New55 Project?

[John Conway]

Does anyone know what the deal is with the New55 film. Are they still at the research and development stage or are they about to market the film?

[rdenney]

Does anyone know what the deal is with the New55 film. Are they still at the research and development stage or are they about to market the film?

Their latest blog post suggests they have a lot figured out, but need money.

Rick "hoping for success, but without that kind of money" Denney

[RawheaD]

Yes, they are very close (relatively speaking, of course) to a market product. Like Rick says, the stars and planets are aligning; funding would be one of the crucial final steps.

[Matus Kalisky]

Sounds interesting. I was late to the party to try the Type 55, maybe there will be another chance :)

[seabee1999]

From what I understand of an email I received from the project developer, they are about 10-12 months away from potentially placing a product out on the market. Hopefully it will be a good quality product when completed.

God Bless,
David

[John Conway]

I will surely be one happy camper. If they play it right the film should be a huge success since there is nothing on the market as far as instant 4x5 film. The sample images look very nice.

[John Flavell]

Here's a nice Type 55 gallery: Christopher Thomas project of Venice:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-16831749

[Tom J McDonald]

I will surely be one happy camper. If they play it right the film should be a huge success since there is nothing on the market as far as instant 4x5 film. The sample images look very nice.

Yes, there is Fuji still floating around.

[John Conway]

I had my hopes up for fuji instant films. First , the 100 speed was dropped, and now the faster 3000 film has been discontinued. Very disappointing. Polaroid films were a big part of my photographic hobby. I was a Polaroid junkie, using the 4x5 and 8x10 films. The 8x10 material was beautiful. So, if the 55 project is a success, I think there will be a lot of happy photographers on line to get it.

[rdenney]

Yes, there is Fuji still floating around.

Maybe in 'Stralia. But it's getting harder to find here in the U.S. in the 4x5 pack size, and the black-and-white product is no longer available here at all.

Fuji never had a product that would produce a conventionally usable negative.

Also, Fuji never had a single-sheet product, which I presume will be the case with New55. New55 is the only reason I'm hanging on to my Polaroid 545i holder. If it produces decent, scannable negatives, it will be a boon to black-and-white photographers who no longer have darkrooms.

Rick "who started using Polaroid P/N in quarter-plate packs in a Model 250 Land Camera (and in a 405 holder in a Linhof Kardan) maybe 35 years ago" Denney

[unixrevolution]

As someone who considers his position on polaroid somewhere between "Fanboy" and "addict", I know once New55 is commercially available, I am going to spend every spare dime I have on aquiring as much as possible. I adore the Fuji 3000B instant film, I just wish they still made in in 4x5.

I am "making due" with the smaller 405 film back until then!

I think, actually, that Polaroid is my most-owned camera brand in my meager, young collection. I have an SX-70, 600 Impulse AF, 600 OneStep, Spectra 1200, Automatic Land Camera 250, Miniportrait 201, and 600 SE. I used to have 2 automatic 250s, a 101 and a 230, but I offloaded the extras.

Needless to say...Instant is one of those things I just adore. There needs to be more of it, not less!

[cdholden]

I adore the Fuji 3000B instant film, I just wish they still made in in 4x5.


Call Dury's in Nashville, TN. When I was in there for some 120 film last week, they had cases of it they were putting on the shelf.

[unixrevolution]

Call Dury's in Nashville, TN. When I was in there for some 120 film last week, they had cases of it they were putting on the shelf.

There's a difference between "easily available" and "Still being made." I don't like the idea of hoarding discontinued film, especially since I should be getting used to the different crop factor anyway.

Besides which, I can get nearly 2 and a half times as much of the smaller stuff for the same money. I don't like shooting discontinued film because I'll search forever to find "Worthy" subjects instead of just enjoying it as I should.

[blevblev]

I've been following the New55 project closely for a while. It's not really a restart of Type 55, but a new film modeled after Type 55. One of the main advantages of the New55 film is that the print actually reflects the exposure of the negative, whereas it did not with Type 55.

