Auto or thyristor that has setting up to f8

I have a Polaroid Land 450. It has a PC setting on the side and if I mount a Polaroid special PC adapter in

there, it sets the shutter speed to just one speed, but I cannot adjust the aperture, which is f8.8 or

thereabout. My Vivitar has a RED and BLUE mark and you set the camera for f2 or f4 depending on the BLUE/RED

setting. It does not go up to f8 or even f11.

 

Do they make a auto or Thyristor flash that can be set for up to f8 or so?

I have played with M anual flash and get mixed results either too much or too little exposure from the Flash.

It seems to be able to sync as X-sync rather than just M-sync.

 

Vernon

<p>I'm unfortunately unfamiliar with the speed (ISO) of your Polaroid material of choice so I am placing a safe bet: Metz 60CT4 (provides auto apertures from f2 to f22 @ ISO 100) Metz 45 CT 4 does f2.8 - f16 from ISO 25 - 1000. Both are by now pretty cheap hammerhead flashguns from the 1980s. Yongnuo or Nikon are likely to make hotshoe flashes with a huge selection of auto apertures.</p>

Thank you for that information!!

The Polaroids my 320 and latest 450 have setting for film speed of 75 and 3000. On the Polaroid Land camera model 450 (with Zeiss-Ikon range finder and glass element lens) They provided additional speeds for future films of ASA 150, 300, along with the default of 75 and 3000. Why they choose such odd film speeds only Heaven knows.

 

My FujiFilm FP-100C (color) is ASA 100 as also is the 100 SILK. The B&W FujiFilm I have, FP-3000B is ASA 3000. They (Fuji) also made a FP-100B which was a 100 speed B&W but has recently been discontinued. My color film expires 8-2017, whereas my B&W instant pack film expires 8-2016.. this year. I keep it refrigerated.

 

I did look at those Metz flash units on eBay. They are more the large handle type. I have a Sunpack in my closet with a handle and large flash head (it takes 4 C batteries) along with a Sunpak connector that goes on the hot shoe. Probably an 'auto' type flash. I was thinking more in the line of a smaller flash unit like the Vivitar 2800 or such that could be attached to a " L " type hand flash bracket with the camera.

Do any of those pop to mind?

<p>The Vivitar 2800 can be set for f/8 auto function for subjects 5-20 ft from the flash, but it would be applicable for ISO 400 film. That said, you could use it for ISO 3000 film with an appropriate ND filter over your lens - about 3 stops, these are readily available, I occasionally use one with some of my cameras.</p>

Just getting back in here. Found and bought a nice Vivitar 283 on eBay for under 20.00 It has a rather impressive guide number (120' using ASA 100 film) and I might be able to set the auto for an aperture of around 8.

Looks like it was kind of a powerhouse in it's day.

Vern

<p>The Vivitar 283 and 285 can be set for four different f-stops. The color coding corresponds to different stops depending on the speed of the film if my memory is correct. (I have four of them but I'm at work and they're at home.) You should be able to do f/8 without a problem. <br /><br />"Looks like it was kind of a powerhouse in it's day."<br />A lot of people don't appreciate them today, but the 283/285 were one of the most popular flash units ever sold. During my newspaper days in the 1980s, pretty much every single news photographer had at least one of these. Mine range from 15 years to about 30 years old and are all still going strong.</p>

<p>M synch is (was) for Medium class flashbulbs - you don't want that, so ignore it. Electronic flash will only synch at the X setting.</p>

<p>Below is a selection of speedlights / hammerhead flashes that will do what you want. But you will need to know the ISO speed of the instant film that you're using. Ignore any ISO "settings" on the camera. They'll do nothing when using flash; you have to set the correct ISO speed on the flash, not the camera.</p>

<p>Nikon - SB-24, SB25 and SB 28 all have an Auto aperture setting that includes f/8<br /> Sunpak - Autozoom 3600<br /> Metz - 40 MZ3i</p>

<p>By no means an exhaustive list, just a few that I know of that will do what you want.</p>

<p>Some other flashes may only offer f/2.8, f/4 or f/5.6, but all you have to do is alter the ISO setting to compensate. For example: Auto f/5.6 with an ASA/ISO setting of 200 on the flash is equal to f/8 with a film speed of ISO 400 in the camera.</p>

<p>Edit: Some older auto-aperture flashguns use a secondary internal flashtube to dump the charge, as opposed to simply turning the flash off with a thyristor. These are wasteful of battery power and always have a long recycle time, regardless of how much or little light they output.</p>

I appreciate your answer Rodeo Joe, but understand these limitations I have:

The Polaroid has no adjustable aperture. The film speed setting of the camera is either 75, 150, 300, or 3000 ASA.

There is no ASA 75 instant film any more, only Fuji instant that is ASA 100 and ASA 3000

I cannot dial in more open f stops, say 5.6 or 2.8 I am limited to f8.8 for the camera setting on ASA 75 (in reality it's 100 speed instant film) and a smaller aperture for ASA 3000 speed film.

 

On the Model 450 there is a setting for a different film speed of 150 and for 300

On other models it's simply 75 or 3000. Pick one.

Shutter speed is also non adjustable. The shutter is timed by the amount of light that reaches the photocell on the front side next to the lens. I have heard that you can limit it to a single shutter speed on the 450 if you plug in the special prong PC adapter plug for flash. What that single shutter speed is I don't know. I do have an old instrument around here somewhere that measures shutter speeds, so I'll have to drag that out sometime.

