A panoramic polaroid camera?

October 2, 2006 2:55 PM

I'm wondering if there exists a camera which offers a polaroid-like process but in a letterbox format, instead of the traditional portrait polaroid shape. So, a sort of panoramic polaroid camera. Anyone heard of such a thing?
posted by dunstanorchard to media & arts (6 comments total)

Are you prepared to get hardcore? There are polaroid-film backs for medium format cameras which come in letterbox.
posted by bonaldi at 3:13 PM on October 2, 2006

Such film isn't cheap, by the way; it comes in all kinds of sizes but it costs like $15 per shot.

Digital cameras have cut the heart out of Polaroid's business, and these days anyone interested in doing that kind of work would rather use a digital camera. (Someone sells one now that has something like 60 million pixels.)
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 3:21 PM on October 2, 2006

There are also a bunch of vintage polaroid pack cameras that use the 3 ¼" x 4 ¼" pack films. The pack films come in a bunch of varieties - some that even give you a positive and a negative of equal size (medium format negatives on the cheap). I've bought a few of these cameras off ebay for 10-20 bucks - just make sure you don't buy one that takes roll film - that isn't made anymore.
The results aren't panoramic but they are landscape instead of that square format - and usually have a white border.
posted by Wolfie at 4:13 PM on October 2, 2006

Yeah, the old polaroid Land Cameras are like this, but it can be a devil to get packs for them.

I've got one that I'm hoping to find film for one day.
posted by Matt Oneiros at 6:18 PM on October 2, 2006

And the reason you can't turn the camera 90 degrees on it's side . . . ?
posted by KRS at 11:06 AM on October 3, 2006

KRS: I actually thought of that, but the dimensions wouldn't be ideal and I presume the flash would then be from one side... it's a possible solution, just not the one I was hoping for.
posted by dunstanorchard at 5:13 PM on October 3, 2006