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Film!


NOTE: Prices given in the "Original Price" field are suggested retail prices at the time of introduction, or in the year specified if a date follows the price in parentheses.

40-Series Land Picture Rolls (3 1/4" x 4 1/4")


***ALL OF THE FILMS IN THIS CATEGORY HAVE BEEN DISCONTINUED***


Unless otherwise noted, all 40-Series Land Picture Rolls have the following characteristics in common:

40-series films were used by Polaroid cameras on the Rollfilm Cameras page marked with the icon, and also in other equipment having a Polaroid Land 40 back.


--> Type 40:

Produced: 1948-1950 / Original Price: $1.75

NOTE: This is the original Polaroid film as introduced with the Model 95 camera. Was replaced with Type 41.


--> Type 41:

Produced: 1950-1959 / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: This was Polaroid's first true B&W film. Not long after it hit the market, customers and Polaroid engineers discovered that prints made from this film sometimes would start to fade after a few months. Unlike the sepia prints, the chemistry of the new B&W film left the prints not completely stable, and subject to attack by humidity and contaminants in the air. After much research by Dr. Land and other Polaroid engineers, the only solutions that could be found at the time involved the application of a fixing agent to each print by the customer. Thus was born the "Print Coater" that became so familiar to Polaroid photographers. Research continued on solving the "coater problem," but it wasn't until the early 1970's when a coaterless B&W Polaroid film could be brought to market. Even today, there are still a few Polaroid B&W film types that require coating after development.
Even after improved film types (Types 42, 43, 44) were introduced, Type 41 continued to be offered as a slightly cheaper alternative film for situations (such as print copying) where panchromatic response wasn't important or necessary.

[Picture]: Type 41 film boxes (exp. July, 1954). [JPEG, 24k]


--> Type 42:

Produced: 1955-1992 / Original Price: $1.98 (1956)

NOTES: This was Polaroid's first panchromatic film. It also turned out to be one of Polaroid's most enduring products ever in terms of years of production.

[Picture]: Type 42 film box (exp. April 1987). [JPEG, 21k]
[Picture]: Partial contents of above film box, including original foil wrapper, film leader, and instruction sheet. [JPEG, 57k]


--> Type 43:

Produced: 1955-1958 / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: This was a sort of "premium quality" alternative to Type 42. It had a wider tonal range than Type 42 and was geared towards the professional photographer. [Notice also that the professional-level Model 110 Pathfinder was available at this time.] While the negative on this film had an acetate base rather than paper, it was not reusable ala Type 105/665/55 film.


--> Type 44:

Produced: 1956-1963 / Original Price: $2.19


--> Type 46:

Produced: 1957-1964 / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Polaroid also sold a fluid-filled plastic container called a "Dippit" as a companion product for Type 46/46-L film. The Dippit served a purpose similar to that of the print coaters supplied with the various B&W print films. After removing the transparency from the camera, you opened the end of the plastic Dippit box and inserted the transparency inside. Then, you'd seal the box again and invert it a couple of times to distribute the fixing/hardening agent all over the transparency. Then you pulled the transparency out through a squeegee device which removed the excess coating. Each Dippit contained enough agent for several rolls of film.
As an aid in using this film, Polaroid offered special clip-on viewfinder masks which matched the format of these slides. In fact, some cameras, such as the Model 150 and 800, came from the factory with built-in finder aids for this film (yep, that's what those funny pointy triangle things are in the 150/800 viewfinder window).
While this film was discontinued in 1964, you may encounter "Type 46" film boxes with considerably later expiration dates. What you're really seeing is Type 46-L film (below) after it was renamed to Type 46.


--> Type 46-L:

Produced: 1957-198? / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: This is essentially the same film as Type 46, but produces larger slides. Polaroid also offered matching snap-together plastic slide mounts for this film, as well as at least two different matching projectors (one of these was made by American Optical, another one was made by Keystone for Polaroid). At some point after discontinuing the 'regular' Type 46 film, Polaroid dropped the "-L" suffix on the name of this film and simply called it Type 46 instead.
I'm not sure when it was formally discontinued, but I do know it was still available in 1986/87 or so, and that was probably about the end of the line for this product.


--> Type 47:

Produced: 1959-1992 / Original Price: $2.29

NOTES: At the time it was introduced, this was a truly breakthrough product. As far as I know, this was the fastest rated continuous tone photographic film available in any format. Remember that back in 1959, anything faster than ASA 125 was considered a high-speed film. Not only that, but it was the introduction of 3000-speed film that made possible such simplified Polaroid cameras as the J66 and Swinger 20. It also made possible certain Polaroid camera accessories such as the Wink-Light and the Photoelectric Shutter.

