Polaroid 420 User manual

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WITH
THIS
CAMERA,USE
PolaroidLand
pack
filmType108
(color)
or
Type
107
(black
andwhite)
G.E.
Hi-Powerflashcubes,
or
equivalent.
YOURFIRST
PICTURE!
To
be
surethat
it's
asuccess,
we
suggest
that
you
makeit indoors
withflash,exactly
asdescribedon
page
22. ;
BUT,BEFOREYOU
START
please
read
this
bookcarefully
so
you
will
know
how
touse
the
camera
and
where
to
look
for
any
information.
lf
you
donot
follow
the
instruc-
tions,
you
willnot
get
good
pictures.
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TheModel430 and 42Ocamerasare similar in construction
andoperation,except:
the Model430 hasa built-in timer;the Model420 doesnot;
the Model 430 has a 3-element lens that takes some
accessories;
the Model 42O has a 2-elementlens that does not take
accessories.
lnstructionsin
thisbookarefor bothmodels,althoughmost
pictures
areofthe430. Bothmodelsareshownwheninstruc-
tionsaredifferent.
GettingAcquainted i?_
TheModel430camera........:.
TheModel 42Ocamera.
Howto
open
and
close
'he
ca
mera...
Howtoholdthe
camr-.ra.
Howtousethe
viewl
$'r.
Howtofocuswiththe"rngefinder.
Knowyourflash
unitandflashcubes....
How
toattachandremovethe
flashunit.
Howtoinserta
flashcube...
Thecuberotation
lever.....
Why
you
must
focusaccurately
whenusing
flash
Thecontrols
.,.
and
whatthey
do.
What
you
should
know
about
your
f
ilm
Operation
How
toloadafilmpack. L7
Howtosetthecamera
forflash
anddaylightpictures...,. 20
Howto
make
flash
pictures 22
Howtomakedaylightpictures.,. ....,....24
How
todevelopthepicture. 26
Checkthetemperature.... 29
lf
no
yellow
tabappearswhen
youpullthe
white
tab....
... 30
Careofthe
print... 31
How
to usethe
Cold-Clipwith
colorf
ilm 32
Howto
make
prints
lighter
ordarker
(Non-flash).. 34
Howtomake
prints
lighterordarker(Flash)..............
35
Howtomakeblack
andwhite
pictures
in
dimlight
withoutflash... 36
Miscellaneous
Youmusttake
careof
your
camera.
. 38
Batteryloadingandreplacement. 1,....,. 39
Copiesandenlargements 40
Somehelpfulaccessories. 4I
Forthe
Model430,acloudfilter.
.. 42
lf
yourflashpicturesaretoodark.... 43
Picturetroubles,theircause
andcure. 44
Where
towriteforinformation. .....,..., 47
Warranty..... 47
Polaroid
ServiceCenters
and offices... 48
2
4
6
7
8
9
10
11
If
72
I2
I4
16
43Ol42O
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THE
MODEL
430 CAMERA
J
\2
A. View/rangefinder
B. Shutter
release
C. Flash range
indicator
D. Rangefinder
pushbutton
E. Flash
connector
F. Whitetab slot
G. Yellowtab slot door
H. 3-elementlens,114mm.,t18.8
l. Lighten/Darkencontrol
J. Shutter
cockinglever
K. Film
selector
L. Electriceye
M. Flashoutlet
(flashcubes
only)
N. Battery compartment
O. Steel rollers
P. Focuswindow
a. View
window
R. Backdoorlatch
S. Timer
T. Batteryfor electric
eyeand shutter controls
U. Serialnumber
IMPORTANT:
Keep rollers clean (page 38);
change batteryyearly
(page39).
