New Polaroid Film from Impossible

[dazedgonebye]

I was incredibly luck to be selected to beta test a batch of Impossible's new PX680 color film. The film is a replacement for the 600 films Polaroid used to make.
Today Impossible announced the new film and put the rest of the beta level film on sale, so I'm released from my non-disclose agreement and can talk about/ show the images.

You have to have a taste for unpredictable results and low fidelity images to like these. Impossible will eventually be able to make perfectly clean sharp images, but hopefully they'll still make the imperfect stuff because that's what I really like.

This is my favorite image from the test.





The rest of mine can be found on flickr... http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevemphoto/sets/72157626349974816/with/5465773547/

 

[whitecat]

Can you tell us about cost?

 

[Pickett Wilson]

I think the low fidelity and erratic results are actually what the target audience wants. Why spend money making it sharp and consistent if your niche doesn't care? It will never be mainstream.

 

[paulfish4570]

i like the telephone booths shot the best. seen in series, the pics altogether look like the trailer for a david lynch movie ... 🙂

 

[tjh]

Those are really good pictures - I'd be hard pressed to come anywhere close.

 

[tjh]

I do have some old transparencies made with the Polaroid 35mm film that was developed in a special little plastic machine - remember that? Those transparencies did not hold up for 25 years or so like my Kodachromes or even the Ektachromes but the deterioration was similar to the neat color and artifact effects on your beta Polaroids.

 

[dazedgonebye]

They are selling the last of the beta film batch today. I think it may be all gone at $16 a pack of 8.
When the production version comes out, I suspect it'll be around $23.

Each batch has been better than the one before. It seems likely to me that they will continue to develop new versions all the way to the levels of the old Polaroid film. I'm equally sure the will keep several of the "lower quality" versions along the way to satisfy everyone.
The operation may be too small to ever compete with the likes of Fuji with their Instax film, so those of us who like it out of the mainstream will be their biggest customers.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Well, I'm glad I have my SLR680 and SLR690. I also converted the SX-70 and SX-70 Sonar to use 600. But I can convert them back to Sx-70 easily enough.

 

[dave lackey]

Dang, might have to convert Al Kaplan's Polaroid 95 to take 600 film somehow!😱

 

[segedi]

The last shot, Tattered is nice as well.

 

[newsgrunt]

does this film need to be babied in bright light as well or have they solved that problem ?

 

[dazedgonebye]

does this film need to be babied in bright light as well or have they solved that problem ?

I wouldn't say "solved," but they've made great progress. Indoor shots do not need to be shielded at all. In bright sunlight, you're better off putting it in a bag to develop. It's not like the earlier films though, where you had to hide it the instant it came out of the camera.
Very usable.

 

[shadowfox]

Very cool, Steve.
I have a SLR 680 just for the occasion.
Now I just have to justify buying the film, ain't cheap they are.

 

[thegman]

Some of these photos are really nice, and I too like the low fidelity look at times.

 

[dazedgonebye]

For a look at what others have done with it...check out the flickr group.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/px680/

 

[Roger Hicks]

I just hope that Impossible becomes a bit less exclusive than some previous manifestations of Polaroid Fine Art Photography, where 'Fine Art`sometimes smacked of the Emperor's New Clothes.

From our 2010 Arles show report (http://www.rogerandfrances.com/subscription/arles 2010.html): Easily the most unpleasant exhibition in 2010 was the collection of Polaroids on the Place de la République in the Caisse d’Epargne. It was distinguished by ‘no photography’ signs, ‘no large bags’ signs, and a general atmosphere as if they wanted to charge you for wearing out the pictures by looking at them. All too many of the pictures were self-consciously ‘arty’, too, eschewing such bourgeois concepts as subject matter, focus, holding the camera steady, half-believable colours, and so forth.

Cheers,

R.

 

[dazedgonebye]

I just hope that Impossible becomes a bit less exclusive than some previous manifestations of Polaroid Fine Art Photography, where 'Fine Art`sometimes smacked of the Emperor's New Clothes.

From our 2010 Arles show report (http://www.rogerandfrances.com/subscription/arles 2010.html): Easily the most unpleasant exhibition in 2010 was the collection of Polaroids on the Place de la République in the Caisse d’Epargne. It was distinguished by ‘no photography’ signs, ‘no large bags’ signs, and a general atmosphere as if they wanted to charge you for wearing out the pictures by looking at them. All too many of the pictures were self-consciously ‘arty’, too, eschewing such bourgeois concepts as subject matter, focus, holding the camera steady, half-believable colours, and so forth.

Cheers,

R.

That's not the company's "personality" from my experience. They've been very open and generous. Great customer service. They even involved a bunch of us "nobodies" in their beta testing.
I realize that's smart marketing and a great way to get viral advertising...still seems their self-interested actions seem to be of the enlightened kind.

 

[Mackinaw]

Allow me to be a dissenter. The Impossible Project people have truly lowered the bar. If the old Polaroid Company of 20 years ago attempted to sell film of this poor quality, photographers would have rebelled. Now we hail it as "artsy and unique." And yes I know what the Impossible Project people are trying to pull off, but film of this poor quality shouldn't ever leave the factory.

Jim B.

 

[dazedgonebye]

I can certainly understand your not liking it. Surely this sort of thing is subjective enough that I and others can like it, you can dislike it and we don't have to make absolute statements about its worth.
As a side note, Polaroid produced Artistic TZ film for the SX-70 which gave less sharp results, and less true to life colors.
I'd ask Edwin Land for his opinion, but he's unavailable for comment.

Allow me to be a dissenter. The Impossible Project people have truly lowered the bar. If the old Polaroid Company of 20 years ago attempted to sell film of this poor quality, photographers would have rebelled. Now we hail it as "artsy and unique." And yes I know what the Impossible Project people are trying to pull off, but film of this poor quality shouldn't ever leave the factory.

Jim B.

 

[gavinlg]

I hate to sound like I'm criticizing the film or the company, but these actually look really similar to pictures from hipstamatic or magic bullit for the iphone.

I'm glad they're carrying on with it though.