questions on polaroid 4x5

[rkmiec]

today i was looking to buy some 4x5 polaroid film and wow is it expensive.so my question is this. is type 55 worth it.you get a negative,i think you need to process it seperately.is the negative worth printing.seems to me to be a slight advantage over the other types.i have used polarid before and i need advice on type 55 only.if you use it or have tried it please let me know your impressions.and its relative value.thanks again everyone,i am glad to be a part of this website.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

It's a beautiful film. You don't need to process the negative separately (though it is possible to do so), but you need to clear it in a sodium sulfite solution and rinse it.

The nominal speed of the film is ISO 50, which will work if the lighting conditions are not too contrasty, but most people rate it a little slower for the neg and a little faster for the print (for me EI 40 for the neg and EI 80 for the print).

Do a search in the APUG Gallery on "Polaroid 55" and you'll find many examples.

 

[Ted Harris]

What David said although I rate the film a tad slower. For most of my black & white shooting it is my favorite film.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Another voice of agreement. It's great stuff. Allegedly there is a temperature at which both the neg and the print come out well at the same EI, and certainly some prints seem better than others, but like the other two, I rate it slower than the box speed (1/2 stop) for optimum neg quality -- and get washed-out instant prints as a result.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Alex Hawley]

Type 55 is very much a mainstream film. If you go to the LF Forum and search, you will find many people speaking of its use. I've taken some of my best shots with it; some are posted in my APUG Gallery.

Ansel Adams used it extensively. His book, "Polaroid Land Photography" includes many of his photos and those of other renowned photographers taken with Type 55. Its well worth a look-at if you can find a copy.

Use of Type 55 is not confined just to old duffers like Adams. It has been extensively used in the fashion and glamor fields. One of my favorites is the Dead Link Removed. Don't know for sure if this year's edition was shot on Type 55 exclusively, but several previous editions have.