SX-70 To be discontinued

Just got the word on this from my contacts at Polaroid. If you are

looking to stock up on emulsions that manipulate then I would

recommend that you order directly from Polaroid: 1-800-225-1618

 

Link to bad news: http://www.polaroid.com/sx70/en/index.html

 

 

Article

 

 

Please be advised that Polaroid will be discontinuing the manufacture

of its SX-70 / Time-Zero film within the first 3 months of 2006 due

to the phasing out of components used in the production of this film.

 

We realise that this is disappointing news for our loyal SX-70 users

and we would like to underline that, although the circumstances made

it inevitable, it was not an easy decision.

 

We are very sorry for the inconvenience.

 

For customers who would like to continue using their SX-70 camera, we

can offer some film alternatives below. However, we do appreciate

that these films do not offer the same characteristics as SX-70 /

Time-Zero film.

Just another nail.

I have an extra one I think I will open it up and see if I can put a ND jell over the meter sensor without blocking the lens. anyone have the blow up plans for an SX-70? That way I can look at the plans for the meter before I dig it apart farther than I have too.

Larry

Larry, I am new to SX-70. I mistakenly bought a pack of 600 and when I got home I think I discovered a good correction, although I am sure I'm not the first. I just found one of those Roscolux gel samplers that they give away. I carefully cut a circle from the double grey gel and evenly taped it to the front of the lens, so it turns with the lens when focusing. It comes to about a 2 stop ND. I filed off the plastic "nubs" on the back of the 600 film pack and "voila" it works perfectly. I know 600 is different in color than Time Zero but it works! Robbie

But it darkens the viewfinder. You are working wit an F/8 to beginwith

Here's some more detailed info from the Polaroid website:

 

"Which films will work with my SX-70 camera?

 

*600 Film

The 600 film is our most standard square format film, which can be bought in most photo retail shops around the world.

 

 

 

*779 Film

If you would like to use a more professional alternative, try 779 film, which can be bought in specialist shops in local markets or via Polaroid online (not available in all markets ? visit www.polaroid.com for more information). 779 film has very specific skin tones ? this characteristic can also be of interest to professional photographers.

 

How to use my SX-70 camera with type 600 or 779 film?

 

Please follow these steps to adjust the film and camera:

 

600 / 779 Film

The 600 and 779 films have four little plastic nubs at the bottom, which prevent them from being loaded in a camera designed for SX-70 film. You have 2 options:

 

1. You can remove the two nubs in the middle in order to load the film.

 

2. You can use the dark slide of a previously loaded instant film to load the film without removing the nubs. Hold the dark slide (also known as black tab or cover sheet) under and slightly beyond the pack while loading it. The idea is to have something smooth that covers the nubs as the pack is inserted.

 

 

SX-70 Camera

Now that you have loaded either 600 or 779 film into your SX-70 camera, you have to overcome the fact that this film is four times faster than SX-70 / Time-Zero film.

 

This cannot be achieved by adjusting the exposure control settings. Even if you alter your settings to reflect the dark, your pictures will still be overexposed.

 

If you only plan to take photographs in broad daylight:

Reduce the amount of incoming light by affixing a 2-stop neutral density (ND) filter in front of the lens. Please note that this will also darken the view in your finder.

 

Alternatively, you can try a 1-stop ND filter and set the exposure control 1.5 stops to darken. Use a coated filter to get the best results.

 

If you take photographs in any light:

Remove the filter retaining ring (the little chrome ring which surrounds the photocell) by gently pushing the tip of a small knife under the edge and popping out the ring. Remove the small round neutral density filter.

 

Replace with a similarly thin piece of clear plastic (e.g. from a CD box). Re-fit the housing, insert the film and affix a 1-stop ND filter in front of the lens. The exposure-control settings should now allow you to compensate for the film speed.

 

Remember the exposure-control returns to zero when you fold the camera."

Can you freeze time-zero film to keep it fresh or will freezing kill the battery

inside the film pack?

No Polaroid instant film, of any type, should be frozen. Battery aside, freezing damages the developer chemicals in the pod and will likely render the film non-functional even well within expiration.

 

Best storage is either refrigeration at about 40 F/5 C or cool, dry room temperature storage. All Polaroid instant films should be stored with the film flat to avoid chemical migration within the pod that could lead to uneven or incomplete development, or even potentially hazardous chemical gel leakage. Films with batteries are more prone to failure after expiration than those without, but a common mode of failure is still deterioration of the chemical pod (loss of moisture seems the main problem); keeping the film in the original sealed packet as long as possible helps this, some.

