The latest instalment in the ever evolving instant film parade from The Impossible Project hit the shelves last week. I received my first batch of PX70 Colour Shade on Friday and have been playing around with it all week.
Before even opening the pack, I did a fair amount of research on The Impossible Project’s website and on flickr. This new colour film works in SX70 and 600 Polaroid cameras. Being that it is the “first flush”, it is not meant to be perfect. The Impossible Project want us to test out this film and to give them feedback.
“The PX 70 First Flush is still an experimental product and even though we did our very best to develop, produce and test this material with all our love and understanding, we are now dependent on your honest feedback, support, creativity and all your analog passion to help us learn about this product and to continuously improve it.”
Taken from The Impossible Project PX70 Colour Shade guide.
That said, I use these first flush films to experiment and see what lighting conditions work best. I don’t try and create masterpieces with the first pack. It’s about learning how to use and manipulate the film to get the best results.
In the second fan shot, I used a filter over the top of my film pack. I’m not sure what the snake skin blotches are. (EDIT: Already these blotches are fading on the originals)
When I first shot the PX70 film, it appeared to have large blue spots on the image. However, when I checked it a little later, the spots had completely disappeared. This film seems to really settle into itself over time. My first two shots were taken indoors with window light and they turned out too light and without much depth. I wanted to try it without a shade to begin as some people have had success without shading the film instantly. My next shots I used a shade to cover them up straight away.
Unfortunately, I haven’t had much success with my first 2 packs. I found that outdoors was too bright yet indoors was too dark, even by window light. I made sure that I shielded my film as soon as it ejected from the camera but I do find that tricky. I love this little nifty shade idea for protecting your instant film from the light. I think I will fashion one and give that a go.
I have no idea what went wrong here but I kinda like it anyway.
These photographs were all scanned on the same day that they were taken. Other shots that I took did improve with age! I’m only half way through my 2nd pack, so there is still a lot of learning to do.
The Impossible Project have put a lot of effort into giving us tips on how to use and manipulate the film for best results. You really need to read the website to understand how to properly use the new film. It’s not too tricky, but important if you want good results.
The Impossible Project are giving you the opportunity to be a future film tester. They are asking for your best PX 70 Colour shot, upload it on the site and you could be chosen as one of 20 photographers who will test out future colour films. You have until August 16 to upload your image.
Have you tested it out yet? What are your first impressions?
Related posts:
I haven’t tried it yet because 1) I still have 5 shots of time-zero in my SX-70, and 2) I still haven’t picked it up from the postal office. I’m thinking about testing it on my One600 at my friend’s wedding this weekend.
Did you have any developer oozing out? I’m already dealing with my time zero
Thanks, Amanda. It’s very helpful to see and hear about your results. By the way, I love how the first image turned out.
Hi Amanda.
I’ve shot 3 packs thus far, and have had a pretty good experience with it. Surely a better experience than with the PX100 First Flush, in that there were only 2 I did not like, and I believe it was due to camera shake.
What I’ve found:
My shots can take DAYS to “settle down.”
In a 600 camera they are more than “slightly” underexposed at normal settings. In the SX70, I do not adjust at all (I have not taken any low light pictures yet).
I’ve exposed a couple of mine to light in error right after they were taken, and felt they were fine, but still use a little black bag or some type of dark covering.
In general, I am having a pretty good experience with this. Hopefully it will continue!! :-)
You have a beautiful blog, and your photography is amazing!
Lisa
I just got my PX 70 film in the mail yesterday, so I haven’t had a chance to shoot it yet. I did have the pleasure of testing the film at the end of June, though! In my experience, the snake skin blotches faded after about 24 hours, and that was the best time to scan as color & contrast was optimal. Can’t wait to see what the “official” batch of film is like! Thanks so much for sharing your results.
Jackie, yes developer oozes out of the back however I’ve had that happen plenty of times with 600 so it didn’t bother me too much. It is blue though! Good luck with your wedding!
Thanks Clara. It definitely had more colour than the indoor shots but I still need to figure outdoors out with all this film.
Lisa, great tips! Thanks so much for sharing your results. I might try a black bag and see if that works better. I have had some trouble shading them. I was using the outer box of the film packs for these. Thanks for your lovely comments. :)
Jess, yes Ive found that they’ve already settled down. I should re scan for the differences.
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Finished my first set over the weekend. It seems kinda quirky, but I have to admit this is my first set of SX-70 film ever. I liked most of my exposures, but you REALLY have to be careful about exposing it to light as it comes out. I can’t wait to keep practicing on it!
Thanks for commenting Tim. Yes, I think part of the fun is in the practising and figuring it all out. Have you got your shots up on flickr or somewhere? I’d love to see them.
Amanda,
You’ve probably seen this, but I tried it today as a replacement for the black bag which can catch on the corners of the print when it ejects.
http://shop.the-impossible-project.com/allabout/colorshade/
Scroll down about halfway, and there is a slideshow on how to make a darkslide. Inexpensive and easy to do. I actually made several this morning, so I would not have to wait until one was developed before shooting another. Like it a lot better than anything else I’ve tried.
P.S. I don’t use the “bottom mount.” Did not really see a need for it.
If you try it, let me know :-)
With my first pack, I just shielded it with my hand as it came out. I ended up with 4 photos i liked and 4 that were a bust. With my second pack, I’ve been using my tripod and I built one of those nifty little shades. They’re looking much better! I’ve been shooting it inside, so the tripod was necessary, as the exposure is a little longer. I’ve yet to scan them. I’m supremely happy it came in 2+1 packs. The first was almost entirely experimental. I’m so so so satisfied with the second pack!
Lisa 1, yes I linked to that one in my post. I’m going to give it a go this afternoon. :)
Lisa G, thanks for those tips. I will definitely try it out too. I’m happy you’re satisfied with your 2nd pack. :)
There’s a guy on flickr called Rommel who is shooting some great stuff with this film. His colours are great.
Loving all this great feedback everyone!
I can’t wait for mine to get here! I sewed up some felt into a bag for the FF but I love that posterboard idea.
About the blotches–could your rollers be dirty? I have to clean mine after every pack of Impossible film.
This is great! I got my film the Tuesday after launch (say what you like about the $50 international shipping, but man they’re fast, and if you buy in bulk it’s not too bad) but haven’t had a chance to play with it yet! These tips are great, and so are some of the ones in the Flickr groups.
It looks interesting. I love the sky image.
I really like how your images came out!
I’ve played around a very little bit with this film. So far I’ve taken only three shots. I’m saving the rest for my trip to NYC this weekend. The one indoor shot I took with window light came out too dark, but my two outdoor shots are well-exposed. I’m not sure yet how I feel about this film. Really, it’s a faulty, experimental first batch, but I quite like the blue shade.
Oh wow. It looks really different to the regular polaroid mistakes. I am about to order myself a sample pack from Impossible Project but because the postage to Australia costs $50 I am going to see if other people can share postage with me. I’m now really intrigued!
I love the salty, chemical, textured look to the film – you really get a sense of it being an organic, living thing. That’s it. I’m getting some!
Truth be told, I’m not in the position to invest any money in TIP’s new film until they’ve perfected it a little better. I appreciate everything that they have done, but as a single parent, I cannot afford to waste money on film where most of my shots are likely to be unsuccessful. However, I have been watching the development of their silver shade film with interest, it’s getting better and better with time. So I am hopeful :-)
I’ve actually been considering investing in a Fuji Instax to keep my instant film passion happy until I am ready to start ordering from TIP again.
Carol