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We at Impossible are excited to tell you about a fantastic photography and travel competition just launched by Persol to win a brand new Leica M-E and a trip to the Venice Film Festival!

Eyewear brand Persol have just added to their impressive selection with the Reflex Edition, the latest collection of three glasses inspired by classic vintage cameras. To celebrate, they’ve launched the Persol Reflex Edition Photo Contest, giving you the chance to win a trip for 2 to Venice and a brand new Leica M-E that embodies the philosophy of the famed Leica M-System in its purest form.

Running until June 15th 2013, the contest asks you to submit Black & White themed photographs to be judged by Persol’s esteemed jury. They’ll evaluate based on the craft and aesthetic of each photograph. On top of winning a trip for 2, as well as a new Leica camera, the winning artwork will also be exhibited during the Venice Film Festival.

For more details, and to enter, head to www.persol.com/usa/collections/reflex-edition.

Note: Open only to US Residents

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The Ad Council’s 2013 Washington Conference kicked off recently in Washington DC. AOL contacted us prior to the event about including camera kits, complete with Impossible film, in gift bags for the guests. During the night, guests enjoyed snapping instant photos with their new Sun 660 cameras and PX 680 Color Protection film!

The Ad Council’s Board, which consists of the nation’s top media, advertising and corporate executives, visited Washington DC to carry on the tradition of the historic Conference, which has spanned 13 Presidents and seven decades. The tradition of the conference began in 1944 when President Franklin Roosevelt invited the then War Advertising Council to spend a day in Washington for a briefing on the events of World War II.

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Welcome back to 8 Exposures, our ongoing instant film Q&A series. This entry focuses on UK photographer Andrew Bartram…

1) What kind of Polaroid camera(s) do you use?

Mainly SX-70 Originals, I have two of those but one has recently stopped working; an SLR 680, and 250 and 103 Automatic Land Cameras.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

I can’t draw, paint or play a musical instrument so, along with my passion for the darkroom, instant photography allows me an accessible creative release from the day job.

Although I have been a film user and printer for 25 years I have only been into instant photography for the last year since I bought my first 600 box camera on Ebay, shortly followed by my first SX-70. I love the sheer unpredictable nature of the Impossible films, even the fabulous Color Protection film behaves in different ways depending on light, heat and the variables associated with your camera. So it’s that unpredictability, the uniqueness of each image combined with those wonderful Polaroid Cameras that I love about instant photography.

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Hi friends, and welcome back to 8 Exposures, our popular instant film Q&A series. This issue, we’re happy to bring you Oregon native Rich Burroughs…

1) What kind of Polaroid camera(s) do you use?

The main one is an Image 1200i, it’s one of the Spectra cameras with an LCD. I’m really enjoying the Spectra aspect ratio lately, it feels very cinematic, so that one is getting most of the work. I have a bunch of others though. A couple of SX-70s, a 180, some 600 cameras, a Clincher, and backs for my Hasselblad and Holga.

2) Why do you like instant photography?

It’s that magic of seeing the images develop. I work a lot with models and they really enjoy seeing the images come to life, it gives them a lot of confidence when they see that we nailed a shot. And it’s nice to be looking at a finished print. When I shoot digital, there are images that look great on the LCD but don’t work when I see them on my monitor.

3) What is your earliest memory of instant film?

We had Polaroids when I was a kid, my dad was into photography and they were so common. Polaroid and Kodak are the two brands that really dominated photography in my childhood.

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

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Welcome back to Dr. Love’s Tips, our ongoing series in which Impossible USA’s Camera Resource Manager Frank Love provides you with valuable insight into the workings of instant film and cameras. This week: Why 8 Photos?

Many people have asked us…”Why only 8 frames instead of the traditional 10?”

The answer here is simple…yet complex. The simple answer is that there just isn’t room to put 10 frames of Impossible Film into a pack. Well then, how did Polaroid fit 10 frames into the same cartridge?

Here is where it gets a little more complex. Polaroid made nearly all their own materials, engineered collectively over 17 years; they were able to produce film that could eject out into direct sunlight moments after being exposed without harming the film, begin processing and stop all on its own…truly amazing. They had also done this with 10 frames of film to a cartridge.

