5 ms·

The 20x24 Polaroid instant camera

103 points by azalemeth 5y ago

just_steve_h 5y ago
These incredibly innovative industrial processes of the mid-20th Century never cease to amaze me! I was lucky enough to sneak through the fence and explore the abandoned Polaroid plant in Waltham along 128 before it was torn down. So many miles of metal piping, so many valves, so many Giant Red Buttons!
didgeoridoo 5y ago
Elsa Dorfman was my landlady in Cambridge. She was a hoot and a half. Sadly passed away a couple years ago.
- sjburt 5y ago
  There's a charming documentary about her directed by Errol Morris of all people.
  - bookofjoe 5y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_B-Side:_Elsa_Dorfman%27s_Portrait_Photography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_B-Side:_Elsa_Dorfman%27s_P... https://www.netflix.com/search?q=the%20b-side&jbv=80145699 https://www.netflix.com/search?q=the%20b-side&jbv=80145699
canada_dry 5y ago
On a related note, I've been a fan of Dr. Land since reading an article about him in Popular Science in the 70's. Still hoping to find a decent SX-70 for a reasonable price some day.
- Finnucane 5y ago
  I thought about buying one when you could still get one for half-nothing, but then the new film came out and the price zoomed.
- simlevesque 5y ago
  I wish I could read that
  - djmips 5y ago
    How about. "Insisting On the Impossible : The Life of Edwin Land Paperback" https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0738201901/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0738201901/
  - djmips 5y ago
    I found this Popular Science article on the unveiling of the yet to be named SX-70 in which Edwin Land seems to have inspired a certain Steve Jobs. https://books.google.ca/books?id=WZ6okH8FCs4C&lpg=PA65&ots=kjl6hMMtdc&dq=%22the%20air%20of%20a%20magician%20reaching%20for%20a%20very%20special%20rabbit.%22&pg=PA65#v=onepage&q=%22the%20air%20of%20a%20magician%20reaching%20for%20a%20very%20special%20rabbit.%22&f=false https://books.google.ca/books?id=WZ6okH8FCs4C&lpg=PA65&ots=k...
- tomcam 5y ago
  We could never afford one but I used to go to the local camera stores and scavenge the empty film cartridges from their trash. They would demo the camera, and of course throw out the cartridge. But it still had a perfectly good battery in it.
  - jacquesm 5y ago
    And the specs on those batteries are absolutely insane for the size. A couple of them and you can start a vehicle.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
raldi 5y ago
Mods, please fix "smart" quotes
- dang 5y ago
  Ah. Submitted title was 'The 20“x24” polaroid instant camera', which I assumed somehow meant it wasn't really x24. Fixed now - thanks!
  - azalemeth 5y ago
    Nope -- that was me trying to denote inches. Sorry!
mattzito 5y ago
This is my uncle’s studio! He started it after Polaroid killed the 20x24 program, but there was still a strong demand for the format. It is a unique camera, shame that it’s lifespan is basically over at this point.
Turing_Machine 5y ago
Based on the current price of the revived Polaroid film from the Impossible Project, you'd be looking at around US$70/shot for this. If you could get new film for it. Photography (especially on this scale) used to demand a lot of forethought and commitment. While do I enjoy taking pictures without having a meter running, I sometimes wonder what's been lost along the way.
- cesaref 5y ago
  Agreed. It's wrong to think though that the way that digital photos are taken would imply very large costs for film. From experience, you take shots in a different way, and are forced to be more contemplative with large format, and it's basically impossible to shoot more film than you've got with you in film holders! I'd typically head out with my 5*4 with 4 holders, so that's 8 sheets of film. There might be a mix of ISO 100 and 400, and it might be that I am not in a situation that suites one of the films, so i'm suddenly down to a max of 4 images.

103 points by azalemeth 5y ago

These incredibly innovative industrial processes of the mid-20th Century never cease to amaze me! I was lucky enough to sneak through the fence and explore the abandoned Polaroid plant in Waltham along 128 before it was torn down. So many miles of metal piping, so many valves, so many Giant Red Buttons!

didgeoridoo 5y ago

Elsa Dorfman was my landlady in Cambridge. She was a hoot and a half. Sadly passed away a couple years ago.

sjburt 5y ago
There's a charming documentary about her directed by Errol Morris of all people.
- bookofjoe 5y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_B-Side:_Elsa_Dorfman%27s_Portrait_Photography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_B-Side:_Elsa_Dorfman%27s_P... https://www.netflix.com/search?q=the%20b-side&jbv=80145699 https://www.netflix.com/search?q=the%20b-side&jbv=80145699

canada_dry 5y ago

On a related note, I've been a fan of Dr. Land since reading an article about him in Popular Science in the 70's. Still hoping to find a decent SX-70 for a reasonable price some day.

Finnucane 5y ago
I thought about buying one when you could still get one for half-nothing, but then the new film came out and the price zoomed.
simlevesque 5y ago
I wish I could read that
- djmips 5y ago
  How about. "Insisting On the Impossible : The Life of Edwin Land Paperback" https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0738201901/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0738201901/
- djmips 5y ago
  I found this Popular Science article on the unveiling of the yet to be named SX-70 in which Edwin Land seems to have inspired a certain Steve Jobs. https://books.google.ca/books?id=WZ6okH8FCs4C&lpg=PA65&ots=kjl6hMMtdc&dq=%22the%20air%20of%20a%20magician%20reaching%20for%20a%20very%20special%20rabbit.%22&pg=PA65#v=onepage&q=%22the%20air%20of%20a%20magician%20reaching%20for%20a%20very%20special%20rabbit.%22&f=false https://books.google.ca/books?id=WZ6okH8FCs4C&lpg=PA65&ots=k...
tomcam 5y ago
We could never afford one but I used to go to the local camera stores and scavenge the empty film cartridges from their trash. They would demo the camera, and of course throw out the cartridge. But it still had a perfectly good battery in it.
- jacquesm 5y ago
  And the specs on those batteries are absolutely insane for the size. A couple of them and you can start a vehicle.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

raldi 5y ago

Mods, please fix "smart" quotes

dang 5y ago
Ah. Submitted title was 'The 20“x24” polaroid instant camera', which I assumed somehow meant it wasn't really x24. Fixed now - thanks!
- azalemeth 5y ago
  Nope -- that was me trying to denote inches. Sorry!

mattzito 5y ago

This is my uncle’s studio! He started it after Polaroid killed the 20x24 program, but there was still a strong demand for the format. It is a unique camera, shame that it’s lifespan is basically over at this point.

Turing_Machine 5y ago

Based on the current price of the revived Polaroid film from the Impossible Project, you'd be looking at around US$70/shot for this. If you could get new film for it. Photography (especially on this scale) used to demand a lot of forethought and commitment. While do I enjoy taking pictures without having a meter running, I sometimes wonder what's been lost along the way.

cesaref 5y ago
Agreed. It's wrong to think though that the way that digital photos are taken would imply very large costs for film. From experience, you take shots in a different way, and are forced to be more contemplative with large format, and it's basically impossible to shoot more film than you've got with you in film holders! I'd typically head out with my 5*4 with 4 holders, so that's 8 sheets of film. There might be a mix of ISO 100 and 400, and it might be that I am not in a situation that suites one of the films, so i'm suddenly down to a max of 4 images.