A film team of Digifoto Pro recently visited the Impossible Factory in Enschede (NL) to create a fantastic film about “The Revival of Instant Film”
Follow director Maurits Reijnoudt into the Impossible Universe – Watch Here!
June 2011
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Summer is near, and so are – if you’re lucky – holidays and travels. Don’t forget to pack your Polaroid cameras as well as a few Impossible films!
Watch or re-watch this video with Doctor Franck to learn how to properly store your film before departure and how to safely travel with film without risking xray damage to your film.
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Nate is currently working on THE 365 PROJECT – a photo a day project for 2011, using nothing but new films created for Polaroid camera’s by Impossible.
He is now quickly approaching 6 months of shooting every day with Impossible’s film – follow his Impossible Life HERE
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Just arrived in our New York store – a special edition batch of 10 beautiful “Impossible Rainbow” prints available for sale! A treat for any Polaroid devotee, these exclusive prints fit perfectly in a 50cm x 70cm frame and are for sale for just $75. The prints were specially made for the Impossible Project by the talented Mark Griffiths, an artist and lifelong Polaroid enthusiast.
This exclusive deal is available at our NYC Space. Stop by or call our New York Space (212.219.3254) to grab one before they are gone.
Mark will be giving away one of these prints to a lucky winner. Visit his blog to enter the giveaway. Mark will randomly chose a winner from the comments on the site. Enter before June 24th for a chance to win one of these lovely prints!
More of Mark’s art is available for sale on his etsy store.
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On the occasion of POLAROID [IM]POSSIBLE we packed our moving boxes and transferred our Impossible Project Space Vienna to a Pop Up Shop location for the duration of the exhibition. Right next to WestLicht, we’re now turning the venue into the most analog instant hotspot of Vienna.
IMPOSSIBLE POP UP SHOP
JUNE, 17th – AUGUST 21st
Westbahnstraße 38
1070 Vienna, AustriaMon, Tue, Wed, Fri: 12:00 – 19:00
Thu: 14:00 – 21:00
Sat: 11:00 – 19:00vienna@the-impossible-project.com
The Impossible Project Space in Breite Gasse will be closed during this time.- 24
Truth be told, the speed (light sensitivity) of this film is not totally where we expected it to be for the average SX 70 camera, and especially in bright summer light, the tendency for overexposed images is high. So please make sure to adjust the lighten/darken wheel of your SX 70 camera to the darkest setting. With a little experimentation, you will find the right darken setting for your camera.
This slightly high film speed will yield simply amazing color and tones in your correctly exposed SX 70 pictures, but it also opens up the amazing possibility to use this magic material in your 600 camera without the need of any additional filters! Simply insert the film in your Polaroid 600 camera, if necessary, add a little lighten adjustment and surround yourself with colors!
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We are pleased to announce the release of the new book chronicling the history and evolution of the instant photograph, “From Polaroid To Impossible.”
Published in conjunction with the POLAROID (IM)POSSIBLE exhibition, this gorgeous 200-page book, printed by acclaimed German publisher Hatje Cantz, brings together instant masterpieces from legends such as Ansel Adams and Andy Warhol to current artists like David Levinthal, EJ Camp and Mary Ellen Mark. The book also contains introductory essays by Barbara Hitchcock, Achim Heine and Florian Kaps.
“From Polaroid To Impossible” is available in our online shop, and we currently have nine copies for sale at $51.90 USD at the NYC Impossible Project Space.
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The more we shoot PX 680 Color Shade FF film the more we love it and our images are getting better and better. We’ve assembled some of our best tips and tricks and hope you find them useful!
• Warming your print for one to two minutes during development helps to bring out better tones and contrast. You can stick the print under your arm or on a warm surface. Be careful not to overheat your images or they’ll end up yellowed.
• To avoid green excess chemicals leaking into image from pods, cut pods on back to air dry. Place the images in a plastic bag, seal tightly and store upright in fridge.
• If you’re shooting PX680ff in a SX 70 using a ND filter and getting less than colorful images try removing the filter and turning your L/D wheel all the way to darken. This works well indoors and on more overcast days. Please keep in mind that all SX 70s are different and this may not work for everyone.
• If you’re shooting on hot days and your camera gets warm your photos will tend to have an orange/pink hue, on cooler days or in an air conditioned space the colors will be much more true to life.
and of course…
• ALWAYS SHIELD YOUR IMAGES FROM LIGHT FOR THE FIRST MINUTE!
Frank Love has carefully analyzed the best way to work with high-contrast scenes and has this to say:
“When shooting high-contrast scenes,...Read All
Patrick Tobin created a nifty technique called a “controlled flash/burn.” He explains how to use it below:
With PX 680, because it takes longer to develop, it is possible to perform controlled flashes/burns on your image during the first few minutes of development. If you would like to “burn” text or shapes onto your photos, you can do the following.
