(the Impossible) Silver Shade!

[Terri]

So, I finally shot a pack of the new Silver Shade from the folks at The Impossible Project (http://www.the-impossible-project.com/).

I've not shot from either of my SX-70 cameras for awhile, and one of them was acting completely dead. While Rolleimaniac investigated the stubborn Land camera, I quickly shot several frames.

The first was way too light, so I just asked him to hold up shot #1 while I went for shot #2:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v435/terriks/miscellaneous/TIP_PX_2copy.jpg


And he continued to tinker and concentrate on the camera, while I just blew off several more images of him which look more or less the same:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v435/terriks/miscellaneous/TIP_PX_3copy.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v435/terriks/miscellaneous/TIP_PX_1copy.jpg

I do love the pretty, light sepia tonality of this instant film. Much fun to be putting the cameras back into use. The camera that was acting up is actually the better of the two: the one I shot these with has less than perfect rollers, so the dyes don't spread as evenly as they should.

My main issue with this film is that the chemistry used to develop the image ends up being caustic and, ultimately, will discolor and ruin the print within weeks. That is not how instant film is supposed to work, so these guys have a ways to go. The user also has to shield the print as it ejects from the camera to protect it from the first light of day, and let it develop in a shadowy area. (I taped the dark slide that ejects from the film pack upon loading into the camera over the exit slot, and it worked easily enough. But still.)

So, mixed reviews from this user! Too much after work is involved, peeling away the backing, etc., to get the image away from the caustic paste if you want to save your shot indefinitely. I have Time Zero prints from my childhood hanging up where the dyes have barely faded; it will take more than this Silver Shade to impress me.) ;)

But if you have one of these wonderful old cameras, it is great to be able to use them this way. There are other films to try that I don't believe are as finicky as this stuff - but not as lovely, either. :)

The best news: Brad fixed the other camera. Working perfectly again. :cheer:

So, opinions? Brad really likes the film and thinks I'm being too harsh. Worthy effort, or sub-par product? :hmm:

[Jeff Jarboe]

To me that Polaroid’s quality as steady gotten worse over years and not better. My Dad had always liked their camera just for snap shots. His Polaroid prints from 50’s and 60’s seem far superior to those of the 80’s and newer; in the 70’s the family switch 126. I ordered 2 packs of the Silver Shade 600 today to try out, hope I did not trash that camera

[ann]

The reason I sent my sx-70 to my nephrew, he has no history or expectations.

[Terri]

I hear ya, Ann. It's darn near impossible to use these products without making comparisons!

Jeff, to be fair - it's not really "Polaroid" anymore, of course - it's The Impossible Project folks. :) I think the key personnel are all former Polaroid engineers, and by some miracle they were able to obtain all of the original Polaroid manufacturing equipment - but I don't believe they have any of the old formulas. Or, if they do, the formulas can't really be duplicated because some of the components are no longer available. :hmm: Something along those lines?

Anyone who ever shot a lot of Polaroid's classic Time Zero will be doing some head-scratching with this stuff. Just be prepared to do the after-shooting peel-apart thing. It's all at the website.

I still plan to try some of their other offerings, just to play with it and support them.

More and more, just seeing how hard it is to get these products to market, I appreciate the genius of Edwin Land. Not just the groundbreaking instant film products, but the cameras, too!

My hero. :love:

[Jeff Jarboe]

I got 2 packs of the new PX600 UV+ before going to Arizona. Out of the first pack half are out of focus and exposed OK the other are at different stages of faded. On the plus side the color/tone seems not to darkening after a few weeks.

Found my Dad's Spectrum it has AF unlike my One Step, I just ordered 2 packs for it.

[Terri]

Wonderful! I will be interested in seeing what you get using the Spectrum. Hopefully it will give you better results than the One Step.

I continue to want to support these folks who are trying their best to keep these great old cameras from becoming paperweights. :heart: Jeff, you are right that the quality of the films produced in more recent times just doesn't seem to be there, when compared to the originals. The components that made up these emulsion formulas are very, very different, due to all kinds of manufacturing challenges.

Looking forward to seeing your results from the PX600! :thumbup: