Polaroid Land Film Holder #500

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I am new to LF photography and just picked up an old Calumet camera with a Polaroid Land Film Holder #500 and am trying to figure out how to load the film. Is Polapan Pro 100 compatible with the holder and if so, how do I load the film to expose it.

Thanks,

Russell Graves

-- Russell Graves (russell@russellgraves.com), January 19, 2001

Answers

Polaroid #500 is an old model. You can use 5X film type (55 59 54 ...) and polapan pro 100 only if it is made for the same actual film older made for 55 59 ..... But there are somme problem you have to take care before. The film locking in system is made by a litle metal V part at the botooms of the film. The V have to be opened (in the midle of the back side) enough but not too much in order to be locked by the square pin lock and not stoped by the square hole of the square pin lock when you will process the film. You can realase the film by pushing down the chrome index of the botooms film older to unload it. The bigest trouble with this film older is that the openning stop don't work. In order to expose the film you have to move the cover paper. A added white streng paper ligne is sticked on the back of the cover paper. It is the stop index for not too open the cover paper before the exposure. This paper index is exactly short enough for ont working with #500 film older. The only solution is to estimate how much you can open the cover paper and stop yourself at the right position.

Loading the film. First you have to check if processing rods are clean. open the rod's cover by moving the right chrom button in the lens side. you can see brigth rod and one rubber rod. they are processing rod and ligth stop rod. If you see any thing look like chimical caustic deposite, you ll have to remove them carefully. Turn the chrom lever of the back side in L (load) position. press processing rod from the lens side to the back side and turn the chrom rod of the back side in order to remove it from the tow hooks. You can "open" the tow processing rods for cleaning.

Second rod are clean: you can use the film older. on the back side you have a lever printed L and P as Load and Process. for loading a film you have to take care about the V metal part fo the film sheet, put the lever on Load position. Put the film in in the right position and the right side to the lens. Put the film older in the spring back. Close the lens shutter. Pull the paper cover enough. Take the picture. Push the cover. Put the lever in Process position. Take care the unlock chrom botoom pin is down. Remove the film older from the spring back. Pull the film sheet from the film older strongly but slowly. The timming for processing duration is started. Ptu the lever in Load position. When time is over separate the paper cover and stick out the with/gray part from the rest of paper: it is your picture. The 55 film can give you a picture and a negative you can fix and wash and dry in order to print it as a standart negative.

have a nice day J.Ph.

-- Jean-Philippe AMANS (J.P.Amans@opgc.univ-bpclermont.fr), January 22, 2001.


Hi Russell,

Unfortunately the model 500 film holder you have will not work with the currently configured Polaroid 4X5 film, and Polaroid discontinued and does not support this film holder since 1970, My suggestion is to pick up a model 545. Sorry for the bad news,

Bill

-- Bill Jefferson (jefferw@polaroid.com), January 29, 2001.


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