I recently picked up an old SX-70 camera off of e-bay, and after shooting one pack of film I just can't seem to get the exposure right. Indoor photos come out muddy and dark, while outdoor photos barely appear. I assume it's a problem with the camera itself because the exposure correction wheel (the black/white one, whatever it's actually called) doesn't seem to have much effect in either direction.

I once came across a Web FAQ that suggested this problem happens due to overly aged internal meters and explained one possible repair. Unfortunately, I can no longer find the site.

I'm now thinking the only fix may be to try again with another camera, but I'm gun-shy about spending *more* money with no real guarantee that the second one will work perfectly. At the same time, I'm in love with image manipulations and desperate to give it a try. Any advice you can give (on either fixes or purchase confidence) would be most appreciated!

-- Tara Prigge (tprigge@mccarter.com), January 15, 2003

Answers

Tara, Buy a new 600 series Polaroid for $29 at Walmart. Read about the workaround to use SX-70 film in it (loading trick and masking the exposure meter). It is not an slr, so closeups are trickier, but the camera will be out of the box, rather than 30 years old.

J

-- J (d76_1to1@htomail.com), February 04, 2003.

My exposures are usually good when there is a lot of light but not too much contrast on the subject, and the subject has vibrant colors. Try taking photos with the knob on the first or second white square over from the black squares on a sunny day with a blue sky and...red barns...or orange pumpkins...or hair dyed electric pink.

-- Kate (kvasicek@williston.com), January 31, 2004.