Supersense Kickstarter to save Polaroid packfilm!

[Roger Wade]

Hi all,

After a looong wait, it finally looks like the guys from the Impossible Project have made it! Tonight, 5 December at 5pm CET, 11am ET, they start their Kickstarter campaign.

In case you don't know what it is all about, here is a link to the amazing team:
https://the.supersense.com/blogs/news/packfilm-countdown-cameras

These are the guys who rescued integral film for the Polaroid cameras and who then got Polaroid back into the game. Thanks to them, we can buy modern films for our sx 70. An amazing achievement.

Now they are trying to save packfilm. That's the peel-apart stuff that Fuji made until a couple of years ago. Since then, we haven't been able to buy the stuff at anything but astronomical secondary market prices. But hopefully now!

After a couple of false starts and disappointments, fingers crossed they get there this time.

So please support this if you can. Even if you are not a Polaroid fan, this film and these iconic cameras are worth saving. Many of us have seen equipment and films disappear over the years. It would be great to bring this one thing back to life

I have absolutely no affiliation with this project but, being a film lover, feel it is better to act than complain after.

BR
Roger

 

[Theo Sulphate]

This is good news. Using Polaroid / Fuji pack film is a wonderful experience.

 

[Agulliver]

Wow...I wasn't aware anyone was anywhere near saving pack film.

I was given a Polaroid 104 around the time Fuji stopped production and have run just three films through it. I'd love the opportunity to do more.

 

[chip j]

Does this mean I can use my Vivitar Instant Slide Printer again??

 

[AgX]

These are the guys who rescued integral film for the Polaroid cameras and who then got Polaroid back into the game. Thanks to them, we can buy modern films for our sx 70. An amazing achievement.

You are wrong. These guys where not interested at all in keeping Poloroid instant film alive. To the contrary. It was considered technically and economically obsolete.
The idea and knowledge to revive the plant came from abroad.

And not by Florian Kaps either.

 

[bvy]

I'm in.

 

[Roger Wade]

You are wrong. These guys where not interested at all in keeping Poloroid instant film alive. To the contrary. It was considered technically and economically obsolete.
The idea and knowledge to revive the plant came from abroad.

And not by Florian Kaps either.

Not quite sure about this..... Maybe I or you misunderstood something.
The impossible project revived the integral film against all odds.
http://impossible.supersense.com/

Then they became Polaroid originals
https://danfinnen.com/2017/09/13/the-impossible-project-is-now-polaroid-originals/

And now Florian Kaps aka Doc is leading the move to revive packfilm.

Maybe I missed something?

Anyhow, it is great project which would bring life back to many wonderful cameras some consider obselete.

R

 

[jim10219]

The body text on that website is written in Courier. That's a tale-tale sign that they don't pay attention to detail and doesn't bode well, in my mind, for their chances of success. To me, that website just looks like a hipster cliché and not a serious business proposal. Count me out. I hope I'm wrong, as I would like to see pull apart film return. And I'll definitely buy some if they prove successful. But if GeoCities taught me anything, it's how to avoid Courier, Papyrus, and Comic Sans.

 

[bvy]

The body text on that website is written in Courier. That's a tale-tale sign that they don't pay attention to detail and doesn't bode well, in my mind, for their chances of success. To me, that website just looks like a hipster cliché and not a serious business proposal. Count me out. I hope I'm wrong, as I would like to see pull apart film return. And I'll definitely buy some if they prove successful. But if GeoCities taught me anything, it's how to avoid Courier, Papyrus, and Comic Sans.

And Einstein couldn't spell.

 

[AgX]

Maybe I or you misunderstood something.
The impossible project revived the integral film against all odds.
http://impossible.supersense.com/

That is what they are telling you. You should not believe everything you are told.

 

[EdSawyer]

Well, count me in if they ever achieve anything close to FP100C. Until then I'll watch from the sidelines and continue to use the FP100c stash I have on hand.

agreed though they need to tone down the hipster-douche website and actually assemble some people who know what they are doing rather than just being cheerleaders. There's maybe one or two people on their list of contributors who actually have something useful to contribute, and that's being generous.

 

[Ces1um]

That is what they are telling you. You should not believe everything you are told.

Perhaps you could enlighten us? I love conspiracy theories.

 

[Roger Wade]

The Kickstarter is up and running. Doing ok so far too.....

 

[Peter de Groot]

Perhaps you could enlighten us? I love conspiracy theories.

He wll not. I asked him the same question before and never got an answer. Just that the story we know is wrong. No further details given.

