Hunting to identify a camera

[marcnitti]

Hi all,

I saw a camera being used the other day, but wasn't able to get up to the photographer to see/ask what kind it was... So hoping someone will have an idea how to identify it.

It looked medium or large format, it had a pull out lens with bellows and looked quite antique. However, it seemed to use some kind of instant film. Once the shot was taken, the photographer would pull a tab on the side and yank the film/photo out, peel off a sheet/cover and then let the photo dry out and start to appear.

Any ideas anyone? Would love to track the make down and see if I can buy a similar one.

Thanks,

Marc

 

[AgentX]

It's a Polaroid pack film camera, one of many models.

 

[marcnitti]

It's a Polaroid pack film camera, one of many models.

Thanks for that. Ok tracked down the Polaroid cameras, found these websites:
http://polaroids.theskeltons.org/details.htm
Dead Link Removed

None of them look like what I saw, they all seem to have the clunky rectangular part of the body which is pulled out with the lens. The camera I saw just had the circular lens. Looked almost like a bigger version of a Billy Record.

But thanks for the tip on the pack films, off to hunt down if there are any similar other manufacturers, although reading the history looks like Polaroid dominated the market there.

 

[manfromh]

Perhaps a plate camera converted to take a polaroid back. Did it look similar to this? Dead Link Removed

 

[marcnitti]

Oh. Quite possibly actually, didn't consider plate cameras with a conversion. Just realising this might be a futile search. I'm uncovering so much creativity in adapting old cameras, it could have been any one of a large number of makes/models which I saw, it's fantastic.

So now that I know it must have a been a type of pack film camera or adapted camera, might as well just search to find one model which I like and fits into my budget to buy.

Thanks all for your help, it's been fun and fascinating tracking this down!

 

[Ric Trexell]

I think if you do a search for LF cameras, you will see there are many out there that will take a Polaroid type back. Now some call them Fujiroids as Fuji is about the only one I know of that makes instant film, not counting the Impossible Project. Toyo is a maker of what you describe to be antique looking cameras that will take Polaroid backs. There are many others and if you post in the LF section of APUG for suggestions you should get a few answers.

 

[Anscojohn]

Hi all,

I saw a camera being used the other day, but wasn't able to get up to the photographer to see/ask what kind it was... So hoping someone will have an idea how to identify it.

It looked medium or large format, it had a pull out lens with bellows and looked quite antique. However, it seemed to use some kind of instant film. Once the shot was taken, the photographer would pull a tab on the side and yank the film/photo out, peel off a sheet/cover and then let the photo dry out and start to appear.

Any ideas anyone? Would love to track the make down and see if I can buy a similar one.

Thanks,

Marc

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Could be a press camera with a Polaroid back added.