[Picture]: Three different Type 47 film boxes with expiration dates from 1976, 1990, and 1992. [JPEG, 56k]
[Picture]: Close-up of Type 47 box from 1992 illustrating 'death knell' warning sticker. [JPEG, 42k]
[Picture]: Contents of above film box. Instruction sheet is originally folded such that the red square in the center is immediately visible on top upon opening the box-- just in case the warning sticker on the front of the box wasn't enough. [JPEG, 27k]


--> Type 48:

Produced: 1963-1976 / Original Price: $3.55

NOTES: Polacolor film was another major breakthrough product of its era. In fact, it represented the culmination of a series of some of the most difficult and complex chemical engineering problems ever solved. Many man-years of research went into designing this film.
ASIDE: One of the side benefits of Type 48 film from a consumer point of view was that, unlike all the B&W Polaroid films at the time, Type 48 didn't require a print coater. What most people don't know, however, is that things almost didn't turn out that way. Fact is, Polacolor did require a coater even during most of its pre-release testing phase. ...And unlike the B&W films (which could be coated hours or even days later at the photographer's convenience), these prints had to be coated within five seconds of being removed from the camera or they'd quickly start to deteriorate-- and perhaps ruined entirely. Polaroid Corporation even went so far as to design special devices that could be attached to your camera to aid in coating the prints quickly in the field, and formulated a special chemical resistant coating for the back of the prints, so that you could quickly flip the print over back on top of the negative and coat the print right there inside the camera door if need be. Fortunately-- and at practically the last minute-- Dr. Land and the other Polaroid engineers finally solved the Polacolor coater problem. The 'old' Polacolor film that had been produced was destroyed, and only the 'coaterless' Polacolor film made it to market.
While production Polacolor film didn't require a coater, some issues were discovered later in which the tension of some of the chemical layers on the print could change over time, thus causing the prints to curl up. Not being able to find a permanent solution at the time, Polaroid instead provided a set of sticky-backed self-adhesive mounting cards with each roll or pack of Polacolor film. The idea was that you'd mount the prints to the cards to prevent them from curling. However, if the quantity of unused Polacolor print mounts I tend to find accompanying old Polaroid cameras is any indication, a lot of people either didn't find the cards necessary or just-plain didn't want to be bothered with them.
Type 48 was originally specified as having a film speed of ASA 50, but was quickly bumped up to 75. This may have been a bit optimistic at first, however, according to some reports.
The discontinuance of Type 48 coincides with a changeover in the production of the photographic 'negative' stock for Polaroid films. Before 1976, Polaroid had contracted with Eastman Kodak to produce the negative material for color Polaroid roll and pack films. As this contract was expiring, Polaroid made the decision to make its own negative material for these films instead. This was one of the changes that brought about an improved "Polacolor 2"-designated film in other formats. Presumably, by this time, sales of Type 48 had dropped to the point where Polaroid didn't feel it worthwhile to design/build the equipment needed to produce color negative material in this format, and so the product was simply phased out. That's why there never was a "Polacolor 2" version of Type 48.

[Picture]: Type 48 film box (exp. May, 1966) and contents. The film instruction sheet is actually bound to the top of a 'deck' of Print Mount cards. The postage-paid envelope was for Polaroid's print copy service.[JPEG, 43k]

Professional/Industrial Films:


--> Type 146-L:

Produced: 1961-198? / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Essentially a high-contrast version of Type 46-L
Speed increased in 1967 to 320 daylight / 125 tungsten.


--> Type 413:

Produced: 1964-1969 / Original Price: $?.??


--> Type 410:

Produced: 1961-19?? / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Yes, that's an ASA rating of ten thousand. In 1961.


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30-Series Land Picture Rolls (2 1/2" x 3 1/4")


***ALL OF THE FILMS IN THIS CATEGORY HAVE BEEN DISCONTINUED***


Unless otherwise noted, all 30-Series Land Picture Rolls have the following characteristics in common:

30-series films were used by Polaroid cameras on the Rollfilm Cameras page marked with the icon, which include the 80-series ("Highlander") models and the J33.


--> Type 31:

Produced: 1954-1958 / Original Price: $?.??

Similar to Type 41 except for format.


--> Type 32:

Produced: 1955-19?? / Original Price: $1.53 (1956)

NOTES: Similar to Type 42 except for format. However, the speed of Type 32 was increased to 400 ASA in 1959.


--> Type 37:

Produced: 1959-19?? / Original Price: $1.79

NOTES: Similar to Type 47 except for format.


--> Type 38:

Produced: 1963-1969 / Original Price: $2.65

NOTES: Similar to Type 48 except for format.
In addition to the notes regarding Type 48 film, Type 38 had some special problems of its own. One thing you may not realize is that there were exactly zero Polaroid cameras that could really be used with Type 38 film exactly as they were right out of the box. Like Type 48 film, Type 38 has a thicker base than the earlier B&W films. However, while this presented no particular problem to the big Polaroid cameras using the 40-series films (aside from it being more difficult to tear the negative against the cutter bar), the design of the back on the Highlander (80/80A/80B) cameras was such that apparently there wasn't enough clearance to pull the thicker film through the rollers. This problem was fixed when the J33 was introduced, as by that time Polaroid Corp was pretty sure the upcoming Polacolor film would have a thicker base than the current B&W films. However, the J33's autoexposure/flash system was only designed for 3000-speed Type 37 film. So, if you actually wanted to use Type 38 film, you were stuck either way. If you had an 80-series camera, you had to send your camera in to Polaroid Corp to have the development roller assembly changed out. If you had a J33, the back was fine as-is, but you had to buy a #330 Color Adapter Kit to compensate for the exposure difference. Understandably, Type 38 never quite became the market success that Type 48 and Type 108 were.

