Over the Christmas holidays I got to browse Ebay and set about finding some vintage Polaroid Land Cameras. Score! I am now the proud owner of lots of Land Cameras and I am setting about testing them all one by one and cleaning them up! These beauties should not be hidden in attics across America.
I've always been a collector at heart and vintage cameras are one of my things. As for all things Polaroid, I've been on a kick for a few months - starting with the SX-70 and it's stylish design, moving to the Polaroid Spectra and now finally the Land Cameras.
Bellows - Land Cameras have bellows! There is something to be said about opening up the camera, pulling out the bellows, loading film and then shooting. It's a magical feeling!
Luckily, Fuji Film is available in color FUJIFILM FP-100C 3.25 X 4.25 Inches Professional Instant Color Film
and black and white FUJIFILM FP-3000B 3.34 X 4.25 Inches Professional Instant Black and White Film
so grabbing it off of Amazon is easy - I of course started out with out of date Polaroid Polacolor 108 Instant film that I purchased from the Film Photography Project Store but I plan on burning through the Fuji film which is less expensive than the Polaroid film. Lesson learned! A few of my test shots were too dark to begin with (feels like lighting money on fire) but in the end I took a photo of M and fell in like with my new vintage camera. Speaking of the Film Photography Project, if you are interested in all things film and want to get into vintage cameras, I highly recommend you check out the site. Michael Raso is amazing - his knowledge of film and cameras and the detailed yet easy to understand tutorials are not to be missed. They have a podcast, tons of how-to videos and a store.
If you are interested in purchasing a Polaroid Land Camera, I found a site that refurbishes the cameras, adds a cool new battery and cleans them up. They also work with the Impossible Project Stores which gives them a lot of credibility. Check them out at Landcameras.com but remember - Ebay is still the cheapest place to go.
When looking for a camera on Ebay - biggest and best question to ask: How is the battery compartment? Make sure there is no corrosion! Regarding the battery you'll need - they are still available and you don't need to convert your camera to AAA or anything - plus the FPP Store carries them in stock.
And why would you want to get into vintage cameras when digital is so easy? Because in the end it just feels special. When you look at your photo and hold it in your hands a feeling of excitement and a little bit of pride takes over. Vintage is cheaper than high end digi cameras, no Photoshop necessary and when you start really getting into it you find all types of manipulations that can be done. It just feels right. I'll get to scanning my Polaroids and posting them at a later date for you to see.
I'm no hipster but man do I feel hip when I'm shooting!
