I am having a problem with inconsistent color and clarity of detail with Polaroid 669 film. I use Scala (black and white) slide film, a Vivitar slide printer and Arches hot pressed watercolor paper (wet).

The "look" I seek is a warm, yellowish, sepia color with good detail definition. I can attain this with some (but very few) packs of what purports to be the same film. Most packs have a colder look and many seem incapable of rendering fine detail. I have used different packs of film at the same session, keeping all variables (more or less) the same, and have gotten wildly differing results. I have found that I can warm up the color by (literally) warming up the film. Also a filter can help, but neither of these stopgaps produces the lovely tones that some packs of film seem to come by naturally. And neither stopgap improves the ability of the film to render fine detail.

I know that one could simply note the emulsion of the stuff one likes and then go back and buy a bunch, but this isn't really practical as this is pricey stuff to play with. In any case, I haven't been able to find film with my "look" for some time.

I would very much appreciate any advice or help.

Jeffrey Krenzel

-- Jeffrey Krenzel (jkrenzel@yahoo.com), January 30, 2001