My girlfriend just acquired a Polaroid Land Camera 100. On the bottom of the camera is a sticker that says "New Battery 2-7-1972". I'll be darned if I can find a battery compartment on this camera, and the manual indicates no battery either. What gives?
Something is awry, because we purchased some film from the Impossible Project, and they all came out unexposed.
They were all a dark turquoise green color, except for one, where we tried to pull the white tab before exposure, which gave a pretty cool abstract look, but still not at all resembling what was in front of the lens.
So we assume we have a shutter problem, and that any potential battery would be related to that problem. Or it's just a mechanical shutter problem.
Where do I start to look? I've never used a Polaroid camera before.
Thanks for any help,
- Thomas
"...the heart and mind are the true lens of the camera".
- Yousuf Karsh
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit".
- Aristotle
The battery compartment is on the back on the opposite side of the film door (shares the hinge.) Just pull gently on the door near the silver button. While the original battery was 4.5v, people have found that 3v is sufficient to drive the shutter. I use a CR123A lithium battery with a spring to make up the length difference. You can also find instructions on other custom battery adapters via google. You can verify proper shutter operation by dry firing while looking through the back.
The Polaroid 100 camera has an automatic Electronic shutter that needs a battery. As you are holding the camera, your left hand is around the battery compartment. Pull the front of the camera back and the battery will be exposed.
IIRC it is a 4.5 V battery Duracell PX-19. It has special snap connections at each end. I haven't priced one in ages but I'm thinking $10 or more. I have heard of AA cells being connected with a holder or soldered in series that worked fine.
Once you have a good battery you can check the shutter without film by firing the shutter while looking through the back at different light sources and listing for a delay as the shutter opens and closes.
Good luck with your new camera, just remember to set the film speed under the lens and then tell it where it is in the windows on top of the shutter.
a cr123a 3.0 volt is sufficient and easy to provide. the electric shutters of the the polaroids are quite robust, they would even work with a 9 volt battery without problems. I tested both for quite a while and they are both still working.
the easiest way imho is to purchase a cr123a pcb battery holder (google it). it's not even 1 dollar (+shipping of course) and fits into the battery compartment. attach the wires and that's it.
for the owners of those models with an electronic timer: you can easily fit two holders into the battery compartment.
I have a 101 and i used a double AAA holder i had laying around. I had to remove the plastic clip that holds the battery to make some room and and cut the wires and solder them onto the AAA Holder but it works great!
I do think AAA batteries are cheaper and easier to find which is why i opted for them.
The CR123A is pretty much the same diameter as the original battery. If the battery holder contacts are in good condition, you just need something (like a spring) to make up the length difference. However, most original battery holders are corroded and have degraded plastic so are usually replaced.
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Originally Posted by Thomas Bertilsson
