Polaroid 4x5 conversion

Right before Christmas I took delivery of a new camera. This custom-built camera was a Polaroid 900 model that has been rebuilt to accept regular 4x5 film holders as well as Polaroid 405 packfilm. I also got this camera built with a Schneider Xenotar 135mm f/3.5 lens for high-speed available-light photography. I've been very excited to get it and I finally was able to use it several times these last several days. Here is what the camera looks like:

I am using Fujifilm FP-100C color film and FP-3000B high-speed b&w film. Fuji had other instant film emulsions but these are unfortunately the only two left! They are only 3x4 inch shots but are very beautiful when exposed correctly. I have found that overexposure on these materials are a bad idea and ruin the shot so I shoot for highlights at Zone VII at most.

First, here are a few color test shots at various locations. The instant film has white borders which I have left in for posterity. The third shot is wide-open at f/3.5:

Some b&w photos after the break!



The black & white film creates a beautiful photo. The negative can also be scanned. Here is a portrait of three of my cousins that I took. The picture was given away as a gift so this is a scanned negative. As you can see, it is easy to damage the negative before drying. I also messed up and fogged the film when I loaded it a bit. However, you can see the 3D quality of this lens wide-open:

Finally, here is a scanned instant shot of the FP-3000B film instead of a negative along with a 4x5 film shot of the same scene. First the instant shot:

And now the film shot (T-Max 100, toned in Photoshop):

As you can see, this camera is not a one-trick-pony but is able to make high-quality negatives as well. I have yet to try it with chromes but I will soon.