Polaroid 1000 (SX-70 film) - question about the 'battery'

greeneyedspirit

I was recently given a Polaroid Supercolor 1000, looks fully functional and even has some film in it! Now, the only thing is this - the camera must have been lying around for quite some time, because the battery (that is, as far as I understand, integrated in the film cassette?) is dead.
So here I am, with film and without power. Frustrating. Getting my hands on SX-70 film seems fairly impossible, and I wouldn't have the slightest notion how to do these modifications to the camera that would allow me to use 600 film, which seems a bit more readily available?
I'm a Polaroid noob, admittedly.
Is there anything I can do with that film now? Or any film I could use with that camera, with or without modifications?

Here she is, anyway (never mind the Regula 510, I have a feeling THAT film is definitely not available anymore :pac:)

Fajitas!

Good news and bad news...

Right, the film you have in it is gone, because, as you copped, the battery is feiced. But... You do have three options;

A) You can buy the film online, companies like Polapremium (Now under the Impossible Project title, afaik) have SX70 film for sale, aswell as eBay. It's not the most reliable because it's rather old, but it'll work, and you may get some lovely muted colours because it's so old.

You can modify your camera and use 600 film, which is slightly more availible than SX70 - there's three different ways of doing this... the only problem is, you'll have to un-modify it to go back to SX-70.

C) Hold on a while. The Impossible Project will be releasing a new instant emulsion for the SX70/1000's - It's B&W initially, and a colour one will be released by the new year... maybe.

greeneyedspirit

Fajitas! wrote: »

A) You can buy the film online, companies like Polapremium (Now under the Impossible Project title, afaik) have SX70 film for sale, aswell as eBay. It's not the most reliable because it's rather old, but it'll work, and you may get some lovely muted colours because it's so old.

You can modify your camera and use 600 film, which is slightly more availible than SX70 - there's three different ways of doing this... the only problem is, you'll have to un-modify it to go back to SX-70.

C) Hold on a while. The Impossible Project will be releasing a new instant emulsion for the SX70/1000's - It's B&W initially, and a colour one will be released by the new year... maybe.

Thanks, Fajitas! Maybe I'll splurge on some film, someday. But it's mad expensive, so it won't be anytime soon.
Interesting news about the new B&W instant emulsion, that should be great fun. Any information about a time frame for that?

I do have another question, though - why is the film a goner when the battery is gone? Could you not, say, put the remaining (unexposed) pictures into a new cassette of film, and still use them?

DaireQuinlan

greeneyedspirit wrote: »

I do have another question, though - why is the film a goner when the battery is gone? Could you not, say, put the remaining (unexposed) pictures into a new cassette of film, and still use them?

You could probably do that, it'd be awkward though, and you'd have to do it in complete darkness. If the film is old enough that the battery is dead though, and has been sitting unsealed, chances are the chemicals have long since dried up though. That said, I don't really know what the longevity of polaroid is, people regularly use years out of date film, but generally that's been sealed in foil until they use it.