SX-70 Film vs 600 vs i-Type: Which Polaroid Film Works in an SX-70?

An SX-70 runs on SX-70 film or 600 film, never i-Type. A stock, unmodified SX-70 is set up for SX-70 film and needs a neutral density filter to shoot 600. Every SX-70 we sell has an OpenSX70 board that switches between the two, so it shoots both with no filter.

The rule: if the box doesn't say SX-70 or 600, it won't work in an SX-70.

The Three Films

All three are the same size and shape, and they all fit the camera. That's why the mix-ups happen. The differences are speed and power.

Why a Stock SX-70 Overexposes 600 Film

The SX-70's light meter is built for SX-70 film. Its control circuit decides how long to keep the shutter open based on how sensitive it expects the film to be.

600 film, introduced in the early 1980s, is ISO 640, four times as sensitive as ISO 160. Four times the sensitivity is two stops. Load 600 film in an unmodified SX-70 and the camera gives it about four times the light it needs. Prints come out pale and washed out, with blown highlights.

Going the other way, SX-70 film in a stock 600 camera comes out about two stops too dark.

The Old Workarounds

For a stock SX-70, people have used two fixes for years:

• A neutral density filter. A two-stop ND filter cuts the light reaching the film so 600 film is exposed as if it were SX-70 film. Some clip over the lens and the light sensor; some are thin sheets placed over the film. They work, but they throw away the extra speed that is the point of 600 film. On a lens that only opens to f/8, that means longer exposures and more blur in low light. Lens-mounted filters also darken the viewfinder.
• A circuit modification. Changing parts in the original circuit shortens the exposure for 600 film. Depending on how it's done it can be permanent, so the camera no longer suits SX-70 film, and it still relies on the original 1972 electronics.

Both are fine options for an unmodified camera. Neither applies to ours.

How Our Cameras Handle Both

Every SX-70 we sell has its original control module replaced with an OpenSX70 board. The board meters for ISO 160 or ISO 640, and you set the camera for whichever pack you load. No filter, no permanent change, and no lost light. You can shoot a pack of SX-70 film, then a pack of 600, then go back.

The label on the back of one of our restored SX-70s: use SX-70 or 600 film.

Two things to remember:

1. Match the setting to the pack. Set for 600 with SX-70 film loaded, prints come out too dark; set for SX-70 with 600 loaded, they come out too light.
2. Don't add a filter. ND filters are for unmodified cameras. On ours a filter would just darken every shot.

Our short video, How to use Brooklyn Film Camera restored SX-70 cameras, shows how to switch between SX-70 and 600.

Why i-Type Won't Work

A vintage SX-70 has no battery of its own. Every pack of SX-70 and 600 film carries a flat 6-volt battery that runs the motor, shutter and electronics. That's why loading a new pack brings the camera to life.

i-Type film is 600-speed film with the battery taken out. It's made for modern Polaroid cameras that have their own rechargeable battery. In an SX-70, an i-Type pack gives the camera no power: the dark slide won't eject and the shutter won't fire. The board in our cameras doesn't change that, because it runs on the pack battery too.

Do SX-70 and 600 Prints Look Different?

A little. SX-70 film tends toward softer, warmer color. 600 film is faster, so it handles dimmer light and gives you more room indoors. Speed is the practical difference: with SX-70 film on an f/8 lens you need a lot of light.

Both films are sensitive to light for the first seconds after the print ejects. Cover the print or put it face down while it develops. On our cameras you can hold the shutter button down and the print stays inside the camera until you let go.

From our Summer 2026 shoot in a Brooklyn park.

Color or Black and White

Polaroid makes both films in color and in black and white:

• Color SX-70 film and black and white SX-70 film
• Color 600 film and black and white 600 film

Each pack has eight shots. Store packs somewhere cool and use them before the date on the box; old or heat-damaged film gives weak, off-color prints in any camera. Everything is on our Polaroid film shelf.

Frequently Asked Questions