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:





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


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

Film Photography Stroll at Butler Center, USA

My passion for film photography has been a positive factor is getting me out from the dark studio and into the great outdoors. (even if it is just a few steps from my studio door!)

The many angles of Butler Center and the adjacent Main Street in Butler USA are captured with newly acquired vintage camera arriving almost daily from all points USA and Europe.


this image: Butler Center / 6-27-2010 / Holga 120N camera with 35mm Kodachrome 64
top image: Butler Center / 6-2-2010 / Polaroid Colorpack IV – Fujifilm FP-100c Instant Film

“Butler Center (formerly American Hard Rubber Company building complex) is part of the Morris County Heritage Commission).

In 1881 the growing town of West Bloomingdale was renamed Butler after Richard Butler, who had taken ownership of the American Hard Rubber Company.

The American Hard Rubber Company buildings (now Butler Center) were built in 1898. On February 26, 1957, the rubber factory was destroyed by a massive fire. One Butler resident remembers the fire being so bright she could read a newspaper in her yard at 3am at a distance of 1 mile. The glow reportedly was visible for 100 miles; volunteer fire companies from 55 municipalities required mutual aid response during the initial hours and then in shifts over the next week. New York City Fire Department, 30 miles away, offered help when observing the bright glow.”
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butler,_New_Jersey

Today, Butler Center (the remaining buildings from the factory) has been converted into an industrial complex housing many manufacturing companies including my studio– Pop Cinema, Building 6 (Home of The Film Photography Podcast).


Town Hall, Butler, NJ USA / Kodak Jiffy Six-20 camera / Fujichrome Velvia 100F film


Butler Center / 6-5-2010 / Polaroid Super Shooter – Fujifilm FP-100c Instant Film

Butler Center images below shot on the new Polaroid pic-300 camera and 300 Instant film (except *)









* This image shot with the short-lived Y2K Polaroid Mio camera.
Image below: Canon FTb camera / EFKE KB 21 Black and White Negative Film

When not behind my desk at Pop Cinema or testing vintage cameras, you’ll find me producing The Film Photography Podcast.

http://filmphotographypodcast.com/



All Images © 2010 Michael Raso

Polaroid 300's older brother Mio and Japanese cousin Instax

FFP listener Tony Kwong has “fed” my Polaroid addiction via an e-mail discussing the short-lived Polaroid MIO camera (and the Polaroid – Fuji partnership)

I wasted no time connecting to e-bay to find a used Polaroid MIO for myself.


Polaroid Mio Camera / Image © L.Å.R.

Tony’s e-mail:

“Just to let you know, this is not the first time that a Fujifilm instant film product has been distributed by Polaroid, they have a long history of working together dating back to the mid 1980's they shared many technologies. Fuji's instant film offerings were not well
distributed in the North American market. So a well-distributed Polaroid branded version was very welcome.

First there was an instant peel apart pack film called "Polaroid ProVivid" or "Type 689" that product is the same as Fujifilms FP-100c.

In the early 2000's, Polaroid released a short-lived instant camera called the "mio" which was a redesigned version of the Fujifilm Instax mini. It took a film called mio film which I later discovered was exactly the same as the fujifilm instax mini. This was a great
thing as I was able to find imported instax mini film after Polaroid stopped distributing mio film in 2005. This was before last year when Instax mini was finally available in the usa.

I continue to buy instax mini film primarily from American distributors like Unique Photo, Freestyle photo, B&H, Adorama and Mel Pierce camera instead of importing directly to show the distributors and Fuji there is a demand for their products in the usa.

Now as for compatibility of film you discusses in your July 15 podcast. I tested the 300 film, and it does indeed work in a Polaroid mio. I don’t have an instax mini camera to test as I have given it away, as compared I would think they are exactly the same.


Image © Tony Kwong
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37460295@N05/

I also think that Polaroid 300 is an ingenious name. Since it's "half" the size of Polaroid 600 it makes perfect sense to call it 300.”

tk
seattle, wa

PS
“I also wrote most of the fujifilm sections on instant film on wikipedia.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_film#Fujifilm

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Thanks to Tony for permission to reprint his e-mail.

Once the Polaroid MIO arrived into my anxious hands, I loaded some Polaroid 300 film and strolled for an around-town-photowalk.


Above and top image © Michael Raso - Woodland Lake, Pequannock, NJ


Starbucks Coffee in Wayne, NJ USA – Iced cold coffee & free Wi-Fi
Image © Michael Raso


Rooftop in Butler, NJ USA
Image © Michael Raso


Two new CR2 Lithium batteries were acquired from Radio Shack, Butler NJ USA. The clerk was happy to assist.
Image © Michael Raso

This blog would be incomplete without exhibiting some of the fine images shot by L.Å.R. (Lance Rothstein) on his Polaroid MIO camera (on Fuji Instax Film).


PX No. 525 / Image © L.Å.R.


MIO No. 2 (Hobbes) / Image © L.Å.R.

Lance’s obsession with Polaroid photography pre-dates my present Polaroid-mania. Check out his site PictureCrossing, Flickr Photostream and my previous blog showcasing his art.

Tony Kwong’s Flickr Photosteam

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The July 15, 2010 Film Photography Podcast
http://filmphotographypodcast.com/

Blog © Michael Raso
www.MichaelRaso.com