Polaroid Camera and Long Lens

<p>Hi everyone.</p>

<p>I'm thinking about buying a polaroid camera..</p>

<p>The thing is I need a camera with a long lens so i can shoot close up head shots (thomas ruff kind of frame).</p>

<p>Any suggestion?</p>

<p>Is my only option going for a camera with interchangeable lenses? <br>

If so, which one?</p>

<p>Is there any polaroid camera out there with a long fixed lens (so the viewfinder is already adapted to that)?</p>

<p>Size of the camera is a concern. (I need to be relatively quick)</p>

<p>Viewfinder is a concern. (I need to pay attention to composition)</p>

<p>Price..not too much of a concern..kind of :) </p>

<p>Thanks a lot,</p>

<p>F.</p>

<p>which film do you intend to use?</p>

<p>what focal length you consider to be "long" enough for your needs?</p>

<p>based on your requirements I'd be looking at a instant film back on a Graphic press camera.</p>

<p>For the film...maybe I would prefer type 100 film. But I'm not that decided honestly..</p>

<p>For my needs I would say i need something around a 80mm (or better a 105mm) for 35mm, not sure what's the equivalent when it gets to polaroid cameras..</p>

<p>For the Graphic press, thanks for the suggestion, but I think I'm really looking for for something smaller/faster/etc...the sharpness of the pictures is not a huge concern..<br>

I mean, even a crappy polaroid camera with a long lens would work..</p>

<p>thanks,</p>

<p>f</p>

<p>Are you aware that Polaroid hasn't made film for quite some time? I don't know today's status with Fuji, but I seem to recall that they are out of that business also. I may be wrong so check to be sure. But it is the pack-film that was still in manufacture and the sheet film is long gone.</p>

<p>There are a couple of folks that were making Polaroid conversion cameras - Littman being one and the other is a guy in Ojai CA USA but I can't recall his name. Old Polaroid foldrs converted to modern fack film backs. I've never seen one that wasn't normal focal length. I'll bet they could customize a longer FL option. All of these conversions were fixed lens configuration.</p>

<p>Graphic press cameras would meet your requiremnts... except one: size/weight.</p>

<p>Good luck with your quest.</p>

<p>found the guy I couldn't recall. He says that he fits longer focal lengths on his cameras also. This may be the option you seek!</p>

<p><a href="http://www.alpenhause.com/">http://www.alpenhause.com/</a></p>

<p>Thanks Brian..<br>

yeah, some time ago I heard about Fuji discontinuing their polaroid film, but I'm getting kind of confused, cause it's apparently still on the market..</p>

<p>Thanks a lot for your suggestions, I'll contact that website and see what they say.</p>

<p>F</p>

<p>Here I have a Technika (OK I read these are heavier than Graphics) with a 270mm TeleArton, viewfinders & stuff. I skipped the Polaback though, material appeared way too expensive.<br>

I doubt camera size to slow us down. - Learning to move an eye from rangemeter to viewfinder doesn't take that long.<br>

I doubt you can use anything simple & crappy successfully for your project. Which f-stop do you mneed to zone focus your 90mm for a portrait? - Doing the math for format conversion you'll have to multiply it by 3 and that shouts for a big flashgun at full blast...<br>

When I dabbled with Polaroid I wasn't really stunned by the results. - I think these days getting a tiny dye sub printer makes more sense. I believe there are even "portable" ones which print on battery.</p>

<p>I don't remember the name but Polaroid made a consumer-level head and shoulders portrait camera. it was easy to recognize because the front was very long, maybe a foot. It was a portrait-length lens (85 or 105mm equivalent on a 35mm camera) and the camera was physically long so it could focus close enough to fill the picture with a head and shoulders image. I think I owned one, or maybe my parents had it. No idea if film is still available even if you could find the camera.<br /><br />There was also a Polaroid camera that was based on the Koni Omega 2-1/4 rangefinder camera. I believe it took interchangeable lenses. Again, I can't speak to film availability.</p>

<p>If I could still get Type 52 Polaroid 4x5 film, I'd still be shooting 4x5. The Polaroid back for 4x5 fit lots of 4x5 view and press cameras.<br>

Tonal range was unbelievable - like an old printing out picture. Ansel Adams used and loved it at the end.</p>

<p>But I know of nothing in any current manufacture of 'instant' film, if any, that is anything like Type 52, Sob. :_(</p><div></div>

<p>Thanks a lot everyone.</p>

<p>Craig, I found it! It's called the Polariod Big Shot..it's exactly what I was looking for. Now I gotta figure out the magic-cube flash situation, which is kind of a pain in the ... :|</p>

<p>Thanks, anyway!</p>

<p>If you google Polaroid Big shot, one of the articles that comes up explains how to connect a modern electronic flash.</p>

<p>The current Fuji 100-pack information seems to be:<br>

- FP-3000B discontinued as of November 2013 - anything made at that point will be expiring November/December of this year, but should be good for a year or two after that if you buy some of the remaining stock floating around.<br>

- FP-100C45 (the 4x5 film) discontinued February 2014, still some floating around<br>

- FP-100C - still in production, but who knows for how long. <br>

There are a number of parties interested in acquiring the manufacturing equipment from Fuji (especially since Polaroid scrapped their 100-pack production lines), but it's unclear that Fuji would be interested.</p>

<p>If you don't need a lot of them, magicubes aren't hard to find on eBay.<br>

Big Shot seems to be easy to find. I forgot that it has a rangefinder. It is fixed focus, so you move the camera (or subject) until the rangefinder shows it is the right distance.<br>

I think it is for color (low speed) only, but I am not sure. <br>

The Polaroid Swinger and Big Swinger used 3000 speed film only. <br>

There are also the passport photo cameras, that take two head and shoulder pictures at once.</p>