3rdtrick
Well-known
Pinhole is great with Polaroid. Many flea market Polaroids can easily be made into pinhole cameras. It is perfect for experimenting because you get instant results.
Pete
alienmeatsack
Well-known
I've seen some of the cheaper Land Cameras with non-working electrics, scratched lenses etc cut up to make into a pinhole camera. I've been looking for one to do so myself on the cheap.
Like 3rdtrick says, you can't argue with those instant results!
Like 3rdtrick says, you can't argue with those instant results!
alienmeatsack
Well-known
Well, 3rdtrick tipped me off to an auction for a 250 and I missed it literally by about 10 minutes. I had the winning bid and then had something come up that took me away just long enough I couldn't top the last minute bid on it by someone else.
But, I did score a 320 for $8. Even with shipping, if it doesn't work, I can sell it for what I paid for it to someone who wants to display it. And it appears to be somewhat similar to the 250.
It's just a shame that the B/W film I'd love to use in it is no longer made and stocks will dry up. But, I'll have fun with it just the same!
But, I did score a 320 for $8. Even with shipping, if it doesn't work, I can sell it for what I paid for it to someone who wants to display it. And it appears to be somewhat similar to the 250.
It's just a shame that the B/W film I'd love to use in it is no longer made and stocks will dry up. But, I'll have fun with it just the same!
3rdtrick
Well-known
I watched that auction and $80 was a bit much for that camera. There are a few Auto 100 cameras that are same as the 250 except for the two window rangefinder.
Good luck,
Pete
Good luck,
Pete
Godfrey
somewhat colored
I have ten packs of FP3000b coming now. Should be enough. I ordered ten packs of Impossible B&W for the Spectra as well. Expensive day... !
G
lueej
fiat slug
@ the Penny Ice Creamery, Santa Cruz, CA (Fuji Instax)
Vampire Weekend @ Hollenbeck Park, Boyle Heights, CA 2009 (Polaroid OneStep, expired film)
Godfrey
somewhat colored
I think you'll find that once you buy something digital with decent quality, you'll save a lot of money and do a lot more photography. I love film work, but just this latest 20 packs of film for the Polaroids has cost me $400 plus ...
G
Fiat Slug! (UCSC graduate ...)
G
Fiat Slug! (UCSC graduate ...)
robert blu
quiet photographer
Yes, if you learn to use PS or any similar software you'll be able to mimic the polaroid look, easier and cheaper. But the magic of the instant development...it has no price!
robert
3rdtrick
Well-known
Yes the Polaroid/Fuji film seems expensive but the cost of my M9 would easily cover a lifetime of instant films. If I sold all of my Polaroid gear, it would not even make a downpayment on a Leica lens. Digital is not exactly cheap either. My problem is that I want both digital and Polaroid. I shoot a lot of digital and get great quality but even with the most advanced digital equipment, you cannot take someone's picture and hand them the print 60 seconds later. That still fascinates people today just as it did when Edwin Land first invented it.
Pete
Pete B
Well-known
I've just come across this thread because I bought "The Button" and some SX-70 on ebay.
In some of the threads people talk of a scan from the negative side. Is this the paper that's pulled away from the positive in some Polaroid film types?
Pete
In some of the threads people talk of a scan from the negative side. Is this the paper that's pulled away from the positive in some Polaroid film types?
Pete
3rdtrick
Well-known
Pete, (I am Pete also)
The paper negative from the FP3000B film can be scanned in a flatbed scanner with varying results. The integral films like SX-70 do not have a negative and the FP100C has a transparent negative that must be bleached for recovery.
Recovered from the FP3000B negative. Yes that is a thumb print in the lower right corner.
The Old Oak Tree by 3rdtrick, on Flickr
Recovered from the FP3000B negative
Hermie at the Flea Market (neg) by 3rdtrick, on Flickr
Some of you may know this guy.
Igor by 3rdtrick, on Flickr
I have not had much luck with the FP100C negatives and the problem with all of them is trying to protect them from damage until they dry and can be scanned.
The paper negative from the FP3000B film can be scanned in a flatbed scanner with varying results. The integral films like SX-70 do not have a negative and the FP100C has a transparent negative that must be bleached for recovery.
Recovered from the FP3000B negative. Yes that is a thumb print in the lower right corner.
The Old Oak Tree by 3rdtrick, on Flickr
Recovered from the FP3000B negative
Hermie at the Flea Market (neg) by 3rdtrick, on Flickr
Some of you may know this guy.
Igor by 3rdtrick, on Flickr
I have not had much luck with the FP100C negatives and the problem with all of them is trying to protect them from damage until they dry and can be scanned.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
It doesn't "seem expensive" ... it is expensive.
