Polaroid 600 Film, i-Type, SX-70 and Go: The Complete Film Guide

Polaroid 600 film, introduced in the early 1980s, is the instant film made for the boxy Polaroid 600 cameras. Each pack holds 8 photos and a flat 6-volt battery that runs the camera's motor, shutter and flash, which is why a vintage 600 camera has no battery of its own. Polaroid rates the film at ASA 640, the same thing as ISO 640.

The "600" is a format name, not the film speed. Even Target's product listing gets this wrong and calls it ISO 600. The number to remember is 640, and it matters when you compare it with ISO 160 SX-70 film.

Polaroid sells 600 film as Color and B&W ($20.99 a pack each at Polaroid.com on October 28, 2026), a Round Frame version ($22.99) and limited runs such as the Reclaimed purple edition, which Polaroid describes as its blue 600 formula with a red dye added. Color takes 10-15 minutes to develop and B&W takes 5-10 minutes.

Don't expect digital color. Analog.Cafe's review says 600 colors often shift pink in the highlights and green in the shade, with teal shifts in cold weather, and its home test measured about 3.5 stops of dynamic range. That means it needs even light to hold detail in both shadows and highlights, and Analog.Cafe suggests leaving the flash on, even in daylight, to fill the shadows.

Today's film comes from the company that began as The Impossible Project, which bought Polaroid's remaining production machinery in October 2008 and has used the Polaroid name since March 2020. Every pack is made in the Netherlands at what Polaroid calls the last Polaroid film factory. OpenSX70 notes that modern film units are significantly thicker than the originals, which is why only 8 photos fit in a pack.

Polaroid makes five instant film types today: 600, i-Type, SX-70, Go and 8x10. The first three share the same square-ish card, so they all slide into the same cameras. What separates them is speed (ISO 640 or ISO 160) and whether the pack carries a battery.

Polaroid's product pages list a 79 x 77 mm (3.1 x 3.0 in) image area on a 107 x 88 mm (4.2 x 3.5 in) card for 600, i-Type and SX-70. One Polaroid page and a few guides say 79 x 79 mm instead, so treat the image as roughly 3.1 inches square.

• 8x10 film is for large-format cameras fitted with a Polaroid film holder and processor: 10 sheets, ISO 640, a 9.5 x 7.5 in image, 10-15 minutes to develop, $199.99 a pack, and out of stock at Polaroid.com when checked on October 28, 2026. Polaroid lists a storage temperature of 34-45 F (1-7 C) for it.
• Spectra (wide) film is gone. It was discontinued in October 2019, so Spectra and Image cameras have no new film.

Open the film door and look inside: Polaroid prints the film type there (i-Type, 600, SX-70, Go or 8x10). If the label has worn off, this table covers Polaroid's current cameras and the common vintage ones.

Because 600, i-Type and SX-70 packs are the same size, they all fit the same cameras, and that is where the mix-ups start. Here is what each wrong combination does.

• i-Type in a vintage 600 camera: it fits, but the camera gets its power from the pack, and an i-Type pack has no battery. Nothing works. Buy 600.
• 600 in a Now, Now+, Flip, OneStep 2, OneStep+ or I-2: works normally. The pack's battery goes unused, so you pay $2 more per pack than for i-Type.
• SX-70 film in a 600 camera: the pack powers the camera, but ISO 160 film in a camera set for ISO 640 comes out about two stops too dark.
• 600 film in a stock SX-70: the camera gives it about four times the light it needs, so prints come out pale and washed out with blown highlights. A two-stop ND filter fixes it.
• i-Type in an SX-70: no power, so the dark slide won't eject and the shutter won't fire.
• Go film anywhere but a Polaroid Go: it is a smaller card and works only in the Go.
• Instax film in a Polaroid camera, or the reverse: different sizes. Instax Mini is a 54 x 85 mm print with a 46 x 62 mm image. See Polaroid vs Instax for how the two systems differ.

SX-70

SX-70 film is ISO 160, a quarter of the speed of 600 film, and its pack carries a battery like 600 does. Polaroid lists it for SX-70 cameras and the I-2 only, and tells users to shoot with lots of natural light. The SX-70 lens opens only to f/8, so indoor shots without flash come out dark or blurry.

It is also the hardest Polaroid film to find. Polaroid warns that SX-70 film will be out of stock from time to time while it ramps up production, though it says it will keep making it. In late 2024 SX-70 owner Jim Grey found it sold out everywhere, Polaroid.com included. When it is in stock, Color and B&W SX-70 cost $21.99 a pack at Polaroid.com (October 28, 2026).

The look differs only a little. Brooklyn Film Camera describes SX-70 film as softer and warmer, while 600 handles dim light better. Analog.Cafe finds the two colors very close, nearly impossible to tell apart on their own; side by side, SX-70 shows a bit more contrast, light purple highlights and navy shadows. More on the camera itself in our Polaroid SX-70 guide.

