55

[Marvin]

Anyone using the 55 film with the 545 Polaroid film holder. If so what do you think?

 

[Mackinaw]

A good first effort, bit still needs work. The print is OK, but a bit soft for my tastes The negative is surprisingly good, sharp, nice contrast with a good tonal range. Terribly expensive, at about $17.00 USD/picture. They have to get the costs down and work on the print. Their product has potential, I hope they get there.

Jim B.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

I really want to like the product, but the inconsistencies I see in it remind me too much of wet plate and not enough of the old Polaroid Type 55, and at that $17/exposure price point, I'd be far better off shooting 4x5 wet plate.

 

[Mackinaw]

Yep, $17.00/print is unacceptable. They have to get their costs down.

They remind me of Impossible Project in its early days. Variable quality, but great promise. But they stuck with it and today’s IP 2.0 films are quite good. Hopefully New55 can do the same.

Jim B.

 

[EdSawyer]

When it gets to the point of equalling expired polaroid 55, for $5 shot, I will try it.

 

[Alan9940]

Like FlyingCamera, I really want to like the product, but I've had too many issues to even think about buying another box. I, too, hope this product matures and that someday I'll be able to shoot it like I did Type 55. But, as it stands today...and let me stress that this is my own personal experience with it...it's not even close to Type 55. However, it's important to know that I shot Type 55 only for the negative. New55's negative is very fine; but I've never seen an entire sheet develop evenly nor have I ever produced a usable negative. YMMV, of course.

Kind regards,
Alan

 

[Mackinaw]

I bought a box a few weeks back, probably from the last batch they hand-coated. My E.I. was 50. My issue is with the prints, not the negs. The prints are too soft for my taste, but the negs are really excellent.

My hope is that once they decide on a final formulation and change over from hand to machine coating, the price will drop (a lot) and the print quality will improve.

I would pay $5.00/pic, but not more.

Jim B.

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

Again...

The current price of $17/sheet was never intended to be the final targeted pricepoint. The originally publicized goal was around $6/sheet, once full production began and startup issues were resolved.

They are not there yet, having experienced a financially significant setback on the paper coating side. Because of that setback they polled their supporters, then settled on a strategy of diverting some of the currently hand-coated reward sheets to public sale and adding a fundraising premium to the price of every public sale sheet.

So those willing to pay the current artificially high fundraising price not only receive early sheets of New55 film for personal experimentation, they also contribute to the ongoing product quality and manufacturing infrastructure improvements, where the final goal is a correctly-scaled and sustainable manufacturing capability that produces a widely acceptable product.

Click (there was a url link here which no longer exists) to see some excellent examples of current New55 submissions to the APUG galleries...

Ken

 

[Marvin]

Thanks for the info I have a Polaroid 545 and wondered if it would be useful anymore. Wonder why Impossible didn't do this?

 

[Mackinaw]

Thanks for the info I have a Polaroid 545 and wondered if it would be useful anymore. Wonder why Impossible didn't do this?

Probably because there are a few million of Polaroid cameras laying around and not that many Polaroid 4X5 backs.

Though IP is now making a 8X10 version of their B&W film.

Jim B.

 

[Mackinaw]

......So those willing to pay the current artificially high fundraising price not only receive early sheets of New55 film for personal experimentation, they also contribute to the ongoing product quality and manufacturing infrastructure improvements, where the final goal is a correctly-scaled and sustainable manufacturing capability that produces a widely acceptable product.........

I'm really in their corner and hope they can pull it off. Shooting portraits, a good-to-great quality, instant 4X5 print is my dream. And having a good neg to go along with it would be the frosting on the cake.

Jim B.

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

I'm really in their corner and hope they can pull it off.

Best way then to further that hope is to purchase, as circumstances allow, the occasional 5-sheet box at the fundraising price, then work within its current limitations to produce some intriguing photographs...



Ken

 

[Mackinaw]

I’m saving my remaining sheets of New55 for a model shoot I’ll be doing in a few weeks. Looking forward to seeing how they’ll turn out.

Jim B.

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

Good luck!

 

[rmann]

New55

After a "successful experience" with the first three sheets I have run into a series 5 of failures. They are partly my fault in I misloaded one packet which bent the springs in the holder which then lead to 2 more failures before I figured out the springs were bent. "Fixing" the holder as best as I could, I have gotten images on the last two. One was also my fault in misreading my light meter and underexposing the sheet, the last one is posted below. Not sure why the background is mottled - image is of a white carnation on a white background. Developed just over 2 minutes and fixed in Ilford fixer. I have yet to have a positive that I would consider "keeping" - but I am using this film for an instant negative and would have no real use for the positive except as a proof.

Same image posted in gallery - New55 - 210mm f11 1 sec - developed 2+ minutes

 

[michaelorr]

Robert, i have used old 55 and don't even know where to begin to comment - but a lot of "feelings" are evoked by your photograph and message. I got into large format starting with PN55. In my gallery is a Stella Doro Lily done on PN55. I love that negative. Your carnation, is just amazing from beginning to end, but maybe not the same effect or process as PN55. What i find so amazing in this the staggering gorgeous tonality, the subtle separation, shadows, highlights. I don't know quite what to say about the background except it is where i feel it belongs. Mostly, the delicate detail just blows me away. The shadow is nice, except i would have cut it out by making a square crop decision - a mistake looking at this. So, what other film choice would have produced the same result? I don't know, i am an amateur that has nowhere near the experience and evidence to decide. What has bothered me with every New55 image that has been put up in the gallery since about December, is the incomplete developing gel spread, forcing one to hope for the best in the center and make sure nothing important is near edges. And, the cost. So i just can't get to a place to play with New55 at the cost per exposure, given my limited budget and limited time to play with cool fun stuff. This image of yours, though, just blows me away and makes me want to make such delicate, beautiful images with New55. I have the holder, and have been despondent over losing the Polaroid, quickload and readyload that was all i ever used, not having film developing facilities set up. Now, i had to replace those holders with a large arsenal of regular sheet film holders, a harrison large tent, and means of developing film in the bathroom. Well, it works, and to be fully honest, has enabled me to make the move into 8x10 finally, which i absolutely love. Well, i don't have a means yet of making prints by enlargement, which is why i wanted to go to 8x10 at all.Love those contact prints! Every New55 image i have seen in the apug gallery has been fantastic and inspiring to me, anyway. Yours here, is beyond adequate description and appreciation.

 

[BobCrowley]

Again...

The current price of $17/sheet was never intended to be the final targeted pricepoint. The originally publicized goal was around $6/sheet, once full production began and startup issues were resolved.

They are not there yet, having experienced a financially significant setback on the paper coating side. Because of that setback they polled their supporters, then settled on a strategy of diverting some of the currently hand-coated reward sheets to public sale and adding a fundraising premium to the price of every public sale sheet.

So those willing to pay the current artificially high fundraising price not only receive early sheets of New55 film for personal experimentation, they also contribute to the ongoing product quality and manufacturing infrastructure improvements, where the final goal is a correctly-scaled and sustainable manufacturing capability that produces a widely acceptable product.

Click (there was a url link here which no longer exists) to see some excellent examples of current New55 submissions to the APUG galleries...

Ken

To that point, here is what we are trying to do with it to make it better, more reliable, and more cost-effective.Dead Link Removed