Shooting Polaroid Spectra B&W Film in 2026

Hi everyone!

One day we spontaneously decided to shoot Polaroid Spectra B&W film, and totally did not expect the results we got. Not only was there full chemistry spread, the photos turned out great!

We shot with the Polaroid Spectra System MS, which our friend managed to get secondhand for only THB 200 in Thailand! We were shooting at Kampong Glam, where the iconic Sultan Mosque is famously captured by tourists and locals alike!

Looking at the Polaroids, we were impressed with the exposure and sharpness! Considering that Spectra film was fraught with complaints over the chemistry spread and film not being ejected properly (leading to Polaroid discontinuing production in October 2019), we were pleasantly surprised by the outcome.

While the Spectra B&W film worked fine, we could not say the same for the Colour film, which we could not get to eject the dark slide at all. Hopefully one day we can put the remaining Spectra Colour film to good use – for now, they will remain safely tucked away in our fridge.

We see that there are camera modifiers/converters in the market, such as using the Polaroid 600 / i-Type film in Spectra cameras – we love the idea and hope it gains traction!

As a final word, we know this is the first blog post that we have shared in almost 6 years! While we remain active on Instagram, we may post on our website once in a while to share our views and experiences with analog film.

Till next time,

Damianwithsandra

Tourists in Singapore: Visiting the River Safari!

Hey everyone!

Earlier in 2020, we had an opportunity to go to the relatively new river-themed zoo and aquarium in the Mandai area in Singapore… the River Safari! It is one of the “newer” themed zoos in Singapore, having opened in 2013; for context, the Singapore Zoo was opened in 1973 (wow, that’s a long while ago!) and the Night Safari was opened in 1994. Further, due to the Covid-19 situation (and reduced footfall), the River Safari had a fantastic 1-for-1 promotion at the time we visited; it was an opportunity to visit this tourist attraction for the first time ever! And in case you are wondering, the featured photo for this entry… features a capybara!

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Reviewing Instax Mini Printers!

Hey everyone!

Today, we are going to talk about a topic you might be surprised about: instant film printers!

Although we love our instant film cameras (whether mass-produced or specially modified), instant film printers are actually useful! It can be used to print out memories not captured on instant film, and not only that, you can print as many copies as you want, which is great for giving gifts! Furthermore, some instant film printers double up as functioning cameras, meaning they are able to capture and shoot film instantly! Quite often, these devices will also allow the photo to be edited (e.g. by adding filters, funky borders and stickers).Β 

We wish to highlight out that we are not sponsored by Fujifilm or any of these brands whose products we are reviewing today.Β 

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Reviewing the Polaroid “Passport” Camera!

Hey everyone!

Today, we want to share with you a particularly interesting variant of the Polaroid camera which had caught our eyes when we first discovered it: the Polaroid Studio Express 203 (“Studio Express 203“). It has a variant model which contains the same specifications, except that the facade is different: the Polaroid Miniportrait 203.

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A First in History: An Empty Malaysia-Singapore Causeway?!

Hey everyone!

The Johor-Singapore Causeway is a perennial link between Singapore and Malaysia, and is known to be one of the world’s busiest border crossings. Situated in Woodlands (on the most northern end of Singapore), it is known to Singaporeans simply as the “Causeway”. However, a worldwide pandemic has literally stopped countries from functioning properly and causing lockdowns. As such, the Causeway closed down on 18 March 2020, effectively preventing anyone from travelling to and from Singapore. We took the opportunity to visit the Causeway shortly after it had closed, and we were treated to a sight never seen before in history.

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Exploring the Southern Islands!

Hi everyone!

Did you know: Singapore is actually not the only “island” in its territory. In fact, there are over 64 offshore islands, and some of them are actually accessible via boat! One group of islands which is serviced by several cruises is the Southern Islands, and on one early weekend morning, we decided to visit the well-linked cluster of St John’s Island, Lazarus Island and Kusu Island!

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