Polaroid Electric Eye J66 User manual

www.orphancameras.com

      Howto makegoodpictureswithyour                                                         ,
POLAROIDELE0TRICEYE
     LANDCAIIIER





                                                       www.orphancameras.com





                ModelJ66

www.orphancameras.com

PLEASE
  Spend a few minutes reading this book-
let before you take your first picture.
  Becausethe Polaroid Land Camerais the
only camera in the world that takes and
developsits own pictures, it is unlike any
other camera you have ever owned. We
urge you to read these instructions eare-
fully  -  not becausethe camera is difficult
to use, but becauseit is different.
  This brief instruction book (containing
plenty of pictures) has been designed to
aequaint you with  the unique Polaroid
Land Camera and to be kept as a handy
guide.
  A few minutes now with  this booklet,
practicing the operation of the  earr,era,
will help you take perfect pictures on your
first roll.

KNOWTHECAMERA
  Get acquainted with the camera with-
out any film in  it. First. try opening and
closingthe front of the camera a few times.
  To Open: Raise viewfinder by holding
between the fingers as shown.



  Grasp the camera as shown and pull out
the camera front until  it locks open.





  To Close: Squeezethe lock releases(see
arrows) on both sides of the camera front
and push the shutter housing back.
  Fold the viewfinder down.




Now, fold backthis flap so Aou will hauefront and back aiews of the canxeraconstantly in sight
 as Aoustudl1therestoI this book.

www.orphancameras.com

FOUREASYSTEPS
  There are four simple steps involved in
making every picture. Each is numbered
on the camera. Practice them now a few
times before you load the camera. Get
your eye as close as you can to the view-
finder and find the position for your eye
that lets you see the entire lighted frame
without shifting your eye position.

    It    To  take  picture, aim  through
viewfinder, then push the red button  ([).
This exposesyour picture.                                                         Pictures
  Learn to hold the camera steady by
pressingit against your face for both hori-
zontal and vertical pictures as shown.
  Important: The shutter actually closes
after you hear the loud click. Get in the
habit of holding the camera still for a mo-                         'Ihisment after the click.       is especially im-
portant in low light-level situations out-
doors, and indoors where you are using
flash. You  will notice that the flashbulb
does not go off until an instant after the
click is heard. Be sure to hold the camera
steady until the bulb is fired.
                                                  VerticalPictures




       Push the white knob up Q). (This
cocks the shutter and readies the camera
for the next picture.)





       Snap the blue switch O  either
way.  (This simply unlocks the film so that
you can proceed with step 4.)


4

www.orphancameras.com

 a
     Il     Raise the cutter bar @. Pull the
film  until  it  stops. Close the cutter bar
and tear off the film.
   (For your practice runs with an un-
loaded camera,there'll be no film to pull,
but you can get used to the feel of raising
the cutter bar.)





   After  the development time  (usually
10 seconds)open the back door as shown
and lift out your picture.
  That's  all there is to  it. Make several
dry runs of these steps so that when you
put  film  in the camera, your very  first
picture will be a good one.


OTHERCONTROLS
  There are two other controls you will
usefrom time to time:
Lighten-Darken Control
   In general,it is best to leave the red dot
on the control ring halfway between the
words "lighten" and "darken", as shown.
This is the normal position. If you want
lighter pictures, rotate the dot towards
"iighten," and if you want darker pictures,
rotate   it  toward  "darken."  The  exact
amount will depend largely on your per-
sonal taste. Usually, sufficient change can
be obtained by rotating the ring only to
the mid-mark positions (see arrows).


Close-ups
  For pictures closer than five feet, you
simply pull the camera front out an addi-
tional notch. This  is done by  pressing
the lock releaseson both sides (the same
ones used for  closing the camera) and
pulling the front forward  until   it  locks
in a new position. (Notice how the arrow on
the brace indicates position.) When using
this close-up position, you will  find that
you can shoot subjects that  are 3 feet
from the camera, or even closer.
                                         NormaI               Close-Up

www.orphancameras.com
THEFILM
  For black and white pictures, always use
Type 47 -  3000 Speed Polaroid Land
Film.

