Polaroid peripheral madness!

Instead of working on the proper blog post I'm planning, I'm doing this fun filler episode instead. I buy lots of Polaroid cameras (duh). Well, when you buy a Polaroid camera, you rarely get just a camera. You also get an assortment of sometimes useless, sometimes useful, usually interesting extras. So here are about 20 million photos of some of the junk I've gotten with my Polaroid cameras...at least the stuff I haven't tossed (yet). Oh, and none of this is for sale!
First of all, flashes. Useless to me, as I rarely use a flash, and all of these are just too much work for me. Don't ask me which goes with what camera.
Model J-5 (uses M3 bulbs)


Model 268 (uses M3 bulbs)


BC Flash Model 281 w/diffuser (uses Press 25 bulbs)


Wink Light Flasher 256


Wink-Light Model 250


Focused Flash Model 490 (uses flash cubes)


Bounce Flash Bracket Model 292


Model 259 for the Swinger Sentinal (takes AG1 bulbs)


And, of course, flashbulbs...






The AG-1 bulbs are most useful, as they work in the Big Swinger 3000. And the flash bars, of course, for the SX-70. Flash bulbs are a little funny because there are a couple different mounts, so you have to find the camera they fit on.
I also get lots of batteries, which I usually throw away since they are typically decomposing inside the cameras.



I have a bunch of cold clips....


Spools from roll film cameras, both Type 40 and Type 30.


Light meters...




A cable release for folding pack film cameras, which is very useful.


Some kind of development thermometer. It has ASA and developing time (and no temperature), but I don't really understand it.


Lots of filters, some which are very useful, others which aren't so much. Still cool to have, though.
For the 180, 190 and 195...lens hood, orange filter and UV filter. And then a 5-stop ND filter, as well.



The equivalent set for the 110, 110A and 110B roll film cameras.


And a set for roll film cameras with the lens size of the 80, 95A, 150, etc. Includes yellow, orange and polarizing filters.


This is a 4-S ND filter for the same cameras, for use with 3000-speed film.


Filters for many of the pack film bellows (folding) cameras...orange and UV.



I've talked about these lens adapters before.


Along with these copy stands that I don't have the diopters to use with.


Lots of print mounts (to combat the curliness of color film).


Lots of cases that I don't use. I've thrown/given away many others.


And, of course, camera boxes...


And what kind of junk do we find inside of those boxes? Registration cards...





Junk mail for enlargements and such...










These cards are hooked onto the camera handles of hard case Polas.


And how about manuals? I have plenty of manuals. Don't ask me to scan any of these (I've had a few requests). There are plenty of resources on the Web (including this blog!) that show you how your Polaroid camera works. Scanning and e-mailing 30 pages of instructions isn't on my agenda!



















And that's about it...at least the stuff that isn't buried somewhere. I also have counters and a few other odds and ends.
Wait! What? You want one more story? Okay, how about those little instruction sheets that come in the film boxes? Tons of those, too. And then I'm done and straight to bed for you!








Lights out!

J33...the loneliest conversion in the world!

Moving on from the J66, I decided I wanted to convert the previously mentioned J33, a smaller version of the J66 designed to use Type 37 (and 32) film. Type 30 films are smaller than Type 40s (which have an image size similar to 100), but the same size as Type 20s (used by the Swinger family). I haven't held Type 20 or Type 30 in my hands, so I'm not sure how the two rolls differ. So the J33 uses film that has been discontinued forever, basically. There were quite a bit fewer J33s produced than other roll film camera, only about 280,000 over three years according to Land List. But there are still plenty of them available. So what am I planning on doing with the J33 again? Oh yeah, converting it to pack film.
But...didn't I say the film size is smaller than 100 pack film? Yep. So the camera is smaller, and the resulting image is smaller. So, is this possible? That's what I wanted to find out!
Okay, so we start with the J33, unscathed.



Certainly a pretty camera. Many of the steps are exactly the same, and this camera was actually a bit easier to convert. First remove those pesky doors.


Here you see the difference in size between the camera and a 100 film pack back. The idea is to make that big thing work on that small camera.


Then that pesky spool holder. Note that there are no screws, only rivets. So just a bit of brute force needed. You want to keep those two silver rivets in place, as they secure the front clasp.



This has the same plate that the film slides across and also holds the bellows in place. I wanted to be able to leave this in place, but it has two raised edges, and the back needed to be as flush as possible because of the way the two pieces fit together. So I ended up ripping it off, and regluing the bellows in place.



The spool holder on the right side can stay, as it will add needed support for the pack back. Here, check out the image size difference between the camera and back, and how the back will sit on the camera.



No need to cut the top, as the back sets against it perfectly. But we do have all that extra open space on the back to take care of. I used a couple 600 reject cards and cut them into a mask. Black tape to secure everything.



