Incredible

RattyMouse · Jul 16, 2016

The only image that I liked from my first box of Impossible Project black and white film (2.0), shot maybe 3-4 weeks ago, has now severely discolored!!

Wow...not even a shred of stability to this film. The image I had sitting on my desk at work now looks 20 years old, if not more.

What a profound waste of money it was to buy that SX-70 and 3 boxes of film.

Svenedin · Jul 16, 2016

I didn't think that was possible ;-)

Peter Schrager · Jul 16, 2016

Why don't you contact them instead of telling us..obviously a defective batch...I bought 200 worth of impossible film when it first came out and it was worthless...now it works much better..cheer up!!
Best peter

mooseontheloose · Jul 16, 2016

This isn't new information. I don't have a single image shot on Impossible that is stable - it all discolours over time (2.0 films). Keeping the images in a dark place helps, but it only slows down the process, it'll still happen. I'm hoping their newer generations will deal with the issue.

Svenedin · Jul 16, 2016

They sound like the unstable moon photographs of early photography (not stable in UV light)

pentaxuser · Jul 16, 2016

Key to this is how many others here have bought the same B&W film, have placed it in daylight and have experienced the same problem. I wonder how many APUGers are in this category and what they have to say?

pentaxuser

vdonovan · Jul 16, 2016

Their film has never been known for its stability. Version 1 was terrible. From their web site:
"The image stability depends on the storage of the picture. Heat, humidity and direct light over an extended time period speed deterioration.

However, if stored and handled properly, Impossible photographs will last for many years. To maximize the stability of any photograph, it should be stored in a cool, dry place, without direct exposure to sunlight or fluorescent lighting."

So: put your photos in a drawer and maybe they'll last for a year or two. Display them and they'll turn to mud.

Theo Sulphate · Jul 16, 2016

My SX-70 color prints on Impossible film are now one month old and still look the same (I have one "control" photo in darkness and another in normal daylight room lighting; they are of the same subject).

So far photos and experience with this film have been good, provided I immediately snatch it from the camera and put it in my pocket. Then, within minutes, I put it in a completely dark cabinet for one hour.

For some reason I'm hoping they don't fade. Blue Moon camera has a sample Impossible color photo that's been sitting in their display case for almost a year - it looks fine. However, it's in relatively subdued light.

I'm not ready for Instax yet: the larger prints require klunky cameras and the nicer cameras produce dinky prints. So, I've been buying Fuji whenever I can.

EdSawyer · Jul 16, 2016

Fp100c is still the instant product to beat and probably always will be.

Richard Man · Jul 16, 2016

The (early) Snapchat of film company. Impossible should be worth $20 billions too then ;-)

Oren Grad · Jul 17, 2016

Does anyone here have enough experience to report whether the B&W 2.0 film eventually stabilizes in some partially faded but still reasonably viewable condition, or whether the image eventually disappears entirely? If the former I might be inclined to try it, if the latter I'll probably conclude it's not worth bothering.

mooseontheloose · Jul 17, 2016

Oren Grad said:
Does anyone here have enough experience to report whether the B&W 2.0 film eventually stabilizes in some partially faded but still reasonably viewable condition, or whether the image eventually disappears entirely? If the former I might be inclined to try it, if the latter I'll probably conclude it's not worth bothering.

Here are a couple of images I shot last September in London. I use a frog tongue on my camera and the images have been stored in the dark since taken. They were a nice black and white but are turning brown (this happened within a month of exposing the film). The top is the most brown but you can't see it in my quick iPhone snap due to a reflection at the top. I'd say it has stabilised somewhat, it doesn't seem to be getting worse. However, it's still less than a year so I don't know if this is what "stable" looks like or not. I don't think the issue is fading (at least, not for me), it's colour stability. I know a lot of people who shoot Impossible will scan the images ASAP so they have a copy of the original version before things start changing.

Oren Grad · Jul 18, 2016

Thanks, Rachelle, for your reply and for going to the trouble to post the digisnaps. In fairness, it's probably too soon to tell about stability over the long run. I could live with certain flavors of brown-toned pictures, though I'm a little worried about what I'm seeing in your samples. Will keep an eye out to see what else I can learn.

RattyMouse · Jul 18, 2016

Oren Grad said:
Thanks, Rachelle, for your reply and for going to the trouble to post the digisnaps. In fairness, it's probably too soon to tell about stability over the long run. I could live with certain flavors of brown-toned pictures, though I'm a little worried about what I'm seeing in your samples. Will keep an eye out to see what else I can learn.

Too soon to tell?? Rachelle's photos have discolored in less than 1 month! That should be an epic fail in anyone's book.

My images, exposed to nothing more powerful than fluorescent light, have turned a deep brown in 3 weeks. They look awful.

