In article <1180271351.564696.124170@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
furles@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
> I have a few questions that I hope somebody may be able to answer.
>
> Firstly, I have one of the original Graflex 'Polaroid Land Film Back',
> complete with the gauge for setting the front standard back from the
> infinity stops, and even the extended ground glass panel which could
> be attached to the rear of the camera. I bought this several years
> ago to add to the collection, but I've never really looked at it until
> now, and I've only just worked out how to open it. I've used both
> sheet and pack Polaroid film, but I cannot work out how this old roll
> system worked; I've never even seen a roll film, I do have one, but
> it's still sealed, and I want to keep it that way.
>
> The back seems to be basically a standard folding Polaroid camera of
> the era (heavy) with the front removed, and a Graflok type mounting
> plate fitted in its place. There is a recess in the centre of the
> top; is this where the viewfinder was fitted in the complete camera?
> There's also a smaller recess to the left of this, with what looks
> like a blanked off slot, what was this for? I assume that it's
> something else that was used on the complete camera, but not on the
> Graflex version.
>
> There's a curved metal flap at the right-hand end, which covers a
> slot. The right two-thirds or so of the back is a flap, which can be
> opened, but the inside of it doesn't look like a pressure plate, it's
> got ridges on it. Also, there's solid metal be hind it, so the film
> couldn't be exposed here. There's a round button, which seems to be
> referred to as the 'film release', and the notes inside the flap
> mention the 'cutter', but I can't see where this is.
>
> If I remove the darkslide then I can release a small catch, and the
> whole of the back (the back of the back, if you see what I mean,
> opens, to reveal a space which looks like it could hold a roll, and a
> pair of processing rollers. The part which was underneath the first
> flap, with one of the rollers attached to it, can now be opened, hinge
> in the right, to reveal an empty spool at the right end, with no means
> of driving it, so I assume that it's a feed spool.
>
> Now I can see the exposure aperture, and the pressure plate, which is
> attached to the part that I just opened. Were there two separate
> spools, one for the negative, and one for the print? If so, it looks
> like the negative may have fed from the small spool on the right,
> across the exposure aperture, then turned back around the lower
> processing roller, and brought into contact with the print material
> fed from a roll in the space on the left. In this case where did the
> developer come from? Surely they didn't roll up the strip on print
> material with pods attached to it at intervals, did they? I assume
> that the small curved flap covering the slot at the right-hand end is
> where the material comes out, but what is the large flap in the back
> for? Did the development take place here, or outside the back? Did
> you pull something out of the slot to bring the two materials into
> contact, and then pull again to get the print and negative out of the
> back, or did you open the large flap, and peel the print off the
> negative there?
>
> I've read that the model 500 sheet film holder can be used with
> current sheet film, but that care has to be taken not to pull the
> packet out too far, as there is nothing to stop it coming right out,
> as there is in the 545 and later holders. Was it always like this, or
> was there a different type of sheet film available at one time? If
> there was, how did it differ from the current type?
>
> Finally, when were the roll, pack and sheet systems introduced, and
> when was the roll material discontinued? There seem to be holders for
> all three systems of considerable age, so it looks like all three were
> in concurrent use for a considerable time.
There were two rolls that were inserted into the back and threaded
through the end of the back. You took a shot, flipped a lever and pulled
the film through the slot, tore it off and threw it away. When you
pulled the film through the slot it broke and developer pod and spread
the developer between the two parts of the film that were exposed. After
60 seconds you opened the door on the back and the positive print was
detached from the rest of the film. You then spread the tube of coating
material over the positive to fix it - smelly and sticky stuff - when
that dried you had your print.
Film came in two sizes. A larger print size for the original model 95
and it's successors and a smaller size for the 80 series and it's
successors. The back you have was from the larger size.
The original Polaroid 95 was introduced in the very late 40's or early
50's. We had the first version when I was growing up. That was the one
that had the spring that you lifted up and used to center the image and
to compose.
Film has been gone for several decades so don't make plans to shoot with
it. And even if you could find an unexposed roll the fixer stuff would
be long dried up.
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