This is so cool !! Not sure I would ever get to do this but it is so much fun seeing this side of photography. You are a great communicator and a great teacher. Thanks So much.
This whole video is as wonderful as the results you guys got. Can't imagine how hard it would be to gather the materials but looks so worth the effort.
i miss shooting the 8x10 colour Polaroid film so much, such a fun film to shoot and the most gorgeous colours, makes me want to get an 8x10 camera just for Polaroids
Thanks Max I know that feeling! Right when I started 8x10 was the tail end of Polaroid 809 and that film was absolute magic. The color palette was gorgeous, and while this new film is different, still brings back some of that "look".
Couldn't agree more! 4x5 does have a rare treat coming soon in the form of the Lomography adapter for Instax Wide, but it would be great to have something peel apart or like the 8x10.
@@MatMarrash Yes I have seen the ad for it. It has to be pre ordered here in the UK. It is not unreasonably priced but regrettably Instax just doesn't give that Polaroid ' pallet ' and is somewhat a smaller print.
You're a great teacher. Wonderful explanation of about the Polaroid system and what a fun way to spend an afternoon. I love that Graf Variable lens. I would love to have one of those. I was trying to understand why one would shoot Polaroid today given the limitations of the film and unpredictability of expired film, then you told me at the end. LOL.
Thank you very much Michael, it was a blast shooting and filming that video. 8x10 Polaroid is one of those special treats that is great fun to shoot, despite its limitations.
Of course I want to see more, LOTS MORE ! Enjoyed that a lot and I'm trying to get my first 4x5 now, and will start out with a Lomograflok Instax Wide back. This kind of photography really is cool and looks like a lot of fun. Awesome video. LarryMac
Great video. The 8x10 shots are simply "wow". Good to see that huge Graf in action. Imho, totally worth it for the experience of shooting instant film at that price, specially if you consider that regular 8x10 sheet + processing time + chemicals + post works is definitely not "cheaper" than $20
Oh my wow!!!! The images you all made are so beautiful. I know I am only watching on a computer screen, but as soon as I saw the images I fell in love with the look. It must be such a thrill seeing the images appear in real life. I would love to get in to shooting some of these 8x10, but I currently have none of the equipment. Luckily the roller machine and holders are still out there and hopefully Polaroid will make some more 8x10 film soon. Of course, need to get myself an 8x10 and lens too - biggest I have right now is a 5x4.
I gotta give it to you, I shoot 4x5 and 8x10, b&w c41 and e6, but shooting polaroids in 8x10 is just too much work - and additional expensive gear. I get the fun with a small crew though!
That is so cool! I didn't know that Polaroid did 8X10 instant film (too bad they don't manufacture any more of those. OH BTW, I bet you know that it was possible to reclaim a negative from a Polaroid? I tried it many years ago. So I was able to reprint them again and again with the standard photo printing process. Anyway, I loved your video a lot!
Mat you are a great teacher wish I lived by you. Its going to take me some time to get used to using a large format again. Only used them in school. Hey no sleeping during your picture 17:30 😂😂😂😂🤣🤣
Very nice. I shoot 8x10 Polaroid with a Kodak MasterView. The new Polaroid film is so much better than the impossible films first formula when they were trying to recreate the original Polaroid formula.
Great results Mat. The cost of the film and accessibility is not the real problem, it is finding a film holder and accès to à developer press, as here in Europe there are not that many available.
That is definitely a concern, with age of the equipment adding to the risk. I have hopes that the brilliant folks in the world of 3D printing may be able to help with this parts deficit in the coming years.
13:52 that Matt is surely gorgeous. Never would have guessed. Sometimes you have to see someone in Black and White to see how beautiful they are. It's also funny how years ago I thought this film was so expensive at $20 per sheet but now it's less expensive than my own expired FP100c packs, which sell for $225/pack (of 3x4") on fee bay.
Ahhh this is so awesome. They Look so great, but i must say i feel way better now about my ra4 reversal test, that i did. I was so frustrated with the color cast, and the limited dynamic range... but your amazement with this polaraoid stuff got me thinking again. Ra4 reversal is defently alot i mean alot cheaper. You can shoot in standard 8x10 holder or even lager if you have ulf filmholders. Developing is more even, there are no spots or rollers that you can see. Cons: its is around iso 3 and you cant process in daylight ... ! But you only need to develop black and white part in the darkness. you can see the amazing transition from black and white negative to color positive in bright daylight.
One more question... Do we actually have some sort of community on discord, or something similar, somewhere we can share pictures we are talking about in the comments? That would be great to build a community between the commenters. And you could enjoy some work, you inspired
Leon thanks for sharing your thoughts! I agree that the RA-4 Reversal process has the chops to be a true Polaroid successor. Where the Polaroid gear has its equipment-based limits, the RA-4 process ads in lower speeds and paper stability. As far as a community goes, there are some film shooter discords out there, worth looking into!
