Bought Instax 100 camera and film, and I need advice

[Tincho]

Hi everyone

I've ordered a few days ago a Fujifilm Instax 100 and a 2x10 Instax Wide pack. I'm a newcomer to Polaroid and now I'll be a newcomer to Instax too

Almost three weeks ago I started a topic asking for advice on shooting with Polaroid 600 film, and now I need to know whether all those advices apply when shooting Instax.

1. Do I need to keep the film in the fridge and let it adapt to ambient temperature before using it?
2. Do I need to hide the picture from light immediately after taking the pic?
3. Is it advised to keep the picture facing down or in a pocket while developing?
4. How long does development take?
5. Any other advice?

Thanks in advance for your kind and valuable help.

[MikeNavy]

Hi everyone

I've ordered a few days ago a Fujifilm Instax 100 and a 2x10 Instax Wide pack. I'm a newcomer to Polaroid and now I'll be a newcomer to Instax too

Almost three weeks ago I started a topic asking for advice on shooting with Polaroid 600 film, and now I need to know whether all those advices apply when shooting Instax.

1. Do I need to keep the film in the fridge and let it adapt to ambient temperature before using it?
2. Do I need to hide the picture from light immediately after taking the pic?
3. Is it advised to keep the picture facing down or in a pocket while developing?
4. How long does development take?
5. Any other advice?

Thanks in advance for your kind and valuable help.

Hello,
1: No, fridge is not needed, film development is best at 25°C, but can work between 5 and 40°C
2: Better
3: Better
4: Less than one minute; for monochrome film, "blueish" tone disappears after a few tens of minutes and is replaced by final "greenish" or "yellowish" one
5: Enjoy!

[xya]

I do not agree with most of the first answers.

1. stocking instax film in the fridge is much better for the film, if you want to keep its quality for a long time. you have to take it out an hour or so before using it.
2. no, it's not necessary at all
3. no.
4. I agree
5. in bright sunlight instax film tends to overexpose.

[Tincho]

Ok. Thanks MikeNavy and xya for the answers.

Any advice to prevent overexposing?

[MikeNavy]

1. Stocking in a fridge is useful only if you intent to make a stock; people buying Fujifilm FP100 films will make a large stock and store them in a fridge, since the film is no longer manufactured. However, Instax wide films are easily found and there is no need to make a stock!

2, 3. You do not NEED to hide the film when it is developing, since instax fims are exposed by the back and since the back becomes black once exposed. However, strong light from the front could interfer with the development, and it is BETTER to hide the photo.

5. Overexposition is not a consequence of the film, but of light measurement: when you have a difference of light between the bottom and the top of a landscape, for example mountains under sky, if the cell measures the light of the mountains, the sky will be overexposed (and if the cell measures the light of the sky, the mountains will be underexposed). There is nothing to do with an automatic camera other than try a second shoot with -1 or +1 exposure compensation; with a manual camera you measure the light where you want, and then adjust the aperture. With an Instax Wide 100, don't bother with this: just try, and if the result is not good, retry with -1 / +1 or "darken / lighten" compensation.

[xya]

1. ...However, Instax wide films are easily found and there is no need to make a stock!

There might be 2 good reasons to have some stock: 1) buying offers which are sometimes half of the regular price and 2) not living in a big town. in calais e.g. instax wide is not available...

2, 3. You do not NEED to hide the film when it is developing, since instax fims are exposed by the back and since the back becomes black once exposed. However, strong light from the front could interfer with the development, and it is BETTER to hide the photo.

any evidence? tests? I would be very interested to know more about it...

5. Overexposition is not a consequence of the film, but of light measurement...

This does not meet with my experience. I use instax wide film in a mamiya universal and have also used it in diy backs to old folders. I use a very reliable gossen sixtomat for measuring. nevertheless in bright sunlight the meter reading does not apply to instax film, it will overexpose. there seems to be something like an inversed reprocity failure. which needs, as you say, compensation...

[MikeNavy]

1. Amazon delivers quickly and everywhere, including Calais! And its stocks are huge!

2,3. From the data sheet of instax film, available here http://www.fujifilm.com/products/instant_photo/pdf/instax_mini_datasheet.pdf:
"Do not leave the photo under direct sunlight while the image is still emerging"

5.
Long answer:

In the same data sheet, we find a density curve versus exposure (H, in lux.seconds) which shows that:
- density is almost flat up to H=2*10^-3 lux.s
- density decreases strongly from H = 3.1*10^-3 lux.s
- density is minimal, film completely overexposed at H = 3.1*10^-2 lux.s

How to understand this?

In full daylight (not direct sun), luminance is in the interval 10000 - 25000 lux.

1st example : f22 aperture is used. With a focal distance typically of 95 mm for instax wide cameras (from 92 to 99, most currently), this means that the diameter of aperture will be 95 / 22 = 4.32 mm, with a surface of 14.7 mm2.
The useful surface of the Lomo Instax Wide film is 6138 mm2 (62x99). So, the luminance at the film level will be comprised between 10000*14.7/6138 = 24 lux and 25000*14.7/6138 = 60 lux.
In order to avoid overexposure, exposure duration should be less than 3.1*10^-2/24 = 1/774 s for external luminance of 10000 lux --> this cannot be reached with usual instax wide cameras.

2nd example: f45 aperture is used; the aperture surface is then PI*(95/45)^2/4 = 3.5 mm2. Luminance at film level is comprised between 5.7 and 14.3 lux.
In order to avoid overexposure, exposure duration should be less than 3.1*10^-2/5.7 = 1/180 s for external luminance of 10000 lux --> this cannot be reached with usual instax wide cameras, but could be reached with, for example, a 110A/B converted to Instax Wide camera.

Short answer:
Instax films have a high ISO sensitivity, 800 ISO: it is easier to shoot in shadow, more difficult to shoot in bright light!

What to do?

- With simple cameras, to avoid overexposure, just use "darken" or "-1" compensation on the camera, or avoid bright light.

- With more sophisticated cameras, to avoid overexposure, when duration / aperture cannot match the expected results from a light meter, use a neutral Grey density filter, and takes into account the filter attenuation value to determine the exposure duration / aperture value.

[Tincho]

Thanks for all the info!

Actually, I received the film few days ago (they are in my placard) and the camera will arrive on Wednesday. The box has two film packs, so one will be stored while I use the first one. Any recommendations for storing a film pack once the box has been opened?

And how long should I wait before scanning the picture?

[MikeNavy]

Thanks for all the info!

Actually, I received the film few days ago (they are in my placard) and the camera will arrive on Wednesday. The box has two film packs, so one will be stored while I use the first one. Any recommendations for storing a film pack once the box has been opened?

And how much should I wait before scanning the picture?

Hi,
The film pack is protected by a metallic envelope, to prevent it to be exposed while stored. So, no specific precaution to take: it has already been taken by Fujifilm.