it's all over now, Baby Blue
Monday, February 25, 2008 at 10:01AM 
Old electric fan • click to embiggen
Pittsburgh's strip district • click to embiggen
Flowers at Woods Hole • click to embiggenAs has been reported elsewhere, Polaroid has given up the ghost, film-wise. I had previously mentioned the end of the line for SX-70 (Time Zero) film, but this is the end of the line for all film-related photography products - including all of their professional sheet films. What a pity.
In my commercial studio heyday, I used Polaroid professional sheet films like it was going out of style. Dollar-wise, I spent way more on Polaroid film than I did on Kodak film. Polaroid was the only testing / pre-shoot proofing method around. I was fully invested in Polaroid holders and backs for every format I had - 35mm, 120, 4×5, and 8×10. I'll wager that you never knew there was a Polaroid back for Nikon 35mm slrs.
While I was never a hardcore BW guy, one of the best 4×5 bw sheet films on the planet was Polaroid Type 55. Not only did you get the instant print, but you also got an instant negative as well. Sure, the negative needed be treated in a clearing agent and washed, but the advantages of dust-free film packets was wonderful. If you worked in the field, you just shot as much as you wanted and saved the instant processing for later.
And the negative? Polaroid Type 55 negatives are the most buttery smooth (tone-wise), sharp and grain-less, extended dynamic range bw film that I ever used. The resultant prints were simply gorgeous. It's really a shame that the experience of using this film is about to disappear, most likely forever (unless someone buys the manufacturing rights).
Me, I'm grateful as hell that another firm is continuing the manufacture of Polaroid film for the SX-70 and Spectra class cameras, even though the film for the SX-70 is not Time Zero film - the only Polaroid film that let you really play around with the emulsion - it stayed squishy malleable for hours.
I wonder how soon the day will come for the end of the line of all photographic film?
Reader Comments (2)
Bummer for sure. I do like to shoot 54 and 55 prior to making two exposures on TXP320. Takes awhile, but you get the print, the neg and two film negs. And you know that your exposure'll be spot on, not to mention checking the framing.
A pity for sure — and the equipment made useless. Bummer.
Now, that's a gloomy thought in your last sentence! "Gravitas", indeed. But then, Polaroid would have to be most affected by digital's, well, Polaroid-like instant feedback. Why pay for a proof whenn you can peer at a tiny screen on the back of your camera?
I'm most sorry to see Type 55 go away before I could try it, but at 5 Euros a shot it was too expensive for me.