Makes me wonder if Polaroid is capable of making 8x10 instant film if they'd ever start producing 4x5 ready load shots for old 545 holders. I know it's pretty much impossible to make pack film but 4x5 single shot film like new55 seems like a cool idea
Cool video, and with precautions, beautiful results but the cost of this 8x10 Polaroid set up must be high for us non professional photographers that will not recover the costs.
It can be very tempting to dive in, but with 8x10 everything gets pricier and the pace grinds to a halt. There is the Lomography Instax back coming to 4x5 early 2021!
2:23 The clear sheet is not a positive, it’s a protective cover as found on Polaroid integral film. The Impossible Project’s, Polaroid Original’s and the new Polaroid’s 8x10 film is quite different than types 59, 559, 669 and 809 in that those were a positive/negative process vs the new film being like SX-70, 600 and Spectra in it’s development process.
Crazy complicated, expensive and prone to flakiness. But wow - some of those images. Great episode Mat and I'm now wondering if I need a mono as well as a field camera - thanks for that :-) I was curious though - it would be interesting to take one of those shots to understand how and why you placed the camera position and movements. It think it was one of the last shots (head in hand?) where the camera looked like it was doing contortions. Might be a subject to add to that spreadsheet.
Thanks Richard and that's an interesting suggestion. I'll have to confer with my portrait photographer buddies for something on posing with large format.
It's a pity that films like FP100 and such have been discontinued and now their price on the 2nd hand market is so damn expensive. I hope Lomo can come up with a good 4x5 Polaroid (or, should that be "Lomoroid??!!!) film.
Would love to see some new offerings in the peel apart market. Scarcity and the newest wave of film shooters are creating quite the pricey environment.
"Is it worth it?" Yes... yes it is. I'll take one good 4x5 negative of mine over 100's of thousands of digital images of mine. That was the first front mounted shutter I've ever seen. I have a 4x5 and 5x7 Sinar that I used to use in the field. It's a great camera but a challenge to use for landscape. There's something about the look of the Polaroids that I really like. It's not perfect... nothing is
Very interesting and well-done video. I have a feeling one of these days you will (if you haven't already!) experiment with dry plate process, as you seem very keen to explore all areas of LF. Thanks for the good work!! Cheers!
Thanks for the comment and question Chris! The new B&W prints from Polaroid (2010 onward) tend to fade after a few years if not removed from the backing sheet and chemicals.
A pretty good endorsement for NOT using Polaroid. However, my experience with 4x5 Polaroid was totally different. Only about on in fifty ever had anything other than perfect results. Most of them were from my pulling the film too slow or jerking it. I have not tried the 545i back. On the 4x5 back, you can control the amount of contrast by letting it sit longer before you peeled the negative.
Thanks Chris, this is a magical Polaroid format to shoot. You're not crazy, since the negative is processing through a transparent layer, the results are mirrored!
Thanks for the comment and question. These 8x10 Polaroids need to have excess processing paste removed and stored very dry for a few weeks. The B&W's tend to fade within a few years, but the color seems to hold on for longer.
I wonder if the chemistry involved in this film is wildly different from the various pack films for 4x5? It seems like if Polaroid can still make this stuff, they could make the pack film for 4x5.
Thanks Mat 👍 I have one expired B&W left which looking at this might be toast! How much dynamic range would you say the colour has? Looking forward to trying the Colour 😄
Thanks for the comment Stuart. I would say the color is about the same range but with a muted palette so it doesn't appear too contrasty. The color also appears to be a bit more archival.
After rewatching i heard DR is about 2-3 stops which seems right. The earliest impossible has not aged very well even after drying quickly. Looking forward to Colour trials 👍 Thanks for the videos
@@stuartbaines2843 I think the newer color films are doing a better job than when they were Impossible. Three stops is a fair rating for them, but they don't do well beyond expiration. B&W's will still fade even with removing excess reagent and drying. Color seems decently stable, I have some color prints from 2017 still going strong. Fingers crossed!
Pretty cool video , love polaroid I wish I could get a shot in 8x10, also do that film dosent have the blue protective layer so that why it has to be shielded from light ? Edit: found the name of the blue protective layer is the opacification layer
Hi Brian and thanks for the comment. When this film started production at Impossible, before it become Polaroid Originals, they always cautioned to keep it shielded for the first 5 minutes to help color and exposure. The film has definitely improved since then, so it may just be habit on my part.
