Signs of life at the New 55 project

erikg · May 2, 2014

Think you're right, Ken.

erikg · May 3, 2014

Just about 20,000 short now. At this pace they will hit the goal easily.

StoneNYC · May 3, 2014

Ken, for once, you were WRONG!! Whoa lol, well, there's a first time for everything

Guess I won't have to throw out my backs now

Barry S · May 3, 2014

Wow, over the top. Congratulations to Bob Crowley and the backers.

erikg · May 3, 2014

Excellent news! Can't wait to get mine. Kickstarter is amazing.

Cybertrash · May 3, 2014

So happy they made it! I was worried that they wouldn't get enough money there for a while. As someone who's never shot this type of material I'm very excited.

Richard S. (rich815) · May 3, 2014

I swear 2 weeks ago I would have put down a good bet they would have never made it. And probably many people who dissed it before it even really got started. Some serious backers there in the multiple thousands! This is a very good sign for the future of analog photography, at least this niche. Not a glowing giant market future but nonetheless a big vote that it's not dead.

Ken Nadvornick · May 3, 2014

StoneNYC said:
Ken, for once, you were WRONG!! Whoa lol, well, there's a first time for everything

Guess I won't have to throw out my backs now

Wrong? You betcha! Totally and completely dead wrong. And couldn't be happier! I'm in for $300 and so will receive 20 sheets (4 boxes) sometime next year, if the project eventually succeeds.

Expensive sheets? Of course. First Edition sheets? Yep. And I know what that means too. Probably trying to make some lemonade and not having much to show for it afterward. At least at the beginning. But at least the chances of having that beginning have just taken a very big step forward.

There's still time to get in, Stone. And while there are still no iron-clad guarantees that you will see boxes in your mailbox by January, I wouldn't bet against these guys at this point. Just think, calling your models over 2 minutes after the shot to watch as you peel apart and then hand them a tangible print to look over. Not even digital can do that without tons of extra equipment and hassle. Especially out in the field and at that resolution.

Or...

You could just sell any Polaroid 545 holders you might already own. I just checked the completed listings and the run on them has begun. Active prices for good quality ones are already up as well. Glad I got mine a month and a half ago. Never-used NOS and only $19. Such a deal.

[Edit: Holy cow! Someone just paid $100+ after shipping for an advertised NOS 545 holder...]

Ken

Ken Nadvornick · May 3, 2014

Richard Sintchak (rich815) said:
I swear 2 weeks ago I would have put down a good bet they would have never made it. And probably many people who dissed it before it even really got started. Some serious backers there in the multiple thousands! This is a very good sign for the future of analog photography, at least this niche. Not a glowing giant market future but nonetheless a big vote that it's not dead.

Yeah, me too. It demonstrates to me yet again the risk of making only a first generation linear prediction. A few weeks ago the trend line looked something like, maybe, $240,000 max. Maybe. Obviously nowhere near close enough.

But as I admitted to Sam, it was my first experience with a KS project. And human nature is to always look at the obvious. Sometimes that's good enough. But many times it's not. The truth often lies a little deeper below the surface. That's where the unknown system variables live.

Just at a glance it seems that there was more than just a little of the eBay "Shop... Victoriously!" mentality at work near the end of the "auction". In fact, it's still going on as I type this. It's now at $417,476, and still rising.

As Stone said, boy were you wrong Ken...

:w00t:

Ken

[Edit: It's also interesting to watch the overall pledge amount now begin to shrink by tiny subtractions as backers, seeing the finish line has been crossed, begin to trim back their pledges. I assume the thinking is that since the threat of total failure has been averted, they can now save a few bucks and still be assured of reaping the benefits down the road. If so, that's a very short-sighted mentality.]

Heinz · May 3, 2014

I got a backer (150$: 10 sheets plus a 5x7 print as a keepsake) after my submission for the 'SALT' MSA, performed with my 545i holder and T-54 film:

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

What I find attractive in particular is their claim that you can use the same parameters for correct exposure of positive and negative. I expect that one can at least learn to judge the negative correctly by the positive.

Then you know that you have 'got the image' even your motive is not completely immobile - and paste it together with the (hopefully few) other exposures in your logbook and add some notes. The final image will then be the print of the negative. This would be a great tool for learning and improving! And so it would be really a new development in analog photography - which would have been highly admired even before digital photography (almost... killed polaroid.

StoneNYC · May 3, 2014

Ken, sorry, I would love too, but can't. Gotta save for all the 8x10 sheets of film I'll be buying soon! Such is life, enjoy your 4 boxes.

winger · May 3, 2014

Way cool news! Guess I'd better go find a new version holder. I have the old 545 and it supposedly won't work with their version (though I don't know what's different). I'm only in for a few sheets, but I guess that means I'll be buying more when they get it completely running.

erikg · May 3, 2014

Are you sure about the holder? I believe the new film will work with both.

Edit: this is from the Kickstarter update #15:
Holders

The Polaroid 545 Land Film Holder is the strong metal holder that works best with New55 FILM. Also, the plastic version, called the Polaroid 545i Land Film Holder, functions identically and is a few ounces lighter.

winger · May 3, 2014

erikg said:
Are you sure about the holder? I believe the new film will work with both.

