Sepia Polaroid

[Peter Galea]

Lately I've been working with Viradon and Berg's Copper toner. I like the effect. Just tonight I found out about type 56 Polaroid/Sepia, though I have never seen it. Does anyone have experience with this material?

[Martin Reekie]

Peter

I have used it in the past - just through curiosity more than need. I think it was intended for the theme park market, you know have your sepia photo taken in the old wild west. I’ve still a few sheets left. Basically you get the usual good Polaroid image, just brown and white not black and white. I guess it has its applications.

I see Polaroid is still quoting it in their product listing, so I guess it’s still available. Calumet in the UK don’t list Type 56 but it is in the US.

Give it a try see what you think!

[Steve Hamley]

Peter,

I think Martin's got it right, but I'll add that it is a coaterless film. Give it a whirl.

Thanks!

Steve

[Jim Rhoades]

I tried some a year and a half ago. It was not sepia brown, but very ugly orange. This was fresh up to date film. It happens that I was at a large format workshop. Polaroid lost a bunch of sales over that one.

I then talked to a Polaroid rep at the N.Y. show that October. The responce was something like, "OK send it to us and we will replace whats left" They really did not give a rat's butt, they just wanted to get rid of me.

Well it worked. I now use my holder for readyloads.

[Pete Caluori]

Greetings,

I've been using Type 56 since it first came out and was only ISO 200, since then Polaroid has boosted the speed. My use of 56 is outdoors, in an uncontrolled environment and its variability is one thing I like about it. Depending on the temperature the final color will vary. Very rarely will I ever get a yellow sepia color, but more often a reddish, or chocolate brown image. 56 has a wide latitude, about 6 or 7 stops and for certain images it's great. Here's a link to a 56 image I shot a years ago: http://www.f32.net/cgi-local/discus/discus.cgi In the "Locations" folder: :Sepia Polaroid: Anasazi Kiva, New Mexico USA

Regards, Pete

[QT Luong]

I've used it in the past to photograph in cities, and liked the look that I found quite unique. Several years ago there was a portfolio in View Camera that was of images of Tuscany shot on 56 which was quite nice and was supposed to make it into a full book. I don't remember the name of the photographer exactly (Silvermann ?). At that time he was an exec of Mamiya USA.