Type 55 film characteristics?

[miguel_jiminez]

How does polaroid 55 p/n compare to other B/W films (sharpness,

tonality)? I would scan the negative on an Epson 2450 and then print

with quadtones. I read from someone here that it scans really well,

but I'd like to know how it compares to films like TMX before buying

the back. Thanks!

[ken_hughes2]

I was told or read somewhere, and I can't recall where, but it was a reliable source, that 55 was essentially kodak pan x, anyone else ever hear this?

[wayne_crider4]

There are those that are more knowledgeable of this film than I,

but in what I have shot, and what I have seem printed from it, I

must say that it is a very good film and very capable; That is if you

can stand shooting it at an iso of 25 for an unfiltered neg.

Personally that's just too slow for me in LF when most likely

needing small apertures and the use of a yellow filter at least,

and the speed increase of T-max and FP4+ is much

appreciated. For the price if willing to load film holders, I'll shoot

the T-max that responds just fine in my developer. I do find tho

that the p/n covers a good contrast range.

[robert_eastman]

Very sharp, very smooth tones, creamy is a word that comes to mind. It's a breeze to scan. Very fragile though, it has a very thin emulsion that scratches easily. Wayne is correct in rating the film at 24ISO it can be a pain to get descent shadow detail. I wasted half a pack before I realised this. I love this stuff. I don't have a darkroom or daylight sheet processor so I rely on type 55 for most of my B+W 4x5.

 

Can you hire the back? It is worth trying, but probably not worth buying a back for.

[david_brown1]

I think type 55 is one of the best films out there, and I can't imagine living without the various Polaroid products. Sometimes I need that instant feedback, and with portraits, sometimes giving a Polaroid to the subject is the perfect icebreaker. Buy a used 545 back, if you never use it, you can sell it at little loss.

[per_volquartz1]

Kodak initially supplied Polaroid with this film (Panatomix-X at the time)

Later Polaroid - to the best of my knowledge - set up their own plant. The ASA is around 25-32. Its a very sharp and fine grained film. Great for checking sharpness when shooting test Polaroids. The print is great for checking density in the shadow areas. (Hold the print up to the sun - or any light sourse - and you can tell if you got the necessary detail in your shadow areas.

[mo_kenny]

I use this film almost exclusively for my B&W shots (still life/Landscape). It is great for scaning. Excellent contrast and grain. T-max is also a great but the instant feedback from the polaroid is an advantage over the T-max. The drawback is the ISO of 25-32 for the polaroid negative which may not lend itself to things like potrait etc.

However, give it a try, you can buy a fairly outdated box (less than a year) and rent a 545 back and see if you like what you get. I bet you are going to be very impressed.

 

 

Mo Kenny

[paulrumohr]

I am intrigued.

 

Panatomic X or a cousin in Type 55? That's pretty cool.

 

Which begs the question- how about Tri-X in a Polaroid Pos/Neg product?

 

If you can do it with one panchromatic film, why not do it for another?