Instant Film

Instant film is term that applies to film that is used in an "instant" type camera that develops itself. The film pack that you put into the camera contains the chemicals needed for developing, and the instant camera automatically begins the developing process once the photograph has been taken. Most consumers use instant color film for this purpose.

In simple terms, when the instant film is pulled out of the camera it goes through rollers which break open a pod containing the chemicals used for developing. The chemicals spread out over the surface of the film, and the positive image appears a few minutes later.

The chemicals have time delays built into them so that each layer of the film can be processed in the correct order. Instant color film is available up to 8" x 10" but the most popular size for consumers is 3¼" x 4¼. Nearly all instant films will have some sort of border around the edges of the prints.

As mentioned above, the results come back in color. Instant film for black and white is not available at this time. This is usually not a problem as most consumers want color prints.

The first instant color film in history was manufactured in 1963. Since that date much research and development has gone into this field and today consumers can get very good results through instant film cameras.

There are many benefits to using instant film and one of those is it allows for immediate viewing of the photo. This can be especially useful in such cases as vehicle accidents where both parties need to assert to the authenticity of something.
Instant film has another benefit and that is it is available in various film speeds. Instant film has been produced with ASA 4 to ASA 20,000. Current instant film formats typically have an ASA between 150 and 3000.

You can learn a lot about the history of instant film and how it came to be by doing an online search. There are several online sources that go into great detail about this revolutionary way of taking photos. You can also find outlets that sell film packs and cameras. This is a good way to find the best deals on the market as there is a lot of competition for your business. Besides Polaroid instant film, the company Fuji also produces instant film for consumer usage.