In Impossible’s case, everything was there: cameras, cartridge size, and general functionality. The hard part here is that the old way of making the film was gone, no way back, everything for the film had to be re-engineered from scratch. So Impossible began a journey to create film that could function within these constraints, within this system of cartridges and cameras. There is very very little room for change in this system, but as the materials that go into the film HAD to change, it’s not surprising that the final product did vary a little from Polaroid’s.

The main difference is...Read All

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Welcome back to Dr. Love’s Tips, where Impossible USA’s Camera Resource Manager Frank Love provides you with helpful advice on how to get the best out of your Polaroid cameras and Impossible film. This issue: Decoding the numbers on the back of the photo!

What do those numbers on the back of my images mean?

Those numbers are the ‘Frame Code. This code is how you can decipher which film this frame is, and when it was manufactured.

This 10 digit code breaks down into 5 pieces, which each set of 2 digits giving you a specific piece of information. Please refer to our picture for a detailed breakdown.

Effectively, the first 4 digits are not unlike a date (08/11=Aug. ‘11, etc.). The machine number is more for internal records and doesn’t really tell you the shooter anything about the film. The film type code is probably one of the more useful ones, as this will help you with whether this is a PX100 shot or PX 600 shot. Lastly the last two digits are simply the day of the month of the production batch.

The Polaroid Job Pro, first released in 1992, was designed with construction and work sites in mind. It is essentially the same as the One Step Flash and Supercolor cameras, with a sliding close-up lens, but the Job Pro is a bright ‘safety’ yellow, to highlight its suitability for industrial use. A sticker with quick instructions is attached to the back of the camera. Some versions of the Job Pro have the words “The Construction Camera” near the film slot.

The Polaroid Job Pro features a single-element 116mm fixed-focus plastic lens with the sliding close-up lens, Polaroid’s Light Management System, in the form of an exposure compensation switch under the lens and a built-in flash.

The Job Pro is compatible with all of Impossible’s 600-series film, which can be purchased HERE

Interested in picking up your own Job Pro camera? Check out our Job Pro – Back To Work Camera Kit

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.

Greetings from LoveLand! Welcome back to Dr. Love’s Tips, where Impossible USA’s Camera Resource Manager Frank Love provides you with helpful advice and insight into your Polaroid cameras and how to get the best out of Impossible film. This week, Frank talks about rejuvenating your camera’s rollers…

For anyone with an SX-70, folding or not, you have Polaroid’s ‘First Draft’ at roller design.

These are rollers that work by having a sort of teflon coating on the top roller. It’s this material that ‘grips’ the film as it’s ejecting to move it through the rollers for processing.

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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.

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

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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.

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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

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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

It’s time for another edition of Dr. Love’s Tips, where Impossible USA’s Camera Resource Manager Frank Love provides you with advice on how to get the most out of your Polaroid camera and Impossible film. This week: Shooting Checklist.

Yo, Camera Checklist, one-two, what is this?

Thanks to our Flickr thread looking for suggestions, we got a topic request for a ‘Shooting Checklist’. In effect, something people can use to make sure they have everything set before shooting. I think when it comes to being prepared, there’s more than one ‘list’, there’s the checklist for when you leave the house, and then there’s the checklist you have for every time you take a shot.

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In the late 1970s, Polaroid began to manufacture plastic-bodied non-folding cameras for their SX-70 film, as an alternative to the more expensive folding SX-70s. Numerous iterations of these “OneSteps” appeared through the early 80s, with slight design variations and features. “The Button” is one of those iterations.

Like the other rigid plastic SX-70 OneStep models, The Button had a single-element plastic lens, fixed focus, electronic shutter, programmed auto exposure and a socket for flashbars or electronic flash attachments. What makes The Button unique is its two-toned grey coloring and stylized “The Button” typeface.

The Button works with any of Impossible’s SX-70 films which can be purchased HERE

To see a user manual for SX-70 box-type cameras like The Button, click HERE and HERE

There is not only our team around but also many other people who are trying to make the impossible possible in one way or the other. One of them is Jens Werlein – he is building cameras out of Lego!

For the BMW Guggenheim Lab he built an 8×10 camera, during the workshop in Berlin he will use it along with Impossible 8×10 film. Make sure to attend this great experiment or stay tuned to our or Jens’s blog.

