Looking to buy an instant film camera.

[CharityNoel]

My wedding is coming up this September and for the guest book I've decided that I want to buy a polaroid (instant film) camera so that the guests can take their pictures and put them in the guest book along with whatever they want to say.

The problem is I don't know anything about polaroids. Can anyone suggest the best one out there? I'll need to be able to find film for it and buy it for a reasonable price.

Thank you for any help!

 

[TCampbell]

You may be better off asking people to take pictures with camera phones & sending them to you.

The classic polaroid cameras have been made in years. They do have a few modern instant cameras, but the least expensive (about $70) takes photos which are only the size of a "business card" (pretty small.) To get a camera that will take 3x4" photo will run you about $250/camera plus the cost of film (which lists at about $20/cartridge).

 

[fjrabon]

do you want a genuine instant film polaroid? Their film is getting pretty expensive now because it's no longer manufactured, about the cheapest you'll find even instant 600 film is about $3 per picture, the most common price you can find it at is $40 for a 10 pack. If you've got 200 guests, you're looking at something like $800 in film.

 

[fjrabon]

A cheaper option is probably to rent out one of those instant photo booths and let them do that, and then write their message on the back of the photo. If what you want is really the "right here right now, with a message written on it" feel.

 

[CharityNoel]

Welp that sucks. Thank you both for your help. I'll look into the photo booth. I have someone taking pictures during the whole shabang so I'm not worried about that part.

 

[Chris R]

Hrmm... I guess it depends on how big of a wedding you are having. Photo booth rentals typically run $600+ but I bet your guests would enjoy it a lot. Between film and finding a polaroid camera you'll probably spend any where from $250-500. The cheapest alternative might be to setup a digital camera hooked up to a printer but that doesn't seem as fun as either a booth or oldschool polaroids.

 

[compur]

Short date Fujifilm FP1100C for $7.99/pack:
Instant Print Films Miscellaneous Film | Freestyle Photographic Supplies


Compatible (and fairly easy to use) Polaroid cameras such as the EE100, Reporter or Propack sell on eBay for around $20-$50

 

[bogeyguy]

Why not put a disposable camera on each table and encourage your guests to take photos of everyone at the table.

 

[Ernicus]

Use it as an opportunity to make a few bucks. Set up a basic deal...your camera, tripod, backdrop. Take their pics. Crop to 3x5 and print on 5x7 paper, leaves them plenty of room to write things on. Should not take you but a minute or two to print.

They get better quality than Polaroids with same effect/desire of fun, you make some cash.

*edit*

I read it too fast, I thought it was your friends wedding, not yours. lol. Same thing, just have a photog friend of yours do it, and pay them for their time and material. Should be relatively inexpensive.

 

[Nat.]

Fuji are still making instant cameras and instant film. The prints from the Instax 210 are about 10cm diagonal. Or you could trawl through charity shops for old Polaroid cameras and buy film from the Impossible Project, but it's obscenely expensive.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

Shoot fuji Instax.

 

[Atari1977]

This is actually pretty simple. First there are two types of polaroid film, 100(pack film) or 600. 100 goes in the older land camera type polaroids, while 600 is a cartridge that contains a battery for the newer automatic cameras. If you get a land camera of some kind you'll need to perform a simple battery mod and it will work with fujifilm instant film. 600 film can also be bought new from the impossible project for about 21 dollars per pack.