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20-Series Land Picture Rolls (2 1/2" x 3 1/4")


***ALL OF THE FILMS IN THIS CATEGORY HAVE BEEN DISCONTINUED***


Unless otherwise noted, all 20-Series Land Picture Rolls have the following characteristics in common:

20-series films were used by Polaroid cameras on the Rollfilm Cameras page marked with the icon, which include the Swinger Model 20 and the M15 Swinger Sentinel.


--> Type 20:

Produced: 1965-1970 / Original Price: $1.99

NOTES: The Swinger 20-series films are sort of a hybrid design. The packaging is similar to the 30- and 40-series rollfilms, but the film is designed to develop outside the camera like the 100/660- and 80-series packfilms. Other than that, Type 20 is similar to Type 37 film.
Type 20 was replaced with Type 20C in 1970.

[Picture]: Type 20 film box (exp. August 1970) and Type 20C film box (exp. February 1973) Type 20C box contents are shown, including instructions/warning about this new "coaterless" film. [JPEG, 34k]


--> Type 20C:

Produced: 1970-19?? / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: I believe this was the first Polaroid "coaterless" B&W film. It's also the only Polaroid B&W roll film that was made "coaterless."

[Picture]: Type 20 film box (exp. August 1970) and Type 20C film box (exp. February 1973) Type 20C box contents are shown, including instructions/warning about this new "coaterless" film. [JPEG, 34k]

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100/660-Series Land Pack Films (3 1/4" x 4 1/4")


Unless otherwise noted, all 100/660-Series Land Pack Films have the following characteristics in common:

100/660-series films (and others included in this category) are used by Polaroid cameras on the Packfilm Cameras page marked with the icon, as well as other photographic equipment having a Polaroid #405 film back or other compatible back.


--> Type 105:

Produced: 1974-1977 / Original Price: $?.??

NOTE: Renamed to Type 665 in 1977 as part of Polaroid's then-new Professional Pack Film line.


--> Type 107:

Produced: 1963-2000 (?) / Original Price: $1.92

NOTES: This, along with Type 108, was one of the original two film types introduced with the Model 100 (Automatic 100) pack camera. I believe it was finally discontinued in 1999 or 2000, but don't worry-- you can still get its modern coaterless equivalent, Type 667.


--> Type 107C:

Produced: 1978-199? / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Was offered simultaneously with Type 667, but 107C was geared towards mass-market retailers, while 667 was primarily sold by full-service camera stores. 107C was dropped in the mid 1990's, presumably because not very many mass-merchandisers were stocking Polaroid pack films any more. At or about the same time, Type 667 went from 8 prints per pack to 10 prints per pack.


--> Type 108:

Produced: 1963-2002 (?) / Original Price: $4.38

NOTES: While nominally ASA 75, most (if not all) Type 108 film packs made before the early 1970's bore a sticker directing the user to set the Lighten/Darken control on the camera one small mark towards Lighten. Doing this would essentially set the exposure system for about ASA 60.
Like Type 48 (see notes), this film was supplied with self-adhesive mounting cards for a while. I'm not sure when the related 'print curl' problem was solved, but was probably early 1970's or so.
In 1975, was replaced by new "Polacolor 2" film under the same type number. This was an improved film based on SX-70 technology, and used a new negative stock made by Polaroid themselves. [Before this point, Eastman Kodak was contracted by Polaroid to produce the 'negative' material for Polaroid color films. This changeover was a contributing factor to the discontinuance of Type 48 rollfilm at about the same time. (See the notes for Type 48 for more details)] Eventually the "Polacolor 2" designation was dropped, but remained the same film.
The transition to "Polacolor 2" may or may not be related to the end of the one-mark-towards-Lighten stickers and the solution to the 'print curl' problem; I really don't know.
As with Type 107C, this film essentially became the mass-market version of an otherwise equivalent 'professional' film (Type 668 in this case). [Type 668 was supplanted by-- and eventually replaced by-- an improved film called Type 669.]

Professional/Industrial Films:


--> Type 084:

Produced: 1977- 2002 (?) / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: The literature for this film suggests it is intended for CRT recording-- but it has normal contrast. [I've used this film, and it seems identical to Type 107. --MK]
A new Type 84 (no leading zero) film was introduced in 2003, but this is an unrelated 80-series 'square'-format film.


--> Type 611:

Produced: 19??-???? / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Designed for CRT recording applictions requring low contrast.


--> Type 612:

Produced: 19??-199? / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Yes, that's a film speed of twenty thousand, the fastest film Polaroid has ever offered. Unfortunately, it appears to have been discontinued as of around 1999/2000 or so. It is a very high contrast film, though, and difficult to use for general purpose photography. Designed for CRT/oscilloscope recording.