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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 pictured Red & Black. 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

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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

In 1997, Polaroid reissued their plastic-bodied 600 cameras with a more modern, rounded trim. The Polaroid OneStep Express camera is otherwise the same as the earlier One Step Flash, with a built-in flash and a sliding close-up lens. It came in various color schemes, most common being the pictured green & grey and navy blue & grey.

The Polaroid OneStep Express sports a single-element 116mm plastic lens, fixed focus of 4 feet (2 feet with the close-up lens in place), electronic shutter, programmed automatic exposure and a built-in electronic flash.

The Polaroid OneStep Express works with all of Impossible’s 600 film. For a complete list of compatible films, click HERE.

To purchase your own Polaroid OneStep Express camera kit, 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

In 1987, Polaroid celebrated its 50th anniversary. Fittingly, a special edition of the popular Sun 600 LMS camera was released, with gold face and marked, “Polaroid 50, 1937-1987”.

Aside from its appearance, the Polaroid 50th Anniversary camera sported the same features as the earlier Sun 600 LMS. A basic 600-series camera, the 50th Anniversary camera 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.

Additionally, this special-edition camera was accompanied with a matching “Polaroid 50” carrying case.

The 50th Anniversary Sun 600 works with any of Impossible’s 600-speed film. For a complete selection of compatible films, click HERE

In 1997, Polaroid released possibly their most gimmicky camera: The OneStep 600 Talking Camera. The camera came with several pre-recorded messages, and could also be used to record speech (or music) which is played via a loudspeaker just before taking your photo. The sound effects can be switched off completely if preferred, which you very well may. The pre-recorded messages apparently vary according to the territory the camera was marketed in, and include American and Spanish versions. The US version’s pre-recorded messages include, “Smile, you funny person!” and “Cheese for me, cheese for you, everybody cheese-a-roo!”

Aside from the talking capabilities, the OneStep Talking Camera functions identically to the OneStep CloseUp camera. It features a single-element 116mm plastic lens, fixed focus with a minimum focal length of 4 feet (2 feet with the sliding close-up lens in place), electronic shutter, programmed automatic exposure with a sliding exposure compensation dial and built-in electronic flash.

(More after the jump!)

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 Sonar OneStep 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 Sonar OneStep 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.

(More after the jump!)

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 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.

The Polaroid Sun 660 works with any of Impossible’s 600-series film. For a complete selection of compatible films, click HERE

To buy a Sun 660 camera kit for yourself, click HERE

Much like Polaroid’s “The Button”, the OneStep SE is identical in features to the original non-folding SX-70 “Rainbow” OneStep. The only difference is the color scheme. Instead of a white body, the OneStep SE is a shiny black, and the shutter release button is sky blue.

The OneStep SE’s rigid plastic body and fixed focus single element 103mm f/14.6 plastic lens made it a more affordable option than the folding SX-70 models.

The OneStep SE features an electronic shutter, programmed auto exposure and a socket for flashbars or electronic flash units.

The OneStep SE works with any of the Impossible Project SX-70 films, including PX 70 Color Shade film and PX 100 Silver Shade UV+ film

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Hello from Impossible! Dr. Love is back with another informative post in which he revisits the importance of shielding your images…

“Some people have asked some follow up questions to our Opacification post, and as the days are getting longer, we wanted to help stress the use of Impossible Films on those bright sunny summer days.

To simply summarize the main point from the opacification post, Impossible films are still sensitive to light in the first moments out of the camera. This is because the protective layer within the film that is there to protect the film can’t yet block out enough light in many situations that it needs an outside aide.

The Polaroid Red Stripe One Step Flash 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.

The Red Stripe One Step Flash 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 Red Stripe works with all of Impossible’s 600 film, which can be found HERE

To purchase your own Polaroid Red Stripe Camera Kit, click HERE

You will always hear “aahs” and “oohs” when unfolding any classic Polaroid folding SLR camera, revealing one of the most original and genius camera designs of all time. The SX-70 sports a chrome-plated plastic body and genuine leather accents as well as a 4-element 116mm f/8 glass lens, electronic shutter, a socket for flashbars or electronic flash units and a port for a remote shutter release. Enjoy the holy grail of analog instant photography and one of the most celebrated cameras in the history of photography – click here for more.