LOADINGTHECAMERA
  Avoid  opening the  film  or loading  the
camera  in  direct  sunlight,  because you
may  fog the  film.  Find some shade, or  if
none is available, turn your back to the sun
and shield the film with your body.
  When  you  remove  the  film  from  the
box, save the  print  coater  and  printed
Picture  Tips  which  come  with    it.  (The
Picture  Tips  contain  up-to-date  informa-
tion about the film and an order blank  for
copies and enlargements.)


  To prepare the camera for loading, hold
 it as shown and swing the latch lever down.
The back will open slightly.





  Set the camera down on a flat surface,
then lift open the back cover as far as it
 will go. The cover will not lie completely
 flat. Do not force it.
   Lift up the inner panel and lay  it  flat.
This is the position in which the camera
is loaded.





   Before  loading,  examine   the   rollers
 (arrows).  The  two  steel  rollers  ate  the
 heart of Polaroid Land  photography.  The
 picture  roll papers will pass between these
 rollers, which  squeeze the  developer  re-
 agent  evenly  between  the  positive  and
 negative sheets.
     It  is important  to keep these rollers
 clean. Use a damp cloth to remove any
 specksor depositsthat may appear on the
 rollers as the camera is used.

6

www.orphancameras.com


  Remove the fllm carefully from its foil
wrapper. The fllm actually contains two
rolls: a large rvhite (positive) roll and a
spooled (negative) roll. When you unwrap
the  film, be careful not  to  break the
tape sealson the top of the spooledroll and
the undersideof the large roll (arrows).
  Drop the rolls into the wells on either
side of the bellows,as shown. The positive
roll (white) should go in first, the negative
roll (small) second.





  Now  close the inner  panel,  folding  the
film leader over the steel roller on the edge
of the inner panel.





  Lay the leader flat between the guides
(arrows) at the outer edge of the panel.
Be sure the white paper lies smooth and
flat, not tucked into the well.





  Then close the back cover, squeezeit
tightly shut, and swing the latch ali the
way to the left to engagethe prongs, then
all the way to the right to lock. There will
be a short tab of black paper extending
beyond the cutter bar.

www.orphancameras.com

  Important: Hold the camera as shown,
the left hand under the strap, gripping the
camera securely. If you hold the camera
in any other w&y, you are apt to pull the
tab out at an angle, which can cause it to
mistrack and tear.
  With  your right hand,  lift  the cutter
bar by its plastic edge and grip the tab
flrmlv.





   Pull the film straight out until it comesto
a firm stop. Don't be surprised if you seem
to be pulling out a lot of paper on this first
pull. You must pull out the entire leader
 (about 15 inches) before the film stops,
but it will stop automatically.





   Close  the  cutter  bar  by  pressing   it
 all the way down.  lt  will latch closed, and
you can now tear off and discard the excess
paper. (Naturally,  you will discard  it care-
 f ully  -  don't be a litterbug !)





   The camera  is now ready  for  the  first
 picture. You can always  tell what  picture
 is ready to be taken by  lifting  the cutter
 bar and looking at the tab beneath it. The
 number on the tab  tells what number  pic-
 ture is ready to be taken.

 I

www.orphancameras.com
TAKINGTHEPICTURE
   With  the camera loaded, you  are now
ready to make your  first picture. Remem-
ber the four easy steps -

       To take the picture, aim, then
push the red button $.  Press this button
slowly, don't punch it or you will jar the
camera and get a blurred picture. Remem-
ber, hold the camera steady for an instant
after you hear the click.




   Important   W'arning:  On  the  shutter
housing is the low  light  level indicator.   If
the red needle is not visible at  alI, or in the
white  area, it  is safe to take a picture.   If
this red needle is well into the black  area,
there is not enough light, and you should
use the flash. If the needle is just entering
the black  area, you can check by passing
your hand  in  front  of the electric eye.  If
the needle moves, there is enough light  to
make a picture.

