My New Polaroid Toy
As if the home office wasn’t full enough of cameras and camera gear already, I saw something on eBay I’d never seen before, and the mental gears started turning.
I like to get up close with my subjects sometimes and I love shooting at or near macro. You can get close with a Polaroid SX-70: it focuses as close as 10.4 inches from the subject. At least it does if you have one. Which I don’t. I can’t focus a non-existent SX-70 at any distance.
So until I come up with an SX-70 (I’m always on the lookout), I’m shooting with a couple of pack film cameras, some 600 series cameras, my mom’s old Colorpack, and a couple of Spectras. I really like the Spectras, especially since my first cost me 50¢ with film still in it. I just picked up my second yesterday, and apparently they’re worth more now than they were a year and half ago, because I paid $5.00 for the one yesterday.
Like everyone else on the planet, I keep a close eye on eBay for things I’m interested in, mainly cameras and camera gear. Perusing a few weeks ago I ran across a listing for a Polaroid Spectra/Image Close-Up Stand Duplicator. I’d never seen one before, but it looked interesting enough and even came with the box and instruction manual. Better yet there was almost no bidding activity. I threw a few bucks at a proxy bid, and how ’bout that, won it for the killer price of $2.25. Of course the shipping eats you alive these days, but what’s a camera junkie to do?
So it came in the mail and I finally got it out of the box last weekend. Here’s what it looks like with the camera mounted and unmounted.
It couldn’t be simpler to use. The photo subject goes in the area below where I have the jacks. The camera goes into the top, and you close the front door when you’re ready to take the shot. It has mirrors internally that reflect the light from the camera flash around the subject for proper illumination and has lenses that adapt the camera for the close focus. The instruction manual said anything higher than approximately 1/2″ would not be in focus, but it seemed to me to be a little more generous than that. Closer than 1/2″ wasn’t exactly tack-sharp (the Polaroid Spectra version of tack-sharp anyway), but it was definitely acceptable focus. The camera itself will fuss about the focal distance, but it allows the shot anyway. The film drops out in front of the subject door.
Simple as it is there’s definitely no challenge to taking a successful photograph. The challenge, if you will, is coming up with subject matter that is interesting enough to expend valuable Spectra film. I looked around the home office here and found some party popper confetti, some jacks, and some marbles, all of which I had been saving for an opportunity like this. I used a piece of black velveteen paper for a backdrop, aligned the subjects carefully and fired away. I did not shake the image as it developed. That does no good. Everyone should know this by now.
So here’s the three shots I took. I took one additional shot with the marbles using old 620 film spools to try and corral the marbles better, but the spools ended up in the shot. The image area covers nearly the full range of the opening in the bottom of the stand.
How does it do on the promised 1:1 ratio? It’s easier to check with a Polaroid than a digital image. Lay a jack on a photo of said jack. It’s the same size. Easy stuff.
I won’t go crazy with this thing because I could chew through a small fortune with it, but it will make an appearance now and again.
Interesting bit of kit – never seen one of those before. Good luck with your SX-70 search. Is still my very favourite camera – just hope that the Impossible guys will get the film rolling out soon 🙂
I’ve bought plenty of camera items on eBay where the shipping was more than the item itself. This looks cool. I don’t often do macros like that but for that price who could resist.
hello i see that you have the spectra duplicator system, i was wondering if you could answer a question for me
i just purchased a spetra se, and a duplicator still in the box off of ebay.
is that all i need inorder to use the duplicator? i am under the impression that i need the close up attachment like the polaroid light lock seen here
so yes, to sum my question up…to start taking some macro spectra images, what else do i need other than film, camera, and the close up stand duplicator?
thanks for your time
kjt
Hey Ken. The duplicator is a self-contained unit that will do it all for you. If you look very closely at the photo above without the camera mounted, you can see the upper lens element. All you’ll need to do is drop the camera in the unit and fire away.
The close-up adapter you referenced is the Light Lock Close-Up adapter. There is also another that is just a Close-Up Adapter (F112). I have no experience with either of these, but as near as I can tell they are very similar in function, allowing focus at 10 inches from the subject. It seems the major difference in the Light Lock is that it transmits two beams of light at angles that converge at the 10 inch distance, aiding in setting the focal distance. Both have a retractable cord that can be used to measure the 10 inch distance.
The duplicator your have purchased will work by itself, but the practical limitation is that it is not something you’d just point and shoot. It is designed to sit flat as I’ve shown above, though it does have a bracket that will more firmly attach the duplicator to the camera so you can be more portable with it and shoot in positions other than flat on a table. This of course is assuming yours still has the bracket as well. The duplicator does focus at a nearer range than the close-up adapters, allowing around a 1:1 image of the subject. The close-up adapters work around half that size.
In short, you should have all you need to do the same thing I’ve done above.
Hello, I’m very interested in this camera. What kind of film did you use and were did you buy it? I need to do duplicates of pictures for a project and this thing is the answer! Please help me!
Thank You.
This is a long time after the request (sorry about that – I’ve been away from the blog), but it was Polaroid Spectra film that I purchased from B&H. It’s no longer available. Any Polaroid branded Spectra film you can buy now is way past expired. The only new film available for these cameras will have to come from The Impossible Project.