Fuji Pack Film

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But when you try and pull the darkslide out, it seems stuck. Or maybe you got the darkslide out, but now the white tab is stuck, or you ripped it off.

Don't fret! You're just the latest "victim" photographer to deal with thdreaded Fuji jam problem to which there are actually a few solutions. All of which will save your film and possibly your sanity.>

First off, should you EVER encounter ANY pack of film where the tabs are stuck: DO NOT rip the tab. A ripped tab is a guaranteed lost shot, you won't get it back and could possibly ruin the next photo in sequence as well. STOP at the first sign of trouble and attempt one of the solutions below.

The Problem Itself

Why does this happen at all? Well, because Fuji and Polaroid are two different companies. While both make films compatible with packfilm cameras they had different approaches to what materials make up the actual physical film pack itself.

Each pack consists of 3 pieces of hardware: front frame, middle plate and back plate. The difference between the companies is obvious when you compare them side by side. The back plate from Polaroid is metal while the Fuji is plastic. And herein lies a problem...

If you look inside your camera's back door you'll notice 2 metal springs. These are meant to keep a film pack pressed tightly against the film plane. The plastic back of the Fuji can flex and give way alot more than the metal of the Polaroid. Too much pressure on the back side of a film pack will make it hard, if not impossible, to actually pull your film out of the camera to develop.

This is the problem. Here are some of the solutions you can try yourself.

Open the Back Door

100% chance of success if performed properly.

Since the basic issue at hand is the springs inside the back door of the camera are pushing TOO HARD onto your film pack inside, the simplest solution is to just relieve that pressure. If this the first time you've had the jamming problem with your camera, this solution is going to be the only one you can try without ruining some of your film. More than likely you are either having trouble getting the darkslide out of the camera, or you've taken your first shot and the white tab just won't pull out.

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