Instax or Polaroid?

Polaroid certainly loses in terms of technical capabilities but wins in style. It's like a vintage car—capable, yet infused with the spirit of a bygone era and the passage of time. This analogy (quite fittingly) also applies to operating costs—it consumes much more. The photos it produces are less detailed, often less sharp, and more prone to blurring. Additionally, its color reproduction isn't entirely accurate (which can be both a drawback and an advantage). However, what fills in these imperfections is its unique atmosphere, and I think this will be the main argument in its favor: ambiance and style. Sometimes, it even adds a little extra for free—such as a random stain, scratch, or other unexpected effect. It's quite bulky but ergonomically designed—I’d say it has a decorative quality. A person carrying a Polaroid simply looks good (especially when compared to an Instax, but more on that later).

The unit I’m basing my entire opinion and experience on is the Polaroid 636 Closeup, which is one of the most classic cameras of its kind. Various models in the 600 series differ in features, optics, and construction. It’s worth mentioning that Polaroid also had a line of cameras using SX-70 film, which is much harder to find today, and the film itself is very expensive. If you’re unsure which model to buy and want to make your life easier, go for something compatible with Polaroid Color 600 Film.

My Polaroid Offers:

• Close-up/long-distance mode
• Exposure adjustment
• Flash on/off option

My Polaroid Lacks:

• A self-timer
• A decent viewfinder (it’s a complete joke—the framing in the viewfinder doesn’t match what actually gets captured).

Instax, on the other hand, is a fully modern design, and I’d like to start with a warning. The most popular Instax cameras are the Instax Mini—don’t get this one! It takes photos the size of a credit card, and the camera itself looks like a toy—a big, plastic chunk of pastel-colored brick. There are more elegant models, like the Instax Evo, but still, they only produce small pictures the size of your ID card! If you want to compare Instax to Polaroid, only cameras using Square or Wide film are worth considering. It will be a bit more expensive, but much better—you won’t have to squint to see the details.

Instax lacks all the flaws of Polaroid, and in my opinion, that’s its biggest flaw. The photos are incomparably sharper and have much higher color saturation—I’d even say they appear enhanced compared to reality. They are beautiful, almost perfect, and therefore a bit boring. The cameras themselves have much better electronic controls, so they come with features like a self-timer.

You’ll most likely buy the camera new, meaning you won’t have to deal with the issues of the second-hand market. Your Polaroid, which is probably older than you, will occasionally jam, and chances are no one has ever heard that there are rollers inside that need cleaning. Instax has a huge advantage in almost every respect.

My Instax (Instax SQ6) offers:

• Close/Far mode
• Auto timer
• A fairly decent viewfinder
• Photos with/without flash
• Exposure correction (simplified to symbols like “in the shade”)
• A mirror to help frame selfies
• Multiple exposure mode
• A tripod mount

To start with:

• A used Polaroid costs around 100 USD.
• A Fuji Instax SQ6 Square costs around  125 USD.

Then:

• The cost of taking a photo with a Polaroid is around  2.5 USD per photo.
• The cost of taking a photo with an Instax is around  1 USD per photo.

In movies, Polaroid photos often appear in less than a minute. However, modern Polaroid film develops very slowly—an initial faint outline takes minutes to appear, and a fully developed image can take several hours. Instax film, on the other hand, develops in just a few minutes.

It's common in films to see people fanning a Polaroid photo while waiting for it to develop. However, Polaroid film instructions specifically advise against this. While it may have helped with chemical processing in the past, it is now unnecessary or even harmful.

Both Instax and Polaroid film have been adapted for use in large-format cameras. I am personally working on such a technique, but it remains too cumbersome for widespread use. Maybe one day?

Nowadays, Polaroid and Instax film cartridges are available in a variety of frame colors, not just white. There are also black-and-white film options. I've even seen Polaroid film with circular rather than rectangular frames.

A Polaroid 600 series photo is larger than an Instax SQ6 photo. Polaroid pictures are almost perfect squares, measuring 79mm per side, whereas Instax photos are about 62mm wide.

Polaroid cameras are powered by a battery embedded in the film cartridge. When you buy a Polaroid film pack, you're also purchasing a new battery for the camera.

There is a special technique for taking multiple exposures with a Polaroid. It involves briefly opening the film compartment flap right after taking a photo to prevent it from ejecting.

Instax and Polaroid cameras operate on a similar principle. When a photo is ejected, it passes through rollers that crush chemical pods, initiating the development process. This is why the bottom frame of the photo is larger—it houses the chemicals that spread during ejection.

If you're looking for information on Polaroid, try searching for "Impossible Project" as well.

Currently, Polaroid Corporation is in Polish hands. After the company's bankruptcy, it was acquired by Sławomir (Wiaczesław) Smołokowski.