The Impossible Project announced that it succeeded in its task of re-producing an instant film for traditional Polaroid cameras. The Impossible Project started in October 2008 at the last preserved Polaroid plant in Enschede, the Netherlands, with the aim to save anlog Instant Photography from extinction after Polaroid had discontinued its instant film production earlier that year. Celebrating the beginning of a new era of instant photography, Impossible has just introduced its first two formats in a limited First Flush Edition. These include the PX100 and PX600 Silver Shade monochromatic films, with the first PX Colour Film being promised for summer 2010. A grand Impossible Project‘s Space, hosting a shop as well as a gallery, will open on April 30, 2010 at 425 Broadway in New York City.

Website: Impossible

Fujifilm Professional has announced the withdrawal of three of its films, including Neopan 400 120, Superia Reala 35mm, and Pro 160S 35mm. The remaining films in the Pro 160S range are to be re-branded as Pro 160NS. The film itself remains unaltered. Fujiflm blames the discontinuance of the products on low sales volumes and, in the case of Neopan 400 (pictured), environmental concerns over one of the raw materials used in its production.

Photoscala reports that you can still order classic Rolleiflex TLRs and Rollei 35 cameras, as well as the modern Rolleiflex Hy6, from a company called DHW Fototechnik, based in Braunschweig. The German site says that the company now employs 30 former workers of Franke & Heidecke, and plans to raise the number of employees to 50 by year’s end. According to the General Manager of DHW Fototechnik, the future is all about limited editions and made-to-order cameras. The Rollei 35, for example will be manufactured in batches of 1-5, and sold for 4000-4,500 euros each. Rolleiflex TLRs will be produced in three versions, differentiated by the lens used - with a choice of the Super-Angulon 50mm f4, the Planar 80mm f2.8 and the Tele-Xenar 135mm f4 on offer - priced from €3,500 to €6,000. As DHW Fototechnik has access to Franke & Heidecke’s stock of already manufactured Rolleiflex Hy6 cameras, these can also be ordered, and will be delivered with all early production bugs fixed. DHW even has a new lens in its assortment, named the Tele-Apogon 150mm f4 AFD. You can also order the Rolleivision 66 dual P medium-format slide projector, if that’s what you are after.

Website: Photoscala

Arctic explorer and photographer, Martin Hartley, left the UK last week equipped with a specially-tested LEICA MP camera with LEICA ELMARIT-M 24mm f/2.8 ASPH. lens as part of his expedition equipment. Martin Hartley commented, “Despite 19 polar photographic assignments over the last 12 years, there are still ‘impossible’ images to capture.  At the start of every expedition on the Arctic Ocean in late February/March, it is difficult to survive let alone operate a camera due to the severe conditions.  Below minus 40 degrees Celsius, electronic circuits slow down and become unreliable. The mechanical LEICA MP will give me the best chance of capturing those elusive, extremely cold photographs this time, which may be our last opportunity to do so.” During his trip, Martin will regularly send back film for developing, and images from the expedition will be posted regularly on his website.

Website: Martin Hartley

The Arca-Swiss RL3d is a state-of-the-art professional viewfinder camera, which comes equipped with new functions for making high-resolution images both digitally and on film. Thanks to Arca-Swiss’ wide selection of interface plates it is possible to take anything from medium format images through to panoramas. The extraordinary versatility of the modular Arca-Swiss photographic system enables you to use elements from the F- and M-Line cameras as well as a binocular viewer, lens hoods, bellows and other accessories to significantly enhance the functionality of the Arca-Swiss RL3d. Compared to the previous Rm3d model, the new Arca-Swiss RL3d offers increased shift, opening up new horizons by enabling you to take images in multiple formats up to 4x5”. Apart from the in-plane horizontal and vertical shift feature, the Arca-Swiss RL3d also offers ±5° tilt to allow photographers to exploit the Scheimpflug effect. The camera comes equipped with focus sensors and an electronic range-finder; framing is achieved using the new variable Vario viewfinder, which covers focal lengths from 23 – 210mm. An optional electronic module provides an electronic camera level function. The list price of the Arca-Swiss RL3d viewfinder camera is €4650+VAT.

Kodak has just announced the upcoming launch of Kodak Ektar 100 - the world’s finest-grained colour negative film emulsion available today - in 4x5” and 8x10” sheet formats. Since its introduction in September 2008, the Ektar 100 family of films has won numerous industry awards, including the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) award (2009), Professional Photographers’ Hot One Award (2009, 2010) and American Photo Editor’s Choice Award (2009). “Large-format photographers, such as landscape and fine-art photographers, will love the impact and flexibility that Ekatr 100 brings.  It’s the ideal choice for creating high magnification enlargements for commercial display, while preserving even the finest detail,” said Lars Fiedler, Marketing Manager Film Capture. “Introducing EKTAR 100 Film in 4x5 and 8x10 further continues our commitment to providing photographers with high quality, relevant films that support a broad segment of the market.” The new Kodak Ektar Film in 4x5 and 8x10 sheets formats will be available worldwide beginning in April 2010.

