[vr46]

My 600SE has been largely out for action for years, with only a trickle of film available. Results were predictable when Polaroid and Fuji peel-apart film were available. The modern Polaroid film is anything but predictable or even vaguely good, especially for the astronomical prices. Zink gives about the same qualities.

Fuji Instax in all its forms won this battle and there’s a cottage industry of Instax-holding backs being 3D-printed to retro-fit older cameras like the 600SE or anything with a Graflok connection.

That said, if the outcome of modern Polaroids is exactly what you’re after and an SX70 is not your cup of tea, here’s your new toy.

[kotaKat]

I think the worst, most damning thing they did was gutting and destroying the Spectra equipment to make Polaroid Go film and cameras.

I wish they'd work on getting film costs down rather than releasing overpriced toys. Instax is still kicking their ass for prices long-term.

Zink was a mistake that should have never been made. I've never had a quality print off a Zink printer.

[mkoryak]

I recently bought a cheap zink camera and some not-so-cheap zink paper.

People said the quality wasn't good but I thought, "how bad can it really be?"

Pretty terrible!

I don't understand how zink can be a thing that people buy, unless they are all people like me who will never buy it again.

[vr46]

I have a Polaroid-branded Zink printer from around 2008 and a Polaroid-branded Zink printer from more recent years and the quality has always been rubbish. BUT, I still bought a Brother Zink-on-a-roll printer that I use to print out small pictures as stickers to stick into my journal as a photo diary.

Ultra-niche use, of course, but there you go, there's nothing as zero-config as this thing.

[vr46]

It was criminal, wasn't it. The Impossible Project deserve kudos for reviving things but having to reinvent it from scratch has proven to be actually impossible.

As for One Instant film, sheesh, a labour of love. Mine are stashed away along with the last of my peel-apart, I should just use them all.

At this confluence of money-time-effort, I hope we would recognize a black hole when we encounter it on earth and find a better way, but it apparently requires EVEN MORE money to fix, thanks to the destruction.

[dtagames]

As a lifetime Polaroid fan, I would disagree. I think this product signals that results of their death were greatly exaggerated.

In the US, at least, Polaroid cameras and film are widely available, even at convenience and drugstores, not to mention online. This new camera is a tool for artists, which harkens back to the way Edwin Land originally conceived and marketed the product.

[jnovek]

Is there another option out there or are you referring to the lomography back? I shot pack film for many years and switched to Instax Wide when that ran out, but I miss using a camera with manual focus.

[vr46]

I have the Lomo back, but I use it on my Speed Graphic. Results vary.

This is a printed-to-order back for the 600SE that I was considering:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/134203663096?amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA0...

[stinkydougie]

it's not a modded back, but the NONS SL660 might be of interest.

[snom380]

Do you have a link to any of those adapters? Have a 600SE and a 3D printer, would be nice to give a new life to the camera.

[vr46]

I posted a link reply to another poster, and here's another back:

https://www.zluxtech.com/store/products/polaroid-600se-insta...