Here at murtch., there was an internal controversy between the inclusion of 79 over the arguably more famous 59 Polacolor film. But choices needed to be made and many users of instant film will (perhaps reluctantly) agree that 79 was just fundamentally better in quality than 59. The tweaks Polaroid made to their Polacolor formula over the years were subtle, but each one marked a big step forward in terms of usability, durability and overall color rendition. Being produced until the end of the old Polaroid company, Type 79 was the ultimate technological expression of Dr. Land's ambitions.

Polaroid's 4x5" format sheet films were among the first invented by Dr. Land and his team, way back in the late 1940s. Although they never achieved the mass popularity of Type 100 and Integral films, many artists and most professional photographers used 4x5 sheet film by the case. Polaroid also produced many specialized 4x5" films for a variety of industrial markets.