Related post: SilverFast NegaFix Profile for Kodak Ektar 100 Now Available

LaserSoft Imaging (LSI) has quietly introduced version 6.6.1r5 of its Silverfast software, which adds a NegaFix profile for Kodak Ektar 100, the world’s finest-grained colour negative film manufactured today. NegaFix profiles within SilverFast are a handy tool to get the colours of a negative film right, which can otherwise be tricky because of the differences in the orange mask applied to different emulsions. Kodak Ektar 100 is a new film introduced a bit more than a year ago in 35mm and almost exactly a year ago in 120 format. So far there has been no NegaFix profile available for this emulsion, but SilverFast version 6.6.1r5 has it - albeit only for Epson and Nikon scanners. As an LSI administrator explained in a reply to a question posted on the official SilverFast discussion board, “Every film has a different response with every different scanner model. We will try to update the profile for different scanner modules but it will take some time.”

Website: SilverFast 6.6.1r5

The first Lomography Gallery Store and official Lomography Embassy will open its doors on the US West Coast on 18 February. The USA’s Lomographic Society is planning an “epic celebration” with drinks, live Mariachi music, tacos and tamales, and dancing girls. The festivities will begin at 7pm - if you want to take part, send an RSVP to [email protected]. A series of workshops will also take place on the first week, starting on 19 February. Lomographic Society USA is headquartered at 7998 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90047. Click through / read on for the details.

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has released a series of previously unseen aerial photographs that document the collapse of the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001. The Twin Towers were destroyed in a devastating terror attack conducted by Al-Qaeda, acting in accord with the 1998 fatwa issued against the United States and its allies. After the terrorists had flown a pair of passenger jets into the skyscrapers, the only vehicles allowed in the air space near the World Trade Center were police helicopters, which is where these newly released photos were taken from. The photographer was Detective Greg Semendinger, who allegedly took three rolls of film with a Minolta camera, plus 245 digital photos. Many of the latter have been published since then, but his film shots were only released yesterday, after ABC News had filed a Freedom of Information Act request back in 2009.

Website: See 12 images on MSNBC

Seattle-based artist Aaron Gustafson has become the first person to take large-format photographs while skydiving. Gustafson designed a helmet-mounted 4x5-inch film camera, and during the period of several months he made one photograph per jump while skydiving at speeds greater than 130 miles per hour. The camera is a cube-shaped acrylic and aluminum box that contains a wide-angle lens and houses a single sheet of 4x5-inch film at a time. “Photography is in a strange place now where everyone is taking camera-phone snapshots and posting them online,” Gustafson said. “But photography can still be grand and larger-than-life. This project came out of a desire for that. It’s a hybrid of new and old, calm and chaos.”

Kodak has announced the discontinuance of Kodak Professional Tri-X 320 for medium format. The American company cites “significantly decreased sales volumes” as the main reason for taking this decision. Based on current sales, these products are expected to be available in the market through March 2010. Importantly, Kodak Professional Tri-X 320 film remains available in sheet format (4x5”, 5x7” and 8x10”). Kodak Professional Tri-X 400 film is not affected by the decision in any way.

The Fujifilm GF670 professional medium-format folding camera, which is marketed in Europe as the Voigtländer Bessa III, will shortly be launched to the US market. The GF670 features 6x6 and 6x7 dual-format shooting for use with120 and 220 roll film, has manual shutter speed control and offers a setting for aperture priority automation. With manual film advancement, exposure counter display, an ISO setting dial, the camera also provides -2/+2 exposure compensation and includes a hot shoe flash mount and a PC sync connection socket. The “whisper quiet” shutter mechanism is an electronically controlled leaf shutter with speeds ranging from 4s~1/500s including Bulb with flash sync at all speeds. Fujifilm will showcase the GF670 at the upcoming PMA 2010 trade show in Anaheim, California. Retail availability is slated for the second quarter of 2010. The price is $2,199.

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the People’s Republic of China, Leica is offering collectors a limited-edition Leica MP analogue rangefinder camera. The camera is coated in 24-carat gold and encased in Leica Red Box calf leather. Sold only in mainland China, the production run of the golden MP is limited to 60 bodies outfitted with gold-plated Summilux 50mm f1.4 lenses. The serial numbers start with 1949, the year Mao Zedong’s communists seized control of the country. Priced at $199,900 yuan, the golden camera and lens come in a luxury wooden box. Honestly, we have no idea of what Marx, Engels or Mao himself would have thought of something as blatantly bourgeois as a golden camera that costs hundreds of times more than what the average Chinese worker earns in a month, but we have the sinking feeling that they might not have approved of the idea…

Via Engadget

Supported by a strategic relationship with Summit Global Group, a longtime Polaroid partner, and The Impossible Project, the manufacturer of classic film for Polaroid film cameras, Polaroid will offer a completely redesigned, modern version of the Polaroid OneStep camera, the PIC 1000. Announced at CES 2010, the PIC 1000 will be available in a range of fun colours and use classic Polaroid Color 600 Instant Film to produce the brand’s classic white border instant pictures. The Polaroid Color 600 Instant Film will work with both classic and new Polaroid cameras and will be offered in packs of 10 pictures. The “new classic” PIC 1000 camera and instant colour film will be available later this year. Polaroid is also showing off its digital offerings, including the latest ZINK-enabled products, such as the 12-megapixel Polaroid 3”x4” Instant Digital Camera and the Polaroid 3”x4” Instant Mobile Printer.