It's recommended you store the prints in an archival box with a desiccant for several weeks after processing. Once they're sufficiently dried you can frame them as they are or transfer the emulsion to another surface.
Great video, thank U. I notice U get a lighter stripe in the middle of the picture. We also get the same result. Do U have a solution to that? We do not use the tray. We use the Model 81-05 holder.
The whole reason why I do 8x10 is because of polaroid, wish the holders werent so much money, apprently you can buy taiwanese made ones somewhere off market but never tried buying
Totally agree, start for the large negative, stay for the Polaroids! Hmm, will have to look into aftermarket options. I know there are the x-ray processors for this film but have never tried them.
Hey Matt, have you ever had an unprocessed corner at the bottom of every shot? That's what's happening with mine and I'm wondering if something snags on the film holder. It looks too uniform between shots to be uneven roller spread.
Thanks for the question. If the unprocessed corner is close to the pods, even on fresh film, this could be due to a very slight gap in the rollers or an obstruction along the processing path. I've had "burnt corners" in the corners far from the pods, this is due to drying out on expired film, where there isn't enough to fully spread on the print.
Awesome walkthrough (as always), Mat. Having said that: Time, cost vs. risk of failure, the deficiencies and the mirrored results let me lean rather towards wet plate, although I'm aware of all its limitations. It's a pity that they haven't succeeded to reproduce the ease and reliability of the original Polaroid™ material, yet. Where do these three-column stripes come from, is there an issue with the rollers in the machine or is it due to the layout of the pods? It looks like the pods are aligned in a parallel manner like |...| |...| |...| I think this could easily be avoided by partially overlapping them, like so |..\ \../ /..| (just an idea, in case you know how to access their R&D folks).
Thanks Olaf, I believe the stripes could be something to do with the roller pressure from my processing unit. It always seems to show up in my expired Polaroid Originals film shots, but has never showed up in fresh film or Polaroid 809.
You guys did great, there are some really nice portraits. Thanks for making this video! However... I don't want to be that guy in the comments, but to me the $20 price would be worth it - if the film was decent, but it just isn't. To begin with, the black and white stuff is just obviously useless for any purpose. Does it really look like that? Or is it just expired/old? The color stuff looks a lot better, but there's still visible banding on every shot. I wouldn't want to put those on my wall, let alone try to sell them to a client. My experience is similar with the smaller format films (even the new, post-Impossible era ones, although they're a bit better), so it's not a big surprise. It would be great if there was Instax in 8x10, no? :) But one can dream...
The B&W was quite expired, as was mentioned throughout. Polaroid is making a solid film product, and though it may not be winning over everyone, it's popular enough that they currently cannot meet its demand. If you're looking for something that reminds you of "old" Polaroid, your best bet would be the Lomo Graflok back releasing later this year for using Instax Wide in 4x5 cameras.
i feel as though i have seen people separate the positive and negative after processing to scrape away excess blue glop. as i understood it, this was to help preserve the image over time suggesting that to leave the extra blue glop alone would contribute to the fading of the image. i cannot find any more info online about this approach...any thoughts Mat?
That is a technique that helps with imaging browning and fading in the B&W materials, and from fading in the color materials. My oldest color materials from them when they were Impossible Project have all faded.
@@MatMarrash thanks for the reply Mat. i recall watching a youtube video that briefly demonstrated it (not in great detail though) but it was from several years ago with the Impossible Project emulsion. wasnt sure if the emulsion formula had evolved past the necessity of having to do that. i have attempted to do it but i think the timing of the peeling is critical as i tore chunks of the emulsion apart due to waiting a bit to long. if anyone knows of a good resource that talks about this/demonstrates it i would love to check it out. really enjoying the channel BTW
@@amgphoto76 Yeah my attempts at it have never been without some damage to the emulsion. I'll usually only try it with a second/backup shot. I have some color prints from 2018 that were properly dried for weeks then framed. No signs of fading yet, fingers crossed!
@@MatMarrash i appreciate you sharing your first hand experiences with it. i have 15 shots of color 8x10 Polaroid Originals emulsion that are almost a year old so maybe ill run a test on them before they pass their expiration date. really appreciate the forum you have created here and the dialogue.
Those were more relevant for older Polaroid films which needed to be peeled after a fixed amount of time. The newer "integral" style Polaroid films need far longer to process.
My best recommendation would be to place a backorder with Polaroid dealers. Haven't seen this film made new since late 2020, but hopefully we get some good news soon.
Hi Dominique and thanks for the question. I used an old lens called a Graf Variable. There's an entire episode on my channel about it here: czcams.com/video/REZhvE2o0UU/video.html
@@dominiquescarcelli7607 There's no hard rule for what focal length to use for portraits in large format. I recommend with the 8x10 size to use something standard focal length of 300mm or longer.
