help needed

[Jim Bianchi]

I've a Mamiya RB-67 with a Polaroid film back for it (with P
adaptor). I also have two rolls of Fuji 'polaroidish' film for it (FP100B).
My only problem is I don't have a clue about how to load the film into the
back. Would someone knowledgable please give me a quickie run through or a
pointer to one?

When I bought this, I'd intended to take it to a local brick &
mortar camera shop and have someone who knew what he was about show me how
to do this. However, most every camera shop in town either lost their lease
and turned to on line sales, or the pimply faced clerk simply can't acccept
that there is such a thing as a film size larger than 35mm ("..can't be, it
wouldn't fit in my automated developing machine!").

[K W Hart]

Post by Jim Bianchi
I've a Mamiya RB-67 with a Polaroid film back for it (with P
adaptor). I also have two rolls of Fuji 'polaroidish' film for it (FP100B).
My only problem is I don't have a clue about how to load the film into the
back. Would someone knowledgable please give me a quickie run through or a
pointer to one?
When I bought this, I'd intended to take it to a local brick &
mortar camera shop and have someone who knew what he was about show me how
to do this. However, most every camera shop in town either lost their lease
and turned to on line sales, or the pimply faced clerk simply can't acccept
that there is such a thing as a film size larger than 35mm ("..can't be, it
wouldn't fit in my automated developing machine!").
--

Since no one has responded yet, I'll give you some possibly useless hints.
I am not familiar with the Polaroid back for the RB or the film you have
specified. I'm assuming first that this is the correct film size. If the
film is in the form of a pack, about 4x5" and 3/4" thick, there should be a
paper pull-tab sticking out one end. When the pack is placed in the back,
this tab has to stick out, so that you can pull the image out. One side of
the pack has to be open so the film can be exposed, and one side of the back
has to be open to mate with the camera. This will tell you where the tab has
to stick out. There may be a flap that covers this opening. The hinge for
the back should be at the other end. The release to open the back may be a
'wire' that wraps around the end where the tab sticks out. Once you get the
back open, it may have intructions ("pictograms") showing how to load the
film pack.

A source for instruction manuals is orphancameras.com. You might try a
google search.

Hopefully this wasn't a complete waste of time and bandwidth!

[Jim Bianchi]

Post by K W Hart

Post by Jim Bianchi
I've a Mamiya RB-67 with a Polaroid film back for it (with P
adaptor). I also have two rolls of Fuji 'polaroidish' film for it (FP100B).
My only problem is I don't have a clue about how to load the film into the
back. Would someone knowledgable please give me a quickie run through or a
pointer to one?
When I bought this, I'd intended to take it to a local brick &
mortar camera shop and have someone who knew what he was about show me how
to do this. However, most every camera shop in town either lost their lease
and turned to on line sales, or the pimply faced clerk simply can't acccept
that there is such a thing as a film size larger than 35mm ("..can't be, it
wouldn't fit in my automated developing machine!").
--

Since no one has responded yet, I'll give you some possibly useless hints.
I am not familiar with the Polaroid back for the RB or the film you have
specified. I'm assuming first that this is the correct film size. If the
film is in the form of a pack, about 4x5" and 3/4" thick, there should be a
paper pull-tab sticking out one end. When the pack is placed in the back,
this tab has to stick out, so that you can pull the image out. One side of
the pack has to be open so the film can be exposed, and one side of the back
has to be open to mate with the camera. This will tell you where the tab has
to stick out. There may be a flap that covers this opening. The hinge for
the back should be at the other end. The release to open the back may be a
'wire' that wraps around the end where the tab sticks out. Once you get the
back open, it may have intructions ("pictograms") showing how to load the
film pack.

Ok. Thanks guy, for your response. I've not yet tried to load the
film pack (no ambition I guess). ..um, the existing pictograms aren't much
help I'm afraid. I guess once I actually open the film pack it'll turn out
to be a really intuitive thing. It's just that I've never done anything at
all with polaroid.

Post by K W Hart
A source for instruction manuals is orphancameras.com. You might try a
google search.

Tks again..

Post by K W Hart
Hopefully this wasn't a complete waste of time and bandwidth!

I don't feel it was.

[Noons]

Post by Jim Bianchi

Post by K W Hart
A source for instruction manuals is orphancameras.com. You might try a
google search.

Tks again..

Post by K W Hart
Hopefully this wasn't a complete waste of time and bandwidth!

I don't feel it was.