<p>Sitting here with a Vivitar 283 in front of me.<br /><br />You say your only ASA that will work is 75. If you set the Vivitar on 80 (the closest it comes) and put the sensor on pink that will overlap between f/8 and f/11. Should be close enough to the f/8.8 you're trying to get. If not, try blue, which overlaps between 5.6 and 8. Your camera has a leaf shutter so the flash will sync at any speed as long as it's on X sync not M synch. And beyond that the shutter speed shouldn't matter since you're shooting with flash.<br /><br />Keep in mind that Fuji just discontinued the film. (There's a thread on that elsewhere on Photo.net this week). So buy up a bunch while you can or none of this will matter.</p>

<p>Vernon, I wasn't suggesting changing the aperture on the camera, just the setting on the flash. The flash doesn't care what film speed you're actually using as long as it can output the right amount of light.</p>

<p>50 ISO and f/2.8 requires the same amount of light as 100 ISO and f/4, 200 ISO and f/5.6, 400 ISO and f/8, etc. So just because the flash doesn't show f/8.8, that doesn't mean it can't output the correct amount of light for whatever film speed/aperture you're actually using.</p>

<p>As Craig says, 75 ISO @ f/8 would need about the same amount of flash output as 100 ISO @ f/8.8. So setting a suitable flash to 75 or 80 ISO and f/8 Auto-Aperture should work. Quite a few models of flash will allow such a setting. I can add the Sunpak Auto 555 to the list above as well.</p>

Thanks Joe and Craig. Yes, I found out on the 3rd that Fujifilm is discontinuing their pack film FP-100c About the same time, that day I received 3 more of the same film I had bought earlier and it was about $13.and change per pack of 10. I went to B&H and ordered 12 packs now at 14.99 which was 13.99 the day before. They accepted my order and will ship as soon as they get in more stock from Japan.

 

Yea, It was a crazy thing! I had bought film and even had a Fujifilm FP-100c on my wish list on Amazon for 10.99 but I had to be a "Prime" member to get it at that price, so I passed, about 5 days ago. You should see the prices NOW on eBay! What was once $14.25 is now $40.95 in the new listing. I have 2 of the "SILK" in the refrigerator and 2 more on the way from catlabs.info. (part of JOBO ) It's 23.00 on the website and 25.00 on eBay from catlabs. You can get SX-70 and 600 film from the Impossible Project for around $25.00, which I thought was a ridiculous price. Perhaps now it's going to be the cheaper alternative to instant print pictures

 

It is too bad, as the Fuji stuff was superior in one regard to the Polaroid. I can take a picture, pull it through the rollers and set it aside and forget about it for a bit. The film/picture takes really about 3 minutes and more won't hurt. Polaroid was time sensitive to the development time. This seems to be self exhausting.

 

Really, if Fuji was having problems selling the film, why on earth did they not come up with a nice usable camera for this film? A camera that had a few modern shutter speeds, adjustable, a setting for ASA, and a means for focus. With their technology and Asia's mass productions skill set they could have really made a use for this film other than Polaroid backs for medium format cameras and the mass of old extinct Polaroid Land cameras.

 

If I could, I would take one of my Graflex lenses and mount it to the front of one of these cameras, but the range finder would be a nightmare to align.

 

Back on the flash....

Even though the camera is set at 75 ASA my Fuji film is set at 100, so that, I would imagine, is what the actual speed should be set on a flash for proper setting, ASA 100.

 

 

I found out that once I put in a plug (special L type) on the camera, then it locks the shutter speed to just one speed, irregardless of what the light photocell tells it. That helps a lot, since now you only concentrate on the flash for correct exposure for x feet at aperture of f8.8 or thereabout.

Sign the petition to save Fujifilm FP-100c at this link. https://www.change.org/p/save-instant-film and pass it on to your other friends as well. EVEN if you don't or ever intend to use Fuji's pack film, to loose any photographic medium is bad and many times cannot be reversed. Fuji is re-considering...

<p>Do you want to save the planet, or some expensive, inefficient and toxic resource-gobbling film? Make your mind up.</p>

<p>A Kodak Easyshare or Canon Selphy printer dock doesn't (didn't?) take up much more volume than an old Polaroid camera. You get a larger print, and you get to choose to only print the keepers. Cheaper per shot too in the long run.</p>

I prefer expensive, inefficient and toxic resource-gobbling film,..I made up my mind, Joe,. as I believe global warming is a hoax, and the planet is just fine. I am interested in saving an icon, a camera from going totally extinct.

 

What you said to me could very easily apply to regular film as well, as digital, has less toxic and resource gobbling than regular 120, 220, 35mm, 4x5 or especially 8x10 film. I take offense at what you said!

 

You post right on the verge of what is not allowed, Rodeo Joe "Postings that attack another person's motivation, intelligence, or character degrade the quality of the discussion and discourage thoughtful comments by others. There are many places on the internet where you are welcome to have moral or political arguments, however, in almost every case, photo.net is not one of them. Neither is this community a place for you to harass, abuse, threaten, or otherwise bother other members" -> from Photo.net code of conduct.

<p>"My Vivitar has a RED and BLUE mark and you set the camera for f2 or f4 depending on the BLUE/RED setting. It does not go up to f8 or even f11."</p>

<p>That's unusual, I grew up with Thyristor flash and most units came with 3 settings f4, f5.6, f8. Some even went up to f11 and down to f2.8. Not sure what Vivitar flash unit you own, but mine goes up to f8 in automatic mode.</p>

This link shows the front of my Vivitar 2800 http://www.rockycameras.com/ekmps/shops/rockcameras/images/vivitar-2800-camera-flash-3.99-15144-p[ekm]500x375[ekm].jpg And on the back if I set the dial to ASA 100 I get the choice of f2 on the "red" setting and f4 on the "blue" setting. The new flash I got in today, the Vivitar 283 does have f8, and I used it with the Polaroid with great success.