Agreed! This is a film that needs to be shot within a year of production for best results. The B&W was mega expired and stored outside of recommended conditions.
Surprised the took masks off to take photos! Nice. (The modern thing to do is take photos of everyone with masks on, even for expensive Advertising shoots and commercials, which I think is horrible. Why include people at all if their faces are covered up? I mean why not just put paper bags on everyone's head even in a $5,000,000 TV commercial for Apple Iphone 18 )
![Shooting 20x24 Portraits With A Massive Camera & Unique “Instant” Process [Instant Shoots]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/l2XBu0WjeK4/mqdefault.jpg)
This channel should have waaaay more recognition. Very nice job!
Thank you very much, I'm glad there are folks out there that find my experiments with large format entertaining.
Two 8x10 Polaroids topics in one week, both you and Willem Verbeeck, hats off 🎞 📷
Much appreciated!
the sound when the polaroid printer is done. Priceless. Good point about the result being the medium and not for proofing.
It's pretty amazing how in a matter of a few years the mindset of instant film's use changed from disposable to one-of-a-kind.
This is so cool !! Not sure I would ever get to do this but it is so much fun seeing this side of photography. You are a great communicator and a great teacher. Thanks So much.
Thanks Mark, if you have the opportunity I highly recommend it. Instant film is already a blast, but 8x10's are on another level!
This whole video is as wonderful as the results you guys got. Can't imagine how hard it would be to gather the materials but looks so worth the effort.
Front mounting a shutter..... awesome!
There are larger shutters out there, but work with what you've got. Plus the Sinar shutter gets you flash sync!
@@MatMarrash Exactly! I'm afraid none of my cameras are compatible with this setup but it's definitely food for thought.....
i miss shooting the 8x10 colour Polaroid film so much, such a fun film to shoot and the most gorgeous colours, makes me want to get an 8x10 camera just for Polaroids
Thanks Max I know that feeling! Right when I started 8x10 was the tail end of Polaroid 809 and that film was absolute magic. The color palette was gorgeous, and while this new film is different, still brings back some of that "look".
Great portraits. I really wish they could bring the 4x5 and 8x10 polaroid back again. There is an indescribable magic about a large Polaroid print.
Couldn't agree more! 4x5 does have a rare treat coming soon in the form of the Lomography adapter for Instax Wide, but it would be great to have something peel apart or like the 8x10.
@@MatMarrash Yes I have seen the ad for it. It has to be pre ordered here in the UK. It is not unreasonably priced but regrettably Instax just doesn't give that Polaroid ' pallet ' and is somewhat a smaller print.
This is such a cool episode
It's one of my favorites, just wish I had more of this fabulous film!
Anyone shooting 8x10 with a sinar deserves an instant subscription. Well done sir
Thanks Bartolomeo! This channel has given me an excuse to shoot it more and share the Sinar love.
This is the second time you released a video right after I researched the very same topic! Great channel
Thanks Ron, and I'm 83% certain it's not the algorithm's fault.
You're a great teacher. Wonderful explanation of about the Polaroid system and what a fun way to spend an afternoon. I love that Graf Variable lens. I would love to have one of those. I was trying to understand why one would shoot Polaroid today given the limitations of the film and unpredictability of expired film, then you told me at the end. LOL.
Thank you very much Michael, it was a blast shooting and filming that video. 8x10 Polaroid is one of those special treats that is great fun to shoot, despite its limitations.
Of course I want to see more, LOTS MORE ! Enjoyed that a lot and I'm trying to get my first 4x5 now, and will start out with a Lomograflok Instax Wide back. This kind of photography really is cool and looks like a lot of fun. Awesome video. LarryMac
Great video. The 8x10 shots are simply "wow". Good to see that huge Graf in action. Imho, totally worth it for the experience of shooting instant film at that price, specially if you consider that regular 8x10 sheet + processing time + chemicals + post works is definitely not "cheaper" than $20
Thanks! 8x10 Polaroid has a special place in my heart and it's so exciting that we still have access to such a process at a decent price.
Quickly becoming one of my favourite channels. Great video. Just received my first 4x5 camera and your content was one of the inspirations to get it.
Thanks Peter and enjoy your new 4x5 kit!
Great,Your passion is seen ,,
Great job Mat! Your love for the medium shines through!
Thanks Russell, Polaroid 8x10 is one of my all time favorites!
i love large format fridays 😊
Great video and always great topics. I look forward to these every Friday.
Glad you like them!
Oh my wow!!!! The images you all made are so beautiful. I know I am only watching on a computer screen, but as soon as I saw the images I fell in love with the look. It must be such a thrill seeing the images appear in real life.