43Ol42O
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l
i
I
I
43Ol42O
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THEMODEL
42OCAMERA
G
H
I
A. View/rangefinder
B. Shutterrelease
C. Flash rangeindicator
D. Rangefinder
button
E. Flash
connector
F. White tab slot
G. Yellow
tab slotdoor
H. 2-elementlens,114mm.,
t/8.8
l. Lighten/Darkencontrol
J. Shuttercockinglever
K. Film
selector
L. Electric eye
M. Flashoutlet
(flashcubes
only)
N. Steelrollers
O. Focuswindow
P. Viewwindow
a. Back
door
latch
R. Batterycompartment
S. Batteryfor electriceyeand shuttercontrols
T. Serialnumber
IMPORTANT:Keep rollers clean (page 38);
change battery yearly
(page
39).
43Ol42O
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HOWTO
OPENANDCLOSETHECAMERA
1. To
unlatch
cover,
press
oncenter
of
top.
You
can
letcoverhang
down.
/
4. Pull
camera
frontoutasfarasit
will
surelockingbar
(A)
snaps
into
place.
you
may
get
blurred
pictures.
6
2. Toremoveit,
push
spring
(A;
andlifthinge
(B).
Toreplace,
slide
hinge
downover
spring. 3. RaisebuttonNo.1;this
unlockscamerafront.
go.
Be 5. Toclosecamera, press
downonlocking
bar
lf not, and
push
camera
frontinuntrlit
locks.
Whenstoringthe camerabe surethat nothingpresses
on the No.2
button; if it's depressed
evenslightly,
the batterymay be drained.
43O/42O
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HOWTOHOLD THE
CAMERA
HORIZONTAL:
Gripthe two ends.Place
your
forefingerson VERTICAL:
Grip
the camera as you wouldfor a horizontal
the No.1 buttons;
you
caneasilyshiftthe rightforefinger
to picture, turn it so
your
right
handis
below.
Brace
thecamera
the No.2 button.
Tosteady the
camera,
press
your
elbows againstyourforeheadandface.
into
your
ribs;restthe
cameraagainst
your
nose.
43O/42O
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HOWTO
USETHEVIEWFINDER
Lookingthrough the viewfinderwindow (A) you'll see a
bright,whitebrokenline.
Frame
the scene with this line.
Always
try to look throughthe centerof the window and
concentrate
on your subject, not on the whiteline.
lf your
subject is very close (372
ft., for example), allow a little
extra
spacebetween your subject and the top frame line,as shown
above. lf not, you may accidentally
cut off the top of some-
one's head in your picture.
43O/42O
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HOWTOFOCUS
WITH
THERANGEFINDER
Lookthroughhere
(B)
atthe
bright
spot.
av PushNo.1buttons.
-l>
Holdingthe camera horizontal,
place your forefingers
on
both No. 1 buttons
as shown
and push them all the wayto
your left. Look
through the FocUSwindow
(B) and aim the
brightspotinthecenterat a nearby
subject
(about
4 ft. away,
forexample).
You
should
see
twoimages
ofyour
target
inthe
To get correct flash erposures, you must focus accurately (see page 13).
43Ol42O
bright spot; this means that the camera is not focused for
that distance. Push the No. I buttons back and forth until
the two images becomeone - sharp and clear. Now the
camera is focused. For vertical pictures,you can focus with
the
camerahorizontal,turn ittoaimandshoot.
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KNOW
YOUR
FLASH
UNIT
AND
The Polaroid
Focused
Flashunit is de-
signed
for use
only
with G.E.
Hi-Power
flashcubes,
or equivalent.
With the
flash unit attached and plugged into
the
camera,the shutteris
automatically
setat a constant
speed.In front of the
flashcube there is a set of variable
louvers (A). To get correctly exposed
pictures, these louvers automatically
open
and
closebythe required
amount
as the camerais focused
on the sub-
ject.
The
total
flash
rangeextends
from
3y2tt.
to about 10ft. f
romthe camera.
FLASHCUBES
You must focus accurately,
to get a
correctexposure
(see page 12). Each
flashcube
gives
fourflashes.
After
each
flashyou must push forwardthe lever
(B) in orderto rotatethe cube in readi-
ness for the next picture. After the
fourth flashthe lever
willnot returnto
its normal position,
indicating
that the
cube must bechanged.