1. Cut the words/shapes out of a piece of construction paper or darkslide, stencil-style, with siccors or an exact knife.
2. Have it at-the-ready for when making an exposure. When the print ejects from the camera, keep it shielded with the darkslide.
3. Quickly, take the print, covered by the darkslide, to a bright light source, preferably a window that gets a lot of sunlight.
4. Lay your stencil over the print and darkslide, lining up exactly where you’d like your burn to show up on your image, and slide the darkslide out from between the stencil and the print, allowing sunlight to leak onto your image in the shape you have cut.
The faster you do all of the above, the better. The print is uber light sensitive for the first minute or so especially. Also, it is a good idea to leave some dark space on your print where you’d like to leave your burn, so that the words/shapes stand out. As you can tell, some planning goes into this process, but it is fun to do.
With its rigid white and black plastic body and its iconic rainbow stripe, the classic SX-70 OneStep is one of the most recognizable cameras Polaroid ever produced. It was first released in 1977 as a more affordable alternative to the folding SX-70s and has been a fan favorite ever since.
The SX-70 OneStep has a single-element plastic lens with fixed aperture (103mm, f14.6), 4 ft minimum focus distance, an exposure dial and a socket for flashbars. The OneStep can be used with the Impossible Flashbar by Mint or disposable flash bars, and works with any of our film for SX-70s, which can be found HERE.
Just in time for the holidays, we have a very limited quantity of SX-70 OneSteps available in our special White Christmas Rainbow SX-70 Kit. Act now and make your holiday merry and bright!
The Polaroid Business Edition camera was first released in the early 1990s. It was similar in body style to Polaroid’s Sun 600 series but has a more advanced flash system with automatic charging, and a built-in sliding close-up lens.
It was a sister camera to the Polaroid Job Pro camera, but aimed toward a different market, “Designed for extra durability and ruggedness.”
The Business Edition has a single-element 116mm plastic lens, fixed focus with a standard minimum focal length of 4 feet (2 feet when close-up lens is in place), electronic shutter, programmed auto-exposure system and a built-in flash.
The Business Edition works with all of Impossible’s 600 film, which can be found HERE
To purchase your own Business Edition Camera Kit, click HERE
The Polaroid Sun 660 Autofocus camera was first released in 1981. It is similar in style to the earlier 600 cameras, with a rigid plastic body, but the Sun 660 utilizes Polaroid’s patented Sonar Autofocus technology. The distance to the subject is calculated by firing a high-frequency sound wave that bounces back to a gold-colored receiver beside the lens. The minimum focal length for the Sun 660 is 3 feet.
The see-through Sun 660 was actually a dealer model. It was given to camera shops so that they could demonstrate the functions and inner workings of Polaroid 600 cameras to customers.
The Sun 660 features a single-element 116mm, f/11 plastic lens, electronic shutter, built-in flash and Polaroid’s Light Management System, allowing the user to make exposure adjustments via a lighten/darken switch under the lens.
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In 1988, Polaroid released its Cool Cam, which was essentially the Sun 600 with flashy colors and branded with the “Cool Cam” moniker. It came in several color combinations, including Pink & Grey and the Red & Black. More rare is the Neon version, pictured here! The Cool Cam also came with a matching carrying case and a sheet of word bubble stickers that could be adhered to your photos to add some COOLNESS!
The Cool Cam features a single-element 116mm plastic lens, fixed focus, with minimum focal length of 4 feet, electronic shutter, programmed auto-exposure system and a built-in electronic flash.
The Cool Cam works with all of Impossible’s 600 films. For a complete list of compatible films, click HERE
You can also click HERE for a Polaroid 600 camera manual
The Supercolor 635 was one of many variations in the simple plastic-bodied 600 camera line featuring the Light Management System.
A basic 600-series camera, the Supercolor 635 features a 116mm single-element plastic lens, fixed focus with a minimal focal length of 4 feet, electronic shutter and a built-in electronic flash. It is similar to the Sun 600 series in design, except for the beloved rainbow stripe which would be a characteristic true of the later Supercolor 635 CL edition as well.
To see a user manual for Polaroid 600 cameras like the Supercolor 635, click HERE.
The Supercolor 635 works with any of Impossible’s 600-speed film. For a complete selection of compatible films, click HERE
The Amigo 620 was introduced in the early 1980s for Polaroid’s 600-series integral film. The Amigo is a strange model because, although it lacks a built-in flash (a socket on its flip-up hood requires special “Flash 600” flashbars), it does include the added sliding close-up lens, allowing for photos as close as 2 feet.
The Amigo has a single-element 116mm plastic lens, fixed focus of 4 feet (2 feet with close-up lens), electronic shutter, and exposure correction dial and a creamy tan plastic body.