The Polaroid 1000 is a foreign-markets version of the original US non-folding SX-70 “Rainbow” Onestep. It is a basic plastic-bodied camera with single-element plastic lens, a fixed aperture (103mm, f14.6), fixed focus with minimal focal length of 4 feet, electronic shutter and an exposure adjustment knob surrounding the camera’s electric eye.

The 1000, like the OneStep models, has a socket for flashbars or electronic flash units, such as the Q-Light, which was specifically designed with the OneStep series in mind.

The Polaroid 1000 works with all of Impossible’s SX-70 films. For a selection of compatible films, click HERE

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This week, Impossible USA’s Camera Resource Manager Frank Love explains the importance of caring for your camera’s rollers…

The all important rollers, and why you need to keep them clean. The rollers in your camera are a vital and often overlooked part of instant photography. The condition of the rollers will directly affect any image that comes from your camera.

The rollers that are on every Polaroid Camera, however old or new it is, large or small, one film type or another, they are what make the ‘magic’ of instant film possible. The rollers are what the film passes through to initiate the development of the film and print. Every piece of instant film from Polaroid to Impossible, of all sizes, has two main components that make it all work…

Polaroid released the Spectra System in the early 1980s. It functioned similarly to Polaroid’s 600 cameras but utilized a new wide-format film. Spectra cameras also offered additional features such as a self-timer and a socket for electronic remote shutter control.

Spectras sport a 125mm 3-element “Quintic” lens, programmed auto exposure, sonar auto focus, focus distance indicator in viewfinder and a built-in electronic flash. Spectra film initially came with 10 shots per pack, but this was increased to 12 in some markets. Spectra film was also known as 1200 or Image film outside of North America.

Spectra cameras are compatible with any of Impossible’s PZ series films, including PZ 680 Color Shade film and PZ 600 Silver Shade Black Frame film

(More after the jump!)

The Polaroid Impulse camera was introduced in 1988. Its body style was a bit of a change up from the boxy Polaroid cameras of the 1980s. The body is a hard-wearing plastic, and features rubber grips around the rear. Impulse cameras usually came in a dark gray color, but there were a variety of different colors released, including yellow, red, purple and blue (shown here).

The Impulse sports a single-element plastic lens with a fixed aperture (116mm, f9), fixed focus with a 4 foot minimum focal length, exposure compensation switch below the lens and a tripod-socket…

The good doctor.

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Hello again, friends! Dr. Love is back with another entry in his popular informational film and camera series. This week: Product Date Stamps!

Some people have asked us about the dating that’s on our packaging, so in a hopes to clear up any confusion, here’s how the date breakdown works out.

First, Impossible film posts the production date on the packaging, NOT an expiration date like Polaroid did. It comes in the form of the production month, and year, on the outer box of the film packaging.

This is for several reasons. To start, Impossible film is so new and early in the development process, there really could be no expiration date that could be put on a package that could be based on actual results. By the time tests could be done to properly gauge how the films age, enough progress has been made that the material that has been tested, to the material in production, is so different that the test is effectively moot.

People ask, “How long is the film good?”. Our answer to this is that we recommend using the film within 3-6 months of purchase to ensure best results, and to store it in a refrigerator. This is simply because these are average circumstances that are known so far, and that in that amount of time there are typically updated batches produced.

Now another approach to this is the ‘fine wine’ approach. Some people like using expired film because of the...Read All

The Polaroid SX-70 Original camera is the holy grail of instant cameras, and in some respects, cameras in general. It was first introduced in 1972 after years of development and research, and was the very first camera designed for use with integral format film.

The SX-70 Original is a single-lens reflex camera, with chrome-plated plastic body and genuine tan leather accents. It collapses flat when shut, allowing for easy portability. The earliest SX-70 models do not have a focus scale, instead bearing only the notches surrounding the lens, as seen in the above photo. They also had a plain ground glass focusing screen with no split-image rangefinder as was common in later models.

The SX-70 sports a 4-element 116mm f/8 glass lens, electronic shutter and programmed automatic exposure, a socket for flashbars or electronic flash units and a port for a remote shutter release. One of the best things about the SX-70 is…

(More after the jump!)

The Polaroid Supercolor 635 CL camera is one of numerous variations on the box-style plastic bodied 600 cameras produced throughout the 80s and early 90s. The Supercolor 635 CL has the trademark rainbow stripe down the face.

