Thoughts..ImPossible 600 is here!

Peter de Groot · Apr 17, 2010

I hope mine will come on monday. Can't wait.

canuhead · Apr 17, 2010

can't wait to see the scans ! now if they could just resolve the Canadian shipping rate issue....

SoonerBJJ · Apr 18, 2010

Ordered some today. I'm happy to be supporting the IP.

canuhead · Apr 18, 2010

Michel Hardy-Vallée said:
... they charge me 50 USD for delivering two packs (worth 42 USD) to Canada...

Funnier that shipping is the same whether it's one pack or 10. Tempted to order a bunch just to make shipping worthwhile.

Ektagraphic · Apr 18, 2010

In the US, they are shipped in Priority Mail Flat rate boxes so I guess it depends on how many they could shove in the box and I think that they could fit 10.....I am away and have no way to scan at the moment so hopefully, next weekend I can share my results.

Aurum · Apr 19, 2010

Michel Hardy-Vallée said:
I have looked at ordering two packs, but they charge me 50 USD for delivering two packs (worth 42 USD) to Canada. I know the Loonie is currently kicking the Greenback's lower back, but expensive is expensive.

I have contacted them to say how ludicrous it was; if anybody else in Canada can do the same, they might benefit from the feedback.

If its any consolation they want £18 a pack for the UK, and £14 to ship it from Europe. Sorry that is really taking the pish, Volcano or no Volcano, its a lightweight film pack fer heavens sake!

Might wait for my local John Lewis to stock it for £25 on special order

Q.G. · Apr 20, 2010

Aurum said:
If its any consolation they want £18 a pack for the UK [...]

They really don't like exchange rates, i see.
According to the IP, € 18 = £ 18 = US$ 21.
The high shipping rates they charge must be to cover the losses they make converting £ 18 to US$ 21...

Ken Nadvornick · Apr 20, 2010

OK. So Ektagraphic has me all fired up now.

So tonight I decided it's time to put my money where my mouth is. That's what all of those APUG amateur capitalists keep bleating at us, right? Nothing on Earth counts for anything, except money. Well by God, I'm going to spend some now. That is, if I can find something to spend it on.

So I start digging for my long lost and forgotten Polaroid camera. I know it's here... somewhere... but I don't see a thing. Let's try over there. Nope. How about in the back of this cabinet I never open for anything? Nope. I didn't sell it, did I?

Half an hour later, Bingo! It's a Pronto! Sonar One-Step. Circa 1978.

Wow. Must have stored this over 25+ years ago. Looks like it. This thing is covered in dust. And it was stored in a box. Out comes the canned air and wet paper towels. And some isopropyl for the lens.

Twenty gentle minutes later and... Holy Cow! This thing looks like brand new! Not a single scratch can be found anywhere. Crystal clear taking lens and viewfinder. The plastic exterior still has that ultra-smooth just-out-of-the-box feel. The inside is pristine. The brass roller still shines like new. I don't think it was ever even used. What a deal!

But wait. There's more. A LN- Polatronic electronic flash unit is also lurking about, complete with tripod screw mounting plate. This thing can't be any good after 32 years, can it? Go dig up 4 'AA' alkalines, turn it on, and nothing happens. Oh well, it was too much to hope for.

But wait. Test the batteries and they are gloriously dead! Another chance. Grab four new 'AA' lithium cells, figuring the ancient capacitor can use the extra oomph. Turn it on again and... bang! It's charged and ready to fire in 8 seconds flat. Six pops later and it's fully charging in 4-5 seconds. Yikes. How cool is that?

So two packs of the latest PX-100 and $11.00 shipping ordered online. Should arrive here in a few days, I suspect. Christmas came early this year. I can't wait.

BTW. This is all your fault, Ektagraphic. At least that's what I'm 'gonna tell the wife.

Ken

P.S. I also found my truly ancient Polaroid Type 95A "Speedliner" camera (c.1954). First update from the original Polaroid 95 instant camera. A big, beautiful bellows camera with a wire-framing guide a la Weegee. Used Polaroid Type 40 roll film, I believe. Also known as the "Woodpecker" model. $95 new. That's around $850 in todays USD, according to a Polaroid web site I saw.

holmburgers · Apr 21, 2010

Good thread and I'm excited to try some out myself! It really does look a lot better. Post your examples ASAP!

Cheers!

canuhead · Apr 21, 2010

Heard back from Marlene about shipping to Canada and they're working on getting it sent from the states which SHOULD be cheaper. Fingers crossed and as noted before, this film is said to be sharper and look more like trad b/w so I'm looking forward to using it. Just need to find a ND to put over the film pack so I can use my sx70 again.

kraker · Apr 21, 2010

Received two packs of the 600 First Flush today.

I can't wait to give it a try, but... I first have to finish the "regular" Polaroid 600 pack that's already in the camera.

matt S · Apr 21, 2010

I shot two packs of PX600 in my SX-70 this weekend- the darken/lighten dial set all the way to darken.

Wow! This is what I was hoping for in the PX100 film- excellent detail (for a polaroid) and some great tones. Not nearly as picky as the PX100, and shoots great in my SX-70. None of my first 16 shots were destroyed by light or handling. I have no special devices for the film- just shoot and put it in my pocket for a few minutes- or flip it upside down on the table for a few.