[cosmicexplosion]

maybe we could get a bit of a stock market going and chip in some pennys to get it on the shelf.

i mean if people are going to spend all there penny's on it, and money is one of there hurdles...

we the people for the people by the people...shoot the people!

andrushkiba

[John Conway]

A film close to 55 that gives me a print which reflects the exposure of the negative makes me very happy. Man, this film can't reach the shelves fast enough. I hope the film will work in the 500 series holders. It would be the practical route. And hey, with Polaroid still around and Kodak focusing on film, things could get very interesting.

[John Conway]

I have been reading as much as I can on the 55 Project. They are talking about a six dollar a sheet price. At a hundred twenty a box it is not going to be cheap. Hopefully, they can get that number down a bit.

[BrianShaw]

... not down a "bit", but it had better be down a "lot".

[John Conway]

Yeah, your right Brian. I wonder how Mr Land started off. I mean, when I think about it, the Polaroid story is amazing.

[Jason_1622]

I still have a box and a half of 4x5 type 55, and it is definitely my favorite 4x5 film! I saw a case at a recent studio closing sale priced at $200 per box!!! People just love that stuff...

[John Conway]

Yeah, T55 is selling on ebay for $200 a box and I've seen some go for even more. I'm telling you, they can't get a replacement on the market fast enough. I think the demand will be there, but it must be affordable. I just found out about a camera/ printer that Polaroid is selling. I must admit, this thing is cool. It takes little packets of printing paper that are easily loaded. You take the picture, hit a button, and a little digital print rolls out. Sooner or later they are going to make something like that to fit into the back of a 4x5 camera.So, Impossible better hurry up.

[drew.saunders]

I have been reading as much as I can on the 55 Project. They are talking about a six dollar a sheet price. At a hundred twenty a box it is not going to be cheap. Hopefully, they can get that number down a bit.

If you figure B&W sheet film is about $1/sheet, plus if you send it out for developing, that's $3-6/sheet, plus a contact print is probably going to run you at least $10 for 4 negatives on one sheet, then it's not so expensive. Sure, you can do all that yourself and save money, but part of the value of Type 55 was not having to develop it yourself, and if you get a useful print from the New 55, then comparing it to sending your film out seems fair.

[John Conway]

Drew, you make a valid point. I can't wait to get my hands on my first box.

[Milton Tierney]

I’m hoping the T55 will come out soon. I’ve been using the Fuji FP-100 and 3000 pack. Do not like the Fuji packs. They are to hard to put in the camera and the exposure latitude seems to be not (to me) as good as Polaroid’s .

[John Conway]

Hey Milton, you won't have to worry about the Fuji stuff much longer. The 4x5 instant film will not be available anymore. The New 55 film will be one step better than the Polaroid T55 since the negative and print will require the same exposure. And from the sample prints I have seen, the New 55 is going to be a very nice film.

[unixrevolution]

If people are willing to drop $200/box on expired Polaroid T55, I don't see why new 55's $6 a sheet is so heinous, especially since it costs about $5 a sheet PLUS A WEEK to send real B&W film off to be developed. That, and the New55 has similar or better exposure characteristics, a closer match between the exposure of the negative and the print, and less waste to boot.

I mean, really...You're going to complain about the price of New55 when the old stuff is selling for $10 a sheet and more? I'm poor, and even at $6 a sheet, I'm going to buy up New55 like it's cool.

[BrianShaw]

I mean, really...You're going to complain about the price of New55 when the old stuff is selling for $10 a sheet and more? I'm poor, and even at $6 a sheet, I'm going to buy up New55 like it's cool.

Well... think about how any Polaroid product was used - lots of experimentation to "dial it in" and costly waste. Complicate that with the fact that the "newT-55" is just a notion at this point and nobody knows how good the product really will be. I certainly won't criticise anyone who is eagerly awaiting, or will spend whatever it costs to try the new product... but I'd rather stick with something reliable until the new product is proven -- and that does NOT include the old T-55.

I hate to sound like a heretic but T-55 was convenient and interesting to use, but better reliability and quality -- by using conventional B&W materials/processes -- has always been available.

[Brian C. Miller]

I hate to sound like a heretic but T-55 was convenient and interesting to use, but better reliability and quality -- by using conventional B&W materials/processes -- has always been available.

What did you find better for "instant" film and print images than using Polaroid materials?

[BrianShaw]

What did you find better for "instant" film and print images than using Polaroid materials?

Maybe I wasn't clear. As much as I liked many of the Polaroid products I found conventional B&W to be better that T-55.