                                                   LightIndicator

 H    Push the white knob @ up. Get
in the habit of doing this right after you
push the button O  to take the picture, so
that you  ll always be set for the next one.
Also, the camera front  will not close if the
knob  is not pushed up. Incidentally,  the
shutter can never go off accidentally when
the front  is closed, even if you push the red
button. Try   it and see.




       Snap the blue switch O  either


The_ picture                   will  not   start  developing             _
until  you  pull  the  fihn  (step 4  described
in detail on the next page). Some people
have been known  to go this  far, wait  the
recommended  development   time,   then
pull the film and imrnediately remove the
print  -  a very  faint, underdeveloped one.
                                                                     I

www.orphancameras.com

        Raisethe Cutter Bar @. Pull the
filrn  until    it  stops. Close the  cutter  bar
and tear  off the  film.
  Step 4 is that  simple.  After  you  do   it
a few times,  it becomes second nature and
the brief reminder on the camera is all you
need. This  first time, however, we would
Iike to go into some detail  with  the  four
pictures on this page.
  Hold  the  camera  with  the  left  hand
under the strap.  It  is important  to hold  it
this way  to assure the correct advance of
the film.




  Shield the camera from  direct  sunlight
when you  pull  the  film.  Hold    it  in  the
shadow of your body so that  no sunlight
falls on the tab slot.
  Open the cutter bar by lifting  the plastic
edge and  take  a  flrm  grip  on  the  film.
You'll  find the best grip to use is along the
length  of  the  forefinger  and  thumb,  as
shown.




   Pull  the  film  straight  out with  a single
motion.  Pull  it about as hard and rapidly
as you might  pull down a window  shade;
not hard enough to pull the shade off the
roll  (or the  film  off the  spool),  but  not
slowly and  hesitantly  either. Remember,
the film will stop automatically.
  Note:    If  the  fllm  will  not  pull  easily,
throw  the blue switch again, as in step 3,
previous page.
   After you pull the film, press down and
Iatch  the  cutter  bar,  and  tear   off  and
discard the excess paper.                           #il



WAITRECOMMENDED
DEVELOPMENTTIME
   Pulling the film has started the develop-
ment  process -  and  advanced  the  film
into position  for the next picture.  Follow
the  instructions   in  the  Picture  Tips  for
development  times  under  various  con-
ditions.
10

www.orphancameras.com





    When the development time is up, slide
   back the latch on the print door and open
    the door.

r
       Lift the print out rapidly, but carefully,1
    starting with  the cutout. Don't  let the
    print  fall back on the damp negative.
   Then close and relatch the print door.





  COATINGTHEPRINT
     Coat each print  as soon after removal
   from  the camera as possible.  If you  coat
    your  print  properly,   it  will  last as long as
   any  fine  print.  First  remove  the  curl by
   drawing the  print  face up over a straight
   edge, such as a table edge, as shown.




     Apply  the  print  coater along the entire
    Iength  of the  print,  including  edges, bor-
    ders and corners, with  6 or 8 firm  over-
    lapping strokes. For the Iast two  or three
    pictures in each roll, press the coater hard
    against the tab end of the  print  (not the
   image)  for  a moment   to  release extra
    liquid,  then spread the  liquid  smoothly
   across the print.
      Note:       If a clean, flat coating surface
     is not  available,  flatten  the  film box and
    store  the  prints  within    it  until  you  get
   home.  (See page  18  for  print  storage
   recommendations.)

www.orphancameras.com
 FLASHPICTURES
   The flashgun on the J66 is built right
 into the front  of the camera and can be
 used for bounce flash or direct flash.
  Use Sylvania AG-1 bulbs (or the equiva-
 lent). Be sure to slide the bulbs out of the
 packagingtube. If you remove them in any
 other wzy, you may deform the tiny con-
 tact wires, and the bulb will not flre.
   To insert the bulb, slide off the safety
 shield.

