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Ask Florian Kaps of the Impossible Project
The Impossible Project, first mentioned here in 2009, has a goal that might be quixotic, but (despite the name) is looking ever more possible, after all: to bring back film for the millions of Polaroid instant cameras that have mostly become paperweights in the wake of the near-total discontinuation of instant film. This takes a sort of modern alchemy; the chemistry of instant film is tricky, and the knowledge had been dying out quickly. The Impossible team members didn't start from nothing, though: besides hiring a core of former Polaroid employees, they bought part of the former production facility in Enschede, the Netherlands, as well as production equipment. Now you can ask project founder Dr. Florian Kaps about the technical hurdles the project faces, as well as the motivations that led him to take on such a task. Note; though it's not all in stock right now, the project has successfully created various kinds of instant film, both monochrome and color. (If you have multiple unrelated questions, please post them separately.)
the chemistry of instant film is tricky, and the knowledge had been dying out quickly.
Its also patented and extremely easy to find very detailed instructions for the basic processes. You won't have the same level of quality as company produced products as they not only had the patent information, they also had existing years of experience which these guys don't have.
The information however, is not lost and won't be. Thats kind of one of the points/features of the patent system. Why is it that people focus exclusively on the shitty side of patents, then completely forget them when it comes to the actual purpose they exist?
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Long-term speaking, do you plan to stay in the current location of the old Polaroid factory?
I suppose you'd basically run production like old days, but on a much smaller scale. That might make it very costly to stay in the same building & pay for maintenance / repairs / heating etc. So do you have any plans to move to another location, one that might be more fitting to the size of the operation? If so, what would you be looking for @ a possible next site?
(disclaimer: I happen to live around the corner from it, so I know the building & surrounding area).
Any thoughts on attempting to revive other discontinued films such as Kodachrome?
I'm sure many people have inquired, but to put it here: Is there a timeframe being investigated in stabilizing the development chemicals in temperatures >75F? Living in Florida, the heat kills some of the film types rather quickly, resulting in some unrecognizable, though interesting looking, pictures.
Are there plans to increase the effectiveness of the blue opacifier layer so as to not require the extra "modifications" (i.e. using the frog tongue, shooting with a box around the front, etc)?
On the other hand, patent Enablement under 35 U.S.C. 112 requires that a person of ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) be able to make and use the process or invention described and embodied in the patent (without undue experimentation, per court interpretation.) If the patent fails in that respect, it gets invalidated. Patent attorneys walk a fine line.
Ah, but there's a catch. It must be of sufficient detail that a person can follow the process described in the patent. It does not follow that the person will get the best - or even a usable - result that process can provide. It may say what compounds but not their mixture. It can show a series of steps but not the actual timings. You forget that they typically write patents as broad as possible, they don't say "coat in solution for 2-3 minutes" as that would mean a process that takes 1 minute or 4 minutes aren't covered. They'll just patent all variations, useful or not.
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One of the neat features of Polaroid's SX-70 and later films is that there's an upper layer which becomes opaque when the film is ejected from the camera, and gradually clears after development finishes. Your web site says you have to eject the film into a dark place to avoid light leaking through during development. Why is your opaque layer not working as well as the original?
Your project became a necessity because Polaroid went bankrupt, and the world had only once source of the very specialized Polaroid film. Other common consumables have become a commodity, with multiple companies in the world being able to replicate the consumable. I can still buy toner for an HP Laserjet printer from 1987 for instance, even if HP doesn't produce it. Do you have any contingency plans in place so the world can avoid a similar fate if Impossible Project meets a similar fate as Polaroid?
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Why bother? I mean, making large format instant would be brilliant, but for all those old (and by old I mean ancient and obsolete) instamatic type cameras, why bother? They are useless, worthless, and the lens technology was surpassed decades ago.
It's be one thing if it for, say an ancient Leica or Mamiya TLR that required special film, but for an instamatic? Why go through all the trouble adn expense?
So rise up, all ye lost ones, as one, we'll claw the clouds.
Or for under $230, buy a 14mp camera with 22x optical zoom, 4x digital, 16 gig storage, wifi picture transfer, 720p video, 3" LCD viewer, usb, hdmi, batteries, cables and camera bag all included.
Or for $140, settle for 16mp/15x optical zoom, 2.7" display, and only vga movies.
Heck, you can get a really nice 14mp Nikon DSLR with an 18-55mm lens, 1920x1080x24p video, RAW, various memory cards, 3" screen, 1/4000 to 30 seconds exposure, all the usual bells and whistles like auto focus, auto follow, internal dust-off, - just marked down another $100 to $550.00, and if you don't like the lens, you can swap it.
At $3 per color picture for the sx-70 film, it would take less than 200 pictures to make the Nikon free - and you can make unlimited copies w/o degradation.
Yes, the SX-70 was a real innovation for its time ... but there's a host of reasons it's dead.
What are your thoughts about the environmental impact of using polaroid film?
Not only the chemicals used in making the film, but also the plastic holder for the film etc. Is there any way to make it more environmentally friendly?
Thank you for reviving the films. I shoot large format 4x5 slide film, and the quickloads have been indispensable for me in ensuring lighting, exposure and focus is right in the studio!
What is your pipeline of products? Do you plan on releasing different speeds and formats, or doing something altogether different?
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