Impossible Impossible Film

[kurttavares]

Even with a frog tongue I never had much luck with this stuff. I also had about 3 total dead packs. These were shot with a One Step and an Impulse in 2015.



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[faberryman]

It is expensive and not ready for prime time. Can you imagine if Polaraoid had marketed it like that. The SX70 would have died a quick death.

 

[Cholentpot]

Just keep waiting for the square instax...

 

[Peter Schrager]

I've had luck with the black and white film
It's working well now...
Best peter

 

[Peter Schrager]

I've had luck with the black and white film
It's working well now...
Best peter

 

[brofkand]

The new stuff is good. Still not as good as Polaroid was, but better. Better than New55 in regards to reagent spread and print quality.

Too expensive for me to buy any more than a pack a year though. At least give us 10 shots!

I will also say the company is very good at replacing dead or defective packs. Just email them with photos of the prints, maybe the batch code from the back of the print too, and they'll send you a coupon to buy a free pack on their site.

What they're doing is commendable. I thought at first they were happy with the "Lomo" look, but they've been committed to reproducing the Polaroid stock, improving their product every year or two. I am rooting for them, as I do New55. Though New55 has sort of left me nonplussed since the color kickstarter failed.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

I bought some Impossible film in 2015 for SX-70, Spectra, and 600 cameras. I don't think they're even the version 2 films (mine are just plain white box).

Anyway, the images still look good - color is decent and no fading.

I don't use a frog tongue - rather I quickly put the ejected photo into the film box which I keep in my shirt pocket. Any fumbling or a delay in doing this will result in a poor print. Usually within a few minutes of doing that, I put the box in a totally dark drawer or equivalent for one hour.

 

[brofkand]

I bought some Impossible film in 2015 for SX-70, Spectra, and 600 cameras. I don't think they're even the version 2 films (mine are just plain white box).

Anyway, the images still look good - color is decent and no fading.

I don't use a frog tongue - rather I quickly put the ejected photo into the film box which I keep in my shirt pocket. Any fumbling or a delay in doing this will result in a poor print. Usually within a few minutes of doing that, I put the box in a totally dark drawer or equivalent for one hour.

The new films no longer need to be shielded from light. I can't say with certainty if you have the new films or not - some versions of the newer films did come in a white box, but slightly redesigned from previous versions. They still take 30+ minutes to develop, but the opacifier is much more opaque now.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

...
Too expensive for me to buy any more than a pack a year though. At least give us 10 shots!
...

I read that the film is slightly thicker, therefore only 8 shots fit in the Polaroid-sized pack.

 

[brofkand]

I read that the film is slightly thicker, therefore only 8 shots fit in the Polaroid-sized pack.

That's what I've read as well. It seems the same as what I remember Polaroid film was, but I guess thousands of an inch count when you're talking about something as compact as a pack of 600 film.

 

[Mackinaw]

I don’t like the color IP film, but do like the B&W. I shoot weddings on occasion and take along my SX-70 and a few packs of IP B&W film. I’ve taken some excellent B&W portraits with that combination.

 

[RattyMouse]

I had such a miserable experience with Impossible Project film that I tossed my SX-70 and a pack of brand new color film in the garbage. I could not believe how horrible the images were that came out of my camera. I knew that I should have lower expectations but man, not that low. To say that this film is not ready for prime time has to be THE most legendary understatement in modern times.

 

[bvy]

You don't pick up a Holga hoping for Leica quality pictures. Same with this film. There are thousands of samples of their images all over Flickr and everywhere else, and both IP and its users are fully up front about its quirks and limitations. No one is claiming that it rivals the old Polaroid or Instax. It is what it is (a niche product); it's slowly improving and it has a core following of people who know (and like) what they're getting from the film. So I'm not seeing the problem.

I use it for emulsion lifts. I just spent $400 on two more boxes of their 8x10 product and I couldn't be happier.

 

[mooseontheloose]

You don't pick up a Holga hoping for Leica quality pictures. Same with this film. There are thousands of samples of their images all over Flickr and everywhere else, and both IP and its users are fully up front about its quirks and limitations. No one is claiming that it rivals the old Polaroid or Instax. It is what it is (a niche product); it's slowly improving and it has a core following of people who know (and like) what they're getting from the film. So I'm not seeing the problem.

I use it for emulsion lifts. I just spent $400 on two more boxes of their 8x10 product and I couldn't be happier.

+1
In fact, I'll be sourcing some new, thicker papers to lift onto today, before shops close up for the new year holiday.

 

[Prest_400]

May 2016 they released the Gen 3 Color which I liked quite a bit, that until I let the SX70 idle through the summer and something this film does not like is sitting around for a long time, so I have some washed out vintagey frames left in the pack.
BW 2.0 is quite nice and fast developing. The film does age and begins to turn sepia from the top eventually.
As of shielding, I still do put a hand and tuck the frame into a dark place (pocket, bag) specially when there's the blazing sun here.

I don't know if any of the films can be manipulated as the original SX70 film could. Tried once but perhaps it was too dry, even if IP do say that it's possible with mild heat.

 

[darkosaric]

I use Instax mini monochrome now, once when Instax square monochrome will be on the market (and it will come) - no need for Impossible films any more. And I am a pioneer at Impossible (long time supporter).