Polaroid 20x24 Lives on...

[davidb]

A new company called 20x24 Holdings LLC has purchased the technology to continue the Polaroid 20x24 camera and film.

http://fractionmag.blogspot.com/

[captainslack]

Now if they'll only make Time Zero.

[Ted Stoddard]

Yes, I am so happy to hear this news, now my project will not die before it begins.... now they need to make P55 also....

[Bill_1856]

What a silly waste of money.

[Frank Petronio]

Haha well it obviously is hobby money.

[Allen in Montreal]

A new company called 20x24 Holdings LLC has purchased the technology to continue the Polaroid 20x24 camera and film.

http://fractionmag.blogspot.com/

Not that I will ever use one of those cameras, but I did watch a shoot with Formula One drivers during the Italian Grand Prix in San Marino a few years back, it was really an amazing thing.

I was the about the only fotog shooting the race that thought it was cool, all the permanent card holding fotogs scoffed at the idea. I don't recall the photographer's name, but he was a very nice guy, and the few I watched being done were amazing.

I am happy to hear it will live on a little longer.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Why don't they buy the rights to producing type 55? Now that would be something if that came back!

[Asher Kelman]

Why don't they buy the rights to producing type 55? Now that would be something if that came back!

I knew the discussions were going on. It's good news. I myself have used the camera and the prints are very impressive.

Asher

[Gordon Moat]

If they do colour and B/W instant for the 20x24, there is a technique where you can combine the materials and get an interesting sepia like final image. I still want to try a project at one of the rental studios in the future, so I am glad to see this continue.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography (http://www.gordonmoat.com)

[Gene McCluney]

Well, unless they are just going to use existing film and receiver emulsions that have already been coated, they are going to have to have a coating facility, and the color polaroid film stock is probably one of the most complicated emulsions made. The same film is used for the smaller sizes of the same ISO peel-apart product. "IF" they purchased the coating lines, then it would be possible to have the raw materials to make the same emulsion in smaller formats, as that is just cutting to a different size, "IF" there could be found some way to manufacture the final products. It is a complicated assembly procedure to make any of the polaroid-based 4x5 films. I find it hard to believe that there is enough volume in just the 20x24 products to justify a normal coating run "just" for this use alone. I would think that a whole lot of film would be wasted, as it would "go bad" before it got used up.

[John O'Connell]

I think the business advantage in supporting only the 20x24 market is that there is a consistent and predictable quantity of materials needed, because there are only a few cameras (6 Polaroid + however many were assembled by third parties such as Wisner). They know pretty much how much film to coat and how many pods they need every year.

I suppose there's an outside chance they support the 8x10 market---as I understand it, the process is very similar, just smaller---but given the radical shrinkage of the 4x5 market for Polaroid, I'm not sure that 4x5 makes much sense.

[IanG]

I posted a link much earlier today on the similar APUG thread.

The BJP carries this story (http://www.bjp-online.com/public/showPage.html?page=809286), which will give some hope to other Polaroid users

Ian

[Gene McCluney]

I think the business advantage in supporting only the 20x24 market is that there is a consistent and predictable quantity of materials needed, because there are only a few cameras (6 Polaroid + however many were assembled by third parties such as Wisner). They know pretty much how much film to coat and how many pods they need every year.




As far as I understand it, emulsion coating is not a custom business, but rather you "have" to coat a specific amount, usually about 5000' x however wide the machine requires, as it takes a certain amount just to thread the coating machine. So I seriously doubt that a "run" would be used up just by the 20x24 product within its useful time span of freshness.

[IanG]

If you read the BJP article it indicates "there is still quite a lot of material to continue to manufacture 20x24 film" it then says it's hand produced.

But far more importantly the article mentions ongoing talks with 3rd parties, presumably Fuji, to rescue areas of it's instant film business. Presumably Fuji could cut and package some of their own films to fit Polaroid cameras/LF holders. I doubt they'd want to make the original Polaroid material.

Ian