Friday, September 30, 2016

My Polaroid obsession part six: Spectra cameras- point and shoot with creativity!


The Polaroid Spectra line was made with the high end in mind. The film is the largest film they sold, wider by 5/8 inch. It could still function like a point and shoot camera, but came packaged with lots of versatile features, . like glass coated lens, timer, auto-focus, tripod socket, chime, flash on and off, and even accessories you could buy like closeup stand, effects filters, and macro lens. The most feature rich of the entire line, the Polaroid Spectra Pro, also came with creative features like multiple exposure, time exposure (like bulb), built in intervalometer, backlight compensation mode, and manual focus control. And if those features were not enough, in James Bond License to Kill there was a Polaroid Spectra that shot killer laser beams. I don't think that feature was available to the general public.

My collection includes a few strong favorites. The Pro Cam, for how ugly and big it is, the spectra pro for artistic versatility, and the image lcd for its folding lcd screen viewfinder- a last gasp attempt to appeal to the new lcd screen crazy digital population.

The top of my list is a very rare (in the states), Polaroid Spectra Blitz Street Camera which features wide angle, wide angle close up, and exposure control. It was a joint venture between Polaroid and the Lomographic Society ( the company that makes crazy creative cameras that artists and hipsters love but many gear snobs hate).

If you like integral film, but want more creative control- consider shooting with the Spectra line. Spectra film is available through TIP(the impossible project) and it is getting better all the time. You will have to add your own laser beam.









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