This is the medium format and photography forum, so this should be relevant to us all who shot film and polaroid before our digital lives took over:

Polaroid will be shutting down all plants:

"The Norwood and Waltham plants make large-format films used by professional photographers and artists. Polaroid also makes professional-grade films in Mexico, and its consumer film packs come from a factory in the Netherlands. All these plants are slated for closure this year. Polaroid chief operating officer Tom Beaudoin said the company is interested in licensing its technology to an outside firm that could manufacture film for faithful Polaroid customers. If that doesn't happen, Polaroid users would have to find an alternative photo technology, as the company plans to make only enough film to last into next year."

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/...laying_off_150/

If it isn't profitable enough for Polaroid to keep it going, then I doubt another company will come in to save instant film. Fuji still produces their own but that doesn't cover all types of instant film.

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It looks that would include T55. In fact losing T55, Sepia 4x5 and 8x10, which are very unique films no one else makes, would seem to make a lot of shooters and fine art photographers get in an uproar. We have to see as this pans out.

These are the Fuji instant films for 4x5, only 2, a color and high speed b&w.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/shop/351/Pol..._Pack_Film.html

Both of the fuji 4x5 films are pack films and not individual sheet films. They are closer to the 559 series than the 59 / 55 / 54 series. They come in a pack of 8 shots and you need a pack holder.

Architectural film shooters are screwed then.

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time to stock up and profit heavy when it all dries up.

Really horrible news though... I love shooting polaroid film. I wonder if fuji will pick up the sheet film and 600 integral lines? Hopefully.....

soon to come in sale section :
polaroid back : $1


really bad news , I mean it's almost hard to believe... I have few images done with 669 that I still really love

Polaroid can't be kept alike slide can it?

We all had the ubiquitous Polaroid wall. Much of mine have fallen down slowly over the years, I pick them up and place them lovingly in a drawer. It's nice to look at them and identify the job, the cast and crew and sometimes the final image.

may be we should start a thread "polaroid shot - in memoriam"

I haven't shot Polaroid in many years, but some of my very best shots back in the '60s and '70s were on type 55. That was a wonderful film. It really hurts to see them go away.

Perhaps this will lead to more MFDB sales, as users start to give up on film. So there is a silver lining.

I don't see much hope for film. The last city I lived in (in Sweden) lost its last pro film lab 2 years ago, basically forcing the last film users to go digital. It's just not practical for a pro to rely on mail order development and scanning. Far too slow. And every time a pro lab shuts down, film sales take a hit, so film companies (such as Polaroid) will slowly drop out of business, and this will encourage even more shooters to abandon film. It's a downward spiral which I can't see an end to. Film producers, chemical suppliers and Pro labs will only survive by servicing entire countries or continents by mail order, for a few diehard enthusiasts. Choice will become severely limited, prices will go up and quality will probably suffer.

Polaroid's demise will take a huge toll. Sad, but should not be a surprise to anyone.