new55 kickstarter has begun

[Jac@stafford.net]

Just a tip: the t-shirt is creepy.
I'll go in next month.

[Bill_1856]

I hate to always be the naysayer, but I think that it would be a lot more productive to revive "Quickloads" with a current emulsion than the old Polaroid 55 which required that one carry a bucket of liquid Sodium Sulfate(ite?) and had a different exposure for the positive and the negative.

[adelorenzo]

Bill: Unlike the Polaroid product, New 55 does not require a different exposure for the positive and negative. You don't need to process them in the field you can always expose them and then take them back before processing.

Also, New 55 is working with a current B&W film emulsion. If they are able to get their first product off the ground I am sure they have thought of things like quick-loads as a future product.

[Witold Grabiec]

From the "We probably won;t make it"

Here at Kickstarter, we have tested the market and are in the process of confirming what we imagined was true: that THERE JUST AREN'T ENOUGH SHEET FILM REGULARS IN THE WORLD to support an esoteric material like New55 FILM

This is what bothers me probably the most. Like they really only wanted to prove to themselves that the whole idea was in fact NOT worth it (read not a financially viable opportunity). I'm beginning to question their genuineness. Why else would they put out a message like this with quite a few days to go in the campaign? Timing is curious.

[Brian C. Miller]

Like they really only wanted to prove to themselves that the whole idea was in fact NOT worth it (read not a financially viable opportunity). I'm beginning to question their genuineness. Why else would they put out a message like this with quite a few days to go in the campaign? Timing is curious.

Over on APUG, Simon Galley was asked about Ilford producing a ____Load product. He answered that Ilford's marketing team had looked at it, and had concluded that there woudn't be enough demand for the product to be viable.

When you look at the backing for the New55 project, what do you see? Seriously, do you see over 3,500 active LFPF members supporting the project? No. No love, not for $75, not for $50, not for $25. Cold stone hearts! And this is for film, the life blood of photography. In theory, every active LFPF member on here should have pitched in for at least $25. (I'm guessing that "active" according to the forum software is something who has logged in within X number of days, so they probably know about the project.)

Bob posted a realistic assessment. There aren't enough LF photographers who care! Fujifilm dumped the FP100C45 product for a good reason: not enough love, precisely expressed in money. Ilford's marketing team figured that out, too.

Bob is quite serious about the project, but it can only realistically become a commercial product if it has backing. No money, no product, Bob moves on to something else. He's done big things before, and he'll do more to come. This is probably his only foray into photography projects. If this is to succeed, then more people need to drop a dollar in the jar.

Currently the Kickstarter project is over 60% of its funding goal. It could theoretically make it, or maybe not. Who knows?

[StoneNYC]

Over on APUG, Simon Galley was asked about Ilford producing a ____Load product. He answered that Ilford's marketing team had looked at it, and had concluded that there woudn't be enough demand for the product to be viable.

When you look at the backing for the New55 project, what do you see? Seriously, do you see over 3,500 active LFPF members supporting the project? No. No love, not for $75, not for $50, not for $25. Cold stone hearts! And this is for film, the life blood of photography. In theory, every active LFPF member on here should have pitched in for at least $25. (I'm guessing that "active" according to the forum software is something who has logged in within X number of days, so they probably know about the project.)

Bob posted a realistic assessment. There aren't enough LF photographers who care! Fujifilm dumped the FP100C45 product for a good reason: not enough love, precisely expressed in money. Ilford's marketing team figured that out, too.

Bob is quite serious about the project, but it can only realistically become a commercial product if it has backing. No money, no product, Bob moves on to something else. He's done big things before, and he'll do more to come. This is probably his only foray into photography projects. If this is to succeed, then more people need to drop a dollar in the jar.

Currently the Kickstarter project is over 60% of its funding goal. It could theoretically make it, or maybe not. Who knows?

Not many supported my Eastman Double-X project either, some projects just aren't worth the money, this one is unique, especially now that 3000B is gone, there's no more B&W instant film made at all.

The NEW-55 would be neat to have, but the fact is, there are other, better films that should be supported with this money, films that if NOT bought, will go away, like Velvia in sheet film sizes... Heck 8x10 isn't easy to get in Velvia100 even now.

This is what others told me shoot my Eastman project, that the money shouldn't go to something esoteric and expensive, but instead to something still available and sure to be missed when gone, so that we keep it alive, rather than trying to play Frankenstein... It sucks, but it's reality. I've held back because I wanted to see if it would go, but I feel by now I can say this without it affecting the outcome in anyway.

[Fred L]

Thing is, there is no other similar product out there. Eastman Double X really didn't offer anything worthwhile for photographers that was worth the price of admission as there are already wonderful b/w films out there.

New55 however, sought to produce something akin to what many loved and dearly miss. I ponied up a decent pledge and am thinking of doubling down because I believe this product will fill a niche. and that may be the word that puts this over the top. or kills it…'niche'.

If only my lottery numbers came in, I would back the rest of this as well as other Kodak special orders lol

[Kimberly Anderson]

In.

[Brian C. Miller]

The NEW-55 would be neat to have, but the fact is, there are other, better films that should be supported with this money, films that if NOT bought, will go away, like Velvia in sheet film sizes... Heck 8x10 isn't easy to get in Velvia100 even now.

Polaroid Type 55 never competed with color films, it complemented them. I would make a test shot on the Type 55, and then make the color shots knowing I got things right. Same way with FP100C45, but no instant negative. (Not without effort, anyways.)

Instant film is really great when a person is way out there, and you want to verify that everything is really locked down.

Even if someone's budget really is limited, I do think they should support the project, even at the $25 level. Sure, if everybody were in for at least $250 then this project would fly right now. But we really just have to wait and see. Maybe there's 2,000 people in the wings just holding their breath, maybe not.

[StoneNYC]

Thing is, there is no other similar product out there. Eastman Double X really didn't offer anything worthwhile for photographers that was worth the price of admission as there are already wonderful b/w films out there.

New55 however, sought to produce something akin to what many loved and dearly miss. I ponied up a decent pledge and am thinking of doubling down because I believe this product will fill a niche. and that may be the word that puts this over the top. or kills it…'niche'.

If only my lottery numbers came in, I would back the rest of this as well as other Kodak special orders lol

Actually, the Eastman Double-X was fully funded, and then kodak came back and said "whoops, just kidding, we know we asked for 3 times the original price, and you came back and met that price (which went from $100 a box to $300 a box) but now we want you to come up with 3 times more buyers than we told you we needed, sorry, our bad...."

That's what killed it, but we had the backers and the money already actually paid for and the check sent to kodak.

Eastman Double-X does have something special, but ultimately, they money came back to us all, and as for me, I picked up some sweet processing equipment with the refund.

Such is life... The thing we can all take away is that, if you don't ask, you certainly already have a NO, so by asking, you at least has a maybe, and that's worth the risk in asking...

So that's what New-55 is doing... And perhaps just maybe, somehow, it will happen.

Perhaps they can convince the guy who bought that whole pallet load of 8x10 Velvia50 to buy in and cover the rest

Whatever happens, if it doesn't go through, I hope people spend the money buying more Velvia100 or Velvia50... Cause that's the one I fear is next... The one I need in my life to keep me in the film game.