Polaroid 600 in SX-70 NO Filter, NO Mods, NO Flash?

A Review of the 2024 ‘Big’ Improvements in the Polaroid B&W 600 Chemistry

15 min read by Dmitri.
Published on July 8, 2025. Updated on July 8, 2025.

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My unmodified Polaroid SX-70 + B&W 600 film pack.

Last year, Polaroid announced a major update to their B&W 600 instant film packs, the biggest since the 2020 colour formula rework.

I kept a few packs of the new stuff and several of the earlier chemistry in my fridge, intending to test Polaroid’s claims, and, more importantly, see if those improvements would finally make shooting Polaroid 600 film in unmodified SX-70 cameras possible.

Daren’s MiNT-modified Polaroid SX-70.

One of the key improvements Polaroid featured in their new B&W 600 chemistry release is “lighter contrast,” which can mean an extended dynamic range.

The reason Polaroid film is so difficult to shoot and (part of) the reason the 600 variety is not compatible with the SX-70 cameras is the extremely narrow dynamic range of this film. So if that’s what was improved, did Polaroid photography become more accessible? (To unmodified SX-70 users and photographers at large).

TL;DR: somewhat (it depends).

Armed with several packs of both film varieties and two cameras, I made test exposures, sought others’ opinions, and drew a few conclusions of my own. This article should be helpful if you are considering pairing a pack of Polaroid 600 film with your unmodified SX-70. It will also present a case for doing so. In this article: Why can’t the SX-70 shoot Polaroid 600 film? A case for NOT modifying the SX-70. Measuring and comparing the Polaroid B&W 600 dynamic ranges. Field test: comparing the old and new B&W 600 chemistries in an unmodified SX-70. More samples: the new B&W 600 in SX-70. Polaroid’s response. Survey results: old vs. new B&W 600. Tips for shooting B&W 600 film in unmodified Polaroid SX-70 cameras. Support this blog & get premium features with GOLD memberships!

Thank you, Daren, for letting me borrow your MiNT SX-70 for this experiment.

Polaroid B&W 600, shot in an unmodified SX-70.

Why can’t the SX-70 shoot Polaroid 600 film?

As you can see from the photo above, it appears quite possible to shoot the new Polaroid B&W 600 film in unmodified SX-70 cameras — but this shot alone may be a fluke. Here’s why:

Two years ago, I wrote about shooting Polaroid 600 film in unmodified SX-70 cameras without accessories. The trick is to select a backlit scene to force the camera’s light meter to lower the exposure. But that’s not a precise or reliable technique. The above photo of Norah has a lot of bright light in the middle, which may or may not contribute to the quality of the exposure, similar to how the backlit trick works. In other words, this can just be a lucky shot.

Polaroid film isn’t exactly cheap — $20 per pack of eight or $2.50 per frame — so it’s best to know for sure whether the next shot would work out as well. An earlier version of Polaroid B&W 600 film could not be trusted in an unmodified SX-70, even if the exposure compensation wheel is turned all the way to the dark side:

Shooting the previous Polarod B&W 600 film chemistry in Polaroid SX-70 would cause severe overexposures (the flowers are not visible/too bright).

The SX-70 comes with an exposure control, which can compensate exposures by 1.5 stops in either direction. Since modern Polaroid film is a little more sensitive than the original standards, the exposure compensation dial has to be set to -0.5 stops to shoot the SX-70 film, which leaves us with just one stop of underexposure leeway. Unfortunately, Polaroid 600 film (which is actually ~ISO 640) is at least two stops more sensitive than Polaroid SX-70 film.

This means that shooting Polaroid 600 film with the exposure compensation dial set to all-black on a Polaroid SX-70 would yield at least an entire stop of overexposure.

If it were a common black-and-white or colour-negative film, one stop of overexposure would not be a problem. However, Polaroid film has a notoriously narrow dynamic range, which means that one stop of overexposure in this case can easily ruin an image.

Do the new Polaroid B&W 600’s updates make a difference? After all, it was announced as a product with an improved contrast, which can mean an extended dynamic range. That’s next.

But first, why:

A case for NOT modifying the SX-70.

I found my beautiful Polaroid SX-70 camera for $15 at a thrift store. It had some issues, all of which I managed to fix at home. Aside from the metallic underpanning beneath the bottom leatherette, this camera is 100% original.

I love the SX-70 film. A few years back, it went through a similar upgrade, and it’s been mostly a pleasure since. Still, it would be nice to add one more film to the limited range of options for my camera. The 600-series is stocked more often, and it’s cheaper.

But sending my SX-70 over to MiNT for an upgrade would cost me a thousand dollars!

