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Polaroid spectra system5/17/2023 ![]() ![]() Polaroid Originals film for Spectra is what you’ll need to operate the camera. In 2017, the Impossible Project renamed itself ‘Polaroid Originals,’ and continues making new film for vintage Polaroid cameras. Polaroid discontinued Spectra/1200/Image film way back in 2008, but a company called the Impossible Project rose up and started making new film for the camera. This film is interchangeably called Spectra, Type 1200, and Image. The Polaroid Spectra System uses a type of Polaroid film that’s slightly wider than the classic 600/SX-70 square frame. What Film Does the Polaroid Spectra System Use?īefore we get started, we need to make sure you have the film you’ll need for the camera. ![]() I’ll have a separate guide for the simpler cameras like the 1200i out soon. For this guide, we’re going to be looking at the cameras that have a full array of switches and autofocus. There are also variants of these cameras with different names that have much more limited controls. From here on, I will use ‘Spectra System’ to refer to both cameras. The main difference is the Spectra AF’s plastic body is a bit curvier, and the handle is also made of hard plastic. The guts of the camera, along with the controls, viewfinder, and lens, are practically identical. ![]() With lots of options, bright viewfinders, and autofocus, the Spectra System and Spectra AF cameras are solid workhorses.īoth the Polaroid Spectra System and Spectra AF are very similar cameras, despite having slightly different bodies, so I’m combining them into one guide. The Polaroid Spectra series of cameras are some of the best low-cost plastic rangefinders that Polaroid ever made. If you act fast, you might be able to snag some of the last film before it sells out completely. There is, unfortunately, no simple fix.Update October 2019: Polaroid Originals has discontinued producing new film for Spectra, so this poor camera’s days are numbered. This fault is completely random and depends on many variables with each pack of film and the configuration of the camera circuitry. We also carried out multiple battery tests with different voltages and currents from different suppliers. We optimized the dimensions and deflection angle of the ejecting film, reduced the pod weight, and lowered the mask friction through different coatings. Thank you for your continued belief in analog instant photography, Oskar Smolokowski CEO, Polaroid Our manufacturing team led an intensive, 6-month testing and improvement plan on Spectra cameras and our film. We look forward to working with our community to test new products and to keep analog instant photography thriving well into the future. ![]() As we share in the sadness with our community, we continue to focus on the future of analog instant photography through enhancing our core range, and through continued work on our film chemistry. So today, with a heavy heart, we are announcing the end of production for Spectra film. After extensive testing, we have concluded that we cannot support these cameras any longer. Jamming and frequent breakdowns are now affecting the majority of these cameras, and unfortunately, this is not something we can influence with our film. With three decades behind them, these wide format cameras are now coming to the end of their useful lives. October 2019 Dear Spectra photographers, Since 1986, Spectra has played an important part in Polaroid’s film offering and in the world of analog instant photography. ![]()
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