I'm not completely sure, but I did read that somewhere in the several discussions about the new55 project.

I haven't seen detailed photos of the newer holder, so I don't know the differences. With my older one and the expired T55 I've used, I can't rely on the rollers to break the chemical pod, so I use a brayer to squish it and roll it out. I don't know if that's mainly the fault of my old holder or the old pods, though.

Ken Nadvornick · May 3, 2014

Bethe, as far as I know both the 545 (earlier all-metal holder, the one with the instructions printed on the back side) and the 545i (later holder with more plastic, thus saving a little weight) both will function identically with New55. It was apparently designed around these holders.

However, New55's Sam has already mentioned that only the 545i (later) holder will fit into the new KS Wanderlust handheld 4x5 camera. Maybe this is what you read about?

Ken

swhiser · May 3, 2014

Ken Nadvornick said:
Bethe, as far as I know both the 545 (earlier all-metal holder, the one with the instructions printed on the back side) and the 545i (later holder with more plastic, thus saving a little weight) both will function identically with New55. It was apparently designed around these holders.

However, New55's Sam has already mentioned that only the 545i (later) holder will fit into the new KS Wanderlust handheld 4x5 camera. Maybe this is what you read about?

Ken

And do not confuse these two holders with the earlier (up to 1970) "Naked" 500 holder -- which some people continued to use successfully with T55.

No need to rush for holders, since shipment is unlikely to be sooner than 8 months from funding.
-Sam

winger · May 3, 2014

Ah, just double-checked and mine is the 500. Guess I have a few months to track something down if that doesn't work.

Ken Nadvornick · May 6, 2014

Well I'll be damned...

This project was successfully funded 1 minute ago: $415,025

:w00t:

Ken

StoneNYC · May 6, 2014

Ken Nadvornick said:
Well I'll be damned...

This project was successfully funded 1 minute ago: $415,025

:w00t:

Ken

You lucky guys... I'll have to wait till it's available for the rest of us....

Peter de Groot · Sep 1, 2014

Here is an update on the project. Things are looking good:
http://new55project.blogspot.nl/2014/09/september-update.html

Old-N-Feeble · Sep 1, 2014

I have about ten 4x5 Polaroid holders I haven't bothered to sell due to low demand and pitiful prices. I didn't have the heart to throw them away. Maybe in a couple years they'll be worth enough to sell because others threw theirs in the garbage and demand will rise like #405 holders did.

winger · Sep 2, 2014

I've seen the 545 holders go for $50+, but found one at a swap meet type photo sale a month ago for $10.

That update looks good and looks like they're really working on all parts pretty hard. One question, if anyone knows - they mention they have sourced the film and that they're getting a decent deal, so people should use that vendor's 4x5 film more - but they don't say whose. Anyone know?

Dr Croubie · Sep 2, 2014

545 is what I have, for all of €5 plus €20 shipping.
Unfortunately, what I really want is a 545i, and they're pricier, both of those are caused by the fact that a 545 won't fit in a travelwide but a 545i will. I only use mine for readyloads, but I'd try out some new55 if and when I could find a subject worthy of the expense...

Ken Nadvornick · Sep 2, 2014

winger said:
One question, if anyone knows - they mention they have sourced the film and that they're getting a decent deal, so people should use that vendor's 4x5 film more - but they don't say whose. Anyone know?

After his description of a strong preference for old-school emulsions for DTR, and how "unnerving" it was to lose their original favorite film from Efke, and his pleas for everyone to use more 4x5 film from the company involved, I could probably take a guess...

I paid ~$30 for my 545, if I remember. But it's a NOS unit still wrapped in the original plastic bag.

My only issue with a January first-release (if they actually make it, I get 20 sheets) is that roller processing outdoors is going to be ambient temperature dependent. I wonder how long I'll be needing to wait before peeling if it's, like, 20F/-7C outside...

Ken

Dr Croubie · Sep 2, 2014

Ken Nadvornick said:
After his description of a strong preference for old-school emulsions for DTR, and how "unnerving" it was to lose their original favorite film from Efke, and his pleas for everyone to use more 4x5 film from the company involved, I could probably take a guess...

I paid ~$30 for my 545, if I remember. But it's a NOS unit still wrapped in the original plastic bag.

My only issue with a January first-release (if they actually make it, I get 20 sheets) is that roller processing outdoors is going to be ambient temperature dependent. I wonder how long I'll be needing to wait before peeling if it's, like, 20F/-7C outside...

Spare a thought for us down here, if it's 47C outside does that mean it will process in 3 seconds, or melt as it peels?

ps, not sure if the first question was rhetorical or not, as it may be answered a few pages back. But how are we to use more from the company involved if we don't know who they are? I'm guessing Tri-X, as it's an "old-school" of the oldest degree, but that's ISO320, did efke have a 400? (I've only ever used their 25 and 100).

Signs of life at the New 55 project

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