![]() Photo by: Tim Williams (Flickr Creative Commons) The Spectra range of cameras are better than the 600-film range, with most of the models utilizing an arc-shaped range of focusing lenses inside the body that swing across the exterior lens element to provide correct focusing, rather than adjusting the distance between internal lens elements. Spectra film (called ‘Image’ outside of North America) is rectangular (9.2 x 7.3 cm) rather than 600 film’s square format. Spectra film is otherwise identical to 600 film ISO speed, development method and operation remain identical. “Extensive control, accurate metering, accurate auto-focus with -get this- an actual readout of how many feet/meters away it focused in the viewfinder! I can’t recommend this camera enough for anybody who wants to use Polaroid or Impossible films.” “This is an amazing instant camera,” notes photography blogger Dan Finnen. The Polaroid Spectra System was an all-new line of cameras and had its own corresponding film. It's such a shame to see all of it thrown away now so the new company could make what is essentially just a clone of the cheap, point & shoot Instax models.Polaroid introduced the Spectra system of cameras in 1986. I consider them to be Polaroid's last great milestone before their innovation really began to stagnate and the company eventually declared bankruptcy. It's not surprising since Spectras involved some pretty incredible engineering, both in the camera itself and improvements to the film at the time. These were marketed as a very advanced, premium instant camera line. That $329.00 price tag would have been roughly more than $800 today, adjusted for inflation. SE or "Special Edition" models usually just offered extended warranties or accessory bundles. The Spectra System SE was probably released closer to 1987, but it's essentially the same camera. ![]() They also had more setting options/features and offered more accessories than other models of the era. These cameras featured Polaroid's unique, previously developed sonar autofocus system (which detects objects with sound rather than light) combined with a revolutionary free-form lens design (which Polaroid called a "Quintic lens") that allowed for an impressive 10 focus zones in a very small unit and without having to extend or contract the lens itself. The decision to make a wide format film was most likely to fill a hole in the market after they successfully sued Kodak for patent infringement and forced them to discontinue their own instant camera line (Kodak instant film had been a wide frame picture, instead of Polaroid's square frame, with dimensions nearly identical to what Spectra would be). Polaroid introduced the Spectra line in 1986 with the original Spectra System camera. Personally I’ve always loved the spectra cameras and so even now that you won’t feasibly be able to shoot with it as easily as you can with a vintage 600 or SX-70 model, they still look very cool on a shelf. So currently today, the only way to get film for it is to either modify your camera to shoot Instax wide (which I have no experience doing) or buying expired film from places like eBay but this is both expensive and a dice roll on efficacy. ![]() They cited a lack of reliability on the hardware of existing cameras and their longevity as reasons for discontinuing it and then made that change permanent by retooling their manufacturing equipment from spectra to Polaroid Go film. However, Spectra film is currently discontinued. ![]() It was discontinued along with every Polaroid film in 2008 but the Impossible Project did revive it. The spectra system was a series of Polaroid cameras that shot in larger format instant film called “Spectra Film”. ![]()
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