--> Type 664 (Polapan Pro 100):

Produced: ????- Present / Original Price: $?.??


--> Type 665:

Produced: 1977- 2006 / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Formerly called Type 105.
Package increased to 10 prints/negatives per pack in 2003.
Polaroid also used to sell (but discontinued long ago) a companion "clearing bucket" accessory for this film to aid in the negative "clearing" process. This rather well-designed product contains a removable plastic rack which can hold several negatives safely in the clearing solution without allowing them to come in contact with each other. [There is currently a third-party 'clone' of this product available, but I forget the manufacturer.] In any case, the special 'bucket' is not necessary for clearing the negatives-- you can use plastic darkroom trays, tanks, or whatever. You can even use (if you're really careful!) Ziploc-style plastic bags if you want.
OPINION: This is really interesting/fun stuff to work with-- it's very high in quality, and is probably about the cheapest/easiest way to produce the occasional big negative. Sodium sulfite isn't always convenient to find, however. Too bad it has since been discontinued...

[Picture]: Two different Type 665 film boxes. [JPEG, 27k]


--> Type 667:

Produced: 1977- Present / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Similar to Type 107C, which was offered simultaneously for several years.
Package increased to 10 exposures per pack in the mid-1990's.


--> Type 668:

Produced: 1977-199? / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Professional markets version of Type 108. Really not sure when this was discontinued.


--> Type 669 (Polacolor ER):

Produced: 198?- Present / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Improved version of Type 108/668. This is currently the "standard" color Polaroid pack film.
Package increased to 10 exposures per pack in the mid-1990's.


--> Type 672 (Polapan Pro 400):

Produced: ????- Present / Original Price: $?.??


--> Type 679 (Polacolor Pro 100):

Produced: 199?- 2003 / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: This is an improved version of Type 669, and bumped up slightly in speed in order to match popular conventional films.
This film, along with Type 689, has been replaced with Type 690 as of 2003.
Usage note: You can use this film in classic automatic pack cameras too-- just set the speed selector to 75/Color, and adjust the Lighten/Darken control about one small notch towards Darken.


--> Type 689 (Pro Vivid):

Produced: 199?- 2003 / Original Price: $20.90 ?

NOTES: This is an even further improved version of Type 669 and Type 679, and was Polaroid's top-end professional color pack film until the recent (2003) introduction of Type 690 (which replaces this film).
Usage note: Just as with Type 679, you can use this film in classic automatic pack cameras too-- just set the speed selector to 75/Color, and adjust the Lighten/Darken control about one small notch towards Darken.


--> Type 690:

Produced: 2003- Present / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: This is an all-new Professional color film, which not only has further improvements in color rendition and contrast, but also has a re-engineered chemistry that makes development (almost) self-timing. While all Polaroid integral films are (by necessity) self-timing, this is the first Polaroid peel-apart film to have this feature.
Usage note: Just as with Type 679 and 689, you can use this film in classic automatic pack cameras too-- just set the speed selector to 75/Color, and adjust the Lighten/Darken control between one and two small notches towards Darken. Alternatively, if your camera has a Scene Selector and you want a little more depth-of-field, you could instead set the dial for ASA 150, and set the L/D control about one small mark towards Lighten.


--> Type 691:

Produced: 198?- 199? / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Designed for making transparencies to be used on an overhead projector. I believe Polaroid even offered special cardboard frames to aid in handling the slides.


--> Polacolor 64 Tungsten:

Produced: 198?- Present / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Similar to Type 669, but color balanced for tungsten lighting.


--> Polacolor ID:

Produced: 199?- Present / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Similar to Type 669, but has a special security "tracer" overlay imprinted over the print surface and viewable only under UV light (i.e. a blacklight).

[Picture]: Polacolor ID film box [JPEG, 23k]

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80-Series Land Pack Films (3 1/4" x 3 3/8")


***ALL OF THE FILMS IN THIS CATEGORY HAVE BEEN DISCONTINUED***


Unless otherwise noted, all 80-Series Land Pack Films have the following characteristics in common:

80-series films (and others included in this category) are used by Polaroid cameras on the Packfilm Cameras page marked with the icon (including the "Square Shooter" and "Zip" series of cameras), as well as other photographic equipment having a Polaroid/NPC Type 80 film back or other compatible back.

ADDITIONAL USE NOTE: 80-series films can also theoretically be used in most standard rectangular-only Polaroid pack cameras and backs marked only with the icon (such as the 'classic' folding pack cameras), but this should be avoided because those cameras lack the necessary light shields needed to protect the smaller 80-series pack in case you ever need to open the film door when the camera is loaded (to fix a 'missing white tab' problem, for example).


--> Type 84:

Produced: 2003-2006 / Original Price: $14.60 ?

NOTES: Similar to Type 664 except for format.
Introduced in 2003 as part of a re-introduction of the 80-series format to professional markets.


--> Type 85:

Produced: 2003-2005 / Original Price: $20.92 ?