You might want to drop by http://www.apug.org and see if anyone there in the
medium format forums is able to help. I'm like you: I've given up trying to
work out the operation of the polaroid backs on the Mamiyas, both the rb67 and
the 645 protl. It's simply impossible to do it from the drawings in the
instructions...

[Jim Bianchi]

Post by Noons
You might want to drop by http://www.apug.org and see if anyone there in
the medium format forums is able to help. I'm like you: I've given up
trying to work out the operation of the polaroid backs on the Mamiyas,
both the rb67 and the 645 protl. It's simply impossible to do it from the
drawings in the instructions...

Well, my big breakthrough was when a friend gave me a .pdf of a file
from www.orphancameras.com on the Polaroid Land Pack Film Holder for the
Mamiya. It laid the procedure out for me very well.

Mind you, my Polaroid back for the RB67 is NOT a Mamiya item, plus
I'm using Fujifilm (FB-100b), so there are differences. However, the basic
idea is the same and reading thru this .pdf file cleared up a lot for me as
far as what should be done to load the thing.

Now I gotta work on things like remembering to remove the lens cap
and such :) Seriously, if you've an RB and a polaroid back and 'P' adaptor
for it, do give it another try. From my (very limited) experience, I can
highly recommend the Fujifilm FP-100b Professional film (as opposed to std
Polaroid/Land film which I understand is either no longer available at all
or is extremely difficult to find and expensive when found). It's B&W and
ISO 100. (I've no idea if color is available fm Fuji.) No post-processing
(coating) is needed -- you pull the tab, the pic comes out and when the
correct time is up, you seperate it and wowsa! It looks just like a 'real'
picture!

[Jim Bianchi]

Post by K W Hart

I've a Mamiya RB-67 with a Polaroid film back for it (with P adaptor). I
also have two rolls of Fuji 'polaroidish' film for it (FP100B). My only
problem is I don't have a clue about how to load the film into the back.
Would someone knowledgable please give me a quickie run through or a
pointer to one?
When I bought this, I'd intended to take it to a local brick & mortar
camera shop and have someone who knew what he was about show me how to do
this. However, most every camera shop in town either lost their lease and
turned to on line sales, or the pimply faced clerk simply can't acccept
that there is such a thing as a film size larger than 35mm ("..can't be,
it wouldn't fit in my automated developing machine!").
--

Since no one has responded yet, I'll give you some possibly useless hints.
I am not familiar with the Polaroid back for the RB or the film you have
specified. I'm assuming first that this is the correct film size. If the
film is in the form of a pack, about 4x5" and 3/4" thick, there should be
a paper pull-tab sticking out one end. When the pack is placed in the
back, this tab has to stick out, so that you can pull the image out. One
side of the pack has to be open so the film can be exposed, and one side
of the back has to be open to mate with the camera. This will tell you
where the tab has to stick out. There may be a flap that covers this
opening. The hinge for the back should be at the other end. The release to
open the back may be a 'wire' that wraps around the end where the tab
sticks out. Once you get the back open, it may have intructions
("pictograms") showing how to load the film pack.
A source for instruction manuals is orphancameras.com. You might try a
google search.
Hopefully this wasn't a complete waste of time and bandwidth!

Well I finally gave it a try after someone gave me a .pdf file
'splaining it. It was on orphancameras.com all right. (I just needed a good
kick inna hiney to actually look for it.) Anyway, the process is smiple :)
and straightforward. Never really having dealt w/polaroid camera's very
much, when I opened the back and saw alla these rollers and doors, I tho't
I'd have to thread the polaroid film thru them and such. No such thing was
needed tho. The polaroidish film pack just snaps right in. All that's needed
is care to ensure the various 'pull tabs' are not fouled or folded under.

The back I have is NOT a Mamiya item. It's made by a firm in Boston,
Massachusetts (NPC) and has a 'P' adaptor as part of the frame already, so
the 'P' adaptor I bought for it isn't needed. There ARE 'pictograms' on the
inside, only I've no idea what they represent. (Which was one reason I put
off trying to load it.)

This Fujifilm (FP-100b) seems very good. I've taken three test pix
already and while two are horribly underexposed and one is equally horribly
overexposed. I'm happy with the results which don't seem as "snapshottish"
as do other regular Polaroid/Land pix I've seen.

Anyway, thanks for your help, guy..