And, quite honestly, that's about it! All that's left is to fix the back onto the camera and clean up the end. I used some foam tape to level out some on the indented areas, and then just epoxied the back on! I did cut the end piece as well, which was the most painful part of the entire process. Not sure how this metal differs from the other roll film camera, but it was stupid hard metal. The saw wouldn't cut through it! It just kind of rubbed its way through. I didn't even have much dust left at the end. Was a real pain in the butt. So we have the finished camera already! Much easier process.






Notice the small piece of leatherette from another camera on the front bottom of the back to pretty it up. Nifty looking! But, the big question...how does it work?
The J33 was designed to use Type 37, which is 3000 speed film, with an adapter (that I don't have) for color film. So I used Fuji FP-3000B for my test shots. I only had a couple left in a pack, so not many examples, but enough to see what the camera does. First shot, you can see the difference in image size.


Kind of like a Hassie shot! But not. Or looking at a dog through an airplane window. Okay, so I expected the image size to be smaller, but I didn't expect the bottom to be cut off. This is because the back doesn't sit quite high enough on the camera to allow for the additional white border. So if I did this conversion again (or if I decide to pop this apart and rework it), I would cut out about 1/4 of and inch from the plastic camera cap to bring the back up a bit, allowing for the full image to present itself on the film.
Moving on, cropping it actually produced a kind of cool image size!



Nice! I actually quite like this! Again, be nice if the entire image fit on the film, but still pretty cool! And the same shots, goop side, along with another test shot.




The end! Again, I actually like this camera quite a bit! I like the interesting shape of the final image, and the camera is easy to hold and use...quite a bit smaller than the Type 40 roll cameras!
This will probably be my last conversion for awhile. Can't really think of any other cameras that I'm super eager to try. I've already done the odd choices, the rest would probably be more of "less interesting". We shall see, though. Really would like to get the full image on this camera, though. And get the color adapter. Will have some fun using this one! Should get some looks, at least.
Seeya!

**UPDATE**
Okay, so I didn't much care for the image being cut off, so I took the conversion apart and reworked it. SA?ELfJC E GF/Lhes?gK RDEPzbnjZGHE (sorry, that's how I feel like I'm typing right now...I keep backspacing every other letter to fix something). Anyway, so I know I would have to take the top off and keep it off, as cutting it would be very difficult. There is glass and metal in the finder...would have just been a pain. So I took it off, readjusted the back and set off.


I used a J66 finder since I couldn't put the J33 finder back on. Looks okay, problem though. I fixed the up and down, but not the left and right. It's still cutting the image on the side and I can't push the back any more to one side. So, I had to do what I didn't want to...cut the end off the camera. Mostly because -- hardest metal to hack through ever! Seriously, not sure why these are different than the other roll film cameras, but the saw would not cut through the long way. It just kind of rubbed through from friction. Huge pain in my butt. Did it though, and unfortunately had to cut more off than really desired just because it would have been impossible to saw on the curved part of the body.
Redid my mask for the back and used a piece of Fuji film pack for bracing so the pack back would have some more support.



And the final product! Surely a bit uglier, but 100% more functional.



And the results! I like! With Type 667.




And you can crop, of course...



Some leaks to contend with, though I kind of like them. But chances are they will get worse before I got through another pack. Now all I need is the color adapter set and I will be...set!

Quick on the heels...the Polaroid J66 Conversion.

Yeah, I may be the only person who practices converting to pack film using a nice camera like the 110A, and then moves on to converting crappy cameras. But how many 110A cameras do I need? One. So on I move.
My next conversion was a Polaroid J66. Widely regarded as not a very good camera, the J66 was a fixed-focus, auto-exposure camera for Type 47 (3000-speed black and white) roll film. Some of my favorite cameras are crappy, so I figured, hey...why not? It's a pretty cool looking camera, I think.







I love the industrial vibe...very vintage. Very much a product of its time. A very popular camera, as well -- about one million were produced between 1961 and 1963. Original price: $89.95. I paid $6. It has some neat features, such as the auto exposure. That big square on the front is the light meter, It has a little dial on top that lets you know if there is enough light. The dark/light setting is on the front lens, and directly controls the aperture. I said it was fixed focus, and it mostly is except for the ability to pull the bellows out a notch for shots closer than six feet.
There is a built-in flash of sorts. It pops out of the side and takes an AG or AG1 bulb. The flash uses a single AA battery, which oddly enough you push in from the front of the camera, alongside the bellows. It just kind of sits in there held in place by the contacts.


Also interesting is that the camera was produced before color film was available from Polaroid, but that it was planned and the camera would be able to use the film.


I'm waiting for the color adapter (a plate that fits over the front of the camera and has a filter for the meter), so I can't vouch for its capabilities in the realm of color.
And this just because of my ongoing infatuation with chicks holding Polaroid cameras. It's a sizable beast, indeed.


