Testing IMPOSSIBLE Gen2 BW600
Three Packs Arrive From Germany
When IMPOSSIBLE asked Pioneers if they wanted to test the new Gen2 BW600 film they were working on, I didnât hesitate. Â Black and White IMPOSSIBLE film is my favorite type of Instant Film, and even though the last batch of BW test film wasnât ready for prime-time, I couldnât wait to test the improvements Stephen and company had made.
I was very surprised when the package arrived in the mail and these packs were inside:
Instead of the typical white label test boxes, these were full-on production boxes with the Generation 2.0 label on them. Â
Hmm, I thought we were supposed to test âbetaâ film and give them feedback before it was supposed to go public. But, at this point I figured, they just wanted some early images from Pioneers to show how they shot their images and to use to promote the film.  With that in mind, I went took the day off of work to go shoot!
My sister-in-law Jessica was in town visiting and for her birthday we took her to one of Temeculaâs local wineries for lunch.  It was supposed to be in the low 80â˛s and very sunny, so with some trepidation I loaded up using a pack ND filter in my SX-70. Â
I had read on the packaging that the film was a bit fast, so I should put my L/D wheel 1/3 into dark.  So I set up a shot out under my patio in the indirect light and took a shot.  I did my usual:  Shoot, let it sit under the frog-tongue for about a minute and then with a dark-slide over it, move the shot to somewhere safe.  When I did this on the first shot I was surprised when I peeked and saw an image almost fully developed!  It was VERY underexposed, and quickly went VERY dark.  Okay, obviously I needed to shoot this film like I normally do.  I set up again and with the L/D wheel in the center and temperatures in the mid 70â˛s I took this shot:
And this time I shot it and went back inside and pulled the picture out of the frog-tongue within 5 seconds. Â It was then that I got an inkling that this was truly the first time IMPOSSIBLE achieved INSTANT film!
I grabbed my phone and recorded the process:
This is about 5 seconds into it...you can just barely see the image emerging.
This is about 10 seconds in.
About 15 seconds in you can tell if you got the shot.  The contrast is about perfect here in my opinion, but as you can see in the final shot, after it develops âfullyâ it will then get a little darker and more contrasty.Â
About a minute or two in and itâs getting to be exactly what it will be like.
THIS IS TRULY INSTANT! Â I cannot stress this enough. Â It was hard for me to start shooting with this in mind. Â Iâve been so used to shooting, shielding and storing away for 10-20 minutes to see if I got the shot, that I had to actually stop myself from continuing to do this.
We headed to the local winery and waited to be seated. Â It was VERY bright at 11:30AM and the light was getting very directional. Â I saw the harsh light on some barrels and wondered how the film would fair with a bright white wall, some great tones on the barrels and some dark trim on the buildings.
I shot this one and let it set under my frog-tongue for 20 seconds or so before taking a peek.  I was surprised how well the highlight shoulder of the film has improved in this version.  The white stucco wall has DETAIL in it and doesnât blow out as quickly as I thought it would.  Itâs a little darker than Iâd like on the left side and in the light/lantern area, but  I was getting great detail in the whites and I didnât have to shield and I saw my shot so quickly it was still surprising to me.  And even better, this shot is in 80-85F temps!  Itâs just a tinge sepia, but oh man, other versions of BW IMPOSSIBLE film would be SO orange in these temperatures.  I used to only shoot Silver Shade in the winter months in California, or play the âstore it in a cooler, shoot, throw back in the coolerâ game.  These shots, I just shot, looked at and then threw them in my bag in the empty IMPOSSIBLE box.
Just as an example, here is a Silver Shade shot from 2011 that was shot in the high 70â˛s to mid 80â˛s:
I think it's of upmost importance for us warm-weather shooters to note this important change...I can shoot in the summer now!
Back to the new Gen2 images. Â
I was walking by a huge bin of wine bottles. Â I shot it, and as I walked away in 11:30AM bright sunshine checked it a few times in the first minute or so. Â I think I could get used to this no shield stuff.
