Polaroid Land x Lomograflok (instax wide)

Description

Lead time for any conversion is about 3 weeks from the moment I receive your camera. For cameras I have in stock, I can ship in 1-2 days if I am home.

Introducing a conversion service for ANY Polaroid Land camera which allows you to shoot instax wide photos via a Lomography Lomograflok (not included).

I sometimes also have already converted cameras, check the ordering options. Again, this does NOT include a Lomograflok.

Why do this? Packfilm is now long discontinued and the orice of expired film comes down to about $10 or more a photo! Instax Wide is currently priced at about $1/ shot ( $20 for 2×10 prints).

This future proofs your beloved Polaroid Land packfilm camera and allows many more years of future use.

How is it done?

You send me a _working_ camera and I convert it, then ship back to you. I cannot fix broken automatic shutters or CLA slow manual shutters.

Using your own Polaroid Land camera, I install a series of spacers to shift the lens standard back by the distance required to reach focus with the Lomograflock attached to the newly installed back Graflok style hooks.

Will you be able to shoot sheet film with this? No. The focal plane position is computed for using a Lomograflok only.

The mod allows you to simply slide the Lomograflok in for use, then take it out when you’re done and use it on any other system that accepts it, like a 4×5 camera, or hey, one of my converted Polaroid Pathfinders!

The modification preserves the rangefinder function (which I adjust for accurate close and infinity focus), and the flash sync on camera!

The camera will still fold down, but not all the way (see photos). For Polaroid 195/180, I am providing a locking hook (IF you also sent me the camera cover, as I am reusing the latch).

I am also providing a cover for the lens, for any model, manual or automatic (also see photos).

I am also converting Polaroid Land automatic models to use AAA batteries, housed in a holder under a cover on the bottom of the camera (see photos for a Polaroid 250 example).

How do you use this? For manual cameras, use an external meter (instax wide film is ISO 800) and read off the shutter speed and aperture. Turn on the Lomograflok, remove the Lomograflok dark slide, focus and frame using the rangefinder/viewfinder, cock the shutter, shoot, then eject your Instax wide print using the eject button on the Lomograflok. Instax Wide film develops quickly and doesn’t need darkness. You’ll see the image come alive in about 2 minutes and it will be fully developed in about 5-7 minutes.

For automatic cameras, set the ISO on the camera on ISO 150 (the camera ligth sensor, the “electric eyes”, are old and now less sensitive and use the lightnen/darken dial to get the right exposure. I test all cameras I convert and provide you with the proper ISO setting to use as well as lighten/darken adjustment so you can simply start shooting w/o too much testing.

Nota bene, automatic cameras are F:8.8 (maximum aperture, when set at ISO 75) lenses. They will _meter_ indoor shots, but the exposure time will be looong, like 1s or so for a moderately lit room. Handheld shots will thus be blurred.

You can also use a manual flash with any of the Polaroid Land cameras, and I install a cold shoe for cameras that don’t have one (like the Polaroid Land 250). Flashes don’t care about the electric eye, so you’d have to figure out a distance aperture combination for the guide number of your flash, don’t forget to adjust to ISO 800. I will provide you with a list of aperture corresponding to each “ISO” setting for your automatic camera. Old school.