I am thinking that a polaroid 545i holder would work to use Type 55 film with a crown graphic. Before i buy one (some?) I wanted to see if this is correct. Is there another way?

Yes any of the 545 (545,545i,545 pro) holders will work with Type 55 P/N but don't buy any Polaroid out of date.

I'll buy cheese out of date
I'll drink pop out of date.
I'll use asprin even a year out of date.
but I won't buy short dated Polaroid, unless it's a dollar a box.

Polaroid got it right. If it's short dated, use it up quickly.

Unless you want to develop the neg in a tray of D76 or some such. I've done that do use up some very dead Polaroid. It's the pods that dry up the film is still sensitive.

Les is correct about the negative. It's Kodak but I can't recall which flavor. Memory seems to tell me either Pan X or Double XX. In any event, it's an obsolete film that was still produced for Polaroid. Since Polaroid is out of the business it's going to become very difficult to find reasonably fresh film. When even long outdated 55 is found now, it's snapped up at some pretty ridiculous prices.

Thanks for the help. The answers though made me wonder about my film. I have a bit of it left dated Jan 09. Wondering if I could freeze it or if I should sell it.

You have to remember there's a gelled developer in there. If you freeze it the developer pod will swell and break it's seal and the film and the developer will be ruined.

GO SHOOT!


NOW!


(on the other hand, you've got a double whammy of Polaroid prices going through the roof and people thawing out their credit cards. I suspect the price of a box of P/N right now would be equal to a lot of conventional film.

About that gelled developer. It dries out as it ages. After it is out of date it won't work very well.

As Les wrote, GO SHOOT!

With your Type 55 P/N polaroid film, it's possible to develop it in standard darkroom chemistry and go for Type 55 N only.

After exposing the film in the holder, withdraw the sheet of polaroid without locking the lever on P (that is, the negative and the chemical pod clear the roller slot without being compressed).

The exposed negative can then be stripped from the sleeve in the darkroom and tray developed as a normal negative. The times for Polaroid Type 55 N are listed under Panatomic X on www.digitaltruth.com.

Kind regards,

RJ