Polaroid Land Camera 640

I always wanted a Polaroid camera growing up. Some girls I grew up with had one and it seemed like no matter what the pictures would turn out as something cool we'd want to hang on to.

So when I found this Polaroid Land Camera 640, also known as the Sun 640, for 2 bucks at Shipwreck Days in Anacortes, I was beyond delighted. But it meant I also had to learn some Polaroid basics...

For example, I could not for the life of me figure out where the power came from. That's because the batteries for these little guys is in the film cartridge, which is kind of a neat idea (you're less likely to be out of batteries when you need them), but also has its flaws. I'm sure that's part of the reason why the film was so expensive, and it also meant that when I bought this camera with some film in it, I couldn't shoot is because the battery was dead. Boo!

In terms of exposure on these cameras, as you can guess it's mostly automatic. The ISO of SX-70 Integral film was always around 160, and of the 600 film was always 640, with some exceptions. So the consumer cameras that went with these films had one variable covered for exposure. Most Polaroid cameras have an electric eye for exposure control as well.

Like many of its brethren in the 600 series, the Sun 640 has a plastic 116mm lens (fixed focus) and a built-in flash. The 640 flashes on every photo, and it also has a lever on the front if you need to adjust the exposure for very bright or dark conditions (like if you want to shoot a snowy field and you don't want it to show up as grey).
 (20/5/12 edit: Actually, having since been able to test my Sun 640, you have the option to flash or not. If you want the flash, you have to hold the red part of the shutter release half way down for a while for the flash to charge, and then push it down all the way to take the picture. If you don't want to use the flash, there is another piece to the shutter release which is just a black tab which you press instead.)

And while Polaroid went belly-up a while ago, the spirit of instant photography is very much alive. Polaroid cameras are some of the most collectable, and they have a huge following, as evidenced by Polaroid Week. Young people just will not let this format die! And that's a comforting notion for those of us reluctant to let go of the past and of the tradition of film photography.

I haven't tested this camera out. While Polaroid film is no longer in production, the Impossible Project is making more for us to enjoy (you can buy it at Photojojo).

There are some photos taken with the Sun 640 by eamesdaedelus over at flickriver.

Have a safe and fun week,
C.