the negative and positive sheets have to be separated fastly. After it dries, you will get the finished photo.
Ideal For Commercial And Industrial Photography
This film is appropriate for ID photos, commercial, industrial photography, and medical & scientific applications. It ensures quality and stability so you can use it for any purpose and occasion to get the best results.
High Gradation Quality
FB-3000B has a fine grain quality and the photos have a glossy surface finish. It also has a high gradation quality for excellent tone reproduction. It features an ISO rating of 3000 and performs well in all lighting conditions.
- black & white photos
- panchromatic film
- peel-apart type
- high gradation quality
Best Vintage Polaroid Camera Film
polaroid originals sx-70 film
Create Unique Aesthetic Photos
This classic film is compatible with Polaroid SX-70 and Polaroid box type 1000. A single pack contains 8 instant photos. You can purchase this film in color or black & white. This film is popular among artists because the photos you create are unique and aesthetic looking.
Photo Format And Sizes
Created photographs have a square format with original white frames. The image size is 3.1 x 3.1 inches. Since vintage cameras don’t have a rechargeable battery, each film pack has a battery inside to power your camera.
Tips To Get Best Photos
The pictures develop in 10-15 minutes to give your photos finer grain and richer texture. The best photos you will get if you shoot in natural light. Since the temperature affects the film, is best to store it in cold places, but keep it warm while they develop.
- unique aesthetic photos
- 3.1″ x 3.1″ image size
- included battery
Best Large Instant Camera Film
polaroid originals 8×10 film
Large Sizes Of Film
This instant film is made for 8×10 large format instant cameras. You can buy it in color or black & white. It has an image area of 9.5″ x 7.5″. Each pack consists of 10 photos. To completely develop images, it takes 10-15 minutes for color and 5-10 minutes for black & white Polaroid film.
Ideal For Taking Artistic Photos
In the 1970s, Polaroid first introduced the 8×10 film. It’s more complex than other instant films, but it creates high-quality unique photos. This film is perfect for people who like old-school large-format films. It perfect for taking portraits and displaying at exhibitions which is why it’s popular among artists.
Made By Hand And Processed By Hand
This peel-apart film provides amazing details and clarity to photos. It requires special equipment and technical knowledge so it’s appropriate for experienced photographers but it can also be used by amateurs who want to take their photography to another level. This film is made by hand and processed by hand.
- 9.5″ x 7.5″ image area
- peel-apart film
- artist film
Conclusion: Which Are Three Best Instant Camera Films?
You can choose a film depending on what film type your camera supports. But if you first want to decide on what kind of film you want before buying a camera, you can go for a Fujifilm Instax Wide Film if you want to shoot landscapes and group photographs. If you are looking for a cheap instant camera film, then the Fujifilm Instax Mini Film would be the best choice. But if you’re looking for a classic film for aesthetic photos, then the Polaroid Originals SX-70 Film would be the one for you.
If you want to find out more about polaroid cameras, read this post about polaroid cameras. If you’re looking for a classic instant camera, read this post about the best classic instant cameras. But, if you’re looking for a vintage intent camera, check out this post about the best vintage instant cameras.