There are several businesses and individuals who could upgrade my camera to use Polaroid 600 film, even the I-Type, some of those may be cheaper. However, they would have to gut and trash working vintage electronics, and there’s no guarantee the job will be done to Polaroid standards. I’ve noticed minor issues with the MiNT upgrade, and I’m not a fan of how the mods add a mismatching design that protrudes from the masterpiece of engineering that is the Polaroid SX-70 camera. Sure, there are schematics and parts available to do the job at home, but that comes with the same risks and downsides, plus my time.

Another option would be an ND filter, but some versions of this accessory may cause the images to look less sharp. Plus, it removes the advantage of using a faster film.

MiNT Flash is much cheaper and offers control for use with 600 film, but it does not work in daylight.

It’s possible to shoot Polaroid 600 film in an SX-70 against the light — no mods or accessories needed, but that can only work in specific cases.

What if the updated B&W 600 formula allows us to finally shoot this film in unmodified SX-70s? After all, a stop of overexposure is not a big deal for most negative films.

Measuring and comparing the Polaroid B&W 600 dynamic ranges.

Polaroid does not publish spec sheets for their film, nor do they mention the dynamic range separately. Knowing this figure alone would be enough to tell whether the film would work in an unmodified SX-70, but we don’t have it.

A proper way to measure the dynamic range is to create a graduated exposure mask, expose the film under calibrated light, develop, and measure the densities using a densitometer. I don’t have any of these things, but I’ve developed an approximation method that makes the job a lot simpler. That’s how I estimated the dynamic range of Polaroid films to be between 3 and 3.5 stops.

The dynamic range measuring setup.

To estimate the dynamic range of the new B&W 600 film using my approximation technique, I projected an illumination gradient on a white sheet of paper, with the difference between the shadow and highlight exposures being greater than the dynamic range of the measured film. Then, using a spot light meter, I marked the stops.

I used my vintage ORWO film boxes as exaggerated exposure marks. The right-most film box measured about EV 12, the one a little further away from the light was EV 11, then EV 10, etc., with the last box being EV 5, totalling 7 stops of exposure difference between the shadow and the highlight areas.

Here’s how the old (pre-2024) and the new Polaroid B&W 600 films compared:

Polaroid B&W 600 (pre-2024) vs. the new Polaroid B&W 600.

I expected to see something else.

At best, these results appear inconclusive, but actually, the new film appears to be more prone to overexposure in the highlights.

Even though I used Daren’s MiNT SX-70 and set an identical electronically controlled shutter speed for both exposures (1/125s), there were some inconsistencies in illumination and in the quality of those films.

So, I tried again, this time at 1/60s:

Polaroid B&W 600 (pre-2024) vs. the new Polaroid B&W 600.

The new B&W 600 appeared to hold up significantly better in the shadows this time, but the highlights still looked brighter than on the old pack.

An incomplete answer.

The differences in how those films rendered highlights (despite being exposed using the exact same camera settings on MiNT SX-70 with manual shutter priority control) and my poor choice of exposure marks (I should’ve used a pencil to draw on paper to avoid the complexities of measuring light reflected off textured 3D objects) made my attempts at measuring the dynamic range appear futile.

I could’ve rerun this test several times, but that would result in large, expensive stacks of very ugly Polaroid pictures, likely offering little more insight. These packs were in the fridge for over a year, which may’ve caused issues and affected the results. Polaroid film does not even have a consistent rating — it says on the back of every pack to expect +/-⅓ stop fluctuation.

Fortunately, a field test and a very brief chat with Polaroid revealed more about the recent changes in the B&W 600 chemistry and what that means for the owners of unmodified SX-70 cameras.

Field test: comparing the old and new B&W 600 chemistries in an unmodified SX-70.

When Polaroid released their brand-new format, Polaroid Go, it came with a tiny camera that they developed to produce as accurate exposures as possible. Alas, it could not possibly nail the exposure each time, and most scenes with contrast exceeding the film’s dynamic range would appear too dark in print.

Indoor tests with Polaroid Go Generation 1 & 2 side-by-side.

Their next iteration of the camera, Polaroid Go Gen 2, was remade to deliberately overexpose images slightly. While technically imperfect, it made portraits that were more likable (especially when the tiny flash did not reach the target), thereby improving the user experience. And for that, it was a better camera.

My point is that even the most precise measurements won’t tell the whole story when it comes to Polaroid film. But good field data may.

This next set of photos was shot exclusively with my unmodified SX-70, with the exposure compensation dial set all the way to the black. I aimed to make simple front-lit exposures in natural light, since we know that backlit scenes have an unfair advantage, and the MiNT Flash Bar can be switched to the 600 film mode.

Polaroid B&W 600 (pre-2024) vs. the new Polaroid B&W 600. Shot in an unmodified Polaroid SX-70 camera.

A bathroom selfie doesn’t reveal much of a difference between the two films, other than a little more definition in the wrinkles on my forehead with the new film. Both images worked out well, but that may be due to a lot of bright surfaces reflecting light into the camera’s meter, whereas the focus falls on a relatively dark object, the camera’s lens.

