Polaroid Spectra/Image film has always carried the same chemical formula as its more popular cousin Polaroid 600, and it hasn’t been any different for the Impossible Project since they’ve taken over instant film production duties. Color Film for Image/Spectra (Late 2013) is almost exactly the same as Color Film for 600 (Late 2013), just in a slightly wider frame. This is a good thing, as both are some of the best color films that the Impossible Project has produced yet.
Image Quality
Check out the Color Film for 600 review for details on image quality, as it is exactly the same chemical formula. The colors are wild and vibrant, with a healthy dose of color shift thrown in to keep things interesting. Blacks look good and there are rarely the weird texture defects found in old generations. You may notice white dots while the film is developing, but they will eventually go away after about two hours.
Build Quality
When the Impossible Project first started producing film for Spectra/Image cameras, the white border had a random blue stripe going though it. It wasn’t a deal breaker by any means, but it didn’t look great. Happily, the blue stripe is now gone, and the border is a clean white. Currently the film only comes in a white border unlike the many crazy colors of Color Film for 600. Honestly, I don’t really care what the color of the border is, as I usually crop it out after scanning. I will say that black frame looks excellent with black and white films though.
Usage
Like all other Impossible Project films since the Color Protection years, it takes quite a while for the image to appear after shooting it. IP claims only a half hour, but it seems to be closer to 40 minutes to an hour for me. It’s not a big deal, but it is sometimes disappointing to some who expect instant photography to be instant. I think it’s a fair trade to wait a bit longer for images that aren’t going to be blown out by exposure to light upon ejection. Even though this film does have an opacifier to protect it, I still recommend using a darkslide or frog tongue adapter when shooting outside to keep colors nice and contrasty.
Recommendations
If you have a Polaroid Spectra/Image camera, this is the color film to get. Currently, it’s the only color film to get. I imagine that the B&W Film for Spectra/Image will be out sometime in early 2014, but in the meantime, this is pretty much the only film the Impossible Project has on sale to fill those wide format cameras. Happily, it’s an awesome film that, for me at least, is easing the pain of using up the very last of the Polaroid Soft Tone reserves.
Good luck and happy shooting! You can purchase this film directly from the Impossible Project, although it may be sold out on occasion.
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