NOTES: Similar to Type 665 except for format.
Introduced in 2003 as part of a re-introduction of the 80-series format to professional markets, and discontinued in 2005 when Type 665 was phased out.


--> Type 87:

Produced: 1974-2006 / Original Price: $3.10

NOTES: Type 87 was always "coaterless." It was also the first coaterless pack film that Polaroid introduced.
Type 87 may have been discontinued as of the late 1990's, but was resurrected in 2003 as part of a re-introduction of the 80-series format to professional markets. Unfortunately, its reprise was to be short-lived, as it was discontinued again (along with the other remaining 80-series films) in 2006.
Package was increased to 10 exposures per pack when it was reintroduced in 2003.


--> Type 88:

Produced: 1971-2006 / Original Price: $3.99

NOTES: Similar to Type 108 (*) except for format.
In 1975, was replaced by new "Polacolor 2" film under the same type number. This was an improved film based on SX-70 technology. Eventually the "Polacolor 2" designation was dropped, but remained the same film.
(*) With the re-positioning of the 80-series format in 2003, Type 88 was reformulated and became similar to Type 669 except for format. Package was also increased to 10 exposures per pack at this time.


--> Type 89:

Produced: 2003-2006 / Original Price: $16.84 ?

NOTES: Similar to Type 690 except for format.
Introduced in 2003 as part of a re-introduction of the 80-series format.


--> Viva Colour (Gloss):

Produced: 199?-200? / International Markets

NOTES: Not sold in USA/Canada.
It is possible that this film is based on Type 679 or Type 689, but I really don't know.


--> Viva Colour (Silk):

Produced: 199?-200? / International Markets

NOTES: Not sold in USA/Canada.
It is possible that this film is based on Type 679 or Type 689, but I really don't know.

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SX-70 Land Films (3 1/8" x 3 1/8")


***ALL OF THE FILMS IN THIS CATEGORY HAVE BEEN DISCONTINUED***


Unless otherwise noted, all SX-70 Land Films have the following characteristics in common:


--> SX-70:

Produced: 1972-198? / Original Price: $6.90

NOTES: This was the film introduced with the original SX-70 camera. This was just as much a breakthrough product as the original Polacolor (i.e. Type 48) film was in 1963. It's truly a marvel of chemical engineering, if you stop to think about it.
This film was replaced with SX-70 Time-Zero film around 1980.


--> SX-70 Time-Zero film:

Produced: 198?-2006 / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Similar to the original SX-70 film, but had improved color rendition and much faster development time (hence the "Time-Zero" part of the name).

[Picture]: SX-70 Time-Zero (exp. May 1981) and Type 778 (exp. November 1983) film boxes. [JPEG, 29k]

Professional/Industrial Films:


--> Type 778 Time-Zero film:

Produced: 19??-2006 / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Professional markets version of SX-70 Time-Zero film.

[Picture]: SX-70 Time-Zero (exp. May 1981) and Type 778 (exp. November 1983) film boxes. [JPEG, 29k]


--> Type 708 Time-Zero film:

Produced: 19??- 200? / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Same as Type 778, but lacks self-contained battery pack. Intended for use with non-powered backs where the battery is unnecessary.

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Polavision Phototape Cassettes (8mm Motion Picture)


***ALL OF THE FILMS IN THIS CATEGORY HAVE BEEN DISCONTINUED***


All Polavision Phototape Cassettes have the following characteristics in common:


--> Type 608:

Produced: 1978-198? / Original Price: $9.95

NOTES: This was the film originally introduced with the Polavision camera.
While Polavision as a product was ultimately unsuccessful, this film does stand out as another important landmark in photographic history. Polavision film (and its technological successor, Polachrome instant 35mm slide film) is very unusual in that it is an additive color film. In other words, the illusion of color is formed by adding together proper proportions of red, green, and blue light. All other color films starting with Kodachrome (the true 3-color version introduced in 1935) have been subtractive in nature. In other words, colors are formed by blocking (subtracting) light with dyes of magenta, yellow, and cyan. Theoretically (at least), an additive film could potentially produce more realistic colors, as this is exactly the way our own eyes work-- we view the world as RGB additive light.
Polavision/Polachrome film actually creates a color image in much the same way a color television set does. If you take a look at some processed Polavision or Polachrome film under a microscope, you'll find that its surface is made up of strips of alternating red, green, and blue filters (appearing in some ways like the phosphor stripes of the CRT of a color TV). These filters act both during exposure and during viewing to reproduce color. Yes, Polavision and Polachrome films are essentially B&W films that have been adapted for color by this clever mechanism. [Getting the extremely fine filter stripes on the film in such consistent manner was one tricky enginnering feat indeed, however!] The downside to the filtering is that it by necessity cuts down on the amount of light that can be transmitted through the film. In other words, it's quite dense compared to, say, Kodachrome or Ektachrome. This problem of light loss is also a contributing reason why Polaroid decided to market a stand-alone tabletop viewer for Polavision rather than a conventional projector to be used with a large screen.

