Petition for Polaroid 665!

Hi everyone,

please all of you, join this petition!

http://www.galerie-photo.com/petition-polaroid.htm

> The end of the Polaroid 665 film deprives photographers of a product unique on

>the market with no substitute.

>This film was and should remain a milestone of creation for numerous artists

such >as, for example, Sarah Moon.

>In order to assure the permanence of the Polaroid 665 film, we suggest :

>- That the manufacturing licence should be given up to another manufacturer, or

>- Accept a price increase to compensate for a lower sales volume.

>The way Polaroid is perceived, owed to its constant support to creation, could

>only win at such a resolution.

Come on, maybe there is some hope that polaroid starts again producing this

film, or maybe someone else. i for myself would love to use it again!

Thank you

Michael

Michael,

I appreciate the emotion behind this request, but give the company a break... Polaroid (I believe they're just a name for sale now) has the right to do business as they choose. There are many other wonderful ways to be creative.

Michael, I SO agree with you! <p>And, with all due respect, Maury, your comment rubs me

the wrong way. It's a real shame that Polaroid has been discontinuing so many of their

best films, but historically, they've always done that. I wonder if Polaroid would be

amenable to selling it's assembly lines and supplying tech help to start manufacturing

their discontinued film lines here in Rhode Island.<p>Many kids these days have NEVER

shot on film!<p>David Ellis showed a strip of 35mm negatives to one of he students,....

AND THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS!<p>Many photographers who shoot digital are

interested in going back to film, but they want to try large format. I THINK INSTANT PEEL

APART FILM IS THE FUTURE OF CHEMICAL PHOTOGRAPHY, AND AND THE BEST GATEWAY

INTO FILM PHOTOGRAPHY FOR THOSE USED TO DIGITAL.<p>POLAROID IS MISSING A

HUGE OPPORTUNITY BY DISCONTINUING THESE FILMS NOW.

The petition that really counts is the sales -- Polaroid already knows what these were, and decided that the sales weren't enough to overcome the discontinuation of some of the components used to make Type 665.

Polaroid's explanation is that 665 is being discontinued "due to the phasing out of components used in the production of this film". They also state that "The discontinuation of 665 does not impact the supply or manufacture of 55 film" -- see http://www.polaroid.com/global/detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441760025&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302028651&bmUID=1137703415616&bmLocale=en_US.

I'd say that the most effective action photographers could take who want a Positive/Negative instant film is to switch to Type 55 so that sales of Type 55 increase, giving Polaroid sales figures that will motivate Polaroid to continue this product.

Polaroid is producing eleven 4x5 sheet films: http://www.polaroid.com/products/product_list.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302028649&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441760027&bmUID=1149743983778&bmLocale=en_US&sc=Sheetfilm

Types 665 and 55 both can provide a positive or a negative.

As stated above, 665 is a pack film, which means that a group of films is loaded as unit into the camera or holder. The holder for a 4x5 camera is the Model 405. The image area is 2.88 x 3.75 inches (7.3 x 9.5 cm). See http://www.polaroid.com/global/detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441760025&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302028651&bmUID=1149749073652&bmLocale=en_US.

Type 55 is a sheet film that, in 4x5 cameras, uses one of the 545 series holders. Unlike a pack film, you can switch film types with each exposure. The image size is 3.5 x 4.5 inches (9 x 11.4 cm). See http://www.polaroid.com/global/detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441760052&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302028655&bmUID=1149749034726&bmLocale=en_US

I don't think anyone should discourage trying.<p>It's unfortunate that Polaroid discontinued

their 4x5 Pack Film as well, because that's the superior way to shoot instant

4x5..<p>Meanwhile, theoretically, I agree with Mr. Briggs, buy a lot of the film so they'll keep

making it, but this is Polaroid Corporation 2006 that we're talking about here...<p>Maybe

the petition should be directed at Fuji? The instant peel apart film they make is superb.

Perhaps they can be coaxed into making replacement Polaroid film lines.

Re. Fuji/other parties, are patents behind 665 and 55 still in force? It sure would be nice if

Fuji would pick up the ball on 665, if that were legal.

Switching to 55 entails not just a jump in format and cost per shot, but loss of the pack's

convenience (though, in my experience, shooting 665 often involves several minutes

between successive shots anyway).

My converted 110A has always struck me as a potentially great travel camera, in that it

folds into a tough clamshell, and I could give immediate hard copies of pics to subjects I

meet -- a nice gesture that also encourages more friendly interaction between folks.

Maybe I'll have to eventually convert it to a larger format...

I can't believe it myself! I bought a used Model 195 three years ago for over half-a-grand, and then painstakenly (and VERY carefully) permanently epoxied a 43-to-46mm adapter ring directly onto its oddball 45mm (?) thread so it can now take my half-dozen 46mm "black & white only" filter set (which I also use for a twins lens reflex and a rangefinder camera, both exclusively for B & W).

I ALSO have a Model 800 (surgically adapted to accept post-'63 pack films of course) that still uses flashbulbs and has its original neutral density "4-S" filter, its orange filter (2-stops), and a duplicate orange filter with a #25 gelatin red filter sandwiched together with it (5-stops total), not to mention a "clear UV" gelatin filter permanently taped behind the lens so all pictures are UV filtered. While I generally use the former for the 665 B & W P/N film and the latter for the 3000 B & W non-negative film, I have inverted this from time to time for various reasons. I am among those who would like to see Fuji pick-up on this if Polaroid is adamant. I don't care what the film box looks like nor where it's made - in fact I'm very impressed with Fuji's "Neopan" B & W line!

- Bernie Continelli / Albany, NY metropolitan area