Monday, August 16, 2010

Polaroid 300 - A Letter of Recommendation

A fellow FLICKR member sent me FlickrMail today regarding the new Polaroid 300 camera. Below is his correspondance and my response.



Hi Michael

How do you like your 300? I've been a Polaroid fan for a while and normally use an SX-70. After seeing your shots with the new 300, I decided to get one of my own. How's your experience been when shooting in bright sun? I've wasted over a pack just testing out the fine vs clear settings, most are coming out very over exposed (and the sun is at my back). Any tips?

Thanks!
Bob

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Hi Bob,

Polaroid 300 in direct sun is a bit tricky. Many times I forget to switch the filter to sun!



Here's a few shots that are a little overexposed but still pleasing:

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum - NYC

Butler Center, Butler NJ USA

My favorite shots with the 300 camera are studio shots where I mix the on-camera flash with a strong backlight.

Méla Eloise Nichols / Polaroid Portraits
Studio shots of comedian Méla Eloise Nichols with the Polaroid 300 camera

All in all, I really love the camera.

I also picked up a used Polaroid Mio on e-bay. They use the same film.

Although I tend to use the Polaroid 300 film (Purchased on-line at J&R Electronics), you can also use the Fujifilm Intax Mini film.

There is no getting around that the Polaroid 300 is a consumer camera with the minimum of features. More than half the fun is using the camera in situations that it wasn't designed for. I've never had an issue with shots turning out unusable. Best of luck with your new 300.


Keep in touch,
Michael Raso


"GET CLOSE" with the Polaroid 300

My POLAROID 300 shots on FLICKR

I host The Film Photography Podcast (Internet Radio Show) on iTunes

Images © 2010 Michael Raso

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