Polaroid

[finnschi]

Since there is no Analogue section I posted it here


Does anyone know whats going on in the Polaroid world? i heard a 3rd party manufacturer is going to produce new Film for Old Polaroid cameras so whats the status on that?

 

[OrangeCuse44]

http://***********/?q=polaroid+++new+film

sorry, i just couldn't resist

 

[DewGuy1999]

The Impossible Project

 

[Sdashiki]

What do you want to know?

Polaroid the company no longer exists...it was bought and sold a few times now, and the current owners are still going to label (not manufacture) DVD players, TVs and all that crap.

BUT they are also teaming up with Lady GaGa (barf) to design and market new 600/779 integral cameras. These cameras will take the new film being made.

Polaroid will NEVER make film again.

But the company http://www.theimpossibleproject.com, noted above, owns the machinery to produce 600/779 compatible film. And this year they are releasing what they have come up with.

First to come is B/W 600 film and possibly SX70 film. (sometime in the next month or two)
Then color and Spectra/Image film (the widescreen stuff).

The peel apart packfilms are currently only being made by Fuji in a few flavors (FP100C, FP3000B etc) but no one else, probably ever, will make new peel apart films.

TiP film, speculating of course, will cost $2-4 a shot so break out your wallets!

 

[Sdashiki]

New films were announced today. $22 for 8 shots

Their server is getting hammered at the moment : http://www.theimpossibleproject.com/

So come back later if it wont load for the video showing it off!


So dust off your old cameras, its time to begin shooting again!

2 films will be available this month

PX100 - SX70 compatible
PX600 - 600 compatible

Both are B/W, which hasnt been seen for years (albeit in any stable form) for Polaroid cameras.

 

[M-5]

That's some pretty expensive film...

 

[atari1356]

Ouch. At $2.75 a picture I won't be buying.

I totally get the nostalgia factor though, and that people like the unique look of Polaroid photos... hopefully they're able to sell the film to enough people to keep making it.

 

[Abraxsis]

Im still an avid Polaroid fan, but I think at those prices Ill stick to Fuji since I use pack film.

Still gotta give props to the Polaroid Land Camera Automatic 350.

 

[gkarris]

^^^ I got several packs before Polaroid announced the discontinuation. They were $32 for a two-pack (20 shots total)... they're all in the fridge...

 

[Sdashiki]

Think I got enough to last me for now:


$2.75 a shot, plus shipping...unless you can locate a retailer, of which I know they are working on getting film to.

If you used SX-70 TimeZero film, the kind you can manipulate, you know that even 3yr old expired stuff is going for $5 a shot right now.

So while this new stuff isnt a replacement, its an alternative.

 

[G.T.]

http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/22/impossible-projects-polaroid-film-goes-on-sale-this-week/

 

[TonyK]

That's some pretty expensive film...

Considering it was a dead product and the guy purchased a Polaroid factory and is doing this on his own, no, it is not that expensive.

There are some very valid applications for Polaroid film and for those that need it, they will pay the price.

Ouch. At $2.75 a picture I won't be buying.

I totally get the nostalgia factor though, and that people like the unique look of Polaroid photos... hopefully they're able to sell the film to enough people to keep making it.

As noted above, for those that need it, they will pay the price. And it is not about nostalgia either; there are business reasons. Especially until full size view cameras (4 x 5 and larger) come in to existence at an affordable price.

 

[carlgo]

Considering it was a dead product and the guy purchased a Polaroid factory and is doing this on his own, no, it is not that expensive.

There are some very valid applications for Polaroid film and for those that need it, they will pay the price.



As noted above, for those that need it, they will pay the price. And it is not about nostalgia either; there are business reasons. Especially until full size view cameras (4 x 5 and larger) come in to existence at an affordable price.

When digital took hold Polaroid probably should have really hit the upscale market. Imagine compact and affordable, easy to operate 4X5 and bigger cameras taking peel-apart contact prints. There would be a market for that, maybe still? I'm not too sure there are enough small format advantages to make it viable there.

 

[Abraxsis]

Especially until full size view cameras (4 x 5 and larger) come in to existence at an affordable price.

I completely agree, Polaroid should have created a niche market for their films instead of just abandoning them altogether. Even a "Holga-level" 4x5 camera would have driven an entire subset of film sales by itself. Alas, those days are far and away, I now use Fuji pack film and it is a pretty decent replacement.

Right after Polaroid announced their discontinuation of pack film I found 42 double packs of 669 at my local Office Depot o Clearance for 3.20 a pack. Needless to say, I bought it all. Sold 40 of them on the Bayz for a total profit of ~600.00 ... Score.

 

[grouper]

wow! 3.20 a pack! i'm totally jealous


i'm excited for the new films. its expensive, but i'll give it a try.

 

[TonyK]

When digital took hold Polaroid probably should have really hit the upscale market. Imagine compact and affordable, easy to operate 4X5 and bigger cameras taking peel-apart contact prints. There would be a market for that, maybe still? I'm not too sure there are enough small format advantages to make it viable there.

There is a local person who shoots 8x10 on Polaroid and makes direct contact prints. That is about all he really does. There is no substitution for him.

I completely agree, Polaroid should have created a niche market for their films instead of just abandoning them altogether. Even a "Holga-level" 4x5 camera would have driven an entire subset of film sales by itself. Alas, those days are far and away, I now use Fuji pack film and it is a pretty decent replacement.

Right after Polaroid announced their discontinuation of pack film I found 42 double packs of 669 at my local Office Depot o Clearance for 3.20 a pack. Needless to say, I bought it all. Sold 40 of them on the Bayz for a total profit of ~600.00 ... Score.

A niche product generally is not profitable, especially if one includes R&D in to that. The person who took over the Polaroid plant and is now producing the film is not doing R&D, only continuing the product.

I remember my dad shooting on 3x5 Polaroid film in the mid-1970's. It produced both a negative and a positive. It was like a folding camera but the film was slow speed, used for illustration purposes.

 

[Abraxsis]

A niche product generally is not profitable, especially if one includes R&D in to that. The person who took over the Polaroid plant and is now producing the film is not doing R&D, only continuing the product.

Tell that to the Holga people. Retail has gone up over the past 5 years due to the demand. Polaroid people are [were] just as crazy about their company as the Lomo/Holga fans. That is why people were still paying 100-200+ for SX-70 cameras long after Time Zero film ceased production. A niche product isn't profitable only in the event there are few people in the niche.

 

[CrackedButter]

Think I got enough to last me for now:
View attachment 219301

$2.75 a shot, plus shipping...unless you can locate a retailer, of which I know they are working on getting film to.

If you used SX-70 TimeZero film, the kind you can manipulate, you know that even 3yr old expired stuff is going for $5 a shot right now.

So while this new stuff isnt a replacement, its an alternative.

You sir are a genius!

 

[Chappers]

I won't be buying back into this but damn its bought back some memories.

Wonderful stuff.