Recently I read an article about a photojournalist using Type 51 4x5 film for a special project. Polaroid claims that this is a ISO 640 High Contrast print film with medium contrast a re-usable negative rated at 2-3 stops less than the print.
Has anyone used this film, and if so what is the negative like in terms of look and quality.
Thanks Mike
In terms of traditional photography, the Polaroid type 51 print is not worth much, being ultra high contrast for technical applications. The negative, however, exposed at ISO 80, is extraordinary for printing or scanning; so long as you have a film carrier which can accommodate the film size...which can be trimmed with a razor if necessary.
I'm in the testing stage of this film now, and I believe it to be slightly higher speed than the type 55 negative (which I typically rate at 50). You really should invest in testing the films for yourself, if you haven't already, to compare contrast and sharpness with your lenses. Grain is hardly a factor with these films.
In my view the absence of a print as a biproduct of this material is as much a benefit as a hinderance. If you don't need a print (as with Type 55) to give away as a thanks to your subject, or as a reference for contact printing, then the elimination of the distraction of the print can really be a benefit to the creative process. Type 51 offers a dust-free, 5-hour process (wash & dry time), grainless replacement for traditional 100 asa b&w films, which you can shoot then eject from the Polaroid or Quickload back and process at the end of the day when you are back from the field...all for a price comparable to processing and contacting traditional films, but without the drudgery of processing or the time expense of hiring a lab. Contrast control could be managed with colored filters to some extent. If you figure out a way to control contrast with processing times, I'd love to discuss it with you further.
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