polaroid movie camera

Post by **Rick Palidwor** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 2:37 am

I know some people here get annoyed when ebay auctions are posted and discussed but this is an educational matter:

There is a polaroid polavision land movie camera up for auction:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/POLAROID-Polavision- ... dZViewItem

I am curious about the cartridge design and how it compared with more conventional designs for steadiness and reliability etc. Anybody know?

Rick

Post by **super8man** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 2:57 am

I think the general consensus is that this technology gave super 8 a worse name than it already had back in the day...and helped contribute to its demise...

I wonder if any of the films actually developed back in the day have fared very well over the years since...I have never come across any but that is simply anecdotal.

And you know that this is the straw that broke Eumig's back - they bet the farm on this technology and...lost...

Cheers,
Mike

Post by BK » Sat Jan 12, 2008 3:00 am

If I remember correctly it's similar to the single 8 cart with polyester based film. Don't remember if it had a pressure plate in the camera though.

I actually seen a demo at Dixions chain photo store when I was in the UK in the late 70's. It was very very grainey and the picture look dark on the player.

Poor Eumig went bust with the involvement in making this camera.

Bill

Post by **Rick Palidwor** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 3:01 am

Was the idea instant home developing? Was it a completely different type of film and developing chemistry? Just curious.
Rick

Post by **cdg** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 3:32 am

http://www.rwhirled.com/landlist/landdcam-pvis.htm

I would suggest looking at the brief article on the Polaroid Land List.

I am a lifetime Polaroid enthusiest, but I don't have much interest in Polavision. It represents the beginning of the end for Polaroid. Had they been able to mobilize the technology 15 years earlier, it might have proven to be a viable film format.

It is an instant format just like all of Polaroid's products. It is in no way directly related to Super8. The PolaVision player served as the developing station for the instant film. I have not a clue what chemistry was involved, but I would imagine it was something similar to Polaroid's slide films.

Post by **etimh** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 3:42 am

Rick Palidwor wrote:Was the idea instant home developing? Was it a completely different type of film and developing chemistry? Just curious.
Rick

Read all about it in Lenny's Lipton on Filmmaking. Still the best account I've ever read about Polavision. Actually has a "user's report." Very cool.

And your're right, it is annoying when people post about current auctions. I agree with you that it is an interesting historical topic and I'm all for "education." But if you're just curious, why not wait until the auction is over to ask your questions? Ebay auction info stays up for awhile after the auction actually ends.

Just my opinion.

Tim

Sat Jan 12, 2008 4:01 am

This last December we had about 4 seperate orders of 1,000 to 1,500 feet each of Polavision. All from 1977 to 1981. Almost all of them had the bubbly effect from the emulsion being eaten away. None of them had the sharpness of regular 8 or good super 8 but all in all it wasn't bad footage.

And they were all rock steady. I've never taken a super 8 cart apart, but the Polavision carts are full of springs and mechanisms. The film itself has to be pryed out of a tight metal gate/pressure plate before telecine.

If it wasn't for the fact that the chemical makeup of the polavision emulsion sucked so much, it would have been a really good idea.

By the way, if anyone is going to transfer these anytime soon, I would suggeset going the wet gate route. It helps cut down on the bubbly emulsion a lot. It won't eliminate it, but it will make it bearable.

-Scott

Post by **Rick Palidwor** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 4:16 am

etimh wrote:
And your're right, it is annoying when people post about current auctions. I agree with you that it is an interesting historical topic and I'm all for "education." But if you're just curious, why not wait until the auction is over to ask your questions? Ebay auction info stays up for awhile after the auction actually ends.

Just my opinion.

Tim

Point taken, but at the time there were no bids on it. If there had been bids I would have held off.
Rick

Post by **Rick Palidwor** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 4:18 am

MoonstruckProductions wrote:This last December we had about 4 seperate orders of 1,000 to 1,500 feet each of Polavision.
-Scott

Do you work at a company that transfers film? Did people send you exposed film which you removed from the cartridges and spooled onto conventional rolls?

If none of the above, please elaborate.

Rick

Post by **James E** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 5:00 am

I seem to recall reading a post either here or in another forum someone suggesting that do to the design of the gate/cart/plate etc that they produce rock steady immages and that taking an old cart and loading it with fresh E100 or some other modern stock might yield a very nice camera that would produce some very good immages. Seems to me if the carts could be re-loaded this would work. Probably have to load no more than 40' as in single 8 loads w/ Fuji due to the thicker film stock.

Sat Jan 12, 2008 5:39 am

Rick Palidwor wrote: Do you work at a company that transfers film? Did people send you exposed film which you removed from the cartridges and spooled onto conventional rolls?

If none of the above, please elaborate.

Rick

Hi Rick,

Yes and yes. We break open the cartridges and spool them all onto 400' reels before cleaning and telecine.

I had a couple calls just before the new year about some more but I haven't heard from them since. If they send the film I will be sure to save the empty cartridges in case anyone wants to try and re-load them.

-Scott

Post by **woods01** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 5:56 am

Rick Palidwor wrote: Point taken, but at the time there were no bids on it. If there had been bids I would have held off.
Rick

Please post about this stuff, there are no rules about posts about eBay. Its
not like its some big secret. This forum would be pretty stale if bizarre
eBay auctions didn't get discussed.

The camera looks pretty cool in a funky 70s way. Interesting to here that
it sunk Eumig. I always liked their projectors.

Post by **Rick Palidwor** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 5:56 am

I find it curious that the carts only hold 42 feet. They look fairly large. Or have been misinformed on the length of the load?
Rick

Post by BK » Sat Jan 12, 2008 6:42 am

Some space is required for the development chemicals in the cart. Hence the large cartridge?

In one of the John Lennon's documentary "Imagine" there were snippets of baby Sean shot with Polavision.

Bill

Post by **Jim Carlile** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 9:27 am

The Polavision story has become a classic textbook case of exactly what not to do with an emerging technology. The main problem was that this was Edwin Land's own personal baby. He pushed for the project and shepherded it through the company, to the consternation of his executives, who knew it was a boondoggle.

Land spent hundreds of millions of 1970's dollars on this disaster. It almost broke the company. The financial entaglements with Eumig are well know. It was one of the biggest product failures in all of business history.

http://books.google.com/books?id=fw-Hvq ... #PPA433,M1