And also just because, here is the J33, J66's baby bro. Built for Type 30, which is a much smaller roll film that didn't seem to really take off. But I think the camera is awesome looking, so I have one. Too small to convert to pack film, but some have done a conversion to 120 film.





Okay, so back to the J66 conversion. Most of it is exactly the same as the 110A conversion, so I'll just have mostly pictures with bits of text, unless something is different. Overall, the second time around is much easier. I had most of this done in about five hours.
First, remove the pins and get the backs off.


Take the top off. Held in place by two inside screws and the two screws that hold the viewfinder in place.



Remove the spool holder. This was easier as it was just held in with two screws and was all plastic. And pop out that spring bar thing. The bolts shoot to the ceiling when you do.




You don't need to save any of this because there isn't a spring to pop the door open underneath like with the 110A. I failed to show pictures of this next step on my 110A conversion. Remove the photo plate/bellows clips to get the pack as close to the original film plane as possible. Just pry it up and rip it off.




In retrospect, I'm not sure you need to remove the cutter bar. You will be sawing off the end of the camera anyway. Maybe just peel back the skin and leave the rest. But I didn't consider this until I had removed it.



Saw the end off. This time I started on the long side and then cut each end, so my cut would be straight.





Do the same with the door. Remove the extra bits with a screwdriver, pliers and brute force. Then saw the end off. I was more careful with measuring this time. I had the same idea as last time, to use original parts in the new design.




I cut the plastic top on this camera, as it was long and skinny and didn't look right hanging over.


The bellows weren't fixed like on the 110A, so I had to reattach. I took the seal, cut it in bits, glued it back on, then used epoxy in the empty spots so it would stick to the camera body. Then I painted the clear epoxy parts black to stop the light leaking through.





I had the same issue with the back, not being able to open it while attached to the camera, so I just shaved off a small bit on the corners. I could have gotten away with shaving even less than this, but it's hard to do without slicing your finger (which I did) or screwing up the finish around the area you are shaving. The plastic is very brittle and doesn't peel off...it kind of flakes and snaps off in little bits.


After all that, it's just a matter of putting it back together, gluing the pack back in place, fixing the skins, etc.






The black pack doesn't go quite as well with the color scheme on the J66, but overall still decent looking. So how does it shoot? Is it as crappy as everyone thinks? A couple random shots I took while out running errands, and then a few final words about the conversion. These are with Fuji FP-3000B.





Not bad at all. Not particular exciting, but not awful. It actually does a pretty good job of giving the FP-3000B a 667-like texture. And leaks? Yeah, the camera has leaks. On the 110A I used a Fuji back. This time I used a Polaroid back, which didn't fit quite as snug, so there are some gaps along the sides. I taped as much as I could, but I'll probably have to reglue (the back is also a little loose on one side) and seal up some of the edges.
So was it worth it? Sure, why not? Maybe it's not a fantastic camera. It looks really cool, but it's a bit middle of the road, not having the cool plastic effects of the Big Swingers, while also not being nearly as nice and sharp as the 110A. Still, I'm glad I did it, and I'm looking forward to the color kit so I can test out that function (after I fix the leaks).
I may convert the Polaroid 850 next, just because it's pretty darn cool looking. And each conversion I do gets easier, and new realizations will be had with each, as well. And it keeps me entertained.

Polaroid 110A covertomation. Convertomizing. Okay, just conversion.

Nothing like made-up high-tech words. Sooooo...I've thought about grappling with this beast for awhile. I'm certainly not the first person to do this. There seem to be a fair amount of 110/110A/110B conversions to pack film out there. They do, in fact, sell for quite a bit. But I wouldn't buy something I could do for myself! Wait, what am I talking about? For all of you that have no idea what I'm talking about! Let's start with the camera.
Polaroid roll film cameras are different that pack film cameras. I've talked quite a bit about pack film in the past (what I refer to as peel-apart, though roll film is also peel-apart), and had one post about my 150, a low-end roll film camera (amazing that something that nice looking is low end). Roll film is the precursor to pack film, so the cameras are, of course, older. Roll film has also not been produced since about 1990, and finding working film rolls is getting tougher and tougher. So what to do with these cameras? Well...why not convert them to use pack film?
There are various roll film camera models, and actually there are three roll film sizes. Type 40 is the largest and closest in size to Type 100, so these are the cameras that get converted. And there are mostly lower-end cameras with fixed shutter speeds, and a couple nice high-end cameras comparable to the 180/195 series. These are the cameras that are most sought after for conversion...the 110, 110A, 110B and 120. You can read more about the differences in these on the Land List here. I chose to use a 110A because I got a good deal on eBay. 110Bs are the most popular just because they have a couple minor improvements over the 110A. Some people convert the 'lesser' models as well. Here is my 150 next to my 110A. See the obvious difference in the lens quality.




