Polaroid Backs . . . Why?

aoluain

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HI all,

I have recently aquired a Mamiya 645 Super and happened across
a polaroid back that is available for the 645's.

What are the polaroid backs used for? is it simply to take polaroids?
seems like before digital it would have been an expensive way to
produce a polaroid which probably didnt have the same LOOK
as a polaroid camera as obviously the optics of the Mamiya
were way more advanced.

so the question is basically . . . why would I use a polaroid back?

they are very low cost items now . . .

Alan
 

ozphoto

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Hi Alan,

Prior to digital, we used Polaroids in much the same fashion as viewing the screen today.
For shoots, I used to use B&W Polaroid as the contrast was much better matched to film. It allowed the client to see the composition etc and helped with lighting as well.

You are correct that it cost $$$ - but it was charged out accordingly and I know of photographers who actually had their client sign the back of the accepted Polaroid, to show that the setup/styling etc had been accepted.

Use today would probably be much less than before, but I have used the back on occasion, simply to see how my lighting setup looks and again, to show the client prior to exposing the film. Have also used it for Polaroid transfers from my trannies - probably seen more use this way since d****** descended upon us...........

Chances are you probably won't ever need to use one, but if you feel like tinkering with transfers or want to experiment in the studio, buying a cheap one might be a good idea.
 

verney

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Depends what you shoot. I don't carry polaroid back outdoors as I can almost always just bracket my exposures. I use mine for checking exposure and lighting rations when using studio flash lights before shooting several rolls of film.
 
OP
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aoluain

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Thanks for the info . . .

actually ozphoto I did read before somewhere about that
use regarding the polaroids . . .

I would only be interested in the back to produce a kind
of 'polaroid look' I do shoot a lot of 'Lo-Fi' Holga and
Lubitel stuff but never had a polaroid camera . . .

probably a silly way to go though?

thanks again
 

Michael W

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Like ozphoto said. when I was an assistant, on interior type shoots for magazines we'd often go through 3 boxes of Polaroid a day(except we used the Fuji version). Mostly on a Hasselblad but sometimes 4x5. It was to check lighting ratios & also for the stylist to check how the various items looked when imaged by the lens. Often for cover shoots we'd have an acetate with a mock-up of the front cover with dummy text to lay over the Polaroid to make sure it fitted in. Of course the actual film we shot (E6) came out looking different but with experience the instant film was a good guide.

I know that cinematographers also used to shoot polaroid for a lighting check but I think a lot of them used dedicated polaroid cameras rather than medium format with a back. All that stuff is done with digital now of course.
 

df cardwell

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Polaroid was an awesome tool for teaching, testing, and messing around.

ALSO essential to see what a picture was going to look like, and a 4x5 was usually 'pulled' for the art director to sign (with a black sharpie) to endorse the set-up. THEN you shot the 'chromes.
 

pgomena

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As the previous posters noted, Polaroid is/was used to check lighting and styling, and exposure as well. If you are well wired in to your process, the difference between exposure on Polaroid and proper exposure to film is a known quantity. This is especially valuable on location where lighting variables can be very complex. It took time, practice and a lot of Polaroid to get a feel for how it all worked, but Polaroid is/was a great tool.

Peter Gomena
 

bill schwab

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pgomena said:
It took time, practice and a lot of Polaroid to get a feel for how it all worked, but Polaroid is/was a great tool.
Click to expand...
I wish I had a dollar for every pack of Polaroid I went through back in my commercial shooting days. It would be thousands. Saved a lot of anticipation, headaches and ulcers!
 

wiltw

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Before you buy, keep in mind that Polaroid no longer makes the instant print films, and Fuji instant film products do not fit the Polaroid backs.
 

GraemeMitchell

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There are still people using instant film (Fuji now) in commercial and assignment settings. Absolutely essential for proofing.

Get the shot you want on it. Switch to film. Done.
 

vdonovan

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wiltw said:
Before you buy, keep in mind that Polaroid no longer makes the instant print films, and Fuji instant film products do not fit the Polaroid backs.
Click to expand...

YES THEY DOOOOOOO!!!!!! Fuji Instant are excellent films. There's even a 3000 ASA black and white that is a blast to work with:

 

ozphoto

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They sure do - had to stock up late last year for a photographer who had a shoot which was exclusively shot on film as per the art director's request. Not as good as the Polaroid, but it does the job!
 

David A. Goldfarb

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Some people, myself included, think Fuji FP-100C is better than Polaroid as a proofing medium, or at least that the color and contrast are closer to most slide films.

Just to confirm what fits what, the Fuji medium format pack film fits medium format and 35mm Polaroid backs and the Polaroid 405 back, which produces 3x4" images and fits a 4x5" camera. The Fuji 4x5" pack film fits the Polaroid 550 and Fuji PA-45 filmholders. Fuji does not make a 4x5" sheet film to fit the Polaroid 545 type holders.
 

Colin Corneau

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Vince, that is a pretty cool image...my compliments. I like it.
 

removed account4

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- sigh -

it is hard to believe these days are over ..
and it is hard to believe there is actually a post-polaroid " what is a polaroid back " post ...

time marches on ...
 

cdowell

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I remember 20 or so years ago when Mirabella magazine flew a photographer down from New York City to get a portrait of my boss, I stood in for him while the photographer got the lights right using test shots. He caught me getting the polaroids out of the trash later and coated them for me so they'd last. It's quite a gift when a real pro gives somebody a picture like that. For most people, it's school pictures and snapshots their whole life long.
 

JBrunner

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I used to use my Pola back on my RZ to show the creative director what it looked like. Good enough for them to get the idea and spot any problems, evaluate lighting and composition to a degree, etc. Nowdays I make a lot of emulsion transfers from slides with the 100.
 

vdonovan

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Colin Corneau said:
Vince, that is a pretty cool image...my compliments. I like it.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much, Colin. I was in Spain for two months and my photo project was to shoot one Polaroid per day. I got some nice images that I'm still organizing to put up on the web. Those guys were two drunks in a square in Malaga. I took two shots (breaking my own rule, which I did often), gave them one, and ended up talking to them for over an hour.
 

bill schwab

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cdowell said:
I stood in for him while the photographer got the lights right using test shots.
Click to expand...
I had an assistant that kept a collection of his stand-in tests that we did... "Here I am as the president of GM... and here I am as the president of Texas Instruments..." and so on. It was a pretty cool collection he had after awhile!
 
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