Polaroid SX-70
.jpg)
The SX-70 is a foldable instant - SLR that of Polaroid was produced from 1972 to 1981. It is both the first foldable reflex camera and the first camera for integral film . The associated film type is also referred to as SX-70.
history
In 1947, Polaroid introduced the instant camera invented by Edwin Land , with which for the first time it was possible to take photographs quickly and without going through a photo laboratory. Nevertheless, this and subsequent cameras required complex manipulations and practice in order to obtain useful images. For example, the film, consisting of photo paper and negative, had to be carefully pulled out of the camera after the exposure, separated from one another after 60 seconds and dried (separation image process). For example, in the 1965 Polaroid Swingers Handbook , the photographer is warned that if he does not follow the instructions, he will face a lot of trouble ("headed for plenty of picture taking trouble"). Otherwise, residues of the developer chemical often remained on the hands and on the waste; and the garbage was not infrequently thrown carelessly into nature.
The SX-70 is the result of thinking about solving these problems. According to the company founder, Land, you should be able to "pull it out of your pocket like a wallet" in order to get a picture immediately. It automatically ejects a taken photo in which the associated negative and the developer substance are integrated and sealed. The integral film was born. Land presented the new camera at a Polaroid general meeting in April 1972. On stage, he pulled a folded SX-70 out of his suit pocket, unfolded it and took a series of five photos in just 10 seconds.
The SX-70 went on sale in Miami , Florida , during the year, and throughout the United States a year later. Despite the high price of 180 US dollars for the camera at the time and another 6.90 US dollars for a film cassette with ten images, Polaroid managed to sell 700,000 units by mid-1974.
The technologies developed for the SX-70 and its film later made possible the inexpensive box-shaped instant cameras, from the Polaroid 1000 in 1977 to the last Polaroid models in the early 2000s. Although they are not SLR cameras, they also use a large mirror to redirect the image onto an integral film.
At least since the end of SX-70 film production by Polaroid in 2005, many SX-70 owners have converted their cameras in order to be able to use the more readily available and physically almost identical 600 film cassettes. Due to the insolvency of Polaroids in 2009, these films were also taken off the market. However, the SX-70 has a large following, which ensured that the Impossible company was able to revive the SX-70 film type (together with the 600 film type). This made the SX-70 not only a coveted collector's item in the 2010s, but also continued to be a popular camera for artistic photography.
properties
All SX-70 cameras have a foldable plastic housing. Your lens has a focal length of 116 mm, a maximum aperture of f / 8, consists of four glass lenses and can be focused on subjects that are only 26.4 cm away. An automatic system ensures the correct exposure time between 1/175 and more than 10 seconds by means of a photodiode attached to the lens.
The single-lens reflex principle requires a complex beam path so that an upright image appears in the viewfinder of the SX-70 and is projected onto the film when triggered. Polaroid achieved this through an unusual arrangement of three mirrors (including a Fresnel element ) in an atypical, aspherical shape .
The focus can be adjusted on all models using a rotary knob next to the lens. Later models also have an ultrasonic autofocus system that sits in a plastic housing above the lens. For the first time, a single-lens reflex camera was able to produce a correctly exposed and correctly focused image simply by pressing the shutter release. For the ultrasonic autofocus, however, a transparent but solid object such as a window pane is an obstacle. On the other hand, this method works even in absolute darkness, where even the most modern optical autofocus methods fail.
A battery named PolaPulse supplies the camera electronics and motor drive. In contrast to previous cameras, however, this extremely flat source of energy is located in the film cassettes - this saves space in the construction and ensures regular replacement of the battery.
The housing has a connection socket above the lens for a flash bar , which contains ten single-use flash bulbs . Only the two youngest models received a built-in flash unit. As a special feature, its flash reflector is coupled with the existing autofocus motor so that it adjusts to the distance of the subject.
Model variants
Over the years, Polaroid improved and supplemented the SX-70, which was offered in different model variants.