[Picture]: Type 608 (exp. January 1979) film box with two Cassettes. [JPEG, 27k]


--> Type 617:

Produced: 198?-198? / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: This was a high-speed B&W version of Polavision film designed for special industrial/scientific applications, and was probably not intended for general use in the standard Polavision camera. It is probably similar in design/chemistry to the color Polavision films but without the tri-color filter stripes (i.e. much like the current Polachrome vs. Polapan 35mm slide films).


--> Type 618:

Produced: 198?-1988 / Original Price: $?.??

This was an improved version of Type 608. Discontinued as of Sept., 1988.

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600 Land Films (3 1/8" x 3 1/8")


Unless otherwise noted, all 600 Land Films have the following characteristics in common:


--> 600:

Produced: 1981-199? / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: This is the film introduced with the original series of Sun 600 cameras.


--> 600 Plus:

Produced: 199?-1992 / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Improved version of the original 600 film; based on Spectra film technology.


--> 600 High Definition:

Produced: 1992- Present / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Incremental improvement from 600 Plus. At some point, the "High Definition" moniker was dropped, and became simply "600" film.


--> 600 Platinum:

Produced: 1997 (?) - Present / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Significant improvement in color rendition over previous 600 films. Actually, this may be the current film simply called "600".


--> 600 Black + White:

Produced: 1998 (?) - 2002 (?) / Original Price: $?.??


--> 600 Party Film (and variants):

Produced: 1996 (?) - / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: This sort of film has been sold under many different names each having a different seasonal or character theme. These include 'holiday' films for Christmas and other holidays, as well as 'character' films such as Barbie Film and Looney Toons Film.


--> 600 Write On:

Produced: 1998 (?) - Present / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Otherwise similar to regular 600 / 600 Platinum film.


--> 600 Note Pad:

Produced: 1998 (?) - Present / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Otherwise similar to regular 600 / 600 Platinum film.


--> 600 Copy & Fax:

Produced: 1998 (?) - 2002 (?) / Original Price: $?.??

Professional/Industrial Films:


--> Type 779:

Produced: 19??- Present (?) / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Professional markets version of 600 film.

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Spectra Films (3 5/8" x 2 7/8")


Unless otherwise noted, all Spectra Films have the following characteristics in common:


--> Spectra:

Produced: 1986-199? / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: This is the film introduced with the original Spectra camera.


--> Spectra High Definition:

Produced: 199?-199? / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Improved version of original Spectra film.


--> Spectra Platinum:

Produced: 199?-1998 (?) / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Improved version of Spectra High Definition film; brand-mate to 600 Platinum.


--> Spectra 700:

Produced: 1998(?) -Present / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Assumed to be improved version of Spectra Platinum, but renamed to fit in with Polaroid's new numeric pattern for naming mass-market films (e.g. 500, 600, and 700 film).

[Picture]: Spectra 700 film box. [JPEG, 19k]


--> Image:

Produced: ???? -Present / International Markets

NOTES: International-markets version of Spectra 700 film.


--> 1200:

Produced: 2002(?) -Present / International Markets

NOTES: Assumed to be the same as Spectra 700, above, but packaged as 12 prints per pack; designed for use with recent Spectra/Image "1200"-series cameras which have an exposure counter designed to accomodate 12-exposure packs.
Not available in USA/Canada.


--> Spectra High Definition Grid Film:

Produced: 1998(?) -Present / Original Price: $?.??

Professional/Industrial Films:


--> Type 990:

Produced: 19??- Present (?) / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Professional markets version of Spectra film.

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Captiva Films


***ALL OF THE FILMS IN THIS CATEGORY HAVE BEEN DISCONTINUED***


Unless otherwise noted, all Captiva/500 Films have the following characteristics in common:


--> Captiva 95:

Produced: 1993-1998 (?) / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: This is the film introduced with the original Captiva camera.

[Picture]: Captiva 95 film box. [JPEG, 20k]


--> 500:

Produced: 1998 (?) - 2006 ? / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Improved version of Captiva 95 film. The Captiva name was dropped, and the film renamed to "500" film to better match Polaroid's new numeric naming pattern for mass-market films, and to reflect the introduction of new cameras for this format.

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Pocket Films (36mm x 24mm)


***ALL OF THE FILMS IN THIS CATEGORY HAVE BEEN DISCONTINUED***


Unless otherwise noted, all Pocket Films have the following characteristics in common:


--> Pocket Film:

Produced: 1998 (?) - 2004 (?) / Original Price: $?.??


--> Pocket Sticker Film:

Produced: 1998 (?) - 2004 (?) / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Similar to above, but has self-adhesive removable back for making stickers.


--> Pocket Fortune Film:

Produced: 2001 - 2004 (?) / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: Similar to Pocket Sticker Film, but a "secret message" appears overlaid on the picture as it starts to develop. The message disappears shortly afterwards. A different message appears on each picture in the film pack.



--> iZone 200 Film:

Produced: 2004 (?) - 2005 (?) / Original Price: $?.??

NOTES: This was a special film designed only for use in the iZone 200 camera, and is incompatible with the earlier Pocket films. A short-lived film format for a short-lived product...