The light
given
by the flashcubesis balanced
to re-
sembleaveragedaylight
and will give
excellent results with both Polacolor
and blackand whitefilms.On
the rear
of the flash unit is a Lighten/Darken
control
(C)
for adjustment
of individual
flash
exposures
(see
pages
15
and35).
Theflashunit hasa compartment
(D)
in the rear for two batteries.
YOUR NEW FLASH UNIT DOES
NOT
CONTAINBATTERIES.
Theseare pro-
vided separatelywith the flash unit.
Before
you
cantake
flashpictures,
you
must insert
the batteries,
as described
on page39.
D
C
lo 43Ol42O
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HOWTOATTACHANDREMOVETHEFLASH
UNIT
Holdtheflash
unit
asshown.
Slide
therails
(E)
on
thebottom intothe outlet
(G).
To removethe unit,
pull
outthe plug
and
of
theunitontothecameraconnector(F).Slidetheunitonall
slidetheunitoffthecameraconnector.
the
way,
tillit comes to a firm stop.
Push
theflash
cord
plug
HOW
TOINSERT
A FLASHCUBE
Holdthecubeasshown,so
its
sides
are
parallelto
thesides of
the flashunit.Be sure
that the cube socket
(H) is directly
abovethe pin (l) in the flashunit, and then push the cube
downfirmly so that (H)
and (l) engage.
To remove
a used
cube,
pull
it
up.
Use
onlyG.E.Hi-Powerflashcubes,or equivalent.
43O/42O
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THECUBEROTATION
LEVER
After eachof the four flashes is fired,
the flashcubemust be rotatedto the
nextflashposition.
Thisisdone manu-
ally with the cube rotation lever (K).
With the left thumb push the lever
forwardas far as it will go. You must
remember
to push
thelever,oryou
will
not get a flash. lt is a good idea to
alwaysdo this just afteryou press
the
No.3 button
onthecamera
to reset the
shutter
(see
page
23).
When the lever is pushed after the
fourth flash, it will not return auto-
maticallyto itsnormal
position,
but will
stay
in
theforward
position.
Thisserves
as a remihderthat the cube must be
changedforanew
one.
Theleverwillreturntoits normal
posi-
tionwhentheflashcubeis
pulled
out.
L2 43Ol42O
WHYYOU
MUST
FOCUS
ACCURATELY
WHEN
USING
FLASH
Focusing the camera automatically
adjuststhe opening of the louversin
the flash unit. This assures that,
between
a distance
of 3Yz
ft. andabout
10ft.asubjectwhichis
sharply
focused
will also receivethe right amount of
fight from the flashcube to give a
correctly
exposed
picture.
For
example,
ifa subjectis
8 ft.fromthecamera,the
light
output
fromtheflashunit mustbe
greater
than it wouldneed to be for a
subject 3V2 tt. away, if both are to
receive
the same exposure.
Thus, at
8 ft. the louversmust be wider open
than at a3Yztt.setting.
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Top:GORREGT
focus on subject 3y2tt.
away.
The louvers
openedthe correct
amount,
to lightthe subject
for a well
exposed
picture.
Bottom: INGORREGT
focus. The sub-
ject
distance
was
3y2tt. butthecamera
was
focused
for a greater
distance.
As
aresultthe louvers
were
toowide
open.
The
subject
receivedtoomuch
lightand
the
picture
was
overexposed.
43Ol42O 13
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llllflll
llllfftf
THE
CONTROLS AND
WHAT
THEY
DO A. The FilmSelector:
lt sets the camerafor the kindof film
you
areusing.For75
speedcolorfilm,set
itto75,as
shown.
For3000 speedblackand white
film,slide
it the otherway
tosetitto 3000. lf you don'tsetthe FilmSelector, theelectric
eye
(B)
can't
makeacorrectexposure.
B. Theelectriceye: Theelectriceye
onlyworksfor non-flash
pictures;
when you press
No.
2 button,the shutter opens.
Instantly,theelectric eyemeasures
thebrightnessofthe light
reflected
fromthesubject andtimestheclosingoftheshutter
to
give
correctexposure.