One strange thing- the film curls as it ejects. The back side of the frame seems like the white frame is separating from the film, with some blue stuff leaking out. Has not seemed to affect my images, though.

Maybe my expectations were just real low after the PX 100 first flush, but I like the PX600 a lot.

I think they are getting really really close to having a great product on their hands.

Matt (who has no scanner).

canuhead · Apr 21, 2010

that's what we want to hear Matt ! and you didn't need to use a ND filter in front of the film either ? maybe I SHOULD order some now...

Peter de Groot · Apr 22, 2010

i have got my first two packs today. I will start shooting it tomorrow and I will post the results as wel.

matt S · Apr 23, 2010

Some images with the new impossible films...

Hi again.

Still no scanner, but I took some quick digital shots of some recent polaroid images- so excuse the tripod legs and camera reflection and self timer red light in all the photos!

The first two images: the same scene, the same time of day, the same camera- different days and different film. The first image was taken with the first batch of PX-100- the second image was taken with the first batch of PX-600. The second image had the light/dark dial set all the way to dark. No ND filter or anything.

Yes, there may be focus and shake and other things going on here- not a very scientific test- but you get the idea of the two films qualities.

First, PX-100:

Next, the PX-600:

The detail in the brick with the PX-600 film really comes out.

I will try to get some more up.

Matt (sorry for the digital photos)

kraker · Apr 23, 2010

Matt, thanks for sharing!

matt S said:
The second image had the light/dark dial set all the way to dark. No ND filter or anything.

Just to be sure: you used the 600 with an SX-70 camera, I assume?

Or did you set the dial all the way to dark using a camera meant for 600 film?

matt S · Apr 23, 2010

Some more images...

See above post for disclaimers on these photos.

First, some PX-100 shots. Although I like the sepia coloring of this film, I could never seem to get a sharp photo with it. I know polaroids are not for sharp photos- but these all seemed especially soft.

The white dot issues are here, but never really bothered me.

Teapot, PX-100, SX-70:

Flowers, PX-100, SX-70:

Next is people photos. One of the strengths, and really fun aspects of the Polaroid camera, is it's ability to get people to pose for photos. People stop me on the street and ask for their photo to be taken. Polaroids are great at parties. No one handles physical prints any more, so the the camera and film fascinate people.

Or maybe I just hang out with really simple people.

I was never happy with the PX-100 for people. Most of my images would have blown out highlights, no amount of fiddling could work around this.

One example:

Jen, SX-70, PX-100:

Now to the PX-600 films.

You can see much more detail, and the film seems much more consistent. Yes, there are still plenty of dark spots, blown border areas, and funky-ness, but you can actually get detail in people's faces.

Sean, PX-600:

One more of Jen- indoors at night, with an old electronic flash rigged to the SX-70. You can see the phantom dark spots that showed up in the wall in this photo. Not sure what they are, but they do show up on some photos:

And one last terrible photo to endure: an out of focus, over exposed lemon on a tablecloth. The detail in the cloth is why I am showing this. This detail is not possible with the PX-100 film:

Thanks for not ripping on my terrible photos.

Matt

matt S · Apr 23, 2010

Hi Kraker,

I used an SX-70 (Model 1- third revision) with the dial set all the way to darken. This camera was meant for sx-70 film- and I used no filters over the lens or film pack.

I just hope the newer PX-100 films have improved to the level of the PX-600 films. Since the light/dark dial re-sets to center each time you close the SX-70 I have quite a few over-exposed shots with the 600 film when I forget to re-turn the dial.

Matt

kraker · Apr 24, 2010

Thanks again for sharing, Matt. The difference between PX-100 and PX-600 is obvious. And that last shot of the lemon is simply great, not only because of the detail in the tablecloth.

I'll try to finish my pack of "old" Polaroid film in my camera soon, so that I can load some PX-600 into the camera.

wblynch · Apr 24, 2010

Will the PX-600 work in a regular old plastic Polaroid 600 camera? Or only with the exotic SX-70?

-thanks

kraker · Apr 24, 2010

wblynch said:
Will the PX-600 work in a regular old plastic Polaroid 600 camera? Or only with the exotic SX-70?

-thanks

It should work with any Polaroid 600 camera.

roboflick · Apr 24, 2010

i had some nice results using it in an old lms 600 that i picked up for 10 dollars. Has anyone compared results using the single element plastic lens cameras to an slr-680 or sx-70? does the emulsion allow for a sharper image with the 4 element glass lens cameras? i am looking for a reason not to buy an sx-70 maybe the prices on ebay will come down eventually!

Peter de Groot · Apr 25, 2010

I had some nice result with the px600 film. I will try to scan them later and put it online. Does anyone know the reasons behind the fact that there are only 8 photos in one pack? I thought it was the battery but that is the same as in the "real" polaroids. So what could it be? I did a search but could find a satisfying answer (if there is one).

Peter de Groot · Apr 26, 2010

Ok as promised my Polapossibles. They are shot yesterday in Maastricht:

Q.G. · Apr 26, 2010

... [stunned and speechless]

I think i will continue buying Fuji's instant film if i need any...

Thoughts..ImPossible 600 is here!

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency