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Polaroid Back Differences


alex_hawley

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Couldn't find the answer to this in the archives nor on Quang's

site. I've just learned that Polaroid makes pack films and the 550

packfilm holder. Is there any advantage/disadvantage to these as

opposed to the 545 back and associated sheet films? Can the

packfilm sheets still be processed one at a time to check exposure

and composition?

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I'll try to give you a better answer than the smart ass response by Mr. Hawley. I thought the purpose of this forum was to help each other out. Yes, you can process each film, one at a time with the pack films. The advantage of using the 545 back and sheet films is that the sheets are individually packaged and can be exposed, removed from the holder and processed later. This is good if it is cold outside.
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The original big advantage to the pack film, cost, is no longer a significant factor. The other thing is that once you have the pack loaded, you're stuck with that emulsion until the entire pack is used. With the sheet film 545 you can shoot and process any emulsion at any time.
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I currently use both 545i and 550 Pola film holders. IMO the 550 pack films have several advantages : <br> - A 550 pola pack is faster to use for BW proofs because 10 shots are available without reloading a new film. A kind of "ready-to-use" holder.<br> - In some difficult conditions (light or tilt-shift), I prefer to shoot at first 2 or 3 550 Pola sheets before wasting a negative planfilm. <br>- I use the 550 as a "contact print" by taking some notes on the back. <br> They MUST be processed one at a time. I don't know how to extract a 550 sheet film without processing it at once, (as can be done with the 545i).<br> - I also noticed that 550 films have a (slightly) larger surface than 545 sheet films. <br>- If you want to change the sensibility of your 550 packs, you must have 2 or + holders.<br>All infos on polaroid.com.
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They both do the same job. The main advantage of the pack films, as already mentioned, is protection from the cold.<p>The main advantages of the 545 holders are<br>1. The ability to change emulsions<br>2.If something goes horribly wrong (and it does sometimes) you only waste 1 sheet, not a whole pack<br>3.The 545 holder can also be used for Quickload film.
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As a few people stated, you have a whole pack. If something goes wrong, you

will only use one of the sheets in the pack! They are lighter and smaller also

and the packs are a bit cheaper! There are a number of film choices, (http://

www.polaroid.com/products/product_list.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=

352807&bmLocale=en_US&bmUID=1043155218484&PRDREG=POL) that

will cover pretty much all aspects of your needs. The only downfall I see is that

the pack film cannot be pulled out for processing later like I do with polaroid

transfers. Another thing about packs, if your backpacking, you won't run the

risk of bending the process pod and breaking it open if your load shifts like

sometimes happened to me when bringing sheets vs a protected pack. The

image of the pack is a bit smaller though but I only use it for proofing.

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Two more points .. one small and one large ....

 

1) Last time I looked the difference in cost between the pack film fo rthe 550

and the sheet film was pennies so while it is cheaper to buy packs, it is no

tenough cheaper to make it a consideration. Not to mention that the choice of

emulsions i smore limited. The pack film for the 405 holder OTOH is a good

bit cheaper (and smaller).

 

2) The pack design will inherently give you more film flatness problems than

the sheet design. Thus, while there are some that complain that the 545

holder doesn't hold the film as flat as the quick/readyload holders, there is no

question that you will see a bit of edge-sharpness loss as the film curves into

or out of the pack.

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