In this episode of the podcast, I put the brand new Polaroid Flip against the Polaroid I-2. There’s some interesting results, made more difficult by some inconsistencies in Polaroid’s film chemistry. Strap in!
Subscribe to the Double Negative Dispatch: https://doublenegativedispatch.substack.com
My Amazon Store! https://amzn.to/3EOCbJ6
What I Use to Scan My Polaroids: https://amzn.to/44nBNf2
My Podcast Camera: https://amzn.to/4jZmqOj
My Favorite Wide Podcast Lens: https://amzn.to/42D19Em
My Go-To Podcast Mic (I’ve been using these for 10 years now): https://amzn.to/4d13nku
I put a pro mist on everything!: https://amzn.to/4jDqljW
My Favorite Audio Recorder: https://amzn.to/3EZ8hBL
My Essential Gorillapod: https://amzn.to/3Ys6UCk
My Fave Microphone Stand: https://amzn.to/4iFwcE9
The Best On The Go Podcast Camera! https://amzn.to/4jCbXZd
Camera Cage for Mic Inputs: https://amzn.to/3EZ8zsl
The Easiest and Most Simple to Use Wireless Mics EVER: https://amzn.to/3SieWtP
Thanks for watching!
Great video, I appreciate your hard work ! Polaroid needs to be more consistent and not fall back on "it's the look" we are going with …. Too expensive to mess up with
I'm with you. I sold the i2 because of the same problems you encountered. I have a new Flip coming tomorrow. Prior to this new camera, I got far better results from SX-70's and the result from a recent Polaroid ONE 600 Pro was even better than the i2. I tried for months to get the i2 to work and exactly what you said about Polaroid film and the cost. I finally gave up on the i2.
i like the photos of the I-2 better seems to have more detail
I'm watching this again and I had a thought. I wonder if the borders of the film get hit with the light. If so then maybe the gold film reflected that warmer light and the black film sucks the warmness away. That would be an interesting test.
as someone who's been shooting an instax wide since 2016, polaroid kinda pmo. I can deal with an image that isn't as sharp as instax but the chemistry is bs. The actual iso of polaroid film can be anywhere from 200-1600. I routinely have to under or overexpose 2 stops to get a decent image. Add to that chemicals which fail to spread over the entire frame, random artifacts thats show up, and the price you pay for just 8 pictures, its kind of a joke. I shot a bunch i-type film when I first bought the Now plus back in 2021. But after a year I stopped and just gave my camera to a friend
as much as he want to defend the much more expensive i2 .. the flip clearly is the winner.. I really appreciate this video .. I'm getting the flip 🙂
Every batch of polaroid film is different chemically
With the high sensitivity of the film to higher temps, this means that is likely mostly consistent when it lives the factory, but then it will get exposed to a wide range of temps in route to wherever it is going. Right now, anything shipped UPS or Amazon is going to be delivered to a depot center in the back of a steaming hot semi, and then in route to delivery, it will be driving around all day in the back of a a truck. It will spend a LOT of time 90-140 degrees. It seems the only time to buy the films it to time it when I can be shipped in cooler weather and after local inventory has been turned over. Not sure what someone in Phoenix or other 100+ degree places should do.
The inconsistency of the chemistry is what frustrates me the most about Polaroid. I really love the cameras and all the fun behind instant photos, but this is so annoying. I had a pack of 600 dry up while it was sitting in the camera for a few months as if it were expired for several years. Meanwhile I never had a single issue with the chemistry in my Instax cameras (Mini and Square) and they also tend to just sit on my shelf for months. One single Mini pack was jamming once but this was the only problem I ever had. In addition Instax is only half the price, even though the pictures are a bit smaller.
If only Polaroid and Fuji would get together and give us the best of both worlds: Polaroid cameras with Fuji film, the size of the original Polaroid film.
Flip 🧡
The flip photos look really good
Do you think the lens flip mechanism on the Flip will last the rest of time? Or does it seem flimsy to you?
So much talking. Teaches me why I should talk less myself
What if you cannibalized a pack of film in a dark room, transferred half into a spent cartridge and then loaded both cameras with the same batch of film? Might be too much work but that'd be the best way I can think of to rule out developer chemistry differences. Recently bought a Polaroid Flip and I'm loving it so far. Been very hot here, 90-100 so I'm getting very magenta and warm shots.
Not all that interested in Film stuff, but giving you a like and subscribe purely as I enjoyed your style and way of looking at the challenge you've discovered.
Did I miss it? What are your settings on the I-2? It looks like the dynamic range is a lot better on it. I think changing from AM, SM, and manual will get you better results if you were shooting in auto. I never shoot auto on my cameras. I just purchased the I-2, can't wait to test it out. See what results I come up with.
Maybe I lucked out but my I-2 works beautifully. I use unrefrigerated film, refrigerated and etc… and it always works well. I also have the flip and love it as well. I would rather have imperfect Polaroid film than the alternative which is no Polaroid film at all as there’s no other alternative. I also use instax but somehow it doesn’t feel artistic at all. I’m just glad Polaroid still exists, even with it’s imperfections.