[K W Hart]

"Jim Bianchi" <***@sonic.net> wrote in message news:***@bolt.sonic.net...
snip

Post by Jim Bianchi
Well I finally gave it a try after someone gave me a .pdf file
'splaining it. It was on orphancameras.com all right. (I just needed a good
kick inna hiney to actually look for it.) Anyway, the process is smiple :)
and straightforward. Never really having dealt w/polaroid camera's very
much, when I opened the back and saw alla these rollers and doors, I tho't
I'd have to thread the polaroid film thru them and such. No such thing was
needed tho. The polaroidish film pack just snaps right in. All that's needed
is care to ensure the various 'pull tabs' are not fouled or folded under.

Orphancameras.com can be a very helpful resource for older or off-beat photo
gear.

The reason for the doors, of course is to keep light out while allowing the
pull-tab to stick out, and the photo to be pulled out.

The reason for the rollers is more important: There is a "pod" of chemical
that developes the negative and transfers the image to the positive paper.
The rollers break open the pod and spread the chemical between the neg and
positive. If the image has regularly spaced spots on it, a piece of
something has stuck to a roller. If the long edges or trailing edge of the
picture is not fully developed, the rollers are not applying sufficient
pressure and the chemical is not being spread the full width/length of the
picture. Sometimes the chemical will leak out around the edges, and deposit
on the roller(s). When it dries, it causes a bump on the roller(s) that
causes the regualerly spaced spots.

The chemical reaction that developes the picture is temperature sensitive,
like many chemical reactions. In cold temperatures, a longer developing time
may be required, or you could put the picture 'sandwich' someplace warm to
develope. Early Polaroid instructions suggested putting it under your arm,
and included a metal holder for warming.

[Jim Bianchi]

Post by K W Hart
The chemical reaction that developes the picture is temperature sensitive,
like many chemical reactions. In cold temperatures, a longer developing
time may be required, or you could put the picture 'sandwich' someplace
warm to develope. Early Polaroid instructions suggested putting it under
your arm, and included a metal holder for warming.

Question: As I understand it, using this film (Fujifilm FP-100b),
this process is begun once the pic has been pulled out through the rollers,
which then 'squish' the developer stuff and spread it over the pic. My
question is: How long is it recommended to wait until actually starting this
process by pulling the tab out? I'm not talking days or even hours, rather
only several mins.

Since the developing process has not yet begun, seems to me you
should be able to keep the pic there for some time without any damage, nu?

[shiva das]

Post by Jim Bianchi

Post by K W Hart
The chemical reaction that developes the picture is temperature sensitive,
like many chemical reactions. In cold temperatures, a longer developing
time may be required, or you could put the picture 'sandwich' someplace
warm to develope. Early Polaroid instructions suggested putting it under
your arm, and included a metal holder for warming.

Question: As I understand it, using this film (Fujifilm FP-100b),
this process is begun once the pic has been pulled out through the rollers,
which then 'squish' the developer stuff and spread it over the pic. My
question is: How long is it recommended to wait until actually starting this
process by pulling the tab out? I'm not talking days or even hours, rather
only several mins.
Since the developing process has not yet begun, seems to me you
should be able to keep the pic there for some time without any damage, nu?

Until the film/negative is pulled through the roller mechanism and the
developer spread on the sheets, nothing happens to the film and its
latent image.

Like other films, the longer you wait before processing the more the
contrast curve will change. But this takes weeks to months, so I
wouldn't worry.

In large-format 8x10 Polaroid (when it was around), the film was held in
a filmholder and the processor was a desktop machine. You could go out
with your 8" x 10", shoot up all your film, and wait until you got home
to process it.

[K W Hart]

Post by Jim Bianchi

Post by K W Hart
The chemical reaction that developes the picture is temperature sensitive,
like many chemical reactions. In cold temperatures, a longer developing
time may be required, or you could put the picture 'sandwich' someplace
warm to develope. Early Polaroid instructions suggested putting it under
your arm, and included a metal holder for warming.

Question: As I understand it, using this film (Fujifilm FP-100b),
this process is begun once the pic has been pulled out through the rollers,
which then 'squish' the developer stuff and spread it over the pic. My
question is: How long is it recommended to wait until actually starting this
process by pulling the tab out? I'm not talking days or even hours, rather
only several mins.
Since the developing process has not yet begun, seems to me you
should be able to keep the pic there for some time without any damage, nu?

The light hitting the film also causes a chemical reaction, albeit a very
weak one. The longer developing is delayed, the more the effect of that
delay will be. I suspect that minutes, perhaps even hours will have little
effect. Just for fun, why not take a shot, pull it out and develope it, then
take another shot and leave it in the pack for a day or two.