Once again, my main complaint about this film is its contrast. Â I live in a land of very contrasty light, so I like using a mid contrast film and if I need it to pop more (or bring out clouds when they rarely appear) an orange or red filter. Â With this film, I donât think a red filter would do very well. Â
I went inside the winery to the tasting room and tried a low light shot. Â I knew I shouldâve over exposed it more, but I didnât have a tripod with me...but it kind of came out cool. Â The best part was watching the people turn their heads when they heard the SX-70 eject the shot.
After a great lunch of Beef Carpaccio, a Charcuterie & Cheese Board and a Salmon & Smoked Salmon Pasta, I contemplated my next shots.  Our glasses were on the table, and I wondered how crisp the reflection would be.  I knew the SX-70â˛s out of focus areas are awesome, so this one I shot, grabbed and just threw on the table.  We were in the shade, but it was still magical to just glance down and watch it develop in front of me.
We went shopping and we got home around 3PM.  It was in the mid 80â˛s but with the luck Iâd been having I didnât want to stop shooting. Â
I have a spot on my balcony that gets GREAT indirect lighting in the afternoon and Iâve used it before for shots like these:
2012 Black Frame Silver Shade (with an RB67)
So I knew this soft indirect light would work well with this film. Â I also thought it would be a good idea to overexpose 1/3 into the light since Iâd been having shots that I thought were a little dark. Â And, well, with skin, itâs always best to err on the side of overexposing.
I shot it and I was FLOORED as soon as it started to emerge!
Oh my! Now, it's not as âetherealâ as the older film, but itâs got its own look that is pretty darn nice!  The indirect lighting makes this film sing!  I grabbed my sister-in-law and made her come up to get a portrait so I could see how the lighting looked with a brunette.
So, a little more contrast on her hair than mine that makes it look almost black in this shot. And her sunglasses (well, actually they are mine) are tortoise shell, so the film still goes pretty dark quickly, but I love how it renders her mid-tones and the crispness of the frames and reflections.
That was the end of my first pack and I was anxious to start scanning in my shots!
As of this writing I JUST started shooting my 2nd pack. Â Now I was searching to find shots that didnât have as much contrast. Â My wife was planting some flowers in the lawn and I saw the shovel lying in the dirt and had to grab my camera. Â
I also grabbed my Clip-It filter with a yellow gel. Â I had hoped it would bring out some more mid-tones without adding to the contrast.
I had my ND pack filter on so I didnât use my electric eye yellow filter and just turned the L/D wheel all the way to light  to compensate for the filter and to over-expose like I had been doing on the balcony.
I have always really liked how IMPOSSIBLE film renders silvers, and the shovel was no exception. Â And once again, look at how crisp it is! Â The contrast was starting to remind me a little of Tri-X, which isnât a bad thing.
I decided to take total control and set up a still-life with my light box. Â This shot was done next to a window for the light source and using my light boxes black back for the background. Â I also used my yellow filter, but left the L/D wheel in the center. Â The details on the ornament were so sharp, and the black background was just SO deep. Â It used to be SO hard to get these rich blacks! Â
The cool thing is, this is how I expected it to come out. Â I was finally getting used to the contrast of the film, and shooting for it.
Give Stephen ANYTHING He Wants
Whatever you feel about the changes in IMPOSSIBLE, there is no denying that Stephen Herchen, CTO of IMPOSSIBLE, is a genius and has one goal: to advance IMPOSSIBLE film to the next level. Â Thatâs why I love testing IMPOSSIBLEâs new films and giving feedback to the team. Â I know that Stephen reads all of the feedback and looks at all of the test shots. Â And wow, this new Gen2 BW film just shows how serious he and IMPOSSIBLE are about advancing the film. Â
Now, I just wish I had gotten Black Frame to test. ;)
Check out the new Gen2 Film at IMPOSSIBLEâs website and Iâll be back with more, including how it works in the Instant Lab next time!
https://www.the-impossible-project.com/black-and-white-instant-film-for-polaroid-cameras/