marc s Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 My father-in-law just gave me his Polaroid SE 600 that was collecting dust on his shelf. It includes 2 Mamiya lenses and a 120 Mamiya roll film back with the adaptor. However, it's missing the original backing that comes with the camera. I guess it's the one that holds the 4x5 film, correct? I'm not even sure what to look for, much less where to find one. Any ideas? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sara_peterson1 Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 Marc... I am pretty sure this camera takes a 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 polaroid back....someone correct me if I am wrong here...this is a shot i did with it years ago... http://www.altphotos.com/Gallery.aspx?a=Photo&photoid=23339 good luck... sara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon_platt1 Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 Marc The original back is a polaroid one that takes a pack of film giving ten exposures. Each image is actually smaller than 4x5 it is 3.25x4.25 They are fairly common on Eb..Y and are not particularly expensive. What you have is much rarer and much more useful. The adaptor you have is called an M adaptor and the roll film adaptor comes in a number of different versions, one gives only 6x9cm images whilst other types are switchable between 6x9 and 6x7. You can find a manual for the camera and lenses on the Polaroid site and the backs and adaptor can be found in the Mamiya Universal manual which is on the Mamiya USA site. You will also see adaptions of 4x5 polaroid holders to fit the 600SE although you need to be careful as some of these are not well made and suffer from focussing problems. It is a great camera and well worth using, don't leave it on a shelf. Try the shutters in the lenses at their slowest speed and if they seem sluggish then they may need a service Anything else you need to know please ask Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ondebanks Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Marc, You are lucky indeed that you got the camera with an "M-adapter" - this is a rather rare item for the Polaroid cameras, but highly sought after and hence quite pricey. It basically means that you can use _all_ of the various types of Mamiya roll-film holders for the Press/Universal, as well as several ground-glass focusing options (plain folding hood, magnified hood, and right-angle reflex hood). Mamiya S-shaped roll-film backs come in various guises - 6x9, 6x7, and a multi-format (red window) 645/6x6/6x9 type. All are 120-220 film switchable. They are probably the best-ever design for film flatness - only some vacuum-hold 220 backs would beat them. I have a Mamiya Universal Press - your camera's slightly older brother, really a twin except for a couple of mechanical differences in the lens and back couplings. About 85-90% of its manual (PDF at mamiya.com) is applicable to your Polaroid 600SE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc s Posted June 14, 2007 Author Share Posted June 14, 2007 Sara, Simon, and Ray: Thanks for the posts and lots of information. The back is a 6x7 and I plan on using it for landscapes and occassional portrait. I'll check out those sites for information. One other question: There's a small silver switch on the right top/back side of the camera I can't for the life of me figure out what it does. I'm new to medium format cameras but really want to sink my teeth into some nice large negatives. I promise this one won't sit on a shelf! Sara: I tried your link but for some reason couldn't get through. I'd really like to see your images. Again, thanks. Marc S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon_platt1 Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Marc The switch changes the brightline frames in the viewfinder. One setting is for the 127mm lens and one is for the 150mm lens. There was also a 75mm lens made which had its own viewfinder that mounted on top of the camera. Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc s Posted June 14, 2007 Author Share Posted June 14, 2007 Thanks Simon, I should have said the switch on the back of the film holder. I found out that it's to wind the film. However. you answered another question I had. Bought some Kodak 160 for portrait and Fuji for landscapes. I am literally chomping at the bit to get some images with this gear. BTW, Sara...the link works. Really nice shooting. Marc S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger krueger Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 If all you're going to shoot is rollfilm you're a lot better off selling the Polaroid and getting a Universal--the problem with using rollfilm in the Polaroid is that the framelines are all wrong, they're for the larger Polaroid format. If you've got a 6x9 back keep it; if you've got a 6x7 back sell it along with the Polaroid and get a 6x9 back for the Universal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc s Posted June 14, 2007 Author Share Posted June 14, 2007 Hi Roger, I'd eventually like to shoot other than rollfilm. However, it's for fun. And besides...I'm not sure the father in law would appreciate me selling his gift. Then again, if he sees my pictures, he may just tell me to sell ALL of my gear and get a job at a fast food restaurant. Thanks for the info. Marc S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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