RattyMouse · Jul 18, 2016

Peter Schrager said:
Why don't you contact them instead of telling us..obviously a defective batch...I bought 200 worth of impossible film when it first came out and it was worthless...now it works much better..cheer up!!
Best peter

As we can see from this thread, Impossible Film turning brown is the NORM and not defective.

mooseontheloose · Jul 18, 2016

RattyMouse said:
As we can see from this thread, Impossible Film turning brown is the NORM and not defective.

Well, it's happened to me and you, and I've seen and read about it as a problem on other sites like Flickr, but I'd be curious to know if anyone has not had the browning problem, or if colour stability is better (my colour images are all on 1.0 film and have shifted terribly). Is anyone shooting with the 3.0 film yet?

jeffreyg · Jul 18, 2016

I have never used that film but is it possible that coating it after it develops will prevent the browning? I remember many years ago some Polaroid films came with a "coater" to be used after they developed. It was a thick liquid on a felt-like material in a plastic holder. You might try Krylon Kamar spray varnish, clear acrylic spray or possibly Renaissance wax. The emulsion might be oxidizing and sealing the surface could prevent or greatly delay the problem.

Dead Link Removed

mooseontheloose · Jul 18, 2016

Jeffrey, I think that's for the peel-apart film isn't it?

Actually, if I remember correctly the best thing to do to preserve the image on Impossible integral film is to remove it from the backing paper and/or do something like an emulsion lift. The lifts I've done are all still perfectly fine, but they were test images, nothing special (I'm still trying to find a paper I like to permanently attach my images to).

skorpiius · Jul 18, 2016

vdonovan said:
However, if stored and handled properly, Impossible photographs will last for many years. To maximize the stability of any photograph, it should be stored in a cool, dry place, without direct exposure to sunlight or fluorescent lighting."

So I wonder if it is indeed a UV problem.

Prest_400 · Jul 18, 2016

My experience: The BW2.0 does exhibit browning in the top 10mm of the frame, from the center to the edges. Apprearing at 2-4 weeks and stabilizing there. Slight sepia tone from the BW. Otherwise my frames are OK. Film batch I forgot but last year's supply, 12/15 perhaps.

mooseontheloose said:
Is anyone shooting with the 3.0 film yet?

I loaded a pack 3 weeks ago into my SX70 and shot a single frame, portrait of a friend in the shade. GREAT colors for what IP has been, slightly cool. Kept the frame for a week and half prior to giving it to the boy. 6 days or so, the cool cast went from slight bluish to slight magenta and there was a bit of shifting on the top of the frame along the trap.
THere's perhaps some athmospheric oxidation that gets from the trap and causes that strip of shifting?

2.0 color I only shot a pack that was way too warm throughout, and I keep a pack of (maybe not 2.0) color frames in the fridge. 15/08.

Theo Sulphate · Jul 18, 2016

So, Polaroid, with a large R&D staff and many millions of dollars, managed to produce stable SX-70 film in 1966 and onwards with other integral films.

Was this process described in a patent? Probably not, as it would've expired by now and be available to copy. So it remained a trade secret. Still, I'm surprised that Impossible has gotten this far, yet cannot get that final crucial step of image stability.

Prof_Pixel · Jul 18, 2016

The Impossible Project has said "Patents were never an issue. The materials and chemicals were the issue. Polaroid stopped ordering their chemicals in about 2005 or 2006, and in many cases the suppliers closed up shop or the materials ran out. So, Impossible's factory team had to basically start from scratch and create a film in a very short time and with very little funding (compared to the Polaroid company's) that Polaroid developed over the course of decades. The fact is, the Polaroid chemistry is long gone, either the chemicals are no longer available at all or they are banned by current environmental laws."
https://www.reddit.com/r/photography/comments/qm46c/i_work_for_the_impossible_project_we_make_new/

Theo Sulphate · Jul 18, 2016

Prof_Pixel said:
The Impossible Project has said " ... The fact is, the Polaroid chemistry is long gone, either the chemicals are no longer available at all or they are banned by current environmental laws."
https://www.reddit.com/r/photography/comments/qm46c/i_work_for_the_impossible_project_we_make_new/

Thank you for the link; it was interesting to read the questions and answers.

I have a modest supply of Impossible SX-70 and 600 film; I'm waiting for Spectra to become available again.

EdSawyer · Jul 19, 2016

On a related note, Adorama and B&H both seem to have FP100c back in stock again, as of this a.m. Limit 10 per order for BH and 30 per order for Adorama, Adorama has the "better" price @ $29.99/ea (egregious profiteering by both of those a-hole retailers, IMNSHO.). FWIW

-Ed

RattyMouse · Jul 19, 2016

EdSawyer said:
On a related note, Adorama and B&H both seem to have FP100c back in stock again, as of this a.m. Limit 10 per order for BH and 30 per order for Adorama, Adorama has the "better" price @ $29.99/ea (egregious profiteering by both of those a-hole retailers, IMNSHO.). FWIW

-Ed

You have NO IDEA what those retailers paid to get that film so your statement is completely baseless.

Incredible

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