My M9 plus Nokton 50mm cost me $7000, and I've made over 5000 exposures with it. Shooting about 300 exposures with the Polaroids has already cost me well over $750, about 1/10 the price of the Leica—I don't know about you, but 10% is a decent downpayment on a Leica M9, particularly considering that now you can buy an M9 body for closer to $4000. Shooting 5000 polaroid exposures would cost me over $12,000, that's more than you need for a NEW Leica M and NEW Leica lens unless you go exorbitant on the lens.
And I didn't say to buy a Leica M9. I said to buy a quality digital camera, which is easy to do for under $1000 even new.
All these comments about how cheap film is are dumb. I've spent far more in film camera expenses in the past two years than I have in buying new digital cameras. And made many many more digital exposures that hit the numbers for me compared to film exposures.
So why do I continue to spend money on film? BECAUSE I CAN. I can afford to, and I enjoy it. Even if it's a losing proposition financially, I don't care. If I were a starving student ... forget it. It isn't worth spending the money on. Buy a decent digital camera and make a lot of photographs. You'll learn much more ... which you can then apply to shooting with a film camera when you can afford to do so freely.
G
alienmeatsack
Well-known
It seems like Polaroids come into my life in groups. I won that cheap 250 yesterday on an auction online... then today, I dropped into the flea market shop across town that has a small section of cameras.
He had a nice looking Land Camera 101 sitting there with the original box, so I played with it a bit and then decided to take a chance on it.
I stopped for a AAA battery holder, then headed home to clean it up and put the battery holder in. Before I installed it, I tested it by temp clipping the wires to the holder with one of the bays jumpered (in place of the fourth battery) and the camera worked like a champ. So I finished up the battery holder install and finished cleaning it up.
Now I have yet another working Polaroid in my collection. It really is a shame that Fuji stopped the BW film, it was my fave for many reasons. I'll have to get a bunch of the color stuff to play with now I guess.
This 101 is the fanciest one I have now so far, I like the rangefinder for focusing, much nicer then guessing the distance in feet! I do need to open the rangefinder itself and clean inside of it as there's some smudging on the inside. I hope that can be done without jacking up the rangefinder assembly itself.
Now I think I will go see if there's any light left outside and take a few test shots.
Update... Took my first shot with it. It works. However, the rangefinder patch is no longer visible. It worked at the shop so I must have borked it when I was cleaning it. :/ I set the focus all the way as far as it would go and aimed it at the distance and I got a blurry under-exposed shot. First shot isn't always a good one I guess.
So now I need to see if I can fix the rangefinder. The focus system on the camera is moving the rangefinder's lever and teh bellows move, so it's got to be in the rangefinder unit itself. Worst case, I guess the focus. Ugh. lol. So much for the easy cheap 101.
AND as soon as I speak, I literally bumped the damn thing off the desk onto the floor. And now the rangefinder works again. Geesh. I guess I just need to adjust it with the screw to get focus. How do I do this and not waste a bunch of film?
He had a nice looking Land Camera 101 sitting there with the original box, so I played with it a bit and then decided to take a chance on it.
I stopped for a AAA battery holder, then headed home to clean it up and put the battery holder in. Before I installed it, I tested it by temp clipping the wires to the holder with one of the bays jumpered (in place of the fourth battery) and the camera worked like a champ. So I finished up the battery holder install and finished cleaning it up.
Now I have yet another working Polaroid in my collection. It really is a shame that Fuji stopped the BW film, it was my fave for many reasons. I'll have to get a bunch of the color stuff to play with now I guess.
This 101 is the fanciest one I have now so far, I like the rangefinder for focusing, much nicer then guessing the distance in feet! I do need to open the rangefinder itself and clean inside of it as there's some smudging on the inside. I hope that can be done without jacking up the rangefinder assembly itself.
Now I think I will go see if there's any light left outside and take a few test shots.
Update... Took my first shot with it. It works. However, the rangefinder patch is no longer visible. It worked at the shop so I must have borked it when I was cleaning it. :/ I set the focus all the way as far as it would go and aimed it at the distance and I got a blurry under-exposed shot. First shot isn't always a good one I guess.
So now I need to see if I can fix the rangefinder. The focus system on the camera is moving the rangefinder's lever and teh bellows move, so it's got to be in the rangefinder unit itself. Worst case, I guess the focus. Ugh. lol. So much for the easy cheap 101.
AND as soon as I speak, I literally bumped the damn thing off the desk onto the floor. And now the rangefinder works again. Geesh. I guess I just need to adjust it with the screw to get focus. How do I do this and not waste a bunch of film?