Fujifilm Professional has announced that Fujifilm Japan is to cease its manufacture of Quickload films in April 2010. In the background of the decision is a dramatic drop in demand, Fujifilm says. “Unfortunately the volume of Quickload sales has dropped off to such an extent that they are simply not viable products,” explains Russ Gunn, Fujifilm’s Senior Product Manager for Professional Film. Fujifilm has stocks of Quickload Pro 160S, Provia 100F, Velvia 100 and Velvia 50 in storage and, depending on demand, there should be sufficient quantities to last for another 12 months. Sheet film production will, however, continue. From early Summer 2010 Fujifilm’s ranges of 5"x4” and 10"x8” films will be packed as 20 sheet boxes instead of the current 10 sheet packs.

The Bookshop at The Photographers’ Gallery in London is celebrating one of the most iconic products of the twentieth century, the Polaroid, by displaying work by a number of renowned photographers who have taken Polaroid photographs, and also plans to sell a new Polaroid format film starting early 2010.The last instant film manufactured by Polaroid was produced in 2008, with an expiry date of October 2009. To mark its expiration, national newspaper The Observer gave eight leading contemporary photographers Polaroid film and cameras for a day - Harry Borden (USA, b.1965), Nan Goldin (USA, b.1953), Tom Hunter (UK, b.1965), Mary McCartney (UK, b.1969), Martin Parr (UK, b.1952), Rankin (UK, b.1966), Lord Snowdon (UK, b.1930) and Sam Taylor-Wood (UK, b.1967). The resulting images are on display at The Photographers’ Gallery in London, 16 – 18 Ramillies St, W1, until 31 January 2010. Some of these unique one-off prints are available to purchase from Print Sales at The Photographers’ Gallery..Also, the Photographers’ Gallery Bookshop promises to be one of the first places in the world to sell the new Polaroid format instant film developed within the framework of The Impossible Project, from early 2010.

Lupus Imaging & Media – worldwide license partner of the AgfaPhoto Holding GmbH for several analogue photographic products - today announced that it has selected Ferrania USA as its exclusive North American distributor of AgfaPhoto branded films, ready-to-use cameras, analogue cameras and battery products. The AgfaPhoto product lines being distributed by Ferrania USA will include AgfaPhoto Vista 35mm Colour Print Film ISO 100, 200, 400 available in 12, 24, and 36 exposures;  AgfaPhoto CT Precisa 100 35mm Colour Transparency Film and AgfaPhoto APX 100 Professional Black-and-White Film;  AgfaPhoto LeBox single-use cameras and AgfaPhoto Analogue Camera Gift Sets. Alkaline and rechargeable batteries and chargers will complete the condensed AgfaPhoto product range to be launched in the US market.

Website: Ferrania

Photographer Mark Estabrook has recently found an exposed but unprocessed roll of Ilford HP5 black-and-white film which, after development, turned out to have been shot at a 1978 Bob Dylan concert. Developed after gathering dust for over three decades “at various room temperatures”, the film showed no apparent signs of ageing and the photographs provide a crystal clear view of Dylan on stage during the 1978 performance. “The fact these pictures survived in the condition that they did is testament to the quality and longevity of silver halide photography,” says Estabrook. “As I tell my fellow photographers: try that with a hard drive.”

Kodak has announced that it is ceasing production of its Ektachrome 100 Plus Professional (EPP) and Ektachrome 64T Professional (EPY, pictured) film emulsions. The company cites “significantly decreased sales volumes” as the cause of discontinuance in both cases. The suggested alternative for EPP is Ektachrome E100G. There is no suggested alternative for EPY. Based on current usage demand, both discontinued products are expected to be available in the market through early 2010.

Lomography has announced a special contest that gives you the chance to turn the Lomo LC-A+, billed as a “classic, iconic snapshot wonder”, into your very own masterpiece The Lomo LC-A is a simple, plastic 35mm film camera that has been around for 25 years. The LC-A+ is an improved version of the original LC-A, and Lomography is now asking you to download the Lomo LC-A+ template from its website, cut it out like a paper camera, customise the paper camera according to your tastes, and either upload your customised templates or send them by post to the Lomography headquarters in Vienna. Submissions must be received by 10 January 2010. The winning design will go to actual production as a limited edition model, and the winner will be awarded with an opportunity to travel to the Lomography HQ in Vienna, with flight and accommodation paid. He/she will also receive five of the limited-edition Lomo LC-A+ cameras they had designed.

Website: The Lomography Blog