The Supercolor 635 CL has a 116mm single-element plastic lens, fixed focus, programmed automatic exposure system and a built-in electronic flash. One nice feature on the Supercolor 635 CL is the sliding close-up lens, allowing the user to get photos as close to their subject as 2 feet, unlike many other 600 cameras with a minimal focal length of 4 feet.

The Supercolor 635 CL works with any of Impossible’s 600-series film, which can be found HERE

We also have Supercolor camera kits available HERE

The Polaroid Sun 600 LMS camera was first introduced in 1983. Though the exposure adjustment switch was available on several earlier models, it wasn’t christened the Light Management System until the Sun 600’s release.

A basic 600-series camera, the Sun 600 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.

Polaroid’s 600 cameras were well-known for their television commercials featuring James Garner and Mariette Hartley, and the Sun 600 LMS was no exception. Watch the 1983 commercial HERE

The Sun 600 LMS works with any of Impossible’s 600-speed film. For a complete selection of compatible films, click HERE

The Polaroid Presto! camera was first introduced in 1978, a slight variation on the non-folding SX-70 One Step camera. Its rigid plastic body and fixed focus single element 103mm f/14.6 plastic lens made it a more affordable option than the folding SX-70 models.

The Presto! has a tan and black body with the trademark Polaroid rainbow stripe, an electronic shutter, programmed auto exposure and a socket for flashbars or electronic flash units.

The Presto! works with any of the Impossible Project SX-70 films, including PX 70 Color Shade film and PX 100 Silver Shade UV+ film

The good doctor.

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This week, Impossible USA’s Camera Resource Manager Frank Love speaks about the dreaded divots!…

Something all of you have most likely seen by now, either in your shots or in shots we’ve posted, is that little patch that can occasionally show up on the top of our films. Depending on who you talk to, this can be called a ‘divot’, ‘undeveloped patch’, or even a ‘mushroom’ or ‘snowflake’ depending on its appearance.

Now, this phenomena is certainly not new with Impossible films, it’s simply that most people have either never used or forgotten about Polaroid’s earlier films that would have experienced coverage issues, or are only used to seeing it in expired film, that it’s gotten a little more attention of late…

(More after the jump!)

The good doctor.

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Door Swapping: Or, How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Frankenroid…

Several of you have asked about swapping the doors on either your SX-70s or SLR 680s. Some of you either have rollers issues, or in response to the undeveloped patch, are looking to put the door of an older SX-70 onto the body of a 680 in order to help reduce the appearance of the ‘patch’ (SX-70s generally have tighter rollers).

In order to take the door off your camera, first you open your camera, then open the door itself and hold the camera in your right hand with the front facing your left. Make sure you don’t have a pack of film inside! With your left index finger, find the hinge of the door that is furthest from you and apply pressure on the hinge towards yourself. While doing this, pull that side of the door outward…

(More after the jump!)

The good doctor.

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To Dry Age or Not to Dry Age: that is the question.

Many of you may have seen or at least heard about our Dry Age Kits. For anyone who is still asking themselves, “What is a Dry Age Kit and why do I need one?” I hope to answer some of your questions.

First of all the Dry Age Kit is all about preservation. As Impossible films are not 100% stable, there is one key factor in getting the frames to ‘cure’ or ‘set’, and that is oxidation. So long as the film is still ‘wet’ from the initial chemical process, it is slowly oxidizing, in the same way that metal rusts…

(More after the jump!)

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We recently announced a new camera kit called the Express Camera PX Kit which features an Express camera, 1 pack of PX 680 film and a Frog Tongue.

We lovingly refer to the Express cameras as the Turtle and the Whale because of their respective green and blue colors. We were delighted to find that our friend Kim Oberski’s daughters Reese (8 years old) and Hannah (6 years old) were inspired to write short stories and draw pictures about the Turtle and the Whale!

Here is Reese’s story…

“Once upon a time, there was a Turtle and a Whale. It was that time of year were snow was on the ground. They decided to go sleding. Turtle did it a very weird way turtle slid down on it’s back. Whale did it a weird way too…

(More after the jump!)

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That’s right, we now have Macro 5 cameras back in stock in the US Online Shop.

