I recently got another camera off of ebay. It's another Polaroid camera, but this time rather retro. It's an Automatic 100, produced between 1963 and 1966 taking 3.25x4.25 inch instant pictures using '100 series' pack film (which Fuji still make, even though Polaroid themselves couldn't continue).
Thanks go out to Option8 for his website describing how to refurbish the camera.
Well, I finally got out for twenty minutes the other night and took some pictures with my large format camera. Firstly, the Manfrotto tripod is lovely and stable - so that's good. I ended up taking two pictures basically - each shot twice, firstly on Instant film (Fuji FP100C in a Polaroid 405 back) and then on Fomapan 100 sheet film.
First 'Polaroid' was a bit marred by the fact I didn't develop it for long enough - it was rather colder than the film likes.
Wow. There's an awful lot of people seemingly upset by The Polaroid Corporation's recent decision to stop making their eponymous film.
Check out www.savepolaroid.com.
Of course, the current Polaroid Corp. has pretty much nothing to do with the original corporation; the current company being much more interested in slapping their coloured squares onto any number of consumer electronic devices than their traditional analogue imaging processes.
Ironically, Polaroid could well be making the biggest mistake ever. Recent reports seem to indicate that the rush to digital imaging is being stemmed, and consumers are returning to film, whether for
... perfect.
Just days before Polaroid announced they were shutting down production of their eponymous instant-film, I bid on ebay for a Polaroid film back (so I can use instant film with my LF camera). I have been chasing various 545 film backs (taking Polaroid 'Type 5x' sheet film) but they always went up to silly prices (and the film isn't cheap either). I therefore started looking at the 405 back. It takes a smaller image - 3.25 x 4.25 inches (in a pack of 10 pictures) - but it will allow me the instant feedback on my pictures that I desire.
