Polaroid Backs and Film

[martha33]

I’m new so please forgive me if this is not the place for this question. I want to try using Polaroid film with my Cambo camera. I shoot exclusively Black and White. So I am wondering what film, film back and any other equipment I will need. I read somewhere that there is a film that provides both a print and a negative. Can someone enlighten me?

[Andrew O'Neill]

Polaroid used to market Type 55, which produced a positive and a negative (still have a box waiting for me in the fridge to use!). They stopped making it several years ago. Then New55 came along, but they ceased production due to no machine to make the pods (I think)... I still have a box of that kicking around as well. It was EXPENSIVE.
You might be able to pick up an old box of Type 55 online...
You would need a 545 holder and I'll bet they can be had online for next to nothing as they are pretty much useless now that New55 is gone...
The Impossible Project (I think they bought the name Polaroid recently), makes instant film, but I am unaware of what they have for large format other than their 8x10...which is bloody expensive and requires a special processor.

[Fred L]

You can use a Polaroid 550 back (or Fuji PA 45) but you'll need Fuji FP 110c45 pack film. The film, if you can find it, will be very expensive and out of date so will be a risk you'd need to weigh.

You can also try to find New55 film, but again, it will be expired and while it was slowly improving, it was nowhere near the quality of Type 55.

Basically, unless you have very deep pockets, consider yourself SOL getting into instant 4x5. and 8x0 as Andrew mentioned, requires expensive film holders (the 81-06 has sold in the neighbourhood of $300-500). The film itself was around $20 per shot.

[erian]

There are still some Fuji FP-3000B45 left (you need Polaroid-550 or PA-45 (Fuji) holder for this). This film will also give positive and negative image. I understand that the negative does not need any further processing (I have not tried it by myself) but it should be kept in the dark (out of direct sun light really) until it has fully developed itself to avoid fogging.

[Fred L]

Keep in mind the b/w Fuji doesn't produce a traditional negative and the black backing can't be removed with bleach as one would do with the colour film (at least in my attempts). Most people just scan the 'negative sheet' and inverse in PS.

This film was really nice to use and for many, the loss of this and other Fuji instant films for 4x5, was hard to take.

[Andrew O'Neill]

I just checked ebay, and they have several boxes of Type55.,. one was expired in 2001 and asking $220. I wouldn't trust them as the pods are most likely dried up. The film will be okay... and you could process them later at home in a developer, stop and fix as usual...but that is just too expensive for just some old film...And forget about the stuff from the 60's!

Stick with film. Film is in abundance...

[Oren Grad]

There are still some Fuji FP-3000B45 left (you need Polaroid-550 or PA-45 (Fuji) holder for this). This film will also give positive and negative image. I understand that the negative does not need any further processing (I have not tried it by myself) but it should be kept in the dark (out of direct sun light really) until it has fully developed itself to avoid fogging.

The Fuji instant films are print only. They are not designed to produce a usable negative, though some users of the color film, at least, have tried various approaches to salvaging the peeled-off negative.

[Tin Can]

Today I opened a 2005 pack of Fuji FP100C45. I have 10 more packs. None for sale.

I'm going to try on Fall colour as soon it peaks here.

Look up using Instax Mini in medium format DDS sheet film holders. I watched a video on it last. Lotta work...

The party is over.

[ic-racer]

Fuji Instax film can be placed in a film holder. The film needs to be squished between rollers like other instant photography products for processing. Currently no one manufactures a large format film back to squeeze the film between rollers. There are some work-arouds. What I do is to re-load the film into an Instax cassette and use the Instax camera to 'process' the images. The color rendition is good (Instax film is not a "Lomo" product), but the images are small. They also make B&W Instax film. I just got some of the B&W but have not yet tried it.

[EdSawyer]

The 2009 Type 55 that I used within the last 6 months or so, has been working fine. $220 is a fair price for a box in the 2008-2009 vintage that should still be good. That works out to about $11/shot, not bad, cheaper than New55 (and way better) and probably cheaper than FP100C45 also (different product).