I would love to get in to shooting some of these 8x10, but I currently have none of the equipment. Luckily the roller machine and holders are still out there and hopefully Polaroid will make some more 8x10 film soon. Of course, need to get myself an 8x10 and lens too - biggest I have right now is a 5x4.
Great stuff , you should do more of demonstrating using 4x5 with 8x10 cameras 🙌🙌🙌🙌👍🏻
this guy knows his stuff, straight nerd, hell yeah.
I use to have a Sinar F2 8x10 they are real enginering delights!
Of all the cameras in the studio the Sinar is my baby. Such a wonderful, well made tool! :)
@@MatMarrash the Swiss definitely know how to engineer a camera!
Those color Polaroids have such an interesting color palette. Had to comment again after watching it again lol
Thanks! Keeping my fingers crossed I can get some more of this fabulous film to have more instant fun.
@@MatMarrash Good luck Mat🤞🏾
Best photography video I have seen for such a difficult photography project. Hats off guys!!
Great video and stunning portraits!
Thanks Clay, they were a lot of fun to make!
Looks like you guys had a great, educational blast.
I just stumbled upon the channel, I am now hooked thanks Guys!
Thanks Larry and welcome to the channel!
maaan, it is so interesting to see those polaroids and the whole making of. first thing after corona, large format workshop somewhere!!
Thanks Magnus! If you have the chance to take a workshop with 8x10 Polaroid, it's a blast!
Just started watching your channel and I think this is my favorite video so far. Those color portraits are phenomenal.
Thank you so much Lance! 😀
I gotta give it to you, I shoot 4x5 and 8x10, b&w c41 and e6, but shooting polaroids in 8x10 is just too much work - and additional expensive gear. I get the fun with a small crew though!
That is so cool! I didn't know that Polaroid did 8X10 instant film (too bad they don't manufacture any more of those. OH BTW, I bet you know that it was possible to reclaim a negative from a Polaroid? I tried it many years ago. So I was able to reprint them again and again with the standard photo printing process. Anyway, I loved your video a lot!
Mat you are a great teacher wish I lived by you. Its going to take me some time to get used to using a large format again. Only used them in school. Hey no sleeping during your picture 17:30 😂😂😂😂🤣🤣
Cool,glad I stumble upon your channel.
Thanks for stumbling by and enjoy the channel!
Very nice. I shoot 8x10 Polaroid with a Kodak MasterView. The new Polaroid film is so much better than the impossible films first formula when they were trying to recreate the original Polaroid formula.
Great results Mat. The cost of the film and accessibility is not the real problem, it is finding a film holder and accès to à developer press, as here in Europe there are not that many available.
That is definitely a concern, with age of the equipment adding to the risk. I have hopes that the brilliant folks in the world of 3D printing may be able to help with this parts deficit in the coming years.
Incredible shots!!!!
Thank you!
Hi Mat, great Polaroid episode. Many processors seem to miss the loading tray but you need it don't you?!
Damn the colour 10x8 stuff actually looks, decent now?!
The color looks super clean, but it has to be very fresh, < 1 year old, and stored in 5-10C conditions.
13:52 that Matt is surely gorgeous. Never would have guessed. Sometimes you have to see someone in Black and White to see how beautiful they are. It's also funny how years ago I thought this film was so expensive at $20 per sheet but now it's less expensive than my own expired FP100c packs, which sell for $225/pack (of 3x4") on fee bay.
Ahhh this is so awesome. They Look so great, but i must say i feel way better now about my ra4 reversal test, that i did. I was so frustrated with the color cast, and the limited dynamic range... but your amazement with this polaraoid stuff got me thinking again. Ra4 reversal is defently alot i mean alot cheaper. You can shoot in standard 8x10 holder or even lager if you have ulf filmholders. Developing is more even, there are no spots or rollers that you can see. Cons: its is around iso 3 and you cant process in daylight ... ! But you only need to develop black and white part in the darkness. you can see the amazing transition from black and white negative to color positive in bright daylight.
One more question... Do we actually have some sort of community on discord, or something similar, somewhere we can share pictures we are talking about in the comments? That would be great to build a community between the commenters. And you could enjoy some work, you inspired
Leon thanks for sharing your thoughts! I agree that the RA-4 Reversal process has the chops to be a true Polaroid successor. Where the Polaroid gear has its equipment-based limits, the RA-4 process ads in lower speeds and paper stability. As far as a community goes, there are some film shooter discords out there, worth looking into!
Makes me wonder if Polaroid is capable of making 8x10 instant film if they'd ever start producing 4x5 ready load shots for old 545 holders. I know it's pretty much impossible to make pack film but 4x5 single shot film like new55 seems like a cool idea
I would love, love, love for it to be a peel apart print again! If nothing else, so the price wouldn't be $200+ per shot. x__x
Fun video!