                                    Removesafetyshield

    Insert the bulb by sliding  it sidewise be-
 tween the flash contacts in the gun, making
 sure the bulb is completely seated. Replace
 the safety shield (for clarity  of illustration,
 the  shield  is not shown  in  the  following
 pictures).
   To eject used bulbs, push white  plastic
 button  at base of flashgun (see arrow).
  Remember  to  hold  the camera steady
 for the instant between the  click and the
 flash of the bulb (page 4).

                                                  lnsertbulbsidewise
 Bounce Flash
   This  is the  preferred  type  of flash and
should be used in any room where there is
a reasonably white  ceiling no more than
 12 feet high. Bounce flash makes pictures
 with  a natural  daylight  quality  and  the
 distance from  subject  to  camera  is  not
 critical, as it  is with  direct  flash.
  To make bounce flash pictures, aim the
reflector straight  up, for either vertical  or
horizontal  pictures. You must remember
 to swivel  the flashgun  when  you  change
from  vertical  to horizontal.
                                                  Verticalbounce                   Horizontalbounce
  As an alternative, so you won't have to
remember  to  swivel  the  flashgun  into  a
new position when you change from  verti-
 cal to  horizontal,  the  flashgun can be set.
 ata 45 degree angle as shown. This bounces
the light  off both  the  ceiiing and a light-
colored sidewall.   It may  result  in some-
what  darker  pictures  than  the  regular
bounce position above, but  this can usu-
ally be corrected by adjusting  the control
ring  to  the  midway  mark  between  the
center position and the word "lighten".

                                              45'Position12

www.orphancameras.com


 Lighten-Darken Control Ring
  The color and height of your ceilings,
 and to a lesser degree,the distance to the
 subject, will affect the exposure for your
 bounceflash pictures. You will soon deter-
 mine the best settings for your own home.
  For rooms with white ceilings and aver-
age height, 7 to 8 feet, set the control ring
 with the red dot on the center position.


                                             For7' to 8' ceilings

     If  you have a higher  ceiling, 9 to  11
 feet, or a darker ceiling, set the red dot to
 t h e m i d - m a r k   " l i g h t e n "   o r  e x t r e m e
 "lighten"  position.
  The settings for the lighten-darken  con-
 trol ring given above can only be approxi-
mate.  It  is impossible to be precise because
there are endless combinations  of  ceiling
heights and ceiling colors, as well as wall
colors which can affect exposure.
    If  these  approximate   guides  do  not
give you proper exposure, just change the
lighten-darken   control  a  little   to make
your  next  picture  perfect. Once you  get    Mid-marklighten
a perfect exposure for any particular  room,
that  setting  will always be good.
  Caution:  Turning  the  control  ring from
the  center   position   to   the  mid-mark
positions  will  change  your  picture  con-
siderably; turning   it from the center posi-
tion to either extreme "darken"  or extreme
"lighten"  may  give you more change in
exposure than you need.
  When    it   is impossible  to  use bounce
flash,  use  direct  flash  as  described  on
next page.

                                         Extremelighten



  Yellow  Dot For  Color: The yellow  dot
on the control ring (see arrow)  is not to be
used for black and white  pictures. Whe-n
Polaroid  Color Film  is marketed,  a foot-
age scale will be provided  for insertion  in
this corner  of the camera  front,  and the
yellow dot will serve as a footage indicator
for direct flash pictures.

www.orphancameras.com
DIRECTFLASHPICTURES
  Under some circumstancesbounce flash
 is impractical. Outdoors at night, or when
 ceilings are too high or too dark, or dis-
 tancestoo great, you can use direct flash by
simply rotating the flashgun reflector so it
 is airned directly at the subject.
   Distance from camera to subject affects
exposurecritically in direct flash pictures.
 Reflectivity of surroundings,subject color,
 etc., can also affect exposure.With so many
variables, the instructions below can onlv
be an approximate guide.





