Modify a Spectra to use Photo Paper?

[krz]

<p>I cam across a Polaroid Spectra for cheap, and, after looking for film, found out why. Although I will probably dish out the money to use this camera as it was originally inteded (for a while), with the inevitable rise in spectra film prices, I'm thinking about an alternative.<br>

Has anyone tried to put photo paper into a polaroid camera? In order to make this work, the shutter speed and the exposure eject would have to be over-riden. I've seen a polaroid modified to be a pinhole (which is close to what I want to do), but I'd like to take advantage of the lens (and the lack of film).<br>

Has anyone attempted this or know of someone who has?</p>

[larrydressler]

<p>Yes but I can't talk now... And I have used cut sheet film in one with a Dark bag to get it as it ejects.....</p>

[j.w.]

<p>I have an old Polaroid Model 800, one of those beige, folding bellows units that took the old B/W Polaroid film. It's easy to load up individual sheets of photo paper in this camera; it can even be done, out in the field, using a changing bag and several film storage boxes with which to store the exposed and unexposed negatives. Great lens, too.</p>

<p>I'm not sure about the newer models of cameras, since they were intended to use the cartridge packs of film. I suppose if you had such a pack whose battery was still working (the camera was powered by the flat battery inside the film pack), you could load up sheets of paper negatives. But there are two problems; 1) You need long exposure times, which these camera's shutters weren't designed to provide (a manual shutter hack of some sort?); and 2) the sheets of photo paper will be immediately ejected into the light after exposure. You could fit some sort of black cloth bag in front of the slot, to catch the negatives as they're ejected. Sounds like a big fuss; better to find and old folding bellows type of Polaroid.</p>

<p>~Joe</p>

[patrick j dempsey]

<p>The Spectra camera took 640 ASA film. Photo paper relates to about ASA 8 as I recall. It's going to be difficult to convince the shutter to go slow enough and in bright sunlight it will be difficult to manually open and close a modified shutter fast enough.</p>

[andrew_lind]

<p>also I read somewhere that you can use old blueprint paper as is forms a positive image, I don't know if its the look your going for but the photos come out looking like cyanotypes and the photos are developed using windex or anyother armonia based liquid</p>

[mfophotos]

<p>no, you develop blueprint paper in water!</p>

[andrew_lind]

<p>my apologies</p>

 

[larrydressler]

<p>Blue Print was poor mans Polaroid. LOL I used to have to read those things and believe me it took good eyes...</p>

[patrick j dempsey]

<p>It depends on the blue print.... the ancient process used water, the new stuff uses ammonia. And I think the new ones will continue to degrade in the presence of light. Wouldn't that makes a great show? It smells like cat pee and the print disappear!</p>

 

[larrydressler]

<p>LOL Pat</p>

[nano_burger]

<p>Katherine, I'v been thinking about how to get some use out of my Spectra now that the film is expensive and increasingly hard to obtain.  I went the cut film route and have made some proof of principle shots which came out pretty well.  A warning though, this method will destroy the camera's ability to use Spectra film!<br>

I documented the modification in this "Instructable."<br>

<a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Modify-Your-Polaroid-Spectra-Camera-to-use-Non-Pol/">http://www.instructables.com/id/Modify-Your-Polaroid-Spectra-Camera-to-use-Non-Pol/</a></p>