Poladroid Back

While I can't comment on the various types of Polaroid backs for Hasselblads, I can say that it is my experience working with Polaroid backs on Mamiyas that yes, only a negative sized area of the film is exposed, that is, on the standard 3.25 x 4 inch (or thereabouts) film you'll only have an image the size of 4.5 cm x 6.cm in the case of an M645.

The whole idea behind a Polaroid back is to check composition, at least that's the way I was taught. When shooting landscapes as I have for over 20 years, I will, from time to time, use a Polaroid back to check things like edge cutoff and composition of the subject. Once I have things the way I want them I am ready to put a film back on the camera and start shooting.

Dan

Sympa,

The back that takes hard or impossible (Fuji, or was it Polaroid, started making film in this 'old' format, but i don't think they still do) to get film is called "Polaroid 80".
The backs (there are more than one version) you can still get film for are called "Polaroid 100", "PolaBasic", "PolaPlus" or "PolaCombi" (the last one takes both sizes).

As Dan confimred, you only get an image as large as the camera can produce on the Polaroid: 56 x 56 mm square. The Polaroid film is larger, so you have a lot of 'black' surroundingthe smaller image.

You will have your reasons for wanting to use a Polaroid back. I think they are a waste of time and good money. The only thing they wil let you do that no other thing can is check how moving objects are recorded on film, or how double exposures work out.
Dan's for instance (sorry Dan! ;-)), checking composition, can be done using the viewfinder. That's what that thing is for. Another all too common use, checking exposure, is only for people who don't trust themselves using a light meter.
Polaroids were great to show anxious and suspicious people present at a shoot that they can trust the photographer that he or she actually knows what he or she is doing. Are you confident that you do know what you are doing? And if not, do you know how Polaroid will help? ;-)

And finally: Polaroid has announced they will stop production of instant film this year. (The market has gone, since those untrusting people visiting photo shoots are now watching computer screens instead.) But Fuji will (probably) go on making film.
If not, Polaroid backs will be things only good to look at soon. ;-)

Hi there I find a Polaroid back to be useful and as everyone thinks the film is disappearing then they are going for very good prices.

I was talking to a Fuji rep the other day and he said that they do not intend to stop making instant film. Indeed he told me that the instant film range actually outsells a number of their other film stocks!!

In addition to this Ilford are in discussion about making a black and white instant emulsion.

So if you think it is useful go ahead and buy one.

Simon

It's not cheap with polaroid, in Sweden 25 sek ($4 or 2.5?) per picture. But it is fun, like having an analog digitalcamera. And it also helps others to understand what we "dinosaurs" are doing.

And for me it is also a new technic to learn, how to use "instant"-film.

Who said everything was about logic? Olof.

Thanks for the quick responses - got the info I was looking for :). Photo.net never fails!

Polaroids are used to check composition and the effects of flash light. Unwanted reflections can only be checked with an image. Of course a polaroid is also known as an instant picture for those who do not have the time or patience to wait for d&p.

It was the question of the inventors daughter why it takes so long to get a picture after it is taken that inspired Mr. Land to develop the instant film process.