  For distanees of six feet and beyond,
with the reflector aimed at the subject,
the control ring sets the exposure. The
chart below shows approximate settings.
Estimate distanceswith some care because
the amount of light falling on the subject
varies greatly as distanceschange.

 CONTROLRINGPOSITIONSFORDIRECTFLASH





                       8-10feet         11-14feet          15-20feet      Morethan20feet
                      Mid-mark/        Normal         Mid-mark/     ExtremeLighten
                      Darken                            Lighten



  DirectFlashin ExtremeClose.ups:
When bounceflash is impractieal,and
youwantthe cameraonly3 to 5 feetfrom
your subject,the reflectoris not aimed
directlyat subject,Instead,swivelthe
flashgunintothe45'position(seepage12)
andaimthereflectorupwards.Liehteom-
ing through a small hole in the side of the
reflector will be enoughto light the subject.

www.orphancameras.com
 REPLACINGFLASHGUNBATTERY
   The  battery  which comes with  your



 toward the shutter housing.





  When the battery appears,lift  it out and
 discard.
  Replacewith Eveready #EgI or Mallory
 #Mn1500or equivalent.
  Be sure that the "plus', (*)  terminal.
 marked on the battery, is toward the view-
 finder side of the camera. As you easeit in
 with your fingers, you can feel it  fall into
 plaee between the clips which are out of
sight.
  We recommendnot removing the battery
 until it needsto be replaced.



USINGVIEWFINDERFORCLOSE.UPS
  For most pictures, what you see in the
white, reflected light frame will be what
will appear on your picture.
  For pictures taken 5 feet from subject,
usean imaginary framing line between the
two pointers at the upper edgeof the frame.





  For pictures taken 3 to 4l/2 feet (with
the camera in the close-up position), use
an imaginary  framing  line between the
upper gaps  in the illuminated frame. as
shown here.


                                  15

www.orphancameras.com
CORRECTINGPICTURES
  Here is how to spot some common errors
and how to correct them:
                            'Ihe  Everything  Blurred:     camera moved.
Be sure to hold the camera securely, and
do not punch  the shutter  release -  press
it down slowly. Get in the habit  of holding
the camera  still  for an instant  or so after
vou hear the loud click.




  Subject Blurred: The subject moved as
the picture was taken.





  Subject Fuzzy : When the subj ect is fuzzy
but the background sharp, the camera was
not set on close-up position. Remember,
closer than five feet, set to the close-up
position.

  All-Black  Picture:  Film  not exposed.
You may have pulled tab without releas-
ing the button O. Ot, you may have for-
gotten to push the white knob @ up to
cock the shutter. Get in the habit of doing
this immediately after snappingthe shutter.



  All-White Picture: The film was fogged.
Or, the tab was pulled while the picture
door was open.



   Subject Dark:  Pictures in which a great
deal of  brilliant  sky,  water, snow  or sun
are in the background may come out too
dark.  Avoid  low  angles, or  back-lighted
pictures.  If  you  do need  or want  such
pictures,  compensate   by   setting   the
"lighten-darken"   control  ring  to  the  ex-
treme  "lighten"  position. Be sure to  re-
turn to normal after you take your picture.
r6

www.orphancameras.com



  Too-Dark, Side-Li;;TrtedFlash Picture:
 This was caused by  lo";etting   to  swivel
 the  flashgun when you  changed from  a
 vertical  to a horizontal  picture.  Use the
 45' position as described on page 12.





  White Areas: Light struck the negative
roll during loading. Do not load in direct
sunlight. Do not break the seals on the
positive and negative rolls when loading.




                                  'l'he  Streaks Across  Print:       tab was
pulled unevenly. Do not stop or hesitate
while pulling the tab. Pull the tab fairly
rapidly until the film stops automatically.





  Spots on Print:  Evenly-spaced spots on
the picture  are caused by  foreign matter
adhering  to  the  steel  rollers.  Keep  the
rollers clean (see page 6).