 

The PolaPulse batteries in Time-Zero, 600/779, and Spectra film packs should last at least five years on the shelf from date of manufacture, which is a couple years past expiration of the film, but if the film has been refrigerated, the battery may be significantly weakened until the pack has completely equalized to room temperature. Also, older cameras likely draw more power from the battery and may fail when a newer camera will work with the same film pack/battery. All films should be warmed to room temperature before opening the sealed packaging, anyway, to prevent condensation and, in the case of Polaroid instant films, to ensure that development takes place in the expected time.

Guess my grand plans to horde and freeze time-zero film are moot. Oh well,

time to sell my SX-70.

What would you like to sell it for? :)

Wow. Years ago, I was given a dozen packs of 600. I used it in my SX-70 alpha by placing a magnifying lens over the metering cell (the exact opposite of putting an ND filter over the lens). The lens was about 25mm in diameter, I think the focal length was around 50mm, and it was mounted on a piece of PVC tubing 10 or 15mm long. The PVC was taped to the front of the camera. I got the lens to sensor distance by holding the lens in front of the open sensor of a Minolta Autometer III F, and moving back and fourth until I got a 2 stop increase.

 

Sounds like an experiment worth repeating, and designing a velcro on corrective lens.

hmmm... well this just about sucks.

Very cool, Joseph -- I'll have to try that if my SX-70 isn't completely hosed from leaving a film pack in it for ten years... :P

I'm really crushed by this news..... does anyone know if the 600 or 799 manipulates the way the Time Zero film does? For me the whole point of using my Alpha 1 and TZ film is the fact that I can be artistic with it......

Neither manipulate like Time Zero... I'm gonna miss SX-70... I've been trying to stock up but it get a little expensive after a while...

It's unfortunate that the powers to be at Polaroid (probably the same slugs that put the company into a downward spiral in the past) would choose to discontinue film for the best camera they ever made. That camera was a marvel of technology. I've got five or six of them and a factory repair manual but don't mess with the cameras because I think the cover leather has to be destroyed (or severely bent)to get at the screws that hold the cover on. I still run across expired film at stores that sell stuff other stores don't want (like Mark Stevens selling old CVS drug store items in Rhode Island). Anyone ever see an old Saturday Night Live episode hosted by Candace Bergen? She did a Polaroid ad goof where the SX-70 was a cheese slicer. Push the button and a slice of cheese comes out where the film should. Here's a good trick for SX-70s or even SLR 680 (got a few of them, too). Set up a shot with the camera on a tripod in a dimly lit room or outside at night. If you're trying this with a 680 turn off the flash. Press the shutter button, open the film door and then proceed to light paint, take multiple exposures of a person in different areas of the scene by flashing them with a strobe or just let the exposure go for as long as you think the scene needs. Then close the door and press the shutter button again. This restarts the exposure timer that stopped when you first opened the door. Soon after the picture will come out of the camera. You can also add a flashbar or turn on the strobe of the 680 before you close the door. Then after the door is closed when you hit the shutter button the flash will go off and the photo will be processed. You can get some neat effects with this technique. As for 600 film being manipulated I think it can be done but it seems the emulsion gets harder faster so you have to start as soon as you can see an image. I found that some interesting effects can be had by taking a lighter and approaching a just ejected frame from below until you get an effect. You can alter colors and get some strange images when the developer starts to bubble. Be careful not to get to close as you'll burn a hole in the backside. Anything hot should have a similar effect. Anyone ever see the strobe flashbar Polaroid made but decided not to market?

<br><p><center><img src="http://www.syzygyst.com/JoePhoto/sx1-004.jpg"></p></center>

Not only is it discontinued but they changed it slightly and does not work as it used to. No idea when they did that but it may make stocking up difficult. Guess rather than fix the problem it was easier to just quit making it. From Polaroid:

 

It has recently been brought to our attention that, due to a change in manufacturing process, current supplies of Time-Zero film no longer have the ability to be "manipulated" for Creative purposes. This is an unintended - and unanticipated - consequence of a process change. We understand the passion that the artistic community has for the Creative Uses technique, and want to assure you that we are taking this situation very seriously.

Anyone seen or tried this?

 

"Greetings from the Lord of the Lens!

 

I am the exclusive North American distributor for Polaroid SX-70 BLEND film.

 

This brand new and minty fresh Polaroid film is expertly crafted in the Netherlands to create the finest SX-70 results of all time. The original-spec cartridge slides perfectly into any folding or non-folding SX-70 camera. An integrated Neutral Density filter perfectly matches the film's speed to your camera's settings for precise exposures. And professional-grade & cutting-edge chemistry yields more vibrant colors, more intense contrast, and sharper resolution than any other Polaroid film ever produced for the SX-70.

 

SX-70 BLEND: Optimized to bring back the instant fun & celebrate the power of analog photography in a digital world."