Focusing A Polaroid Land Camera 101: Tips And Tricks

The Polaroid Land Camera 101 Automatic is the successor to the famous 100, the first Polaroid to use the 100 series films. It was produced in the United States from 1964 to 1967 and is considered one of the more rare models from a collection standpoint. The 101 has a metal body, a flip-up viewfinder, and a separate rangefinder focus. It uses a single 4.5v battery, which is hard to find and expensive, so it is recommended to modify the power source. The camera has three quick focus positions and takes great shots with excellent detail and colour.

How to load film into the Polaroid Land Camera 101 Automatic

To load film into the Polaroid Land Camera 101 Automatic, you will need to source some film that is compatible with the camera. The last company to manufacture film for Polaroid Land Cameras was Fujifilm, which discontinued the relevant film type in 2017. However, you may still be able to find unexpired Fujifilm FP-100C pack film from certain vendors.

Once you have your film, follow these steps to load it into your camera:

• Open the film door by sliding or pressing the film door latch.
• Push the film cassette into the camera, ensuring that the darkslide is facing up and the plastic base is at the bottom. The pull-tab sticker on the cartridge should be facing outwards.
• Close the film door. The darkslide should automatically eject from the camera, underneath the Film Shield.
• Remove the darkslide from under the Film Shield. The Film Shield will then roll back up.

If the darkslide does not eject automatically, try taking out the film pack and re-inserting it, making sure to push it all the way to the back of the camera.

Now that your film is loaded, you can start taking pictures! Just remember to adjust the camera's settings according to the lighting conditions and film speed you are working with.

How to adjust the exposure settings

The Polaroid Land Camera 101 Automatic has an automatic exposure system that makes taking photographs easy. However, you can also manually adjust the exposure settings to fine-tune your images.

To adjust the exposure settings, locate the ring around the lens. Turning this ring will allow you to adjust the aperture and control the amount of light that reaches the film. If you want to make the image darker, move the dot towards the "Darken" setting. Conversely, if you want to lighten the image, move the dot towards the "Lighten" setting.

It is recommended to keep the aperture setting at neutral until you have a better understanding of how your pictures are turning out. This will give you a baseline to work from and help you determine how much adjustment is necessary.

In addition to the aperture settings, you can also control exposure by setting the film speed. This is done by adjusting the round knob below the lens on the front of the camera. Set the knob to the appropriate film speed you are using. For example, if you are using 3000-speed film, set the knob to 3000. If you are using 100-speed film, set the knob to 75.

By adjusting the aperture and film speed settings, you can fine-tune the exposure of your images to achieve the desired results.

How to extend the bellows

To extend the bellows of the Polaroid Land Camera 101 Automatic, follow these steps:

• Locate the focusing button that is labelled with a "1" and an arrow pointing upwards.
• Press upwards on this button.
• While continuing to press the button, gently pull the camera front outwards.
• Pull until the camera front locks into place.

Once the bellows are extended, you can proceed to adjust the focus by moving the two knobs that are located on the sides of the camera. These knobs will move the lens board back and forth, allowing you to achieve the desired focus for your photograph.

How to focus the camera

To focus the Polaroid Land Camera 101 Automatic, you need to move the two knobs, which moves the lensboard back and forth. The camera has three quick positions for focusing: portrait, group, and landscape. Portrait is for subjects between 3-1/2 to 5 feet away, group is for subjects between 5 and 10 feet away, and landscape is for subjects more than 10 feet away.

The camera has a manual focus with a rangefinder. The viewfinder is retractable and has parallax correction and a rangefinder (separated). The camera also has an "electric eye" on the front panel next to the lens that is used for light metering.

The camera's aperture can be adjusted by turning the ring around the lens. To darken the film, move the dot towards "Darken", and to lighten the film, move the dot towards "Lighten".

How to clean the rollers

To clean the rollers of your Polaroid Land Camera 101, first open the back door of the camera by releasing the switch on the bottom right-hand side. You will then see the rollers next to the door where the film is pulled out. Pull on the red metal tab located on the side of the rollers to release them for inspection.

Check the rollers for any scratches, dents, or dirt. If they are scratched or dented, they will need to be replaced. If they are dirty, you can clean them with a soft, damp cloth or cotton swab. Do not use any solvents or cleaning products, and avoid paper towels as they may leave stripes. You can dampen the cloth with clean water, or use a drop of detergent, or a little rubbing alcohol.

Allow the rollers to dry completely before putting them back into the camera and closing the film door.

It is recommended that you inspect your rollers between every pack of film and clean them every 2-3 packs.

Frequently asked questions