Here are answers to some frequently asked questions we've been getting lately. This information is relevant as of December 15th, 2020.
When will production of the new black & white film begin?
We're not sure yet. We're waiting for initial results from John and his crew at the 20x24 Studio. Assuming everything goes smoothly, we hope to start production in February 2021, or as soon as we get our hands on the new pods.
How long will it take to fulfill all the pre-orders?
We can produce about 200 hand-made cartridges ("shots") per week. At that rate, it should take about 4 months to finish the pre-sale of 3333 shots. There is a good chance we can do it quicker, but at this point we'd rather be conservative in our estimate.
When will pre-orders start shipping and when will I get mine??
As soon as we can start production, shipments will begin to go out the door. Unlike our Kickstarter, we are going to follow a very strict first come, first served fulfillment order. Simply put, your order will be fulfilled in the order it was received.
What is this "reagent" anyways?
It goes by many names; reagent, goo, pod chemistry, processing jelly... whatever you call it, it's crucial to any instant image forming system. It's the stuff that goes in the pod and which gets spread between the positive & negative materials by the rollers in your camera. It's specifically engineered to match the positive/negative system, and right now we're not 100% sure if the boys in Boston can make it or not. Drück die Daumen!
What happens if new black & white reagent can't be produced?
God forbid... your pre-order will be converted into ONE INSTANT P7 color film. Sorry, no refunds!
What film speed (ISO) will the new black & white film be?
Interestingly, we don't know yet. It will completely depend on the characteristics of the new reagent and how it performs with different rail thicknesses.
Why do some of the test examples look neutral black & white, while others appear more sepia and warm-toned?
Good question! We are equally baffled by this. Some of our earliest tests were very neutral, with true blacks and whites. Other tests exhibited much warmer tones, with eggplant blacks and 'coffee & cream' highlights. This is probably due to variability in the old (and quickly degrading) pods that we've cut down and re-sealed for tests. The final product should be much more consistent and predictable.
How many b&w films will you be able to produce in total?
We can't say for sure at this moment, but a preliminary look at our inventory suggests that we might be able to make well over 10,000 ONE INSTANT black & white shots. That being said, this pre-order is just for a limited quantity of 3333 shots (1111 3-packs).
What will happen when you run out of the legacy Polaroid materials?
We get this question a lot. Everybody is understandably anxious to secure a long-term and sustainable future for packfilm. However, having access to these legacy Polaroid materials now gives us the best possible opportunity to develop new materials in the future.
It enables us to focus on the complexities of packfilm production without needing to undertake the herculean effort of simultaneously developing an instant positive/negative system from scratch. Although these films will run out someday, they are directly financing our efforts to save packfilm and will one day result in the introduction of newly manufactured instant film & paper materials. This is the ultimate goal of ONE INSTANT.
- Chris