Okay, so the 110A (the camera with the fancier lens above). I'm not going to talk a bunch about the roll film camera and how it works...you can check out my 150 article for that. Here are a couple pages from the manual, though. Love the illustrations, and a bit about the lens, as that's the main difference between the 150 and 110A.






And the camera itself. You can see...she is very dirty (raowr!).


So...the conversion. It took me a couple days, I'd say maybe 12 hours total, but that included a few mishaps and re-dos. There are a couple resources out there to help with conversions. Land List has a page with some decent step-by-steps. Option8 has a site that has a few tips, but the is site mostly a mess and difficult to follow. I couldn't even find the link to the conversion except through Google. I don't recommend it as a resource unless you are desperate for some pictures of the final product. Skorj has a nice work-up as well (and this is what got me going on my own conversion, finally), and this was more useful for some of the step-by-step. I like to see things sequentially and logically. So these sites helped a bit as I felt the task to be a bit daunting before I started. Truth be told, it was much easier than expected. The few mishaps were just me not paying attention. The process is actually pretty straightforward and just requires a little bit of grunt work and a bit of determination and imagination.
Besides the camera itself, the other important ingredient is a pack film back. These can be found as separate entities and are used on the 600SE, ID cameras and scientific cameras (like my oscilloscope camera). The Polaroid version is usually known as a CB-33 back. There are older metal versions and newer plastic versions. I would use a plastic model for this conversion just to keep the weight down, as the 110A is very heavy.


Some people also cut the packs from various folding cameras (like the Automatic 100). I chose to use my Fuji back, as it fit the best, being a bit narrower than the Polaroid back. So, back to taking this camera apart. First, need to remove those pins in the hinges to get the back door off. The pin for the main door hinge was actually one of the tougher tasks...I just had a lot of trouble getting it out. But if you screw it up, there are a couple other hinge pins in the camera that are easier to remove and can be used in the end product.


Basically just brute force to get it out, with a hammer and a pointy thing. This inside pin was in a tight area, so it was easier just to pull and bend.


There are three doors in a roll film camera, but you only need to worry about the main door and inside door at this point. Off, you have an open camera.


Next is to take the plastic top off. This camera uses a dual viewfinder system like the 195. The 110B has a single viewfinder like the 180 Zeiss finder. This was one of the useful things I got from Option8's site. There are four screws. One is on the flash mount on top, one is accessible on the front right, and the other two are on the inside back. They are all different-sized screws, so it's easy to figure out which one goes where when putting the camera back together.


There is also a wire for the flash. I just clipped it because I don't care about the flash. I can always add this functionality later if I want.
Next up is removing the bar on the end of the camera with the door lock. There are three screws inside and two underneath the skin. Peeling this skin off is a bit of a chore. It's glued on super nutty and the desire is to peel it off without damaging it for later use (though I found a perfect removal method for parts not attached to important things, which I'll mention when I get to that point). This end part isn't all that important, though, as it will just be discarded...but you want to save what you can.


You want to remove as much of the extra stuff as possible to reduce the weight of the camera. The rollers weigh quite a bit. Take out the guts from the large open area. This helps with weight reduction, plus this junk impedes the opening of your pack back once in place. This requires removing three screws and then a lot of brute force to get the roll holders out. Mine are metal, but it looks like Skorj's model was maybe black plastic? But it took a bit of leverage with a screwdriver to get them out. Save the plastic part with the screws, as it will need to be broken down into a smaller piece and reattached, because the springy pin the pops the front door open is located under this.


I covered the lens with tape to protect it. Some recommend taking it out, but I didn't really see the point and just want to keep it from getting dirty or scratched.
Next up is the manual labor step...cutting the end of the camera off so you can fit the bulky end of the pack back onto the camera. It has to be removed to you can fit it on and open the clasp, as well. Judging by other mods, I made my angle not nearly as severe. Didn't really see the need. I kind of went with the same angle as the clasp on the pack back so I could keep it as flush as possible. Some pictures of the procedure and then a few tips. I used a hack saw with a metal cutting blade for this step. Do yourself a favor and use a new blade. It's only a couple bucks for a pack of five blades.



