Campbell, California

2010 0307 005 Campbell, California

Posted on March 24th, 2010 tagged with , ,
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Campbell, California

2010 0307 002 Campbell, California

Posted on March 23rd, 2010 tagged with , ,
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Polaroid Automatic 230 Overview

2010 03 20 IMG 02481 Polaroid Automatic 230 Overview

Over the past few days I have been posting some Polaroid photos taken with a Polaroid Automatic 230 Land Camera. For those of you not familiar with older Polaroid cameras, I thought I’d explain exactly what this camera is.

The Polaroid Automatic 230 Land Camera is a folding pack camera in the  “200 series” available from 1967 to 1969. It has a plastic body with a 114mm f/8.8 glass lens. The camera use 100 series peel apart pack film which is 3 1/4″ x 4 1/4″ in size. The actual image size is 2 7/8″ x 3 3/4″ centered on the frame.

2010 03 20 IMG 0193 Polaroid Automatic 230 Overview
The shutter is electronic with speeds from 10 seconds – 1/1200. There is a dial on the lens for exposure compensation of -1 stop to +2 stops.

2010 03 20 IMG 0200 Polaroid Automatic 230 Overview

Focusing is achieved by using a rangefinder that is separate from the viewfinder. The viewfinder assembly is on a hinge that allows for it to be folded down when storing the camera inside its case.

2010 03 20 IMG 0229 Polaroid Automatic 230 Overview

To focus, a lever attached to the bellows is moved left or right and there is a pictogram indicating which way to move for closer focus (a man) or infinity (a man standing in front of a mountain).

2010 03 20 IMG 0217 Polaroid Automatic 230 Overview

Film speed is chosen using a dial under the lens. The available speeds are 75, 150, 300 and 3000. So if a film such as 672 (ISO 400)  is used, some exposure compensation is required. The yellow button under the lens assembly is the “scene selector” which adjusts the aperture.

2010 03 20 IMG 0219 Polaroid Automatic 230 Overview

Recommendations for which scene to use are listed on the top of the lens assembly for each of the film speeds and a yellow square shows the currently selected scene.

2010 03 20 IMG 0204 Polaroid Automatic 230 Overview

Numbered buttons indicate the sequence for taking a shot. Step 1 is focus and step 2 is press the shutter.

2010 03 20 IMG 0203 Polaroid Automatic 230 Overview

Step 3 is reset the shutter for the next shot. In reality, this is done before step 1 of course.

2010 03 20 IMG 0230 Polaroid Automatic 230 Overview

Finally step 4 is remove the film from the camera by pulling on the paper tab.

Examples Shots

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3152218758 de0459eeb4 o Polaroid Automatic 230 Overview

3087564828 a236a0fca1 o Polaroid Automatic 230 Overview

2566912255 5824974d7b o Polaroid Automatic 230 Overview

Links
The Land List
Option8 Polaroid FAQ

Posted on March 22nd, 2010 tagged with ,
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Campbell, California

2010 0307 006 Campbell, California

Posted on March 21st, 2010 tagged with , ,
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