[LabRat]

Even in its heyday, Type 55 was not entirely reliable, as several film packets in the box could be duds... The pro suppliers would tell users to save up a full box of duds and exchange it for another fresh box... I had pro shoots where more than half the box were duds, but obviously one could not exchange some old film now, and with the age of the overpriced remains, (and old, probably dried up) it is not advised...

Using film or photo paper for negatives is a good idea, and maybe someone could show you how to use a scanner, so another modern option...

These days, instant access is digital...

So many options to try today!!!

Steve K

[martha33]

Thank you for all the comments! I have learned a great deal! Mainly, it sounds like this idea is way too expensive for me to even try. I was looking for a "cheap and dirty" method of getting some quick feedback on the image I am attempting. However . . .

. . . earlier today a friend offered me a very large quantity of Fuji PP-3000B packages -- part of her father's estate which she is trying to dispose of. I understand that this has been stored for about 6 years in a cool place but not in the fridge or freezer. My friend had no idea that I was looking for anything like this and it just happened to come up in conversation. So . . .

. . . free is good! Is it worth it for me to try this film? What type of film back would I need? And, again, many thanks for these comments! I had heard that this was a very active and friendly community and you are proving this to me!

[Tin Can]

Free is great. Shoot that B&W 3200 asa film!

Have fun!

I have 6 boxes of that I am aging...

[Alan9940]

Thank you for all the comments! I have learned a great deal! Mainly, it sounds like this idea is way too expensive for me to even try. I was looking for a "cheap and dirty" method of getting some quick feedback on the image I am attempting. However . . .


Don't give up. Give it some thought and do a bit of research. I just watched a video, yesterday, where a guy 3D printed a back for his RB67 that allowed him to shoot Fuji Instax film! It wasn't pretty, but it worked. On that same vein, there were a few videos floating around not too long ago where the guy figured out how to shoot Fuji Instax film in old instant cameras like, say, the one from Kodak (can't remember the name of it.) Basically, all you need is something to hold a piece of film, and then some way to process it.

[richydicky]

If you have the opportunity to get free packs of Fuji 3000B then you will need a Polaroid 405 film pack holder and it should be worth it. The pack film is slightly smaller than 4x5 but I used it quite a bit, mainly for testing, and have a few packs left for a project involving image transfer. Check that your Cambo can take the 405 holder it will fit graflok type international backs. Hope it works out for you.

[ic-racer]

183681

[erian]

. . . earlier today a friend offered me a very large quantity of Fuji PP-3000B packages -- part of her father's estate which she is trying to dispose of. I understand that this has been stored for about 6 years in a cool place but not in the fridge or freezer. My friend had no idea that I was looking for anything like this and it just happened to come up in conversation. So . . .

. . . free is good! Is it worth it for me to try this film? What type of film back would I need?

It is definitely worth it. Consider yourself really lucky. When this is really a large quantity then you can also sell some to finance other instant film for experimentation.

[Tin Can]

It was stored cool, that is good, it is not recommended to freeze that type film.

The necessary Polaroid 405 Film Back for 4x5 Large Format Camera should be cheap as that film is scarce now.

Keep it all, it's real fun to use and goes quickly.

[martha33]

Well, I have taken possession of 30 packages of film that were stored in a plastic box along with some desiccant. Turns out that 5 of these are dated 11/2014 and the other 25 are dated 03/2015! Omer from CatLAB has a film back that will work with my large format camera. Let the fun begin!! And, if this forum had not come up in a conversation with my friend then this never would have happened! THANKS!!

[EdSawyer]

30 packs is quite a lot, nice score. I never preferred the 3000 stuff over the 100 stuff but free is free...

[Fred L]

FREE ? I think you shld send it to us for testing ;)

Find a Polaroid back and go to town ! one caveat, I probably wouldn't use it on an important, unrepeatable image. At least until I was sure the pods were fine.

[martha33]

Sure, Fred L -- Watch for the FedEx man -- half is one it's way to you!!