Polaroid back for Bronica

May 19, 2007 7:34 AM

Polaroid back for medium format camera question - how do i get a full frame shot with the polaroid back?

A couple of months ago I bought a used Polaroid back for my Bronica ETRS. I did this on a whim as I like the colors that can sometimes be produced with Polaroids. What I didn't know is that with the back attached directly to the camera body the resulting photo is only about an inch and a half by two inches - this uses only about 20% of the film frame. Is there any way to get the exposure to use the full frame of the film? Like some kind of extender to attach between the back and the camera body?

posted by spicynuts to sports, hobbies, & recreation (6 comments total)

I don't know if you'll be able to use the entire frame of the Polaroid as the Bronica is designed to take 4.5x6cm exposures, but then again the only experience I've got with medium format is with my Holga and Yashica TLR.
posted by Venadium at 10:14 AM on May 19, 2007

Try a different back? I have a Polaroid back for my Hasselblad that exposes the full frame. If you put some kind of extender it's just going to mess with your exposure and focal length and cause more problems.
posted by bradbane at 12:09 PM on May 19, 2007

Well, I can tell you my experience and then give you some ideas— I've got a Holga with a polaroid back, and it uses a lens extender to modify the focal length (I haven't found significant difference in exposure, but with hinky old polaroid film versus regular hinky old 120mm, it's hard to tell).
So, what you could do is extend the back backwards with a bit of electrical tape and cardboard, and then look around for a formula that would tell you what kind of lens you'd need and how far away it should be in order to still focus. All in all, though, you'll note that this sounds suspiciously like building a new camera (as figuring out the focal length is going to be best done by consulting build your own camera sites or texts).
posted by klangklangston at 12:49 PM on May 19, 2007

You'd be much better off with a different camera altogether. Once you change the location of the film plane, you'll have to figure how to adjust the focus you see in the groundglass. Or do what klangklangston suggests if you can find an appropriate lens.

A lot of the 6x7 and larger cameras (Mamiya, Horseman, Graflex XL, etc.) can take Polaroid pack film backs and expose much more of the film. None of them are a cheap as a Polaroid back, of course.
posted by tommasz at 1:57 PM on May 19, 2007

I have a similar setup (a Bronica with a polaroid back), and, though I haven't used it in ages, I remember that this was a normal limitation of the camera/back combo. Polaroid backs are mostly useful for quick & dirty "proofing" of shots before switching to a film back, and as such the image will be limited to the size of the 120 negative used in your camera, or 6 cm x 6 cm (this may not be the exact size for your camera--there are several frame sizes represented in the 120 format).
posted by pullayup at 3:11 PM on May 19, 2007

I'll also say that you should look for another camera to use for Polaroid shooting; (relatively) cheap 4x5 view cameras such as the the Graflex Speed Graphic are lots of fun with a Polaroid back, but make sure that film availability/compatibility won't be a problem.
posted by pullayup at 3:16 PM on May 19, 2007