SX-70 (original)
The housing is made of glass fiber reinforced polysulfone , which has been vapor-deposited with a copper-nickel-chromium alloy for a metallic appearance. The leather is made of medium brown real leather. The first cameras did not have a focusing aid in the viewfinder, so the photographer had to look carefully to see whether his subject was in focus. In this way, Land wanted to give the impression of looking directly at the motif. Only after many customers complained that focusing was very difficult - especially in low light - was a prism wedge installed from around 1974, which became standard in all other models.
SX-70 Alpha 1
All the improvements that were made to the SX-70 over time were eventually brought together in the new Alpha model . This included the focusing aid, a distance scale on the lens, a tripod thread, a carrying strap and the ability to fill-in flash (to brighten the subject with a flash in daylight). The case was now also available in black, as was the leather covering.
SX-70 Alpha 1 Model 2
The second model differed from the Alpha 1 mainly in the mostly ivory-colored , more rarely black, ABS housing and the pasting with Porvair synthetic leather instead of real leather. The material is prone to scratches and tends to crumble over time. Therefore it was replaced by more robust vinyl synthetic leather in later series and the following models .
SX-70 Model 2
This model has a focusing aid, but unlike the Alpha models, it has no tripod thread and no shoulder strap. Most are kept in white and covered with synthetic leather, which tends to get crumbly over time. Some Model 2s do not have a distance scale on the lens.
SX-70 Model 3
The third model, which is only supplied in black, is not a further improvement on the SX-70, but a slimmed-down model. Instead of looking through the elaborate reflex viewfinder, which reproduces the same image situation as in the following shot, the photographer looks straight ahead through the viewfinder housing. The mirror folding mechanism, which was thus superfluous, was retained.
SX-70 Sonar OneStep / TimeZero SX-70 Autofocus
The introduced in 1978 model Sonar OneStep (engl., Such a step ) was treated with an ultrasonic autofocus system equipped sitting in a black plastic housing over the lens. This camera model was available in chrome or black.
SLR680
The most advanced model is the 1982 SLR680 , which is similar to the Sonar OneStep but uses the more modern 600 film type. The housing of the autofocus system has been enlarged towards the top and also contains an electronic flash unit that can now be fed from the more powerful battery of the 600 film. The camera was only sold in black and is relatively rare.
690
The SLR690 was conceived in 1996 as a limited new edition of the SLR680, which is now known as the "camera legend", and it was finally produced again under the name 690 over several years. The electronics were replaced by a 4-bit microcontroller .
equipment
For the SX-70, Polaroid offered an extensive accessory set, the components of which were also available individually. It included a close-up lens (magnification 1: 1 at a distance of 5 inches), a telephoto lens, a remote release, a tripod adapter, a sun visor and a filter holder. Special, flat camera bags were available as well as an ever-ready case that can be unfolded together with the camera.
A General Electric Flash Bar , which contained ten single-use flash bulbs, was originally used as the flash . Later, Polaroid ("Polatronic") and other manufacturers also offered electronic flash units. In the 2000s, an adapter for the flash bar connection was developed that allows standard flash units to be connected using a flash sync connection.
Some third-party manufacturers are still developing new accessory products for the camera system. Specialized service providers offer repairs or conversions.
Film type SX-70
features
Polaroid successfully launched the SX-70 instant film type as the first integral film in 1972. It consists (like the later film type 600) of a black plastic cassette with 10 stacked images and a battery. A spring ensures that after images have been ejected, the top image is always on top of the cassette, the image plane . A picture has the format 7.9 cm × 7.9 cm with a characteristic, mostly white frame in the format 8.8 cm × 10.7 cm, whereby the lower edge contains a chemical container and is therefore wider. The film speed is ISO 150.
Another feature of the SX-70 cassettes (and subsequent Polaroid integral films ) was the built-in battery Polapulse to supply the camera with 6 V. Zinc chloride cells were used to cope with the power peaks of the camera motor .
Original Films (1972-2005)
The original SX-70 film was improved for the first time in 1975/76 (“New Improved Faster Developing!”) And then again with the Time Zero Supercolor from 1980. “Time Zero” meant that the picture was already within one minute, now the developer paste was white from the start. Both times the picture quality has been improved.