I started by cutting the ends and then cutting the width from the front. The toughest part about this procedure is the beginning when you are trying to get the teeth to catch in the metal in the correct place. At first it just glides over it like ice. I wasn't about to start at one end and saw all the way down...no way to keep a straight line and end up in the same place on the bottom. The angle was off on each end almost from the very beginning. In retrospect, after cutting a later part, I found that it's actually better to do your long cut first (though equally difficult to get the first cut), then chop the ends off. Then you are starting with straight line and not trying to cut to make your ends meet that you had already cut.
Before you start cutting, you want to make sure you are cutting in the appropriate place, of course. The pack opening needs to line up with the opening in the camera. I put a dead pack of film in the back to make sure my placement was proper. The opening is larger than the film pack opening.
Simple tip...inside the 110A there is a metal plate. You need to remove this to keep your pack as close to the original film plane as possible. What you have left, as seen above, is a series of rivets. Other online references tell you to clip these rivets. If you are using a plastic back, this actually isn't necessary. I didn't believe it at first, but three of these rivets on top and three on bottom line up exactly with the screw holes in the pack film camera. And there is an indentation for the light seal as well, so the other rivets fit right into this space. So...if you line up your holes with the rivets, you have perfect placement for your pack. So place, measure, mark and cut. When you are done, the pack fits just right.



Notice I peeled back the skins. This is so you can fold them over your cut ends when done. I just used superglue and some clips until dry.


The pack itself fit perfectly into the space provided by the camera. but I had one problem...the back was wider in the hinge area than the lower body, so when I opened the pack back, it wouldn't fit into the area...it just pulled the pack out of the camera. Skorj's solution was to clip the metal in this area. I wanted to do as little damage to the camera body as possible, so I just shaved down the pack back with an Exacto and sandpaper. Then I colored it with black marker. Not all that pretty, but mostly invisible when the camera is put together.


As mentioned before, replace the plastic part that hold down the spring for the pop-open front. You have to cut it or break it down, as it gets in the way of the pack back if you don't.


All that's left is to cut the pack end to cover the gaping hole, and to decorate the camera somehow. I wanted my camera to look like a Polaroid camera. I didn't want it to look like a circus sideshow with purple snake skin. I like the vintage look of the camera itself and want to carry that theme forward. This was my original idea, which evolved into something else in the end. But here you can see what I did. Used some original parts, double-sided tape and superglue.





That skin? Super tip! State secret! If the part isn't attached to anything important, an easy way to remove it is to pour boiling water on it. While the metal is hot (careful kids with hot things), the skins peels right off in seconds. Requires almost no effort and saves the skin's integrity.
So the next step was to cut the end part. this was my first idiotic mishap. Cutting it is no different than cutting the camera body, and is actually a bit easier as it is thinner. Well, I measured this thing at least four times, drew my guide lines and cut.


Put it back together...and...W T F! I mean, seriously.


I'm off by a full five millimeters! If I scowled any harder, my face would have folded in on itself. Nice bonehead move. So...what to do? Well, fortunately, the 150 is the only camera that is built exactly like the 110A, and you can get a 150 for $7. Perfect purchase for spare parts. So I got another and re-cut the back door. DUMB!
Intermission! This is my desk when I'm working on stuff like this. Yeah, I lose stuff all the time...on my desk.


So, anyway, all I really have left to do is to secure everything. The metal plate you remove from inside the camera had little clips to hold the bellows in place. But this metal was super weak and seemed to be just a bit of insurance, and the bellows seem to be glued in place fairly well. I added a string of white glue along the edges just for extra.


All that is left at this point is to secure the pack back to the camera. I used epoxy gel for this task. A shot of the initial process, then realization.
You have to cover the bit of extra space in the pack where it hangs over the edge of the camera. I used a piece of Fuji film pack and black tape. Just cut it so it lines up with the photo edge of a pack.


And I thought I would be smart and take the back apart and epoxy the base onto the camera and then put it together after.


Okay...dumb move number two. Once the base in place, you can't get the pack back together because of the metal edge on the camera body. Not enough room to work the hinge around the pins. Sigh...
So, I had to pry the back off the camera. Epoxy sets fast. Fortunately, nothing snapped, and I was able to pop it off and put it back together and re-glue.
That's it! All that's left at this point is aesthetics. While I didn't think the skin job I did on the back was bad, it just didn't seem right to me. It matched, but still didn't look vintage. I stared at the camera for awhile and thought about things for awhile and finally worked up a final look using the original back door of the 110A. I had to take the skin off so I could remove the film plate and rivets, and sand a couple of them down. Then I re-glued the skin back on. I didn't really like the open hinges, so I flipped another hinge from the camera and glued the old rivets in place and attached it to the pack back with double-sided foam tape. Amazing how everything is pretty much the same size! In the final pictures, you can see my flippy part on the end isn't cut quite straight because the rivets look a bit off. Or maybe the hinge thing is slightly crooked. Oh well, I did what I could. If I had an industrial saw, I could have done a straighter cut, but I think it still looks good. My other design choice that seems to differ from other conversions was the decision to not cut the plastic top at the same angle as the metal body. Didn't really see the point as I think it looks nice intact. It doesn't look ungainly and seems to flow with the end of the pack back end. I just had to shave off about a millimeter of plastic that was in the way of the back clasp. Everything looks nice, and the back looks like it belongs.
Some camera conversion porn!