Thanks Steve, it was lots of fun to make!
It would be interesting to see if using film would eliminate the glitches that appeared in most of the shots.
Those "gliches" were 100% film + processor marks! The new Polaroid is much more pressure sensitive than the older peel-apart Polaroid 809.
REALLY loved this Mat :-) I loved the BnW shots.... BUT The colour shots were amazing! Please please please do more instant stuff :-) Thank you :-)
Thank you! Will do!
@@MatMarrash :-)
Mate I just wanna say that it was an amazing episode - had so much fun watching it. Would really like to try some of this myself one day.
Thanks Dmitry! You should give it a go, it's so much fun to watch happen and the results are even better in person.
Cool video, and with precautions, beautiful results but the cost of this 8x10 Polaroid set up must be high for us non professional photographers that will not recover the costs.
I consider it a special treat to shoot, not something I'd consider as part of a commercial workflow.
Awesome video! I just got a 4x5 camera a couple of months ago but instant photgraphy liket this is really making me feel the pull of 8x10...
It can be very tempting to dive in, but with 8x10 everything gets pricier and the pace grinds to a halt. There is the Lomography Instax back coming to 4x5 early 2021!
Thank you so much for such amazing video!
You are so welcome!
Would love to see as much large format polaroids as you're willing to do!
Me too, as soon as more is available you'll see it here on the channel. :)
Fascinating! Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
2:23 The clear sheet is not a positive, it’s a protective cover as found on Polaroid integral film. The Impossible Project’s, Polaroid Original’s and the new Polaroid’s 8x10 film is quite different than types 59, 559, 669 and 809 in that those were a positive/negative process vs the new film being like SX-70, 600 and Spectra in it’s development process.
Crazy complicated, expensive and prone to flakiness. But wow - some of those images. Great episode Mat and I'm now wondering if I need a mono as well as a field camera - thanks for that :-)
I was curious though - it would be interesting to take one of those shots to understand how and why you placed the camera position and movements. It think it was one of the last shots (head in hand?) where the camera looked like it was doing contortions. Might be a subject to add to that spreadsheet.
Thanks Richard and that's an interesting suggestion. I'll have to confer with my portrait photographer buddies for something on posing with large format.
Love this series
Thanks! :)
Impressive portraits!!!
Thanks!
Taylor’s been hooking me up at mpex for awhile now. First time I’ve ever seen his face sans mask haha
Why did these turn out with so many lines/streaks through the photos? I've seen other videos on this film and they turned out so amazingly perfect
Magic. Just a lil magic.
Great show
Thanks!
It's a pity that films like FP100 and such have been discontinued and now their price on the 2nd hand market is so damn expensive. I hope Lomo can come up with a good 4x5 Polaroid (or, should that be "Lomoroid??!!!) film.
Would love to see some new offerings in the peel apart market. Scarcity and the newest wave of film shooters are creating quite the pricey environment.
"Is it worth it?" Yes... yes it is. I'll take one good 4x5 negative of mine over 100's of thousands of digital images of mine. That was the first front mounted shutter I've ever seen. I have a 4x5 and 5x7 Sinar that I used to use in the field. It's a great camera but a challenge to use for landscape. There's something about the look of the Polaroids that I really like. It's not perfect... nothing is
8x10 Polaroid is the right amount of effort, magic, and imperfection that keeps me coming back for more!
Very interesting and well-done video. I have a feeling one of these days you will (if you haven't already!) experiment with dry plate process, as you seem very keen to explore all areas of LF. Thanks for the good work!! Cheers!
Great suggestion and although I haven't tried dry plates, I happen to share a darkroom space with an expert in the process. One of these days!
Mat doing some 👌🏻tai chi movements at 15:45 😎
The Scheimpflug shuffle! ;)
Great Stuff!
As always super job Mat! While it isn't necessarily for me, I really enjoyed this!
I was wondering, what is the lifespan of a finished polaroid?
Great job on the channel. Thank you.
Thanks for the comment and question Chris! The new B&W prints from Polaroid (2010 onward) tend to fade after a few years if not removed from the backing sheet and chemicals.
Very useful. TNX.
Nice
I would like to be able to buy the film, film holder and processing press as a package.
A pretty good endorsement for NOT using Polaroid. However, my experience with 4x5 Polaroid was totally different. Only about on in fifty ever had anything other than perfect results. Most of them were from my pulling the film too slow or jerking it. I have not tried the 545i back. On the 4x5 back, you can control the amount of contrast by letting it sit longer before you peeled the negative.
