Tag / polaroid

by russmorrisphoto

Instant fun.

‘Roid Week Spring 2021.

I might be ready for @polaroidweek

I’ll be getting out Sunday afternoon for a photowalk. 5 instant cameras. 10 packs of instant film.

It’ll be my first excursion with other photographers since February last year. Masked. It’ll be a ton of fun and I’m super stoked.

‘Roid Week Spring 2021 runs April 18 through 23.

Here’s the Flickr group.

by russmorrisphoto

Shen-Hao HZX45-II.

Look out, 2021.

I have this.

I also have a half-dozen 4×5 film holders.

And three boxes of black and white sheet film **.

And a Polaroid 405 back, not t’mention a healthy stash of fuji peel-apart.

And a shade cloth.

And a Toyo focusing loupe.

And light meters.

And a sturdy old Calumet tripod.

Using all that was one of 2020’s goals.

Getting out with all this stuff is now a 2021 goal.

Wish me luck.

** I also ordered that cool LomoGraflok 4×5 instant back (and 10 2-packs of Instax Wide film. That’s 200 shots!). Their site lists an April 2021 ship date – here’s hoping it arrives before Spring ‘Roid Week, which starts on 4/18. Fingers crossed!

by russmorrisphoto

Bums.

Another drive-by shooting.

October 2007. Polaroid Spectra AF + Spectra 990 film.

Described as “Fall ‘Roid Week 2007, day two!”, here’s what I wrote about it for my original Flickr post…

“I tried walking into this place once before. It gave me the heebie-jeebies! I had to leave. Really!

I was on my way home after work yesterday and knew this opportunity was presenting its spooky self once again. Since I was carrying my Spectra with me I decided to stop. I’m glad I did. I went in. Got permission from the owner. Took two shots. This was the better of the two. Still gave me chills, but I got the shot I’d envisioned.”

13 years later, I still have this camera. But no film. Polaroid Originals stopped making film for these cameras earlier this year and I know the Impossible folks aren’t producing any, either.

eBay prices are a little out of my comfort zone, so I guess my Spectra AF will be for display only.

Sad.

by russmorrisphoto

Rusty shutters #36.

0000-pinholaroid-35mm-f140

Pinholaroid.

September 2008.

Modified Polaroid Colorpack II – 35mm @ ƒ/140. No batteries required!

After removing the lens and shutter, I lopped off a good portion the front, then fitted a neatly cut and trimmed piece of black ABS to cover the resulting hole. This made for a shorter distance to the film plane and a wide angle of view.

I measured for center, then drilled a 4/16″ hole through the front plate. The shutter and shutter-stops came next. I measured for the shutter location, drilled a pilot hole, then attached the shutter with a small brass screw, washer and nut. The stops were super-glued. Super-simple operation.

I cut a 3/4″ square piece of soda can and used a very small sewing needle and a sheet of binder paper folded up a bit and placed beneath it to punch the hole through the aluminum, slowly, sanding the back of the puncture to smooth it out. The pinhole is attached to the inside of the camera with gaffer tape.

I turned the camera upside down and added a viewfinder, using a simple 200 degree peep-hole from Home Depot. I used ABS for the viewfinder support, drilled a hole to accommodate the peep-hole and super-glued the bracket to the camera body. The viewfinder placement is dead center above the pinhole.

Having removed the original Colorpack II viewfinder – which is now on the bottom of the camera – I cut out 6 of pieces of ABS that mimicked the shape of the Manfrotto tripod mount I use, each slightly smaller than the next. I glued them together, then drilled a hole for a 1/4-20 sleeve to attach the Manfrotto mount.

In a stroke of good luck, the pattern on the ABS was a close match to that of the Colorpack II. I finished off the Pinholaroid by painting all the exposed ABS satin black.

A fun little project. I even have a decent stash of Fuji pack-film to use with this camera.

San Jose City Hall
San Jose City Hall
Patriotism
Patriotism
Picture Day
Picture Day
White iron
White iron
Me
Me

by russmorrisphoto

Rusty shutters #27.

0000-polaroid-one600ultra.jpg

Polaroid one600|Ultra.

January 2006.

I’m pretty sure I bought this camera at Costco. 13 years makes an old man’s memory shaky.

At any rate, it was before Polaroid stopped producing their 600 film, which was available from Costco at a not-too-terrible price. As I recall, 5 packs were less than 40 dollars US.

This guy got a lot of use before I moved on to the SX-70. I shot it around downtown San Jose and my old neighborhood in Santa Clara, CA.

Sad thing is I no longer have this camera – or if I do, I don’t know where I stashed it – but I do have a few other Polaroids that’ll use up my remaining packs of 600 film.

Body: Two-tone silver/darkgrey, pop-up
Lens: 100mm, 2 element, plastic, fixed focal length
Aperture: ƒ/2.9
Shutter speed 1/3 – 1/200sec
Flash modes: Auto mode, flash off mode, red-eye reduction
Viewfinder: LCD info screen shows flash mode, film counter and self timer status
Focus: 2 ft to infinity
Size WDH: 4.7in x 6.2in x 3.6in
Weight: 18oz

Vapor
Vapor
Balloons
Balloons
Brent
Brent
Walk on by
Walk on by
SSS
SSS

by russmorrisphoto

Rusty shutters #16.

0000-polaroid-colorpack-ii.jpg

Polaroid Colorpack II.

April 2008.

Funny story. I bought five of these cameras on eBay to cut up and make into pinhole (pinholaroid) cameras. Two pinholes got made. The other two Colorpacks were junk.

But one Colorpack II was in such good condition that I just couldn’t bring myself to altering it. So I kept it as is.

I still have it. Great little camera. I should use up some of the remaining Fuji peel-apart I have stashed. Maybe when the weather gets a little cooler, this Fall.

Film: Peel-apart 100-Series or Fujifilm FP-100C, FP100B, or FP3000B
Lens: 114mm, f/9.2
Shutter: Electronic, 10s-1/500s
ISO: 75 & 3000
Focus: 3 feet to infinity
Batteries: Two standard 1.5V AA batteries
Cold clip included

Flamin' '55
Flamin’ ’55
Diana
Diana
ARS
ARS
A slight breeze
A slight breeze
Toy car
Toy car