Looks pretty sweet! But how does she work? Light leaks are always a worry when doing projects like this...fitting foreign things to other things. But my back fit very nicely on the camera. After gluing everything together, I shined a flashlight all around the inside and outside in a dark room. I couldn't find a single point of light shining through anywhere. This morning, I threw in a pack of Type 690 and took a few test shots around my place. Nothing exciting, of course, but the results are swimmingly positive! And it seems to have an amazing depth of field and pinpoint focusing that I don't even see in my 180 and 195! Will have to compare at some point, and try some different film types, of course. 690 is a soft film. There are couple niggles with it, like the dual focusing window. I'm cool with that, but you have to make sure you focus dead center on the framing window or the shot won't be in focus. And the parallax is way off, but I'm assuming this was an issue with the original camera? It's hard to tell with expired Type 40. And the viewfinder shows more than what you get on the film, as well. I may have to take off the top at some point and make sure things line up inside like they are supposed to. Only other thing to do is to make the end piece secure when closed so it doesn't flop open. I figure a simple piece of felt or soft leather will do, just enough so it wedges tight when you close it (you have to be able to open it to get the pack back door open).





Handles beautifully, and is much lighter than the original camera. One of the turn-offs to using roll film is lugging the 40-pound camera around. Much sweeter now and comparable in weight to the 195, if just a smidge heavier.
As I already have other nice Polaroid cameras, this project was more a case of want than need. But I really enjoyed the project and plan on a few more conversions, probably with some different cameras. It really wasn't all that difficult and just requires a bit of patience and creativity. Want one for yourself? Make it, don't buy it! And use it! I don't like treating my cameras like showpieces. I like to use them and set them down in the dust while I peel my film. Cameras love to be used and abused. That's what it's all about. Wow, super long post today!

This is my I can't believe I don't know how to use a ruler scowl.

The Polaroid Super Swinger Shooter?

Not sure what to call the newest creation. There is already a Big Swinger, and a Super Swinger, and a Super Colour Swinger. So maybe I just take out the "u" for my own version, the Super Color Swinger. Big Shooter? Super Big Color Shooter?
What the hell am I talking about? Well, for a while I've wanted to run color film through the Big Swinger 3000. Problem is, the shutter speed is fixed at about 1/200, which is too fast for color film, and the aperture only opens so wide. I tried it once, and there was an image, but it was very dark.
Fast forward, yesterday I'm messing around with a Big Swinger 3000 (I have a few) and looking at the lens and thought, hey, why not just put this lens on a regular pack film camera? Then I would have the exposure controls along with the crazy Swinger lens. So I did just that, converting my Super Shooter, and will show all of you my steps, as always.
The first task was to get the lens out of the Big Swinger 3000.


The Swinger has a single plastic lens, and it is held in place by the black ring on the front of the camera. This was a little bit of a pain to get off, and unfortunately I bunged up the front before I figured I could just tap it off from the back, after removing a couple screws to get the shutter off. Though the shutter mechanism was very much intertwined with the front and I doubt I could get it back together properly after the stuff was disconnected. The ring had plastic tabs that were melted over the slots to keep it in place. Easy enough to pop out with a hammer and screwdriver, though. After that, everything just falls apart.


The fancy silver background of the Big Swinger is just paper. The plastic cover makes it look cool. The lens is a very simple piece of plastic, and it actually looks a lot like a Holga lens (with a different focal length, of course). So the next task is to get the lens out of my Super Shooter. This was a bit more work.
First up is removing the silver focusing ring, which is held in place by two tiny tabs. It's easy to remove, but not easy to remove without bending the heck out of (which I did a little bit).


Next up is the clip-on ring that connects the silver ring to the actual focus ring (and prevents the ring from unscrewing completely).



And the last part just unscrews. Note: all that red dust that looks toxic (and probably is) is from the case the camera was stored in when I got it. It had a red "velvet" lining that had rotted to dust and managed to find it's way into every part of the camera.


At this point, I think, oh...it's a twin lens. I decide to put the Swinger lens on top, though I know what the results will be, since the single lens won't be able to focus through the second lens. But...just in case. The Swinger lens was smaller, so I used a bit of double-sided tape to hold it in place, then just screwed the ring in place.




And the results were predictable (using Fuji FP-100C).


This was actually my second shot. On the first shot, I hadn't realized I had the rollers out of the camera. A nice WTF!? moment.
So I take it apart again. The next step is to remove that second lens. This was the toughest part of the whole shebang. It was basically molded into place inside of a hard plastic ring. SO I just pounded the heck out of it until it broke free...then I had two plastic rings to cut out, which was painfully annoying. I didn't want to mess with the screw threads, so i had to slowly cut them out with an exacto. You can see my not-so-pretty results. But this part will be hidden anyway. Also, when I got the second lens off, what do I find? A THIRD lens. What the? Now you know why the hardcase pack film cameras have such fantastic depth of field. So...okay I'll do the same thing, even though I know what the results will be. It took two pieces of double-sided tape to hold the lens in place.



