I’m not going to keep you in suspense.
Nowhere. You can’t get it anymore. Polaroid Spectra is gone. Sorry.
Polaroid Spectra also goes by the name ‘Image’ and ‘1200 Type’
When Polaroid ceased production of film back in 2008, the Impossible Project rose up from the ashes and created their own unique stock of film that would work on the countless vintage Polaroid cameras still out in the wild. This included making film for Spectra cameras (or ‘Image’/1200 Type as it is sometimes called). Eventually, the Impossible Project became Polaroid Originals, and then finally merged back with Polaroid around 2020.
But with the jump from Polaroid Originals to Polaroid, they officially dropped production of Spectra film. The official reason was that Spectra cameras were failing en masse, but we’ll probably never know exactly what happened.
This is something you’re not going to see anymore unfortunately
Either way, the last batches of Polaroid Originals Spectra film were produced in 2019. For a while, some of this Polaroid Originals Spectra film could be found on the secondhand market or at places like Brooklyn Film Camera when stockpiles were found. However, we’re almost half a decade out, and I can’t recommend using that film if you can help it. Impossible Project/Polaroid Originals film never stored well even when refrigerated. With any remaining film you’ll probably have a very high failure rate.
This is what the last packs of Spectra film produced look like if you want to keep an eye out for them.
If you’re extremely lucky (or have more money than you know what to do with), you may be able to get your hands on vintage Polaroid Spectra film from before Polaroid shut down production in 2008. Polaroid Spectra and Spectra Soft Tone were some of my favorite formats back in the day, and I still miss them dearly. However, the batteries in those cartridges are likely long dead. Without new packs of Spectra from the Impossible Project/Polaroid Originals with good batteries, it’ll be almost impossible to do a swap. It’ll be a miracle if you’re able to get any shots out, and you’ll likely pay a princely sum for the privilege.
Expired vintage Polaroid Spectra film image shot with a Spectra System camera.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I wish I could still use my Spectra System. Before I got my hands on an SLR 680, these were my main workhorses for Polaroid photography, especially when I could still get my hands on Soft Tone. They were relatively cheap and plentiful, and I considered Spectra one of the best formats for those diving into instant film for the first time.
Now, Polaroid Spectra cameras are essentially finished as photographic tools. Such is the fate of all cameras when there is no longer film produced for them, so enjoy the formats and cameras you have while you can.
You must be logged in to post a comment.