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 The film, if you can find it, will be very expensive and out of date so will be a risk you'd need to weigh.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).