I know exactly how this is going to turn out...


Okay, so I have to get that third lens out. This lens is inside, so now I have to remove the camera front and pull everything apart. This has the potential to be a pain, but I got lucky. Some pack film cameras have bolts, some have screws. This had screws...three. And they unscrewed very easily. Nice. I've done all this before when switching pack film fronts (my very first Square Shooter 2, in fact, on which I put the Colorpack II front so I could use the 75/3000 switch).


Four screws later, the shutter mechanism comes off.


And in case you were wondering what's inside a pack film camera, here it is:



So I pop out the third lens and put it back together. Note: when putting the shutter back together, there is a small switch in the upper right that you need to press downward on while replacing...this goes above part of the shutter button. If you don't press down, it will be below the tab and not work properly. Here is the camera without any lenses, let alone three.


Put it all back together (just one piece of double-sided tape this time, with the focusing ring in place). Oh yeah, and even though there is a focusing ring, this thing is fixed focus, just like the original Big Swinger.


Okay, so let's take it out back for a test shot!


Success! Boring, but a success! Another shot, of the self.


Obviously within the focus distance. But I get an image and the exposure works! Fantastic. But...suddenly the camera shutter started acting wonky. It was doing the same thing my Colorpack III was doing Japan. In bright light, the shutter won't fire, but it will in low light. Here, I'm messing around trying to get the thing to work.


The only thing I can think is that I just pounded on the camera too much and knocked the thing out of whack. Probably the equivalent of continuously dropping the camera on the ground. So what to do? Well, all hardcase pack film cameras are basically made up of the same parts, 80 and 100 cameras. I still have the original Square Shooter 2 front that I pulled off my first modified camera...so I just replaced the malfunctioning guts in the Super Shooter front (full circle!). Everything is exactly the same, and I retain the ability to use the 75/100 switch on the Super Shooter. Test the shutter and exposure before putting film in, works beautifully. Let's try this thing out for real! Within a 50-foot radius of my home, of course (until I get a chance to go out to shoot again). Check this out...


Now that's what I'm talking about! Check out that lovely focus and blur along the edges! It seems to have a sweet spot, in the center 2/3 of the lens, about 5 feet from the subject matter. This is what I wanted...that great Big Swinger warped effect with something besides 3000-speed film. This is pretty much what I've been looking for in all of my Polaroid/toy camera combos. Soft edges, sharp in the middle, full coverage on the film, no blown out areas, etc. The camera does what it is supposed to do and the lens does what it is supposed to do...perfect!
A few more shots using ID-UV, expired 2007. Not a lot of exciting stuff to shoot directly around my pad, but I can see the potential. The yellow truck (belongs to a retired firefighter) is the most interesting thing within 50 feet of my front door, so I always take test shots of it.





So the ideal is to have something in the foreground, and something distant to take advantage of the warp and blur (like the hydrant shot and the yucca/parking lot shot). And if it is all close up, then something with texture to show the effects (unlike the side shot of the truck above, which has nothing to really differentiate the middle from the edges), like in this shot of some bushes.


But not too busy!


Nice thing is, I can use 664 for black and white, and I can still use 667 or FP-3000B because of the switch. So it really is a Super Big Swinger!


So that's it! I just need to secure the lens in place a bit better so it doesn't fall out in the field, and I'm ready to head out and shoot at some point! Fun stuff.

Happy Birthday, Edwin Land!

Born May 7, 1909, Edwin Land is (would be) 100 years old today! Thanks, Edwin, for you know what.

The Polaroid Big Zip

So many projects, so little time. So, awhile ago I thought I talked about the Big Swinger 3000. Looking back, I guess I'm wrong. Or maybe it's part of another post. ANYWAY, so the Big Swinger 3000 was released in the late 1960s as a budget camera that only uses 3000-speed film, as the name implies. There is an earlier version called the Swinger Model 20 (sold from 1965 to 1970), which takes Type 20 roll film only. Also produced was the Swinger Sentinel (for Type 20) that shares the same body color as the Big Swinger. The Swinger 20s are the most useless Polaroid cameras, as Type 20 hasn't been made since 1970. Don't ever pay more than $5 for one of these, as I see tons of them on eBay selling for $20-$50. It isn't good for anything except taking apart (and I am, in fact, taking mine apart as I write this).


