Instant film types explained

The seven formats at a glance

The instax family

instax mini — 62 x 46 mm

The most common instant film in the world. About the size of a credit card, ISO 800, developing in about 90 seconds, and about 85 cents a shot from a 20-exposure twin pack. It is the only instant film regularly stocked in supermarkets and drugstores.

Cameras: instax mini 13, mini 12, mini 41, mini 99, mini Evo, mini LiPlay. Printers: instax mini Link 3.

instax SQUARE — 62 x 62 mm picture on 86 x 72 mm film

The square format, with the white border people associate with instant photography. Note the two dimensions: the picture is 62 x 62 mm, but the sheet is 86 x 72 mm, so there is a wider border at the bottom. ISO 800, about 90 seconds, and about $1.15 a shot — the most expensive instax film.

Cameras: instax SQUARE SQ40, SQUARE SQ1.

instax WIDE — 62 x 99 mm

The large instax format, nearly twice the width of a mini print and the only one that comfortably fits a group. ISO 800, about 90 seconds, about $1.10 a shot — cheaper than SQUARE despite the much bigger print, and the best value of any instant film per square inch of picture.

Cameras: instax WIDE 400, WIDE Evo. Printers: instax Link WIDE 2.

The Polaroid family

Polaroid i-Type — 107 x 88 mm

The film for modern full-size Polaroids, and the one to buy if you have one. A 79 x 77 mm image area on a 107 x 88 mm sheet, ASA 640, developing over 10 to 15 minutes. Eight photographs a pack at $18.99 — about $2.37 each.

Cameras: Polaroid I-2, Flip, Mod, Now, Now+, OneStep 2, OneStep+. Printers: Polaroid Lab. It will not work in a vintage 600 camera, because i-Type packs have no battery and those cameras draw power from the pack.

Polaroid 600 — 107 x 88 mm

The same photograph as i-Type, in a pack that carries a battery so vintage 600-series cameras can use it. ASA 640, same development time, $20.99 for eight — about $2.62 each.

Cameras: Polaroid 600 series, plus every modern camera that takes i-Type. If your camera is modern, buy i-Type instead and save $2 a pack for an identical photograph.

Polaroid SX-70 — 107 x 88 mm, ASA 160

The original format, and the one that behaves differently. ASA 160 is roughly two stops slower than everything else here, so it needs considerably more light — bright daylight or flash. $21.99 for eight, about $2.75 each, the most expensive film on this site.

Cameras: Polaroid SX-70 and I-2 only.

Polaroid Go — 66.6 x 53.9 mm

Polaroid in miniature: a 47 x 46 mm image area on a 66.6 x 53.9 mm sheet, with the white border intact. ASA 640, 10 to 15 minutes, and sixteen photographs a pack at $21.99 — about $1.37 each, Polaroid's cheapest per shot.

Cameras: Polaroid Go only, and the Go takes nothing else. Worth knowing that most instant-photo albums do not fit Go prints — Polaroid sells a Go-specific album for that reason.

Printer media is not film

A separate category that gets lumped in with the above and should not be. These are printed photographs, not developing film — see how pocket photo printers work.

Which format should you choose?

• •No strong preference: instax mini. Cheapest, most available, adequate.
• •Photographs with several people: instax WIDE. The only instax format that works for groups.
• •You want the square shape: instax SQUARE for value, Polaroid for the real thing.
• •You want the iconic print: Polaroid i-Type, and budget $2.37 a frame.
• •You want pocketable: Polaroid Go, with the smallest print of any format here.
• •You have a vintage camera: 600 film for a 600-series, SX-70 film for an SX-70. Check which before you buy.