3rdtrick
Well-known
Once you have a good working camera, you will find that they jump out at you in the flea markets. They are usually still in the cases with accessories. Look in the cases for self timers, filters and portrait kits. Your 101 is the same as the 100 and the rangefinders can be swapped easily between the two window and the Zeiss. Soon you will have a collection of Polaroid cameras... How do I know that???
alienmeatsack
Well-known
I've taken three shots with the camera and thus far, it seems to underexpose on the color film unless I set it to the maximum Lighten setting. I've not had a chance to shoot it in broad daylight to see if it's just something that happens in darker rooms of the house. I'll give that a whirl tomorrow.
I also need to check that the rangefinder is calibrated correctly. It seems to be kind of difficult to get it aligned right on closer objects. If I move my view just a tiny bit to the left or right, the focus appears to be 'off'. So I'm not sure where the sweet spot is. I'll have to work on that tomorrow as well.
My only issue really now is to clean inside of the viewfinder itself. And get lots more packfilm.
I also need to check that the rangefinder is calibrated correctly. It seems to be kind of difficult to get it aligned right on closer objects. If I move my view just a tiny bit to the left or right, the focus appears to be 'off'. So I'm not sure where the sweet spot is. I'll have to work on that tomorrow as well.
My only issue really now is to clean inside of the viewfinder itself. And get lots more packfilm.
LKSC
Established
You can get a few Cokin P filter boxes (the made in China knockoffs are about $4 each from ebay). They fit the width of peel apart films almost exactly and the slots help keep the negs separate from each other.
It works best if you have a moment to trim off the developer pod (where it's messiest), and trim or just tear off the leader tab. I keep a small scissors in a ziplock bag for this.
Each box has 10 slots, but I have found that it's best to put in 5 negs at most, leaving an extra slot in between to ensure they don't touch. If you trim the negs as described, you'll be able to fit the lid over the box, sealing it completely. When slotted in, the trimmed negs will still be slightly taller than box height, but will curl a little to fit with no damage when you close the box - as long as you give it space to curl (hence the spacing requirement of the extra slot in between)
3rdtrick
Well-known
Thank you LKSC, I will look for those P filter boxes.
AMS, it is quite common to need the L/D adjustment on the old cameras. I use 75 ISO and still often need one full stop to lighten.
AMS, it is quite common to need the L/D adjustment on the old cameras. I use 75 ISO and still often need one full stop to lighten.
alienmeatsack
Well-known
I played with the 101 today in bright sun and it is definitely off on exposure. The lens is clean, so it has to be the metering system. I tried to clean the eye for the metering but the only thing that I can do that i can tell is to turn it to the furthest lighten setting. Even then it's a tad dark.
What I may have to do is try tricking the meter eye with something to force a little more shutter time.
I do like the rangefinder a lot more then guessing the distance for sure.
When the 250 arrives, I'll see how it goes with it. The 101 may become a backup. It works and that is what matters to me most.
What I may have to do is try tricking the meter eye with something to force a little more shutter time.
I do like the rangefinder a lot more then guessing the distance for sure.
When the 250 arrives, I'll see how it goes with it. The 101 may become a backup. It works and that is what matters to me most.
3rdtrick
Well-known
Yes you can cover the meter eye with a dark filter. I have heard people cut them from the SX-70 filter for using 600 film. Hopefully your 250 will not need that. (Grammar check is telling me to use "you're' but I am pretty sure that I am right.) The 101 will be a good backup for the 250. Now you can collect one of each model...
Pete
Pete
Robert Lai
Well-known
Old 1960-1970s electronics die
Old 1960-1970s electronics die
These old electronics don't necessarily work properly after all these years. Capacitors go bad. I had a 250 that worked fine, and then all of a sudden the shutter was overexposing horribly. I sent it to Clarence, who had a NOS shutter circuit board. He replaced the board, but the camera still would not expose correctly. I sent it back to him to be a parts camera.
That's why I vastly preferred the all mechanical, all manual 180 when I was still shooting Polaroids. With the recent slimming down of my photo hoard, the 180 is now in Brisbane, Australia.
Old 1960-1970s electronics die
These old electronics don't necessarily work properly after all these years. Capacitors go bad. I had a 250 that worked fine, and then all of a sudden the shutter was overexposing horribly. I sent it to Clarence, who had a NOS shutter circuit board. He replaced the board, but the camera still would not expose correctly. I sent it back to him to be a parts camera.
That's why I vastly preferred the all mechanical, all manual 180 when I was still shooting Polaroids. With the recent slimming down of my photo hoard, the 180 is now in Brisbane, Australia.