Polaroid Help

[Snoopydance]

Hi, I recently purchased a Polaroid Pronto Range Finder camera, and I'm having some issues with it.

http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/9009/polaroids.jpg

^ These are the results thus far. These are interesting effects but I actually want to get better exposures and I'm not sure why they are so blurry. I've been focusing using the ring in the middle carefully but it seems as if it might not be focusing correctly. Some of it looks like motion blur but I don't know why, besides maybe the photo of the woman which was in low light...but it still doesn't explain why absolutely none of it is clear.

The difference in the two photos of the window is a darkness knob adjustment, but that didn't seem to change much (I think I've read this is just a system of filters and does nothing for exposure).

Also, I don't know if this is normal or not, but the camera doesn't release the photo until I've let go of the shutter button. This wasn't the case with my other polaroid of a different model. It doesn't seem to me thus far that that makes a difference in exposure, so I don't think it's holding the shutter open, but I don't know for sure.

Is my camera defective or is there something I'm doing wrong? Thanks.

[Greg McCary]

I am not familiar with Polariods but rangefinders are notorious for getting out of calibration. You can use a tripod or a bean bag and eliminate camera shake as the problem. Does it have a flash for inside shots?

[Snoopydance]

I think you have to buy external flash units.

Is there a way to recalibrate the rangefinder?

[realart]

Snoopy - I do not know model camera but is there a way to keep the back open and see through the lens? Take a "picture" with the back open and see if the shutter remains open for a long period of time? Or maybe until you release it? These look less like out of focus and more like movement.

Heck I suppose you could just watch the lens from the front and see if you can see the shutter open/close and for how long.

[Greg McCary]

You can download the manual here......
http://www.butkus.org/chinon/polaroi...id_cameras.htm

There are a couple of examples in the manual of fuzzy pictures that look much like yours. Without a flash the camera is probably not going to be able to take inside shots. I am not sure what ISO polaroid film is but maybe you should try a few shots outside. I think though the manual will help you.

[Snoopydance]

I wish there was some kind of dial for letting me change the exposure. For instance those window shots could look interesting if I 'under' exposed them so that just the window light was visible but it just tried to make the whole thing bright. I'll try an outdoor shot on the next sunny day and get back to you guys, thanks for the help

[Snoopydance]

I just tried it outside and the result was great; I guess motion blur was the issue after all. Thanks guys.

[byjamesderuvoDHQ]

Well, you have to remember that Polaroids were for convenience and instant gratification. Great party cameras, but fairly limited their features. But I agree that there's some camera shake going on and the pic in the middle is just plain too dark, and the image is opened longer to let in more light time. Thus, more shake.
In the end, I think you're pushing the limits of the camera's capabilities for what you're expecting.

[Snoopydance]

Does anybody know if the dial where the light meter is actually changes the exposure or just the lightness? I'm kind of getting the impression that it's the exposure from the manual, but that might be wishful reading.

[Greg McCary]

The dial on the front corrects for light and dark subjects. If you are shooting a person against a bright background you will need to lighten the image to bring out detail in the subjects face. Or if shooting a bright subject against a dark background you will need to darken the setting. The camera probably has a built in meter and these situations will fool the camera and it will take a bad exposure. It could be just changing the aperture and not the shutter speed. Leave it in normal when shooting with a flash.

[Snoopydance]

The dial on the front corrects for light and dark subjects. If you are shooting a person against a bright background you will need to lighten the image to bring out detail in the subjects face. Or if shooting a bright subject against a dark background you will need to darken the setting. The camera probably has a built in meter and these situations will fool the camera and it will take a bad exposure. It could be just changing the aperture and not the shutter speed. Leave it in normal when shooting with a flash.

I know how exposure adjustment works, I was just wondering if it actually had to do with exposure or, as is the case with some other Polaroid models, if it just places different filters between the lens and film to uniformly brighten or darken the picture. It seems like it does actually adjust the exposure though. I just wish it was fully manual and I could choose whether it changed the shutter speed or aperture.

[Greg McCary]

You are probably right. Does the shutter sound different when you change it? If so, that is probably the case.

[Snoopydance]

You are probably right. Does the shutter sound different when you change it? If so, that is probably the case.

Hmm, I haven't really noticed. It's kind of hard to test that though. The sound of the motors that push the film out kind of overpower everything else, and I can't take photos too often as they film is quite expensive. I do wonder which it chooses though. It's probably always one or the other...I'm guessing shutter speed

[Snoopydance]

Ooh, actually though, there is a trick I could try to test this out. If you take out an empty film pack and reinsert it, it treats it like a full one. As long as the battery built into the film pack holds up (it definitely would), I could try changing the dial and see if I can hear the shutter.

[Greg McCary]

Let us know how it comes out.

[Snoopydance]

It is very clear that it adjusts the shutter speed. I can hear the shutter taking longer to close when I put it at the highest setting.