 

[AgX]

Why am always asked to deliver evidence? There is a company coming up with a story which is spread by all media and never even questioned by anyone.

 

[Roger Wade]

But we are questioning it. That's what we are doing You could help by answering. I for one would be interested.

 

[Peter de Groot]

Why am always asked to deliver evidence? There is a company coming up with a story which is spread by all media and never even questioned by anyone.

Because you are the only one saying this. So therefor it is on you to deliver proof of what you are saying. I have never ever seen your claims somewhere else. So what is the story that apparently only you know about?

 

[Oren Grad]

Read the Kickstarter carefully. What they are offering so far is to make a limited run of expensive, hand-assembled, single-sheet packets using leftover materials from the 20x24 project. There are only some vague hints about what they will be able to do after that, and how they are going to get there.

 

[Roger Wade]

That was a question several of us had and here is the answer just posted..

With the available P7 material we will be able to do ONE production run of approximately 50,000 single shot cartridges. After that, future editions will bring different film stocks, colors and styles using different materials (already sourced).



Hope that answers your question and sending you our thanks!

Marlene

 

[Oren Grad]

Yes, I saw that. This...

ONE INSTANT film editions will be produced WITHOUT the need of giant machines, huge factory spaces and large teams. Our all new manufactory will just consist of a small beautiful darkroom for all production steps that need darkness (mainly the insertion of the negative into the lightproof paper cartridge), a beautiful daylight assembly room and of course our beloved all analog printshop for all paper work, cartridge punching, producing all our hand-made packaging and communication materials.

...says to me that that the intent here is a series of hand-assembled limited "editions" that will continue to be sold at very high per-sheet prices, and that as yet there is no concrete plan, nor is there sufficient capital, to move to automated production of a consistent product to bring the unit cost down. I hope I'm wrong about that.

 

[Peter de Groot]

Kickstarter is about R&D and getting funds to make the product production ready. I can see it is the same system as the packfilm used by journalist when they used the Graflex camera's. A simple system that needs perfection. To perfect something like that they need money. Kickstarter is a way to get the money.

 

[Alan9940]

I wish them all the best, but I'm sitting in the "fool me once camp" from New55 and will not be investing in this project. If it all becomes a reality, goes into production, and is sold at some reasonable price I will certainly break out the Polaroid 250 and start shooting packfilm, once again.

 

[bvy]

Already 25% of the way to their goal...

 

[jim10219]

Yes, I saw that. This...

ONE INSTANT film editions will be produced WITHOUT the need of giant machines, huge factory spaces and large teams. Our all new manufactory will just consist of a small beautiful darkroom for all production steps that need darkness (mainly the insertion of the negative into the lightproof paper cartridge), a beautiful daylight assembly room and of course our beloved all analog printshop for all paper work, cartridge punching, producing all our hand-made packaging and communication materials.

...says to me that that the intent here is a series of hand-assembled limited "editions" that will continue to be sold at very high per-sheet prices, and that as yet there is no concrete plan, nor is there sufficient capital, to move to automated production of a consistent product to bring the unit cost down. I hope I'm wrong about that.

That's what I'm reading too. So it appears that they're not doing a Kickstarter to bring pack film back, like what happened with the Impossible Project and Polaroid, but rather just looking for funding to do a limited run using existing materials. It doesn't feel honest to me. It might be different if they were trying to secure funding for R&D to develop their own chemistry and the machines to actually produce this stuff. But it looks like they're just trying to get money to purchase a bunch of stuff other people have made, and then cut it down and assemble it, without manufacturing anything other than packaging.

From what I can tell this looks more like an Etsy product that's disguised as a Kickstarter than what I think of as a traditional Kickstarter campaign. Which is sad, because if it were on Etsy, I might be more interested in it. At least then, I would have a clearer understanding of what they're trying to do.

 

[bvy]

That's what I'm reading too. So it appears that they're not doing a Kickstarter to bring pack film back, like what happened with the Impossible Project and Polaroid, but rather just looking for funding to do a limited run using existing materials. It doesn't feel honest to me. It might be different if they were trying to secure funding for R&D to develop their own chemistry and the machines to actually produce this stuff. But it looks like they're just trying to get money to purchase a bunch of stuff other people have made, and then cut it down and assemble it, without manufacturing anything other than packaging.

From what I can tell this looks more like an Etsy product that's disguised as a Kickstarter than what I think of as a traditional Kickstarter campaign. Which is sad, because if it were on Etsy, I might be more interested in it. At least then, I would have a clearer understanding of what they're trying to do.

Is all of this being deduced from the word "Editions"?