Has anyone had experience, pro or con, with Polapan film. I am considering using it and would like to have some real world feedback. Additionally, how does it travel?

-- Richard (wpcdallas@aol.com), February 28, 2002

Answers

It scatches really, really easily so watch out! and it's bloody expensive. unless you need to process it in the field I wouldn't bother B http://www.briandavidstevens.com

-- brian (brian@briandavidstevens.com), February 28, 2002.

From a dealers perspective consider this. One of the results of Polaroids financial problems is the cutting of a number of products that aren't major sellers. One of the first of these items we have had problems getting from Polaroid is all of their instant slide films. I would hesitate to get to used to using it...........

-- Bob Todrick (bobtodrick@yahoo.com), February 28, 2002.

It's grainy for the speed, very contrasty (even as a 'continuous tone' film), sharp up to the limit of the grain, which isn't very.

It's the same film used for Polachrome slides - minus the color separation screens/filters - so it gets exposed THROUGH the film base plastic, which means the emulsion is dragging across your pressure plate when running through the camera - hence scratches. Another reason for scratching tendencies is that there is no gelatin overcoat over the silver, because the chemicals have to penetrate the emulsion and do their work in 1-2 minutes.

It requires either a bulky manual processor (think shoebox size) or a bulkier powered processor. I'm not sure what you want in the way of 'traveling capability', but the film sacrifices a LOT in order to provide 'instant' images - unless you shoot it and process it right away to use the results, you're paying a huge money/quality price and giving up the only real benefit you're paying for.

It has a special 'look' that works for some purposes, in the same way that 'cross-processed' color films have a 'look'. But for basic straight photography Agfa's Scala slide film - or B&W negative films run through Kodak's reversal chemistry kit - give better grain, tonality, and film speed - and equivalent or better cost.

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), February 28, 2002.

Although it is difficult to judge actual grain and such with scanned images, you might want to check out the website of photographer William Santillo

http://www3.sympatico.ca/santillo/index.html

He has shot much of the B&W work on tat site using Polapan 100. He says it is very fragile and must be mounted in glass almost immediately - and also that it is very hard to find and may be discontinued soon. But it can create some beautiful results.

-- Derrick Nelson (dt.nelson@verizon.net), April 23, 2002.

Hallo , because polaroid will stop the production, I'm looking for a way in getting a similar effect with digital photography. Does somebody know a tool to get such a result with photopshop. thanks from Hamburg/germany

-- Jürgen Müller (j.mueller@studio-mueller.com), June 09, 2002.

Richard:

I have used tons of it. This would be approximately 20 y ago. I even have a machine in my office [looks something like a copier] which will produce slides or 3.25 x 4.25 prints from scanned items. Twenty years ago, it was great for a last minute slide. The quality sucked but it was better than nothing [do you remember the pseudo-azo film]. I also have the manual and the powered developing apparatus. It has been so long since I used it that I probably couldn't operate it now. Everything is now digital. Presentations are from a laptop. Quality is just as good or better. Things change. ;<)

Art

-- Art (AKarr90975@aol.com), June 09, 2002.