Some people use oil paints to make a painting and others produce art using a computer. Both are valid forms of expression, but one is not the other.
For the first time since February 2008, when Polaroid announced that it would cease production of Type 55 film, Soundwave Research Laboratories, in Ashland Massachusetts, has been trying to produce a replacement. Now, after a long effort they have produced a small hand-made batch of film, that is very similar to Type 55. Bob Crowley has documented the projects progress in his blog called New 55.
As some of you know, the Polaroid version was a unique film that not only produced an instant positive, but also produced a high quality 4×5″ negative that could be scanned or printed using an enlarger. It was the very film that I used to shoot my Experiment in Perspective series.
I feel very honored to be the very first photographer outside of the New 55 organization to be able to try this film. I was given 5 sheets. The first one had a mechanical malfunction and the second was the image as shown, just shot this morning. My impressions are as follows:
Perfect, no; magic, yes!
This new film utilizes the same film holder that was used with Polaroid Type 55 and seems to have many of the same characteristics. While an actual product is perhaps, a ways off. I can tell you that what has been done by this organization to date is a major accomplishment. It is one thing to read a vague long-expired patent, quite another to duplicate the results on a lab bench.
Does anyone even give a damn about this? If you do, I ask that follow the New 55 Blog and spread the word. Please note: there is not a test supply currently available. Please do not ask Bob for samples.
I’m asking you to please pass this on to anyone that you think might care. If you still use film and feel threatened by its loss, please post this to your wall; tweet, it blog it, throw your window open and yell. If you need some inspiration, if you feel overpowered by the big corporations who tell you what you can and cannot have, look at this brief video clip, and tell Bob how you feel. maybe Bob will hear you in Ashland!
chervinsky.wordpress.com 
YAY and I am about to email Bob. I have been waiting for someone to try and duplicate Type 55 for some time now and almost lost all hope. I hope this does become available. Thank you for this post!
-AnnMarie Tornabene
Hi Anne Marie,
Lost your e mail address. write me> I have a bunch of type 55 in my frig to sell you if you want it. robert@robertbianchi.com
just when i sold my 4×5 camera….thanks for this.
Excellent!
This is probably more important than the project impossible with the type 600 film. Polaroid should have leased their film product lines to investors. Fuji film should have stepped in and picked up type 55 in addition to their great color and B&W large format film line. None of it make much sense, just $ and ¢ I guess.
Bons e saudosos tempos! Faço parte dos 5% dos adeptos do suporte de filme. Bom artigo! Recomendo: Histoir de Voir.
HOORRRAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I AM WILLING TO BE A GUINEA PIGAROO.
I HAVE USED 55 SINCE I WAS ON THE ORIGINAL TEST TEAM (AND STILL HAVE SOME THAT WORKS).
ANYTHING I CAN DO TO HELP I AM WILLING TO DO.
When Polaroid Type 55 film ceased to exist, my visual language fell over a cliff. I began working with Type 55 in1990 on a project that depended on it over an extended time.This was a lifetime aging project. Right before Polaroid stopped producing Type 55 in 2008, I began having problems with my film batches; sent to Polaroid to solve the problem.The clip would not catch to hold film for exposure. At first I thought it was the holders. Sent the holders and film to Polaroid. They said it was the film. Holders were fine. I was sent a new box of film. The same problem occurred. Now three years later, I am still trying to reinvent the desired results with traditional 4×5 film. Has anybody else had this problem?
PRAISE THE HEAVENS!!!! There is a photo god!
AAAHHHH Yes! Can’t wait to see this in production.
Oh, this could be the best news I have EVER heard! Count me in!
F***in A, about damn time. Hooray!
I used type 55 film maney years ago, i hope it is brought back as istill shoot large format film. I still have some in my freezer.
Hi there Bob, this is really interesting and I would love to spread the word on mine and my friends site called
Filmsnotdead!
Have Polaroid said anything to you about bringing it out to the public?
Best wishes and nice blog, Tori
Bob, thanks for the research on the film. this is somthinga lot of people will be waiting for when you get it done and tested.
I truly hope this makes into production. I’m new to 4×5 and I’ve only just discovered that I missed out on the fun of Type 55. This post means that there’s still hope!
Make it real for us all, pretty please 🙂
I’v still got a Type 55 Processing bucket – would you like it? Just email me.
Thanks Mark, that’s very nice of you! I don’t need it, but I’m sure there’s someone out there that could make use of it. All best wishes. -John
Thanks, John. I’m hoping to get this!
Wow, I’m really looking forward to getting this!
Fab!!! I would love to try it! :)))))
This is great news. I hope they get it into production as this was an amazing film. I have a number of Polaroids waiting for it and would love to be able to pull them oput and put them back in use.
The link did not bring me to a video of this product. Maybe I missed it. I would be thrill if type 55 came back. I used some and enjoyed it. I have several 3 by 4 Polaroid cameras and a Vivitar slide printer I would like to try it in if it come back in that size.
Thank heaven for this!! I was a big fan of Type 55 and I’m glad that I held on to the Polaroid film holder. Can’t wait to try this. I hope it will be available in Europe (my current base of operations).
Carol
still waiting for the magic to return.
hope to see it soon!
[…] Type 55 was discontinued along with the rest of Polaroid’s film line in 2008, and a lot of photographers are still sad about that. Since then, Crowley’s made huge progress, and has even worked out one improvement on T55—the old film had mismatched ISO ratings for print and negative, so you had to choose between a correctly exposed print and a correctly exposed negative. His new product will be balanced, giving both in one shot. He has also replaced the sodium sulfite with ordinary black-and-white fixer, which is easier to find. An enthusiastic appreciation of the new film appears here. […]
Drex Brooks 11/26/12
Anything aout 665, i am starting a project with bout 25 packs i have saved when polaroid was doing the print for materials exchange with arts – and was expecting that i would do what i could do with the 25 packs and that would be the end of the project. A lot of people were using the 665 at the time of the discontinuation, wonder if any thought has been thought about bringing back that particular pos.neg film. hope so. i would be tickled pink
In principle it would be possible. However, it would be very difficult to manufacture pack film on such a small scale. I would think it to be unlikely unless one of the major producers decide to take it on.
I used type 55 back in photography school when it was required to shoot with a 4×5. Even though I shoot mostly all digital now I miss the days of working with that film. I would definitely try this new product
if it made it into circulation.