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Other Professional/Industrial Films



35mm Instant Slide Films


***ALL OF THE FILMS IN THIS CATEGORY HAVE BEEN DISCONTINUED***


Unless otherwise noted, all 35mm Instant Slide Films have the following characteristics in common:

35mm Instant Slide Films can be exposed in standard 35mm cameras and backs. These films require the Polaroid AutoProcessor for development.
(*) Usage notes: These films should not be used in fully automatic cameras which have no means of manual ASA/ISO selection (including most point-and-shoot cameras), as the film canisters are not DX coded for automatic film speed selection. In addition, they should not be used with off-the-film (OTF) metering systems present in some high-end professional 35mm SLRs, as these films have a different reflectivity than conventional films.


--> Polachrome CS:

Produced: 1985 (?)- 2004 (?) / Original Price: $??.??

NOTES: Polachrome is the technological successor to the Polavision instant movie system introduced in the late 1970's. [See the notes regarding Polavision Type 608 film for some details about how this film works.] By the way, one significant difference between Polachrome and Polavision film is the way the 'negative' is handled. [All Polaroid instant positive films involve a photographic negative somewhere, even if you don't normally see it.] With Polachrome, the negative is part of that black coating you can see on the film during loading. This black coating gets stripped away at the end of the development process, leaving just the positive transparency. The black coating (assuming it strips off the way it's supposed to) ends up back in the processing cartridge, which is then discarded. The old Polavision film, however, had both film and processing materials within the same self-contained package, so there was no way to 'discard' the negative after development. Therefore, Polavision film was designed so that the negative layer would simply remain on the film, but turn transparent after a short period of time. Apparently, this process wasn't quite perfect, and resulted in somewhat reduced contrast compared with the newer Polachrome film.


--> Polapan CT:

Produced: 1985 (?)- 2003 (?) / Original Price: $??.??

NOTES: I would imagine that this is chemically similar to Polachrome, but without the tri-color filter stripes.


--> Polagraph HC:

Produced: 1985 (?)- 2003 (?) / Original Price: $??.??

NOTES: Intended for B&W line art, as well as scientific applications.


--> High Contrast Polachrome HCP:

Produced: 198? - 2003 (?) / Original Price: $??.??

NOTES: Intended for color line art, such as business graphics. Actually, this is really just regular Polachrome film packaged with the processing cartridge used with Polagraph film. Reportedly, quite a lot of people discovered the results of mixing and matching these particular films and processing cartridges on their own-- so many so, that Polaroid decided to simply offer it as its own product.


--> Polablue BN:

Produced: 198? - 2003 (?) / Original Price: $??.??

NOTES: Intended for producing title slides and business text/graphics. It is not really a reversal film, since it produces negative images-- black-on-white text is rendered as white-on-blue.

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50-Series 4x5 Land Films (3 1/2" x 4 1/2")


Unless otherwise noted, all 50-Series 4x5 Land Films (and others in this category) have the following characteristics in common:

50-series films are used by 4x5 cameras (and similar equipment) using a Polaroid #500, #545, #545i, or #545pro film holder. See the FAQ page for an important note about using modern 50-series films with the old #500 film holder. NOTE: A "Graflok" back is not necessary for using any of these film holders; a simple 'spring' back will suffice.


--> Type 51:

Produced: 1967- Present / Original Price: $14.50

NOTE: Nominal film speed was increased to 640 daylight / 400 tungsten at some point. Since this is a very high contrast film, film 'speed' may vary depending on specific conditions.


--> Type 52:

Produced: 1958- Present / Original Price: $13.50

NOTES: Similar to Type 42 except for format. Film speed was increased at some point, and is currently 400 ASA.


--> Type 53 (old):

Produced: 1958- 1961 / Original Price: $??.??

NOTES: Similar to Type 43 except for format. Not the same as the current "Type 53" film, described below.


--> Type 53 (new):

Produced: 19??- Present / Original Price: $??.??


--> Type 54 (Polapan PRO 100):

Produced: 19??- Present / Original Price: $??.??


--> Type 55:

Produced: 1961- Present / Original Price: $15.50

NOTES: Similar to Type 665 except for format and film speed.

[Picture]: Type 55 film box [JPEG, 26k]


--> Type 56 (Polapan Sepia):

Produced: 1996 (?) - Present / Original Price: $??.??

NOTES: I believe this "retro" film was orignally only sold via special order, but became popular enough that it was added to Polaroid's general catalog a few years later. Not only does this film have an "old-timey" look to it, but it's also an interesting throwback to Polaroid's very own original Type 40 film from 1948. [In fact, I would guess that Type 56 is similar to Type 40 except for format, film speed, and panchromatic-versus-orthochromatic response.]


--> Type 57:

Produced: 1961- Present / Original Price: $13.50

NOTES: Similar to Type 47 and Type 107 except for format.