The electriceye does not measureflash exposures
(see
page
10).
43Ol42O
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C.The camera Lighten/Darken
control, for pictures made
without
flash: Turning
this L/D control
adjuststhe electric
eye
soyou can make
your picture
lighter
or darker
than it
would
be if the L/D control
wereleft
at the Normal
position
(shown
here).
This
control
hasnoeffect
on
pictures
made
with
flash.
For more details
aboutthe camera
L/D control,
see
page
34.
D.
Theflash
Lighten/Darken
control:
Turningthis
L/Dcontrol
adjusts
the
amount
oflight
comingfrom
theflashunit
so
you
canmake
a flash
picture
lighter
or darker
thanit wouldbeif
the
L/Dcontrolwere
left
atthe Normal
position(shown
here).
Formore
details
aboutitsuse,
see
page
35.
43Ol42O 15
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WHAT
YOU
SHOULD
KNOWABOUTYOUR
FILM
Thiscamera
usestwotypes
of Polaroid
Land pack films: 3000 speed black
and white,
Type 107, and 75 speed
color,Type 108. There may be addi-
tionaltypes
offilminthe
future.
Youmustknow
the film speed
num-
ber, 3000 or 75, to set the camera
controlscorrectly.
Afilm pack contains
allthe materials
to make eight pictures. For each pic-
turethereisa piece
of negative film, a
sheet
of
printpaper,
andathin
foil
con-
tainer
(the
pod)
filledwiththejelly-like
chemicals
needed
to develop
the pic-
ture.
Aftersnapping
the picture,you start
development
by pulling a piece of
paper
out of the camera. This drags
the exposed negative,
a sheetof print
paper,
anda pod
ofchemicals
between
two steel rollers.The pressure
of the
CAUTION:
Please
be sure to read the
important noticeinsidethe backcoyer.
16
rollerssquashes
the pod, spreading
the chemicals between the negative
and print paper to form a picture
"sandwich".
The picture develops outside the
camera. After the recommended
de-
velopment
time
you
separate
thesand-
wichandthere
is
your
finished
picture.
PROTECTION
OF FILMAND CAMERA
Extreme heat and high humiditycan
damage
your
film (and
also
your
cam-
era),
especially
afterthe film pack has
been
placed
in
the
camera.Don'tleave
film,or a loadedcamera,
in directsun
or
in
acar
duringhot
weather.
The
best
storage place in a closet is near the
bottom,
wherethe air is cooler. Don't
unwrap
filmuntil
you
arereadyto
useit.
An
importantlabel:
Onsomecolor
film
packsyou
maysee
a label
(A)
advising
you
to turn
the Lighten/Darken
control
to a special setting for all pictures
madewith
that pack. Please
do so,or
yourpictures
maybetoodark.
43Ol42O
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HOWTOLOAD A FILM
PACK
Openthe top of the box.Pullout the film package.
Handleit
gently,carefully.Hold the package near the edges. Don't
press hard on the middle of the package. Starting at the
corner,tear open the entire side of the foil bag alongthe
dotted line and removethe film pack. Discard the moisture
absorbing
card
(A) suppliedwithcolorfilm. Handlethe pack
A specialrequest!
As soonasyou open the film packyou will begin to accumu.
late waste paper. There will be more when you develop the
pictures. We hope that it won't become litter in the streets
or bescatteredaround
the landscape.
What to do with the waste paper? Usually, it will fit Into
an empty foil bag or film bor. Or, if you're planning to take
lots of outdoor pictures, bring along a paper bag or other
container for waste. Everyone
will appreciate
this little ertra
effort onyour part.
by the edgesonly.With colorfilm there's a set of mounts;
with blackand whitefilm there's a coater. Pleaseread the
instruction sheet. Savethe box to carry prints in safely. lt
can alsobe veryusefulwhen
coatingblackand whiteprints.
Alwaysopen the packageand load film in the shade, not
indirectsunlight,toavoidfogging
thefilm.
43Ol42O L7
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