Topic: polaroid sx-70 mod

[formica]

i was given a polaroid sx-70 for xmas. i seem to recall reading about a mod that'll allow it to take 600 film. but i'm not finding it in the archives. anyone have a link for a description of how to do it? i know there is that new sx-70 blend film, but it's doubtful i'll be able to find any here(and i've been looking).

           william

[gary m]

This is what I have done. I bought my ND filter off ebay. http://www.chemie.unibas.ch/~holder/SX70.html They work OK, but I still get kind of a golden color to indoor shots.

[btrancho]

Here's the Polaroid site instructions for the mods -

http://www.polaroid.com/sx70/en/index.html

[formica]

thanks for the info everyone. now to see if i can find one of those filters locally...

            william

[Francois]

There is a specially designed ND filter for the SX-70 on sale at (http://www.unsaleable.com/instant_photofun/)
Might be easier than to hack one yourself.

[6oh]

hey formica,

i picked up one of these filters for an SX-70 i picked up, but the SX-70 was buggered, so now i've the ND filter kicking around.  its can be shipped in a letter envelope, so its thin.  lemme know.

A friend picked one up aftter the hack, and works sweetly with the filter and 600 film....glad my 680 still works though

6oh.
http://6oh.blogphotography.com

[moominsean]

i've been thinking about getting an sx-70 (the nice one, not my rainbow stripe model) and modding it to take 600. couple questions though. if i mess with the camera to make the mod permanent, can i still use sx-70 in it? and what's the difference in tone/quality for 600 used in the sx-70 as opposed to just using it in my 600 camera?

[formica]

thanks for the suggestions everyone. sixoh, i've sent you an email about your kind offer.

thanks for the unsaleable link agent orange. is it just me or do their prices seem really expensive? their 600 film is about twice as expensive as what i pay for it locally.

moomisean, i'm no expert. but i believe if you make the mod permanent you will not be able to use sx-70 in it. or rather you could use sx-70 film in it but it'll look like crap. i believe the sx-70 is a lot more sensitive to light, and the nd filter cuts out a lot of that light so it can be used with 600 film. i'm sure skorj or some other polaroid expert will correct me if i'm wrong here.

          william

[Francois]

About Unsaleable, you are right, they can be expensive. If I remember, they ship from Austria... could there be a link to Lomography? Lomo is also quite expensive. But if you want to get SX-70 Blend film, they're the only place to go.

As for sensitivity, SX-70 Timezero film is rated at around ISO150 (from memory) while 600 film is rated at ISO600 (duh).
SX-70 blend is essentially 600 film with a built-in neutral filter that has a slight color shift to make it look like the original Time Zero.
This doesn't need a ND filter on the camera.

On the other hand, the ND filter is a one time buy.
But for the best mod in town, consider a capacitor replacement. Very deep surgery but it fixes 2 problems with one step.

• It corrects the exposure meter so 600 film can be used
• Capacitors tend to dry up with age and malfunction, this fixes it for good

So there you have it... hope it helps.