When shooting in low light or indoors, you’ll need “Flash 600” flash bars, which can be found on Ebay or Craigslist from time to time (Sorry, the Impossible Flash Bar by Mint has a very different contact and will not work on 600 flashless cameras like the Amigo!)
The Amigo 620 works with any of Impossible’s 600 film, which can be purchased HERE
As many consumers had difficulty with the manual focus on their original SX-70s, Polaroid began producing autofocus models in 1978. The Time Zero Autofocus Model 2, introduced in the early 1980s, differed from the 1978 version only in that the body is plastic instead of chrome-plated. It utilized the same advanced sonar technology.
When the shutter button is pressed halfway, a series of ultrasonic chirps is emitted from an electrostatic transducer located under a plate over the lens. These chirps travel to the subject and bounce back to the camera’s receiver, alerting the camera to the subject’s distance, and the lens is turned on a motor to focus accordingly.
The Polaroid Time Zero Autofocus Model 2 features a 4-element 116mm glass lens, manual or autofocus capabilities, with a minimum focal length of 10.4 inches, electronic shutter, programmed automatic exposure and a socket for flashbars or electronic flashes. Another nice feature is a socket for an electrically-actuated remote shutter release.
The Time Zero AF Model 2 works with all of Impossible’s SX-70 films, which can be purchased HERE
To see a user manual for the SX-70 Sonar models, click HERE.
In the early 2000s, Polaroid released one last line of instant cameras, including the One 600. Though similar in function and capabilities, these cameras are sleeker in design, opening and closing in a clamshell fashion.
The One 600 features a 100mm lens with minimum focus distance of 3 feet and a built-in electronic flash. Some models in this line omitted exposure control while others had the addition of a self-timer.
Please note that while it is possible to install the Impossible Frog Tongue in this camera type, it is not as simple as installing in the earlier 600 cameras. You will need small jewelers’ screwdrivers to access the factory frog tongue to remove it. We do not recommend attempting this unless you feel 100% comfortable with taking apart your camera.
To see a user manual for the One 600, please click HERE
The Polaroid One 600 camera works with any of the Impossible 600 films available HERE
The Sun 650 SE was one of many variations in the simple plastic-bodied 600 camera line.
A basic 600-series camera, the Sun 650 SE features a 116mm single-element plastic lens, fixed focus with a minimal focal length of 4 feet, plus a sliding close-up lens, allowing for photos as close as 2 feet, electronic shutter and a built-in electronic flash. It is similar to the Sun 600 series in design, except for the blue accents on the nameplate and the sliding close-up lens, and the blue button, which often signified a Polaroid special edition.
The Sun 650 SE works with any of Impossible’s 600-speed film. For a complete selection of compatible films, click HERE
To see a user manual for Polaroid 600 cameras like the Sun 650 SE, click HERE
As many consumers had difficulty focusing with their original SX-70s, Polaroid released an autofocus model of their folding SX-70 in 1978. The SX-70 Time Zero Auto-Focus utilized a new and very advanced sonar technology. When the shutter button is pressed halfway, a series of ultrasonic chirps is emitted from an electrostatic transducer located under a plate over the lens. These chirps travel to the subject and bounce back to the camera’s receiver, alerting the camera to the subject’s distance, and the lens is turned on a motor to focus accordingly.
The Polaroid SX-70 Time Zero Auto-Focus features a 4-element 116mm glass lens, manual or autofocus capabilities, with a minimum focal length of 10.4 inches, electronic shutter…
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The Supercolor 635 was one of many variations in the simple plastic-bodied 600 camera line featuring the Light Management System. Polaroid released so many slightly different iterations in this line of cameras. This particular model has a silver face in place of the more common black face of Supercolors, and contains no sliding close-up lens.
A basic 600-series camera, the Supercolor 635 features a 116mm single-element plastic lens, fixed focus with a minimal focal length of 4 feet, electronic shutter and a built-in electronic flash. It is similar to the Sun 600 series in design, except for the beloved rainbow stripe which would be a characteristic true of the later Supercolor 635 CL edition as well.
The Supercolor 635 works with any of Impossible’s 600-speed film. For a complete selection of compatible films, click HERE
The Polaroid 1200si camera was first released in 2000, with an updated rounded body, as opposed to the square body of the earlier Spectra System cameras. Additionally, it differs from earlier Spectra models in that the film counter counts upward rather than downward and it was designed for compatibility with the foreign-market 12-exposure “1200” film pack.
The Polaroid 1200si features a 3-element 125mm “Quintic” plastic lens, electronic shutter, programmed automatic exposure automatic focus using Polaroid’s Sonar AF system, focus distance indicator in viewfinder which can be set for feet or meters, built-in electronic flash, a built-in self timer and a socket for electronic remote control. The Polaroid 1200si is silver in color, with navy blue trim.
The Polaroid 1200si works with all of Impossible’s PZ films. For a complete selection of compatible films, please click HERE