The Model 95 Polaroid camera is the first instant print camera, introduced in 1948 and produced until 1954, when it was replaced by the Model 95A and then by the Model 95B. It was called the Polaroid Land Camera after its inventor, Edwin Land. Chemicals to produce a sepia toned black & white print were contained in the roll film pack, and it took about a minute for the image to develp inside the camera, so there was no "burst mode" with these cameras. The prints had to be coated with a gel after developing. Color instant film didn't become available until the early 1960's, along with pack film, which enabled prints to develop outside the camera.

Produced from 1947 to 1953, original Model 95 is an extremely high quality camera. The build quality is excellent, with styling much like the large folding cameras of the Pre-WWII era. The body is aluminum, covered in a brown leatherette type of covering. I don't have information on the lens, other than that it is a 135mm f/11 fixed focus lens. A rotating wheel at the top right of the lens board allows selection of 8 different aperature settings, marked 1 through 8. T and B exposure modes were available, and a cable release socket was provided. The shutter release resets automatically after each exposure. A flash socket was also provided. The original Model 95 is easily identified by the red-tipped tell-tale off the left side of the lens. When flipped out 90 degrees from the lens board, it can be used to center the viewfinder for close-ukp images.

I bought this example for $10.00 on EBay. As purchased, it was missing the hand strap and the spring loaded tell-tale. The front of the lens board was scuffed and scratched, and the front braces were bent so that the lens board was tilted back. A couple years later, I found a parts camera, which cost me $15.00, but it had the hand strap, the missing tell-tale, a nice lens board escucheon, and undamaged front braces. As a result, I have a pretty decent exapmple of an original Model 95.

This older Polaroid 330 (1969-1971) belonged to my father. He became quite a Polaroid fan in his later years and owned quite a few over the years. Most of them were sold as part of the estate when he died, but I kept this one, the SX-70, and OneStep CloseUp shown below. This camera had a rangefinder, and used the old type of peel-apart film that predated the SX-70. Until recently, film was actually available, made by Fujifilm. The Fuji FP-100B and FP-100C film packs will work in the camera. Expired pack film by Polaroid and Fuji can be found online from EBay and other sellers, but it is very expensive, especially the Fuji FP-100C that isn't too long past its expiration date.

The camera offered a 114mm lens, of unknown construction. It appears the lens could be set at f/8.8 or f/42, probably to accomodate using 75 or 3000 pack film.

Introduced in 1972, the SX-70 revolutionized instant photography. Previous Polaroid cameras used roll film that had to be removed from the camera after each exposure, and required some manipulation by the photographer to process. The SX-70 was an auto-exposure, single lens reflex folding camera. It used an entirely new film package that automatically ejected from the camera and developed on its own. A flash bar could be inserted in a slot at the top of the camera for flash photography. The SX-70 was discontinued in 1982. This 1977 Alpha 1 model belonged to my father. It still works, and an 8 esposure film pack, costing about $20.00, can be purchased online from Polaroid Originals.

The SX-70 has a four element 116mm f/8 manually focused glass lens. The autoexposure shutter speeds ranged from 4 to 1/175 seconds. Exposure compensation through the lighten/darken control was +/- 1EV.

The original SX-70 chrome and leather camera was very popular, but expensive. Around 1977. Polaroid introduced the OneStep, a plastic bodied camera that used the same film pack. A number of variations of the OneStep were introduced over the years. This OneStep was given to me by a friend. I haven't film tested it yet, but it fired up with an empty film pack inserted, so I think it will take picutres. The camera uses the original SX-70 film.

The lens is a fixed focus f/14.6 single element 103mm plastic lens. The electric eye controlled shutter ranged from 1s to 1/200s. Up to +/1 1EV exposure compensation was accessed by the lighten/darken knob.

Following the release of the OneStep featured above, Polaroid release a more advanced camera, the Polaroid Pronto! SE, which featured an adjustable focus 116mm f/9.4 lens. Unlike the fixed focus, single element lens in the OneStep, the Pronto! lens is a coated and color corrected triplet, and focuses from three feet to infinity. There are quite a few variations of the Pronto! and Pronto! SE. This one is branded as a Sears Special, and was sold through the Sears & Roebuck department stores.

I found this one at Goodwill for less than $10. The rollers were dirty and had a chalky white chemical coating at the drive end. Once I cleaned the rollers, the camera worked with a test roll, but fired multiple exposures. It will need some servicing to work properly.

Another advanced camera, the Polaroid Pronto B, is identical to the Pronto SE Sears Special above, featuring an adjustable focus coated, color-corrected, triplet 116mm f/9.4 lens. I purchased this nice working example on EBay. An sample photo can be found in the Gallery of Images from Vintage Cameras.

The SX-70 film pack used in the original camera and OneStep variants was a slow film, under ISO 200. Polaroid followed up with a faster version, 600 film, with an ISO of 640. A number of SX-70 type cameras were marketed to use the film, one being the OneStep CloseUp, which featured an electronic flash, powered by the film pack battery, and an auxilliary close up lens, a cheap sliding plastic lens the could be moved over the taking lens for extreme close ups. Close-up quality wasn't very good, but the camera was otherwise a good performer. This camera still works, and 600 film for it can be purchased online from Polaroid Orignals.

The One Step Close-up has a 110mm f/10 plastic fixed focus lens. Electronically controlled shutter speeds ranged from 1/3s to 1/200s. A sliding lighten/darken lever provided for +/1 1EV of exposure compensation.