The highly professional Polaroid Macro 5 Camera was developed for extreme close up shots. It features 5 built-in, switchable lenses to simply melt distances for incredible reproductions at 20%, 40%, 100%, 200% and 300%. The Macro 5 is specifically for use with Spectra/Image/PZ film!

You don’t need to be a dentist or ophthalmologist to use this camera. Pick one up today to have some close-up fun!

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

The good doctor.

This week, Impossible USA’s Camera Resource Manager Frank Love talks about swapping film packs between cameras…

One common question we get asked a lot is “Can I swap a film pack from one camera to another before it’s done, without ruining the film?”

We know sometimes you start one pack of film, but then you see something that would be perfect with a different film, but your pack isn’t done yet, or maybe you want to take the same film and put it in a different camera. Either way, the concern is the same…

(More after the jump!)

First released in 1978, the sleek and sexy Polaroid SX-70 Silver Sonar camera is now available in a very special kit in the Impossible US Online Shop.

The Silver Sonar SX-70 is the swaggering younger brother of the SX-70 Original. Silver has all the same features you loved about Original (SLR, glass lens, shiny chrome, manual focus), but comes with a glossy black coat and the option to shoot with sonar autofocus, which comes in handy when trying to photograph on the fly.

This unique kit contains a carefully refurbished SX-70 Silver Sonar camera, warranty, CD with original scanned SX-70 manuals, two packs of PX 70 Color Shade film and the amazing PX Shade to protect your images from light.

Round out your SX-70 family now with the SX-70 Sonar PX Shade Kit!

The good doctor.

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This week, Impossible USA’s Camera Resource Manager Frank Love provides some tips on how best to care for your beloved Polaroid SX-70…

For anyone with a folding SX-70, you know how beautiful they are, but some of you may have also found that they are delicate instruments, and you may have one that doesn’t work so well or consistently, and maybe it’s just sitting around and hasn’t worked at all recently. There’s a chance that if this camera hasn’t received any trauma, it may simply need a little ‘Love’ to get it going again.

I first want to state that if you don’t feel comfortable doing anything here, don’t, but if you follow these simple instructions you should have a good shot at getting your camera working again…

(More after the jump!)

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That’s right! We now have the popular Spectra Spectacular Camera Kits back in stock in the US Online Shop. Each kit comes with a refurbished Spectra camera, 1 pack of PZ 680 Color Shade film and 1 pack of PZ 600 Silver Shade UV+ film.

First introduced in 1986, Spectra cameras offer a wider frame, so you can include more friends, puppies, motorcycles, or whatever you like to photograph in each frame. Spectra cameras also feature sonar autofocus, so you can get the sharpest image possible.

People have been going wild for PZ 680’s unique tonal range and colors. Get a kit for yourself and see what everyone is talking about!

We currently have a very limited supply of Variously-Colored Impulse 600 Camera and Special Effects Filter Kits. All of the cameras have had the Impossible Frog Tongue installed. ONLY 5 KITS AVAILABLE, and they are only available at the Impossible Project NYC Space.

Please call +1 212 219 3254 for enquiries.

Not in NYC? Don’t worry. We’ll be putting Impulse Camera/Special Effects Filter Kits for sale at http://shop.the-impossible-project.com/ very soon!

The Impossible Workshop series is delighted to present the first of our SX-70 camera and film workshops on Sunday, October 30th from 10 AM to 1 PM. The iconic SX-70 camera has now become a rare vintage classic and is still arguably Polaroid’s sharpest and most innovative camera.

This fully interactive workshop will include use of a folding SX-70 (although we encourage you to bring your own), one pack of Impossible PX 70 film and a PX Shade. We will explore the features of the SX-70, and there will be a focus on shooting techniques and achieving the best results from the new Impossible films. We’ll cover topics ranging from shielding techniques to temperature control to identifying and managing each film type’s unique characteristics.

You will have the opportunity to shoot in and around our NYC space, located on the cusp of Soho, Little Italy and Chinatown, and then display and discuss your images before learning about image preservation techniques.

The workshop is priced at $50 and all students will also receive 10% off anything in the store on the day of the event! Hurry to book as limited places are available. To register for this workshop, please call us toll-free at 888-250-6020, 11am-7pm EST or email nycspace@theimpossibleproject.com.