“Polaroid Originals” vs. “Polaroid” Film for SX-70
A Side-by-Side Comparison of Old vs New Polaroid Colour Film Packs
4 min read by Dmitri.Published on . Updated on .
The brand, known today as Polaroid, used to be called Polaroid Originals. And before that, they were named Impossible Project. Which was yet before they bought the original Polaroid business that invented and built the iconic SX-70 camera. As the factory changed hands and names, the chemistry in the little magic squares saw its own share of alterations.
Following the most recent rebrand exercise, the SX-70 instant film packaging got a slight facelift. In this article, I am comparing the new pack, manufactured in 2020 that spells Polaroid, against its older 2019 sibling, spelling Polaroid Originals. Particularly their respective photo qualities.
To do this, I will be using my two beloved film cameras: Polaroid SX-70 Alpha-1, and Polaroid SX-70 Model 2.
In this article: Setting expectations. The experiment. Support this blog & get premium features with GOLD memberships!
Setting expectations.
The comparison made here isn’t entirely scientific: a few things may be contributing to the differences other than the changes in the factory process. The two film packs may have had different storage conditions before being sold. Neither is considered expired, though the dates of production differ by three months: 10/19 for Polaroid Originals and 1/20 for Polaroid. Plus, the sampling here is just a single set per batch, which may not represent the entire line.
You can use this read is to inform your future decisions when taking pictures on this remarkably expensive medium, and to acquaint yourself with the somewhat unpredictable nature of the modern Polaroid SX-70 emulsions.
The experiment.
Having loaded my Alpha-1 with the new Polaroid pack, and the Model 2 with the older Polaroid Originals, I’ve set their exposure dial to -1. The scenes I chose were lit at around LV11 (a bright indoor space) to accommodate the film’s extremely narrow dynamic range — it’s less forgiving than most slide film! — and the cameras’ limiting widest aperture of 𝒇8. All photos were taken moments apart.