Very nice intro to 8x10 Polaroid! Any thoughts on the manual processor which allows one to shoot in the field?
Thanks Alan. I used to own a manual processor and was constantly frustrated with roller consistency versus the plugin processors.
Great video! I only shoot 4x5" and feel inadequate compared to that beast ;-)
The size of the film never makes a better picture, but when you manage to take a better with it that extra real estate helps. Thanks Mads!
This was great to watch. Some awesome results!
But am I crazy, or were the results mirrored?
Yes they are
Thanks Chris, this is a magical Polaroid format to shoot. You're not crazy, since the negative is processing through a transparent layer, the results are mirrored!
Hi Matt love your videos. Are the results archival? Do the photos need further processing?
Thanks for the comment and question. These 8x10 Polaroids need to have excess processing paste removed and stored very dry for a few weeks. The B&W's tend to fade within a few years, but the color seems to hold on for longer.
Good morning Mat
Hope you enjoyed the show!
I wonder if the chemistry involved in this film is wildly different from the various pack films for 4x5? It seems like if Polaroid can still make this stuff, they could make the pack film for 4x5.
Thanks Mat 👍
I have one expired B&W left which looking at this might be toast!
How much dynamic range would you say the colour has?
Looking forward to trying the Colour 😄
Thanks for the comment Stuart. I would say the color is about the same range but with a muted palette so it doesn't appear too contrasty. The color also appears to be a bit more archival.
After rewatching i heard DR is about 2-3 stops which seems right.
The earliest impossible has not aged very well even after drying quickly.
Looking forward to Colour trials 👍
Thanks for the videos
@@stuartbaines2843 I think the newer color films are doing a better job than when they were Impossible. Three stops is a fair rating for them, but they don't do well beyond expiration. B&W's will still fade even with removing excess reagent and drying. Color seems decently stable, I have some color prints from 2017 still going strong. Fingers crossed!
Pretty cool video , love polaroid I wish I could get a shot in 8x10, also do that film dosent have the blue protective layer so that why it has to be shielded from light ?
Edit: found the name of the blue protective layer is the opacification layer
Hi Brian and thanks for the comment. When this film started production at Impossible, before it become Polaroid Originals, they always cautioned to keep it shielded for the first 5 minutes to help color and exposure. The film has definitely improved since then, so it may just be habit on my part.
I’m no expert but do you think the rollers were responsible for the lines on the images? BTW, great content, just subscribed 👍🏾
Thanks, the rollers are definitely suspect!
@@MatMarrash I had a similar issue with a old polaroid camera I found in my moms basement
Great stuff! I wonder,how do store it? Can you frame as is?
It's recommended you store the prints in an archival box with a desiccant for several weeks after processing. Once they're sufficiently dried you can frame them as they are or transfer the emulsion to another surface.
wow
Great video, thank U. I notice U get a lighter stripe in the middle of the picture. We also get the same result. Do U have a solution to that? We do not use the tray. We use the Model 81-05 holder.
The whole reason why I do 8x10 is because of polaroid, wish the holders werent so much money, apprently you can buy taiwanese made ones somewhere off market but never tried buying
Totally agree, start for the large negative, stay for the Polaroids! Hmm, will have to look into aftermarket options. I know there are the x-ray processors for this film but have never tried them.
Hey Matt, have you ever had an unprocessed corner at the bottom of every shot? That's what's happening with mine and I'm wondering if something snags on the film holder. It looks too uniform between shots to be uneven roller spread.
Thanks for the question. If the unprocessed corner is close to the pods, even on fresh film, this could be due to a very slight gap in the rollers or an obstruction along the processing path. I've had "burnt corners" in the corners far from the pods, this is due to drying out on expired film, where there isn't enough to fully spread on the print.
Awesome walkthrough (as always), Mat.
Having said that: Time, cost vs. risk of failure, the deficiencies and the mirrored results let me lean rather towards wet plate, although I'm aware of all its limitations.
It's a pity that they haven't succeeded to reproduce the ease and reliability of the original Polaroid™ material, yet.
Where do these three-column stripes come from, is there an issue with the rollers in the machine or is it due to the layout of the pods? It looks like the pods are aligned in a parallel manner like
|...| |...| |...|
I think this could easily be avoided by partially overlapping them, like so
|..\ \../ /..|
(just an idea, in case you know how to access their R&D folks).
Thanks Olaf, I believe the stripes could be something to do with the roller pressure from my processing unit. It always seems to show up in my expired Polaroid Originals film shots, but has never showed up in fresh film or Polaroid 809.
@@MatMarrash Oh, that's a bummer, it's probably the most expensive part of the system - I hope you find ways to fix or replace it. Good luck!