Often confused for its brother, the Big Swinger 3000 is the pack film version of the series, and it was only produced for three years (1968-1970) according to Land List. The stylings are similar, with its fixed-focus as well as its exposure system, which relies on a single shutter speed with a variable aperture. You squeeze the red knob (ouch!) and twist, looking through the viewfinder until you see the word YES in the checkered pattern. Simple and brilliant.


Using only (at the time) 3000-speed Type 107, the Big Swinger 3000 was a one-trick pony. A one-trick pony that takes amazing photos. This has become one of my favorite cameras. But, didn't I say it takes Type 107, which was discontinued in 1999 or so? Well, Type 667 is the successor, and Fuji FP-3000B works as well (which also happens to be Fuji's cheapest instant pack film). Check out a couple shots with Type 107...



And with Type 667...




And with Fuji FP-3000B...




The camera has this fantastic low-grade lens that vignettes and warps along the edges. I love this cheap chunk o' plastic so much I dragged it all the way to Japan with me.
In 1974, Polaroid released Type 87, a square-format, 3000-speed film, the equivalent of Type 107. Along with this, it created the Zip.


The cheapest Polaroid camera ever at $13.95, the Zip is on its way to being as useless as the Swinger Model 20. It only uses Type 87 pack film, which is increasingly difficult to find. Even I only have three packs left. I was offered some not long ago, but had trouble justifying $25 a pack.
The Zip works exactly as the other Swinger models, with the same exposure method. A couple shots from the camera...




Type 87 is still my favorite film, and if I had known it would disappear so quickly, I would have bought tons more when it was still $8 a pack.
So, moving on... on a discussion on filmwasters.com, someone asked about the Zip and getting film for it, and skorj mentioned cutting off the back and attaching a 100 pack film back to it so you could use Fuji FP-3000B in it. Well, I was pretty keen on that idea. Looking at the camera for a couple minutes, though, I couldn't really see hacking the back off of the Zip without messing up the exposure system. Plus I didn't think the body of the Zip would be wide enough to allow for full coverage on Type 100s. Comparing the Zip with the Big Swinger, they seemed pretty similar, so I started by removing the fronts off both cameras. Super easy job, only three screws to remove. Easiest Polaroids I've ever disassembled.



After pulling them apart, I found that the two fronts were identical on the inside! Screw placement is exactly the same.


The only differences I found were that one screw was shorter on the Zip, and the flashbulb release was slightly longer on the Zip, preventing it from fitting properly on the Big Swinger body.




And while I have the backs off, you can see how the exposure system is a simple aperture. There is a prism on the inside front of the body that reflects the light onto the YES exposure system (which requires two AA batteries), which you see in the lower part of the viewfinder.



So it was simply a matter of sanding down the flashbulb release and screwing the Zip onto the Big Swinger body, and voila! Or as an old ex-gf once put it...wala!!


Easy as that, no cutting required. A Zip front on a 100 body, maintaining the functionality of the exposure system. So how does it shoot? I've only taken a couple shots so far to test it out...




So it's pretty similar but I do note some differences. The vignette is a bit more prominent in the corners (maybe) and it warps differently than the Big Swinger lens. The Swinger lens tends to stretch things out towards the bottom, while the Zip lens almost has more of a fish-eye effect, possibly with more blur along the edges. Also, the exposure system behaves differently. In full sunlight, the Zip tells you to set the exposure much lighter than the Swinger does. Which may explain why I had so much trouble with the Zip in low light. The Swinger is more forgiving in low light, while the Zip would massively underexpose in low light. But then the Zip has better latitude in bright light. The Zip is a newer camera, so there must be some minor improvements to the system, and maybe a faster lens? It all looks the same from the outside to me, so no idea. Will definitely take this camera out and use it many more times. Love the effect and mood!
So, while I was talking to you, I took apart the Swinger Model 20 and made an interesting discovery (yes, I'm a multitasker). Take a look...



While the camera bodies are completely different, the fronts are exactly the same! Screw placement is identical...even the flashbulb switches are the same height. So, of course, I'm going to have to buy another Big Swinger and put the Swinger Model 20 on the front! More on that when I get to it. Will maybe do a quick comparison of the three versions to see if they really are any different.

EDIT: While messing about after writing this, I've found that while they are almost the same, the body attachment is different. But it looks like I can switch out that back plate by just sanding down a single protruding screw hole on the Big Swinger plate. More later.

And on another note, this week is 'Roid Week. Ha ah, sorry, couldn't resist...it's just such a foul name. But it is 'Roid Week 2009 on flickr. So if you are on flickr and you shoot Polaroids and you upload them to flickr, join in the fun of posting your Polaroid photos in the group. I don't think anything happens other than the pleasure of shooting Polaroids and showing them off, but that's enough for me.
Until next time. I have a couple things happening (including trying to convert a crappy 600 integral camera to pack film), and will get to that stuff eventually...along with whatever catches my fancy, as well. Seeya!