Antique_Camera_Guy
Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera
This is the original "Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera". It is a folding single lens reflex instant camera which was produced by Polaroid from 1972 to 1981. It was the first camera made by Polaroid to utilize the SX-70 format of integral print film.
The SX-70 format was revolutionary for a number of reasons. The main idea behind the SX-70 format was to have a hassle and mess-free instant film and camera system. Unlike previous Polaroid films, the developing and fixing chemicals, negative and print are all contained within a sealed plastic envelope. With earlier Polaroid films it was possible for the photographer to unpeel the film too early and ruin the print or get chemicals on his or her fingers. The instruction manual for the Polaroid Sentinel Swinger warned the user to carefully follow the procedure for taking, ejecting and developing prints or: "you are headed for plenty of picture taking trouble". With the SX-70, once the photographer takes a picture the print is automatically ejected from the camera and is developed mess-free within the envelope. Another innovative feature of the SX-70 film pack was that it contained the battery used to power the camera's electronics. This means that each time the photographer changed the film pack they were also changing the battery.
The SX-70 features a folding body design, a 4-element glass lens, a fixed aperture of f/8 and an automatic exposure system. The camera's manual focus allows the photographer to focus as close as 10.4inches (26.4cm) away. The electronic shutter speed has a range from 1/176 to 10 seconds. A number of accessories were also released for the SX-70 including a tele-photo lens attachment, a close-up kit, a self-timer, external flash and a tripod adaptor.
A downloadable PDF version of the manual for the "Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera" can be found at:
www.butkus.org/chinon/polaroid_cameras/sx-70/polaroid_sx-...
To watch a promotional video for the SX-70 from 1972:
Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera
This is the original "Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera". It is a folding single lens reflex instant camera which was produced by Polaroid from 1972 to 1981. It was the first camera made by Polaroid to utilize the SX-70 format of integral print film.
The SX-70 format was revolutionary for a number of reasons. The main idea behind the SX-70 format was to have a hassle and mess-free instant film and camera system. Unlike previous Polaroid films, the developing and fixing chemicals, negative and print are all contained within a sealed plastic envelope. With earlier Polaroid films it was possible for the photographer to unpeel the film too early and ruin the print or get chemicals on his or her fingers. The instruction manual for the Polaroid Sentinel Swinger warned the user to carefully follow the procedure for taking, ejecting and developing prints or: "you are headed for plenty of picture taking trouble". With the SX-70, once the photographer takes a picture the print is automatically ejected from the camera and is developed mess-free within the envelope. Another innovative feature of the SX-70 film pack was that it contained the battery used to power the camera's electronics. This means that each time the photographer changed the film pack they were also changing the battery.
The SX-70 features a folding body design, a 4-element glass lens, a fixed aperture of f/8 and an automatic exposure system. The camera's manual focus allows the photographer to focus as close as 10.4inches (26.4cm) away. The electronic shutter speed has a range from 1/176 to 10 seconds. A number of accessories were also released for the SX-70 including a tele-photo lens attachment, a close-up kit, a self-timer, external flash and a tripod adaptor.
A downloadable PDF version of the manual for the "Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera" can be found at:
www.butkus.org/chinon/polaroid_cameras/sx-70/polaroid_sx-...
To watch a promotional video for the SX-70 from 1972: