What is this Polaroid camera/back intended for?

[AgX]

I got at the fleamarket a (Polaroid-made?) camera-body with fixed packfilm back similar to the type 405 cassette.
It has a flipping accessory shutter, several tripod threads and a standard flashlight/accessory shoe.

The front has a coupling, seemingly for a lens/shutter assembly.

As I realized that the packfilm back was just screwd onto the body I bought it just to have that back to custom build some instant camera.
Seeing that accessory shutter I also considered as alternative use to keep it as it is and just install a pinhole.


Seemingly someone else had the same idea, as seen in this photo (the only one of this thing I found after 1/2h of searching):

http://www.polamad.com/images/cam-pinhole.jpg


Out of sheer curiosity:
What was the original use of it?

 

[Prof_Pixel]

It looks like an oscilloscope camera.

(Search for Tektronix C9 Oscilloscope Camera)

 

[Sirius Glass]

What he said. An oscilloscope camera.

 

[AgX]

Yes, what I saw looked quite similar (but not the same..)

What puzzled me though was that mount threads at the body perpendicular to the optical axis and that accessory shoe. Both anything but typical for a CRT-camera.


Edit:
I found a CRT-camera that got threads in such position...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/donaldtang/7895384182/sizes/c/in/photostream/

 

[Prof_Pixel]

What puzzled me though was that mount threads at the body perpendicular to the optical axis

The camera was designed to swing away from the front of the oscilloscope.

 

[AgX]

I see, that would make sense. There even were handheld CRT-cameras with a pistol grip attached by a tripod screw.


And that accessory shoe?

 

[xya]

And that accessory shoe?

there was a view finder to help to focus at 25 inch. difficult to find at a reasonable price (I'm still looking for it)

 

[AgX]

If it was intended as CRT-camera the focus would be fixed in that missing lens/shutter assembly.

So it was intended for a different use?

 

[StoneNYC]

Why don't you just post a picture of the item you actually bought, that would be a lot more helpful...

 

[AgX]

I neither got a digital camera nor a scanner.

And aside of that pinhole plate and that rounded something at the very base of that body that first photo I linked to exactly shows what I got.

http://www.polamad.com/images/cam-pinhole.jpg

At the utmost right there is to see the chromed knob for twisting the accessory plate-shutter.

 

[xya]

If it was intended as CRT-camera the focus would be fixed in that missing lens/shutter assembly.

So it was intended for a different use?

no, I don't think so. polaroid used these bodies for different purposes. in the beginning it was for dental cameras and close-up museum work. they also sold them for criminal investigation work. with the help of the above mentioned finder and the 5" lens you could just make a close portrait of a suspected person.