[Picture]: Type 57 film box, showing inner box and one individual film sheet assembly.[JPEG, 40k]


--> Type 58:

Produced: 1963- ???? / Original Price: $13.50

NOTES: Similar to Type 48 and Type 108 except for format.
In 1975, was replaced by new "Polacolor 2" film under the same type number. This was an improved film based on SX-70 technology. Eventually the "Polacolor 2" designation was dropped, but remained the same film.
This film has been discontinued, but improved Type 59 film (below) is still available.


--> Type 59 (Polacolor ER):

Produced: 19??- Present / Original Price: $??.??

NOTES: Improved version of Type 58. Similar to Type 669 except for format.


--> Type 64:

Produced: 19??- Present / Original Price: $??.??


--> Type 72 (Polapan 400):

Produced: 19??- Present / Original Price: $??.??


--> Type 79 (Polacolor PRO 100):

Produced: 19??- Present / Original Price: $??.??

NOTES: Improved/enhanced version of Type 59. Presumably similar to Type 679 except for format.

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550-Series 4x5 Land Pack Films


Unless otherwise noted, all 550-Series 4x5 Land Pack Films (and others in this category) have the following characteristics in common:

550-series films are used by 4x5 cameras (and similar equipment) using a Polaroid #550 film holder. They cannot be used with the #500, #545, etc. holders designed for single-sheet Polaroid 4x5 film.


--> Type 552:

Produced: 19??- Present / Original Price: $??.??

NOTES: Similar to Type 52 except for package format.


--> Type 553:

Produced: 19??- Present / Original Price: $??.??

NOTES: Similar to Type 53 (new) except for package format.


--> Type 554 (Polapan PRO 100):

Produced: 19??- Present / Original Price: $??.??

NOTES: Similar to Type 54 except for package format.


--> Type 559 (Polacolor ER):

Produced: 19??- Present / Original Price: $??.??

NOTES: Similar to Type 59 except for package format.


--> Type 572 (Polapan 400):

Produced: 19??- Present / Original Price: $??.??

NOTES: Similar to Type 72 except for package format.


--> Type 579 (Polacolor PRO 100):

Produced: 19??- Present / Original Price: $??.??

NOTES: Improved/enhanced version of Type 559. Similar to Type 79 except for package format.

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800-series 8x10 Land Films (7 1/2" x 9 1/2")


Unless otherwise noted, all 800-Series 8x10 Land Films (and others in this category) have the following characteristics in common:

800-series films are used by 8x10 cameras (and similar equipment) using a Polaroid 8x10 film holder. This film also requires a matching Polaroid 8x10 Processor box, sold separately. [Unlike the Polaroid 4x5 film holders, the Polaroid 8x10 film holder does not have its own self-contained development rollers. The separate 8x10 Processor has a pair of motorized rollers for film development.

NOTE: 800-series films were orginally sold in boxes of 10 individual sheets each, but are now sold in 15-sheet boxes.


--> Type 803:

Produced: 19??- Present / Original Price: $??.??

NOTES: Similar to Type 53 except for format.


--> Type 804 (Polapan PRO 100):

Produced: 19??- Present / Original Price: $??.??

NOTES: Similar to Type 54 except for format.


--> Type 808:

Produced: 1977- ???? / Original Price: $56.00

NOTES: Similar to Type 58 and Type 108/668 except for format.


--> Type 809 (Polacolor ER):

Produced: 19??- Present / Original Price: $??.??

NOTES: Improved version of Type 808. Similar to Type 59 and Type 669 except for format.


--> Type 891:

Produced: 19??- 19?? / Original Price: $??.??

NOTES: Designed for making transparencies to be used on an overhead projector. Presumably similar to Type 691 except for format.


--> Type TPX:

Produced: 19??- 19?? / Original Price: $??.??

NOTES: Designed for radiography use.

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AutoFilms (4" x 3")


***ALL OF THE FILMS IN THIS CATEGORY HAVE BEEN DISCONTINUED***


Unless otherwise noted, all AutoFilms have the following characteristics in common:

330-series AutoFilms are used in photographic equipment having a Polaroid CB-33 back. As far as I know, there were no general-purpose cameras available which use this film 'natively'. NOTE: You can think of AutoFilm as being much like an "extra-large" version of Spectra or 600 film.


--> Type 331:

Produced: 19??- 2003 ? / Original Price: $??.??


--> Type 337:

Produced: 19??- 2003 ? / Original Price: $??.??


--> Type 339:

Produced: 19??- 2003 ? / Original Price: $??.??


--> Type 339 Plus:

Produced: 19??- 2003 ? / Original Price: $??.??

NOTES: Improved version of Type 339 using design/chemistry of later Spectra-format films.

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Miscellaneous format Professional Land films 


Type      Description           ASA    Dates     Orig.Price 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1001   B&W Ortho, 10x12 in      100    1951-??   $ ?.??       * See Note 1
3000X  B&W Pan, 10x12 in        3000   1961-??   $ ?.??
TLX    B&W Ortho, translucent 10x12  3000  1966-??  $ ?.??

-------
Note 1:  Designed for radiography; sold by Picker X-ray Corporation.  Altered
  in 1958 to panchromatic response and speed increased to 200.


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