[David R Munson]

I hate to sound like a heretic but T-55 was convenient and interesting to use, but better reliability and quality -- by using conventional B&W materials/processes -- has always been available.

For me and for a lot of people, Type 55 is something sorely-missed and something many of us would gladly pay for if available again. I liked it because it was unique and have yet to find anything that gives me the same look. Conventional materials are great, of course, but not the same. All the hammers in the world won't help if what you really want is a wrench.

[cosmicexplosion]

Taking pre-orders is just like selling merchandise - one has to have the merchandise very near to delivery. Investors require treatment like the Securities and Exchange Commission require of all investments which costs more to fulfill than the investment needed. Kickstarter is a pre-selling portal too. What we need is a corporate partner who wants to commercialize instant film. We've been to Ilford, The Impossible Project, and plan to go to others. But the recent Kodak bankruptcy has peed in the pool, and anyone not familiar with the still-vital large format world scoffs at the idea of producing such a product.

Another barrier are the photographers: When I test them by actually trying to get them to pay money for things, they don't. Sales of Fuji 4x5 FP100B (excellent) were so poor that Fuji stopped making it. That's at only $2 or $3 a shot. They will pay $3000 for a new D800 and another 2000 for the zoom though.

We will continue to develop the process and refine it, and teach others to do it.

Bob

i asked bob my stupid question abut all of us chipping in a few bucks to get the ball rolling
and that was his reply

he also makes amazing mic's and stuff

smart guy!

[BrianShaw]

Another barrier are the photographers: When I test them by actually trying to get them to pay money for things, they don't.

Unfortunate, but not surprising.

[Brian C. Miller]

Well, Fuji instant film doesn't have a negative that is designed to be recovered. Plus the negative is more like a monochrome C41 negative than a real B&W negative. Recovering the negative was more of a stunt than a workflow solution. We haven't seen the reaction that a Type 5x solution would bring, because nobody has done that. Personally, I'd rather not use pack film. Pack film is what I use because pod film isn't available. Would I have bought a back for the Fuji instant film if I didn't already have a Polaroid back? I don't think so.

Polaroid had its niche, but did it ever have as large a following as conventional film? Even Quickload and Readyload products have been discontinued. The New55 product will be different from the Polaroid product, that's just a given. What people want is similar functionality.

[John Flavell]

I'm willing to be patient. And I promise not to buy a D800 in the meantime.

[John Conway]

Checked things out over there at New55 today. I'm so curious to know what emulsion is used. It looks so good. And I find it interesting that it would only take 200k to get things up and running. That doesn't sound like much at all. This stuff is going to fly off the shelves.

[swhiser]

If you figure B&W sheet film is about $1/sheet, plus if you send it out for developing, that's $3-6/sheet, plus a contact print is probably going to run you at least $10 for 4 negatives on one sheet, then it's not so expensive. Sure, you can do all that yourself and save money, but part of the value of Type 55 was not having to develop it yourself, and if you get a useful print from the New 55, then comparing it to sending your film out seems fair.

Good point, Drew.
Couldn't have said it better, myself.

-Sam Hiser

project CEO
new55project.com

[swhiser]

I've been following the New55 project closely for a while. It's not really a restart of Type 55, but a new film modeled after Type 55. One of the main advantages of the New55 film is that the print actually reflects the exposure of the negative, whereas it did not with Type 55.

That's correct, blevblev.

-Sam Hiser

project CEO
new55project.com

[John Conway]

This is driving me nuts waiting for the new film. Man I want a box of that stuff went it's ready to go on the market.

[Bill_1856]

One would think that after making it for 25+ years, Polaroid would have figured out how to make the negative and print have the same exposure.

[Degroto]

This is driving me nuts waiting for the new film. Man I want a box of that stuff went it's ready to go on the market.

You#d think but then again when you don't have competition the urge to make it good goes away when everybody will settle with the existing product.

[John Conway]

Now with the Tri X testing I am really excited ! It's to good to be true , instant positive and negative , same exposure and Tri X !!! A large format photographers dream .

[swhiser]

One would think that after making it for 25+ years, Polaroid would have figured out how to make the negative and print have the same exposure.

Ansel said it was good enough.
-Sam