Polaroid B&W 600 (pre-2024) vs. the new Polaroid B&W 600. Shot in an unmodified Polaroid SX-70 camera.

The above comparison of the flower photos is the most telling. There’s clearly more definition in the highlights for the new film, although both are obviously overexposed.

After all this testing (plus a stack of photos that weren’t good enough to share in this article), I finally decided to stop using up the good film and concluded that there’s indeed a very slight improvement in the highlights with the new film.

The difference in my tests isn’t as significant as the promotions and coverage by other photographers had led me to believe. The Polaroid B&W 600 still remains a very narrow dynamic range film that gets overexposed by an entire stop in unmodified SX-70 cameras with the exposure dial set to the dark side.

Nevertheless, the above tests revealed a few patterns that I used to attempt more photos using this combo.

More samples: the new B&W 600 in SX-70.

Some photos, like the two below, looked interesting. Both are overexposed, but compelling enough to serve as a nice memory or a creative effect.

If the portrait of me (on the left) had an extra half-a-stop of details in the highlights, it would make a very good picture. I think that may be possible in a different setting, but I’ve staged it so that all the diffused sunlight falls on my face, making it the brightest spot in the frame. Nevertheless, I’m grateful for all the additional details in the highlights.

Polaroid B&W 600, shot in an unmodified SX-70.

Other photos, where the brightest parts of the frame weren’t particularly important, looked like they were exposed perfectly:

Polaroid B&W 600, shot in an unmodified SX-70.

The below photo turned out very well. I used it as a semi-traditional Polaroid title frame for the most recent member newsletter:

Polaroid B&W 600 frame shot in an unmodified SX-70.

I can’t say it was easy to get good exposures with the new B&W 600 film in my unmodified SX-70 camera. Certain kinds of images, like a bright flower or a brightly lit face on a dark background, are best left unattempted. But it’s certainly possible; plus, given the lack of latitude for mistakes and consistency in Polaroid film packs, matching film-camera combos aren’t guaranteed good results either.

Polaroid’s response.

The “new” B&W 600 film I tested was the first batch of this emulsion, a special Monochrome Frames edition. I wanted to confirm with Polaroid that this new chemistry is still available (now that the special editions are sold out). Their response: “Hi there! Yes! To be precise, not better dynamic range but improved contrast 🙂”

Great news about this new chemistry becoming a permanent feature of all the new B&W 600 films.

The remark about the contrast update rather than the dynamic range expansion was also very interesting. While the dynamic range and overall contrast of film are related, they aren’t necessarily the same thing. The dynamic range is a measurement between the darkest and lightest areas, whereas contrast can also be defined by the shape of an S-curve that lies within the dynamic range. Perhaps that’s what Polaroid did?

Survey results: old vs. new B&W 600.

While I could see the difference between the old and the updated formula in my exposures, it was slight. So I decided to ask people who wouldn’t know which film is which to share their preferences. I showed the frames in person to Daren, Yvonne, and Betty, all of whom agreed that the new chemistry showed more detail.

To reduce the bias a little further, I’ve also asked folks on social media to vote on a few comparisons without revealing which frame is which. The vast majority (94% of 64 responses) preferred the results I got with the new chemistry.

@elkarrde reported seeing the same amount of detail on both frames, with one only appearing to have more. I agree with this observation and suspect that’s the effect of an improved contrast curve without meaningful dynamic range expansion.

Being a simple Threads poll, this survey won’t account for all the biases, yet the responses indicate our preferences for the new film so strongly that I’m inclined to say they are conclusive.

Tips for shooting B&W 600 film in unmodified Polaroid SX-70 cameras.

The survey showed that the new chemistry can create objectively better results in unmodified SX-70 cameras. But it’s worth noting that most photos made this way may look unusually bright.

For some people, this can be a good thing. @maxhausd responded to me on Treads, saying that he prefers the results with the old chemistry, which are brighter.

If you’d like to try making “normal-looking” exposures with the new B&W 600 film in your unmodified SX-70, try these techniques:

Ensure that the exposure compensation dial is set to the dark before each shot. Polaroid SX-70 cameras are designed to reset that dial each time the shell is closed.

Select compositions where the brightest object in the scene is not the main focus of the shot.

High-contrast compositions (bright highlights and deep shadows) tend to create better results.

Backlit scenes can work well, but you may need to experiment with the exposure to get the exact results you’re seeking.

MiNT Flash Bar can help with indoor shoots. I use mine with rechargeable AAA batteries and keep it in a pocket when outside.

Regardless of how you use it, Polaroid film is an experimental creative medium. The results are never guaranteed, yet the ones that come out right can look truly unique.

I hope that this deep dive into a novel way of shooting this film has inspired you to push this medium’s boundaries and create something that you are truly proud of.