Polaroid 665, was pepper grain

["Dave King" <kingphoto@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

From: "Ernst Dinkla" <E.Dinkla@chello.nl>

> After scanning my first 4 sheets of Polaroid 665 film on an Agfa
> scanner and strips of them on the Nikon LS 8000  I wondered why
> so many photographers love to work with that film. The base can
> have a cross stria pattern like ice crystals on its surface. Not
> something that you can see in the scan but it must influence the
> scan however. Under a microscope it is easy to detect. The film
> was treated the right way with sodium sulfite and a water rinse
> afterwards. When I mentioned that observation on another list one
> of the other members wrote that they see it sometimes on the drum
> scans they make. This film is like the Polaroid 55. Ansel Adams
> liked to use it if I can believe all what is written about it.
> The base of Ilford FP4 is a lot more transparent.


I think it comes down to three things.  Obviously, convenience is one of
them.  Two, it's "alternative", and the additional distortions relative to
conventional film are welcomed in some cases, and amplified in others.
Third, for those not looking for distortion, the popularity of these films
was established in the analog era, when the defects were not as apparent in
an enlarger, and/or could be effectively compensated in printing.

Certainly, if neither convenience or distortion are of interest, there is
little reason to use these films.

Dave


-
Turn off HTML mail features. Keep quoted material short. Use accurate
subject lines. http://www.leben.com/lists for list instructions.