Next logical video is direct positive paper... :)
B&W or more RA-4? What about B&W slides from B&W negative film?
Mat Marrash All of the above 🙂
You guys did great, there are some really nice portraits. Thanks for making this video! However... I don't want to be that guy in the comments, but to me the $20 price would be worth it - if the film was decent, but it just isn't. To begin with, the black and white stuff is just obviously useless for any purpose. Does it really look like that? Or is it just expired/old? The color stuff looks a lot better, but there's still visible banding on every shot. I wouldn't want to put those on my wall, let alone try to sell them to a client.
My experience is similar with the smaller format films (even the new, post-Impossible era ones, although they're a bit better), so it's not a big surprise. It would be great if there was Instax in 8x10, no? :) But one can dream...
The B&W was quite expired, as was mentioned throughout. Polaroid is making a solid film product, and though it may not be winning over everyone, it's popular enough that they currently cannot meet its demand. If you're looking for something that reminds you of "old" Polaroid, your best bet would be the Lomo Graflok back releasing later this year for using Instax Wide in 4x5 cameras.
i feel as though i have seen people separate the positive and negative after processing to scrape away excess blue glop. as i understood it, this was to help preserve the image over time suggesting that to leave the extra blue glop alone would contribute to the fading of the image. i cannot find any more info online about this approach...any thoughts Mat?
That is a technique that helps with imaging browning and fading in the B&W materials, and from fading in the color materials. My oldest color materials from them when they were Impossible Project have all faded.
@@MatMarrash thanks for the reply Mat. i recall watching a youtube video that briefly demonstrated it (not in great detail though) but it was from several years ago with the Impossible Project emulsion. wasnt sure if the emulsion formula had evolved past the necessity of having to do that. i have attempted to do it but i think the timing of the peeling is critical as i tore chunks of the emulsion apart due to waiting a bit to long. if anyone knows of a good resource that talks about this/demonstrates it i would love to check it out. really enjoying the channel BTW
@@amgphoto76 Yeah my attempts at it have never been without some damage to the emulsion. I'll usually only try it with a second/backup shot. I have some color prints from 2018 that were properly dried for weeks then framed. No signs of fading yet, fingers crossed!
@@MatMarrash i appreciate you sharing your first hand experiences with it. i have 15 shots of color 8x10 Polaroid Originals emulsion that are almost a year old so maybe ill run a test on them before they pass their expiration date. really appreciate the forum you have created here and the dialogue.
You didn't talk about the dial on top the processor... Labled sec. and min. in green and red numbers...?
Those were more relevant for older Polaroid films which needed to be peeled after a fixed amount of time. The newer "integral" style Polaroid films need far longer to process.
I Love the picture at 00:01 can i buy it ?
(Black Queen)
Ooh Mat, where can I get that t-shirt?!
There's a link in the description to the video. :) Cheers!
@@MatMarrash Ha ha, RTFM BN RYNLDS
Did the pods dry because the film was old or is this just the norm?
This was expired Polaroid B&W 8x10. The new Polaroid 8x10 film shows signs of expiration far, far faster than older Polaroid 8xx series films.
Oh, and be aware the the Polaroid box may give the same speed as the film you are using, but they rarely actually match.
How can i buy new 8x10 polaroid film? Who know please tell me. Thank you so much!
My best recommendation would be to place a backorder with Polaroid dealers. Haven't seen this film made new since late 2020, but hopefully we get some good news soon.
Hello, what lens do you use? Thanks for this video.
Hi Dominique and thanks for the question. I used an old lens called a Graf Variable. There's an entire episode on my channel about it here: czcams.com/video/REZhvE2o0UU/video.html
which focal length should be used for portraits at least? I have watched several of your videos, they are excellent.
@@dominiquescarcelli7607 There's no hard rule for what focal length to use for portraits in large format. I recommend with the 8x10 size to use something standard focal length of 300mm or longer.
Ok thank’s
TURN ON YOUR AIR CONDITIONER
Not a fan of the B&W prints. The color was interesting.
Agreed! This is a film that needs to be shot within a year of production for best results. The B&W was mega expired and stored outside of recommended conditions.
Not so sure it's worth all that phaffing around lol
That's large format! ;)
Surprised the took masks off to take photos! Nice. (The modern thing to do is take photos of everyone with masks on, even for expensive Advertising shoots and commercials, which I think is horrible. Why include people at all if their faces are covered up? I mean why not just put paper bags on everyone's head even in a $5,000,000 TV commercial for Apple Iphone 18 )
You need to be more thorough about cleaning your rollers!
It wasn't discovered until a few weeks after this video, one of the retaining clips holding the rollers had busted.
@@MatMarrash The rollers can be a royal pain in the rear!:)