I heard the i-2 auto mode tends to stick to a particular shutter speed and so, it come out blurry. Can you do a test comparison using manual in i-2 vs auto in flip?
Don't they update the emulsion all the time? I believe I heard that in a video of a factory tour. Their always trying to improve the emulsion (lost tech).
Loooove my Flip
I-2 lens is possibly more contrasty. Where have they spent the difference in the price? Lens?
I was highly considering the I-2 but thanks to this video I’m staying away as much as I wished the I-2 would be the one. Thank you
Honestly I don't think I will part out from my I-Type converted Polaroid 600AF, but it makes me want to invest more on Instax and score a Lomo Instant Square/Wide glass instead of a flip or an I-2. Inconsistency is fun when you are half drunk in a party or doing experimental stuff, less so when you just want to have a nice shot of a moment and/or family.
I am also afraid they will optimize their chemistry for newer lines of cameras leaving people using older ones with increasingly crappy results.
Thanks for the video! As a new “old” Polaroid user it really helps knowing that it isn’t just me. I’ve tried to do some comparison between my cameras and get frustrated but not I can relax and just go with “it’s the chemistry” and leave it at that. I’ve been shooting SX-70 film in my I-2 because I find it looks better than the I-type and in my Flip I’ve used both 600 and i-type and like you mentioned the chemistry should be the same. I have a few packs of the gold frames but I just don’t like the frame color of gold for some reason (feel it is distracting). I shoot primarily just what interest me and don’t care about others options much. I’m going to Europe in a couple of months and don’t want to lug a bunch of cameras around so I’m betting I just take the Flip, but who knows. Thanks for keeping the videos coming and sharing your thoughts.
Absolutely love this video. I don't get to see you flummoxed very much but this one is hilarious. I love my Flip. I have posted some shots on IG that have caught people off guard that it came from a $200 Polaroid in auto mode with no real thinking involved, other than framing it up. I can't wait for the rest of your tests. Good luck. 😅
To me, it looks like the biggest difference between the cameras is that the I-2 lens has much more contrast than the Flip lens. Obviously, I'm only looking at the video not the originals, but I see the contrast difference even in the shot you say looks almost identical and it's very obvious in the other shots. The contrast difference could be from the lens design or coating. I would guess that Polaroid spent more money on the I-2 lens and that in general a contrastier lens is considered a better lens, but the lower contrast of the Flip lens seems to match the film better. The other advantage of lower contrast is that the exposure can be off a bit and still look good. With more contrast, a little exposure error will either crush the shadows or blow out the highlights.
Don’t get me wrong though, I know the film chemistry is frustrating, but I’ll forever be grateful & thankful this medium didn’t die in my lifetime. I’ll deal with chemistry issues
I 10000% believe the film chemistry differs with the different frames. Don’t ask me to explain, but it’s real.
this comparison, inadvertently is selling me on how good the Gold frame film chemistry seems to be!?
Info needed.
I have the chance to get a I2 for $300
Going on Polaroid’s website I can get a flip for $200 + A photo book +6 packs of film for roughly the same price.
My question is is the i2 worth it ? This is a new hobby for me. Never shot instant before.
Any info is greatly appreciated
I really liked your video. So far, I have had lackluster results with the i-2. My gut says I'll be more likely to get better results out of my Mint-modified itype sx-70 alpha. I ordered a Sekonic light meter so I don't have to rely on the camera's metering. As I watched your video, I pondered whether results might have also tied in with the respective cameras' sensor positioning and any center-weighting, etc. For sure, with any photo, the film is a big factor and that is TOO MUCH the case with Polaroid. It would have been more conclusive if you had used a light meter with each test shot to use identical aperture/shutter settings with both cameras. For sure, your videos seemed to prove that auto settings provide better results with the Flip camera.
Thanks for a great test/video!!
Wow what a super informative video about Polaroid’s unstable film. I mean I knew the film was way more unstable compared to instax but I didnt know just how inconsistent it was across the board with the exact same emulsion.
Also the difference you stated about the black frame vs the standard white frame color difference came at just the right time because I noticed the exact same issue when comparing shots from two different SLR 680s. The white had much warmer colors and even a pink hue on the corners, the black frame was more cool and true to life.
Surprising yet unsurprising. I just hope Polaroid is hard at work with improving these issues.
We need better film. Not more cameras….
Nice work! Looking forward to more in this series. Just got my Flip, can't wait to get into it!
Even post firmware update, I don’t shoot auto on my i-2. I’m constantly getting shutter speeds that I know are off. In both directions, under and overexposed. But at the same time, it’s also good at metering for multi exposures? I don’t get it, but I’ve gotten a feel for its quirks.
With the Flip, Polaroid is touting their new Scene Analysis feature. I wonder if that’s their codeword for improved lightmeter. Your lens coating theory is also compelling.
Flip phones are back I'm watching this on my Samsung flip lol and I do clip by closing my phone lol