• Lens-mounted ND filter: Brooklyn Film Camera sells a Retrograde Engineering 37mm 0.6 ND filter (two stops) for $30. It mounts on the SX-37 adapter, which was sold out on October 28, 2026, and Brooklyn notes that lens-mounted filters darken the viewfinder.
• Filter over the film pack: a plastic ND filter that tabs and tapes onto the film pack leaves the viewfinder bright. Jim Grey paid $9 for one from an Etsy seller in 2024 and then shot 600 film bought at a big-box store. Place the tape with care: his showed up in every print.
• Modified camera: a circuit modification shortens the exposure for 600 film, and Brooklyn notes it can be permanent, so the camera no longer suits SX-70 film. Brooklyn's own SX-70s carry an OpenSX70 board that switches between ISO 160 and ISO 640, so they shoot both with no filter.

Polaroid Go film is a separate, smaller format: a 66.6 x 53.9 mm card with a 47 x 46 mm image, which Polaroid calls 4 times smaller than the classic format. It is ISO 640, has no battery (the Go charges its own), and comes as a double pack of 16 photos. It works only in the Polaroid Go.

Per photo it is the cheapest Polaroid film: $21.99 a double pack at Polaroid.com, about $1.37 a shot, or $99.99 for five double packs ($1.25 a shot), checked October 28, 2026. You are paying for a much smaller picture, though.

Polaroid lists 10-15 minutes to develop, the same as full-size color film; Digital Camera World says it can finish up to five minutes faster. On the Go, Polaroid says to leave the print under the film shield for 5 seconds before lifting it out.

Go film is not Instax Mini. A Go image is nearly square at 47 x 46 mm, while Instax Mini is a taller 46 x 62 mm image on a 54 x 85 mm print, and neither film fits the other's cameras.

Dusty Grain puts it down to production: demand is a small fraction of what it was 30 years ago, yet making instant film still takes many complex steps, and some components have had to change to meet newer restrictions. The format adds its own costs. Every 600 and SX-70 pack carries a battery (battery-free i-Type is $2 cheaper), all of it comes from one factory in the Netherlands, and thicker modern film units mean only 8 photos fit in a pack.

The result is $2.37 (i-Type) to $2.75 (SX-70) a photo for standard full-size single packs at Polaroid.com. Prices have crept up, too: Analog.Cafe listed a pack of Color 600 at $19.99 in September 2023, against $20.99 now.

You can't make it cheap, but you can trim the cost. Run your own numbers with our film cost per photo calculator.

• Buy i-Type if your camera takes it. On a Now, Flip, OneStep 2 or I-2 you gain nothing from the 600 battery, and i-Type saves $2 a pack.
• Buy in fives. A Color i-Type five-pack works out to $2.12 a photo against $2.37 for a single pack; Color 600 drops from $2.62 to $2.32.
• Use the multi-pack prices on single listings. Polaroid.com charges $18.60 a pack when you buy 5 packs of Color 600.
• Hit the free shipping line. Polaroid.com ships free in the US on orders over $75.
• Check local shops and labs. Knoxville Film Lab had Color 600 on sale for $18.00 (list $21.00) on October 28, 2026.
• Skip special editions unless you want the frames: Focus Camera listed a Color Frames i-Type pack at $29.99, against $18.99 for standard i-Type at Polaroid.com.

Polaroid.com sells every format, including SX-70 and 8x10. Independent camera stores carry 600 and i-Type, mostly at or near Polaroid's price: Glazer's Camera in Seattle, District Camera in Washington, DC, Glass Key Photo in San Francisco, The Camera Exchange, Tuttle Cameras, Midwest Photo and Photolab Berkeley all listed it on October 28, 2026. Some film labs sell packs too, including Knoxville Film Lab and Bellows Film Lab.

Big-box stores stock the popular formats. Target lists Polaroid Color 600 film, and Walmart and Best Buy carry listings for it, but their pages did not show a price we could confirm. Digital Camera World notes that you won't see SX-70 film in most shops, so plan to order it from Polaroid.com or a specialty camera store.

A cleaned and tested Polaroid 600 camera costs about $125-$175 at Brooklyn Film Camera, with a 6-month warranty, and special character editions run up to $400. Retrospekt listed refurbished 600 cameras from $139 for a Sun600 LMS to $199 for an Impulse in Lapis Blue. Prices checked October 28, 2026.

Part of what you pay for is the cleaning, testing and warranty. If you would rather start new, the Now, Now+, Flip, OneStep 2, OneStep+ and I-2 all take 600 film as well as i-Type; our best instant cameras roundup compares them.

Polaroid says to keep film cool, dry and flat in the fridge, away from direct sunlight, and to let it warm up before shooting. Analog.Cafe adds: fridge, not freezer. For its 8x10 film Polaroid gives a storage range of 34-45 F (1-7 C). Dusty Grain recommends 15-20 C (59-68 F) instead, but Polaroid's own advice is the fridge.

The date on the box is the production date, not an expiration date. Polaroid says film is best used within 12 months of it, and its Now guide goes further and says to use film within a month for the best results. More detail is in does Polaroid film expire.

Keep film away from heat. Above 82 F (28 C) undeveloped film turns pink, so Polaroid suggests an insulated cooling bag when you are on the move in hot weather, and never leaving film in direct sun.

For flights, Polaroid says to avoid x-ray machines. TSA recommends putting undeveloped film in your carry-on or asking for a hand inspection at the checkpoint, and Blue Moon Camera warns that checked bags go through more powerful x-rays. See instant film and airport x-rays before you pack.

Most bad Polaroids come down to temperature, light during development, the wrong film for the camera, or dirty rollers. Match what you see to the likely cause.