There were also films for professional use such as the Type 778 (equivalent to Time Zero) and the similar 708 (without battery, for photo booths and industrial cameras with their own voltage source).
Time Zero was manufactured until 2005, partly because not all chemical components of the film emulsion were available at that time. Remaining stocks were sold in 2008 as Artistic TZ with only eight pictures.
New films (2010 to date)
.jpg)
After buying up a former Polaroid film factory and doing its own development work, Impossible has been producing new SX-70 films since 2010. The cassettes only contain eight images, but are available as color and black and white film and in various frame designs. In September 2017 the company was renamed " Polaroid Originals " and offers material that has been further developed based on Impossible films.
Image manipulation
A special feature of the SX-70 film produced by Polaroid was the ability to manipulate it during development and even beyond . Because the Mylar® shell prevented moisture contained in the gelatin-based film emulsion from penetrating the outside, it remained soft for a few days. By carefully pressing and moving the emulsion, for example with the fingernail, a painting effect similar to impressionism could be achieved.
use
Well-known photographers such as Ansel Adams , Andy Warhol , Helmut Newton , Walker Evans and artists in general liked to use the SX-70.
Filmmaker and photographer Wim Wenders used the SX-70 for the first time in a feature film. As an important prop and elementary part of the story, it made its debut in Wenders' film Alice in the Cities . As an avid and longtime Polaroid photographer, he heard about the announcement of a completely new Polaroid technology during the preparations for this film, which will initially also be set in the USA. He immediately wrote to the Land Company asking for permission to use this new camera in his film. He was sent a prototype and sufficient film material on the condition that the film could only be released after the official premiere of the SX-70. The film hit theaters in 1974, two years after the SX-70 was released. The SX-70 also appears in the Wenders film The American Friend . Dennis Hopper takes a self-portrait there.
Well-known examples of image manipulation are the record covers of Peter Gabriel's third album or Loverboy's debut album. More modern integral film types such as the 600 or 1200 film do not have this property.
In 1973 and 1974, astronauts used an SX-70 to capture a video screen during the Skylab 3 and 4 missions. So they were able to compare the appearance of the sun from one orbit to the next.
Although not inexpensive, the SX-70 gained some popularity in the 1970s. However, it was only the Polaroid 1000 OneStep that was to ensure the broad breakthrough of the integral film , which became the best-selling camera in the 1977 Christmas business at a price of only 40 US dollars.
Web links
- The Optional Land List: SX-70 Cameras - Model Overview
- The Hacker's Guide to the SX-70 - extensive articles and repair instructions
- Impossible - maker of new SX-70 films
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e McCracken, Harry: Polaroid's SX-70: The Art and Science of the Nearly Impossible . In: Technologizer . Time. June 8, 2011. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
- ^ Polaroid: The Long Walk , Film, 1970.
- ^ A b Gustavson, Todd: Camera: A history of photography from Daguerreotype to Digital . Sterling Signature, 2009, ISBN 978-1-4027-5656-6 .
- ↑ Plummer, William T., Unusual optics of the Polaroid SX-70 Land camera , Appl. Opt. 21, 196-208 (1982)
- ↑ Website (English)
- ↑ The Hacker's Guide to the SX-70: SX-70 Flash Adapter
- ↑ New Batteries: Flat packs, lead-acid Ds, 150-minute ni-cads, chlorine power , Popular Science from October 1973
- ↑ Sean O'Hagan: The Polaroid revival . In: The Guardian . Guardian News and Media Limited. April 5, 2010. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
- ^ About-Production-Starting from scratch . The Impossible Project. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
- ^ [1] Polaroid Originals Launches with New OneStep 2 Camera and i-Type Film . September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
- ↑ Wim Wenders: Sofort Bilder, Schirmer / Mosel 2017, p. 122ff [2]
- ^ Hunt, Curtis: 'Quiet' Sun not so Quiet (September 17, 1973) NASA JSC News Release