Polaroid 55 question

[jmuldoon1]

Believe it or not, I've never used Polaroid Type 55 before.
Can anyone tell me how good the negatives are?
In other words, except for the ISO difference, is there a reason why I would want to use a traditional B&W film in addition to this?
Thanks.

[Matt Blaze]

Believe it or not, I've never used Polaroid Type 55 before.
Can anyone tell me how good the negatives are?
In other words, except for the ISO difference, is there a reason why I would want to use a traditional B&W film in addition to this?
Thanks.

Well, type 55 is quite highly regarded and has a loyal following. Fine grain, beautiful tonality (to my eye), no darkroom required, and you get a free off-by-one-stop proof print with the negative. It's my main film (when I shoot film) these days.

Disadvantages? Well, it doesn't push or pull as well as most conventional films, I believe you can't exercise much control over contrast with processing time (though I could be wrong about that), you either like the look or you don't, it's bulky and fragile to transport and store, it's not actually instant like most polaroid film (you have to clear it and wash it, although you can do this in daylight), the emulsion is easily scratched or damaged, it's slow, it's not exactly the same size as regular 4x5 film, it's only available in a 4x5 form factor, it's hard to get in some places, it seems inevitable that it will be discontinued sooner or later (maybe sooner), and it's very expensive. But if you can live with those things (and many can), it's terrific stuff.

[bsimison]

All of what Matt said. The negative is virtually grain-free and long-toned. The neg and the print have different ISOs, so shoot around 25 for the neg, and 40-50 for the print. Once you process, wash the neg in a solution of Sodium Sulfite to clear away the dark goop, although Hypo Clearing Agent also works. Some people suggest fixing the neg in Rapid Fixer, others don't.

[drew.saunders]

I decided recently to get back into LF, specifically B&W LF, with the intention of using Type 55 as my main film. It is virtually grainless, and makes for some nice negatives, but the frustrations of the film started to bug me, so I got a Jobo tank, roller base, bottles and graduates and started doing Tmax 100 on my kitchen counter, and am much happier with the results. All in all the inconvenience of having to unload the film in a dark tent, plus the longer time to process (but less messy, since the polaroid packs have lots of nasty goos in them), ended up being an inconvenience "wash" for me as compared to T55.

My problems with Type 55 were with bubbles or white corners (from pulling the film through the rollers too fast), streaks (from inconsistent pulling, and/or just plain bad luck), and scratches in the super-thin emulsion from my klutzy film handling techniques (for which TMX film is much more forgiving). That and the "type 55 edge" started out as interesting but I quickly lost interest in that particular look.

Still, it's a great negative that scans well, provided you make accommodations for the negative being larger than standard 4x5 film (with my Epson 3200, I either put it flat on the scanner, under AN glass, or trimmed it to fit my holder). I have about 6-8 sheets left in the vegetable bin in my fridge, and I'll get to them eventually, but I'm probably done with Type 55 for now.

Drew

[Gene McCluney]

I have about 6-8 sheets left in the vegetable bin in my fridge, and I'll get to them eventually, but I'm probably done with Type 55 for now.

Drew

I hope you have those sheets double-bagged in zip-lock plastic bags to keep the developer pods from evaporating. This is critical.

[Jan Pedersen]

Did Polaroid not stop producing the type 55 or was that just a rumour going bad?

[bsimison]

Merely a rumor. Polaroid.com lists 934 packs of Type 55 in stock as I write this.

[Jan Pedersen]

Thanks, that's good news. Guess there's some plans about shutting the down the plant in 2009 but that could be rumours too.

[Ted Harris]

Grumble, grumble, grumble. I hate these rumors. Direct from the folks who know at Polaroid ..... they will keep producing T55 through 2008; beyond that it will depend on demand.

[bsimison]

You know, Ted...next time this rumor comes up, we should just let it run wild. People will stock up on T55 in anticipation of its demise, thereby increasing demand, and thus ensure its manufacture for another year.