                              'Ihe  Dull  or Faint Picture:      picture is
underdeveloped.Check the Picture Tips
for developing times under various con-
ditions. Usually, you wili want to wait a
full 10 secondsafter pulling the tab.

www.orphancameras.com                         iri. v ,  i
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            :,rf '





                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          t - Y

                                            P()TAROIDREPAIRSTATI()NS
                                                                CALI FORNIA
                                                                          Polaroid Corporation(Western Division)
                                                                                                                                                 ,     333 West MissionDrive
                                                                      San Gabriel
                                                           COLORADO
                                                                                 S. 0. LindahlPhoto Sales
                                                                      1637 Court Place
                                                                          Denver2       .
                                                                DIST RICTOF COLUM BIA
                                                                          Strauss Photo-TechnicalService
                                                                         930 F Street, N. W.CAREOFTHECAMERA                                     Washington4
   Rollers: The two steel rollers must be                    GEORGIA
kept clean and free of foreign matter which                    2247CameraCascadeServiceRoad.CompanyS.W.
can cause evenly spaced.spots along the                                       Atl anta
length of the picture. Before loading each                                                             I L L I N OI S
roll,  turn  the  rollers slowly and remove               PolaroidCorporation204I N. Janice(MidwesternAvenue Division)
foreign deposits with your fingernail or a                           MelrosePark
moistened cloth.                                               KENTUCKY                                                                CameraService,Inc.
   Plates: Foreign matter may also collect                      445 South Fifth Street
on the black interior plates. Clean them                                Louisville2
carefully with a water-dampened cloth.                                                             '      Murphy'sLOUCameraISIANARepair
  Keep  the  lens  clean:  First  blow  off                                                                  '  2320-22NewTulaneOrleansAvenue
loose lint  or dust  particles, then  polish                    MASSACHUSETTS
gently  with  lens tissue or a  soft,  lint-                      PolaroidCorporation(FactorY)
free cloth.                          :                                            10CambridgeAlbanyStreet39
                                           I                                          M I NNESOTA
                                                                             Loeb Arcade                                                                          209PRINT\ CAil..  ,  .     I                                                         NorthwestCameraRepairCo.                                                        M inneapolis
   Tho.'plint  coater leaves a hard plastic                    M ISSOURI
coating on your  print.   If  you bend or                 NewtonJ. Draper,CameraRepair
crease your pictures, or write on the back                    2319St. LouisBrentwood17 (Brentwood)Boulevard
of the print, you can crack this coating,                   NEW JERSEY
which can lead to discoloration along the                     1025MackCommerceCameraServiceAvenue    b
craeks. Use the tab or back edgesfor notes.                             Union                   -j
  As with any photograph, it  is wise not                    NEW YORK
to use paste or rubber cement to mount                  Mack20CameraWest 31stServiceStreetof N. Y.
your pictures. Impurities  in many adhe-                      New York 1
sives may cause the pictures to discolor.                        TEXAS
Polaroid Land prints may be safely stored               Polaroid Corporation8919 Diplomacy(SouthwesternRow   Diviqion)
in a Polaroid Picture Album, or in albums                             Dallas7
which have separate transparent acetate                   WASHINGTON
pages.                                                                  223Photo-TronicsWestlake N.
                                                                                       Seattle 9
COPIESANDENLARGEMENTS.                  FOREIGNSTATIONS
  Superb copies and. enlargements of your                   PolaroidCorporationCANADAof Canada,Ltd.
pictures are available quickly and inex-                           1 BeaverdaleToronto 18Road
pensively from  Polaroid Copy  Service.                    GERMANY
The Picture Tips packed with each roll of                           Polar oidGM BH
film contain all necessarydetails for order-                       Frankf13 Frauensteinstrasseurt,/Main,Germany
ing. The J66 cannot be used with Polaroid
 Print Copiers.
                     \
F2555A                                  "Polaroid"@                          Printedin U. S. A.