Polaroid Model 240 Print Copier

[Joe VanCleave]

I never knew these things existed. Picked it up for $10US from a thrift store, including owners manual.

P1100214a by Joe Van Cleave, on Flickr

Here it's mated with my Polaroid Model 800. Both lamps work. Being as I've been shooting paper negatives in my Model 800, this might come in handy for making prints.

P1100218a by Joe Van Cleave, on Flickr

Here's a link to my Flickr album that also has a complete scan of all the pages of the owners manual.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/31285363@N07/sets/72157653130883035

~Joe

 

[Joe VanCleave]

Today I exposed a grade 2 RC paper negative in my Polaroid Model 800 camera, of a contrasty morning backyard scene. I rated the Arista paper at ISO 12, and I used the camera's "EV10" setting, which is f/8.8 at 1/12 sec.; my meter recommended about f/8, so the exposure was pretty close. I load the paper negative, one at a time, in my darkroom; or a changing bag could be used. I cut the paper to 4x5 size, which fits nicely in the camera's film gate.

After processing, I trimmed the image down to its borders, so it would fit inside the Polaroid 240 Print Copier's print holder. Then, through a series of experiments, I made the print shown here. For using Arista grade 2 RC paper with this print copier, I rated the paper at ISO 1.6, metered the lens of the copier with the lamps turned on, then added one full stop of exposure, which amounted to 1 minute 20 seconds with the camera lens set to its "EV14" position (which is f/12.5) on bulb.

I had no control of contrast, as I was using this grade 2 paper, so its a bit soft for me. And I'm not sure if the focus is off, or if the copier's lens is of a marginal design. I'll have to fix a ground glass to the rear of the camera and see where optimal focus is at; the manual recommends setting the camera focus to its 3.5 feet position. There's also a bit of uneven exposure, perhaps dirt on the internal windows for the lamps. I've made no attempt at cleaning the copier, I'm using it as I purchased it.

The paper negative from the Polaroid 800 camera itself is very sharp; perhaps I'll scan and post it for comparison.

Polaroid800_240_Print001a by Joe Van Cleave, on Flickr

~Joe

 

[Joe VanCleave]

Here's a scan of the original paper negative. As you can tell, it's much sharper and better tonally than the optical print via the 240 Print Copier. Despite having to load each negative individually, these cameras are very functional for paper negatives. They have a viewfinder and rangefinder focusing, so handheld work is possible. This image was tripod mounted, however.

Polaroid800_Negative001a by Joe Van Cleave, on Flickr

~Joe